//------------------------------// // 5. Awakening of Fates // Story: The Trials of Shmarity: an Ogres and Oubliettes Story // by TheMessenger //------------------------------// 5. Awakening of Fates Gusts of wind rushed past her face, blowing her mane and the fur of her coat back. Her limbs flailed wildly as they searched futilely for support. Her heart beat furiously and her lungs gasped for air as her chest was compressed by the sudden pressure. It was a feeling Rarity was all too intimate with, from ballooning accidents and incidents to discovering the limits of wings made from gossamer and morning dew to having been dropped by a rampaging dragon after the behemoth reverted back to his original, adorable self. For a creature without wings, she certainly found herself tumbling through the air quite often. Rarity forced her eyes open, and suddenly her hooves found purchase. The ground beneath them was soft, softer than any cushion. It was like standing on cotton fluff. Pink cotton fluff, Rarity determined as she looked down and around. More colorful, fluffy platforms dotted a blank blue skyline. Were they clouds? Rarity shifted her weight from one side to the next, and the ground clung to her hooves as they moved. If memory served, clouds weren’t supposed to be so sticky. Or so sweet smelling, Rarity added after taking a cautionary sniff at her raised hoof. The pink clumps were starting to move despite the lack of any breeze. Several flew toward Rarity and attached themselves to the fluff she stood on. A bridge soon formed before her, leading out to a reddening horizon. Rarity hesitated. She took a quick look behind her. Nothing there but blue sky. Swallowing to steal her nerves, she glanced over the side. Nothing below her but blue sky. The ground, if it existed at all, was too far to be seen. And unsurprisingly there was nothing above her but blue sky. “Well, onwards and forwards, I suppose,” Rarity muttered, having exhausted all other directions. She started onto the path, cringing as she peeled her hooves from the sticky, sugary surface with each step. More clumps of pink cotton flew to the end of the bridge, extending it with every step she took, of which Rarity quickly lost count of. She had no way of keeping track of time, it could have been hours and definitely felt like it, but the end was nowhere in sight. Every bit of progress she may have made was swiftly erased as the path continued to grow. She tried to quicken her pace, but the softness and stickiness of the path’s surface kept her at a maximum speed of a brisk walk. Time passed, and Rarity’s patience reached its breaking point. She groaned to the heavens above and turned around, only the find that the way behind her was gone. The pink fluff had vanished, cutting off her retreat and leaving her with only two options, and Rarity hadn’t yet become desperate enough to try diving off the side. Gritting her teeth, Rarity turned forward and prepared for the continuation of this endless, pointless trek. Instead of a horizon in the distance, however, she found herself just a hop, skip, and jump away from a floating island. Tropical trees with shady, blue palms lined the coast as a waterfall of bubbly purple liquid cascaded off the side, raining down onto whatever was below. Carved out of a volcano actively releasing melted chocolate from the center of the island was a massive throne. And in the throne sat a familiar mismatched serpentine body, sipping from a golden goblet it held in a claw. “Discord?” The creature chuckled, and Rarity lost confidence in her assessment. The laugh she heard was higher and lighter in pitch and tone than the draconequus’s typical guffaws. Upon further inspection, the body before her wasn’t a perfect match either; there was a sleekness here that was absent on Discord. The brown fur seemed to shine in the light while the red scales on its tail sparkled. There were few bends in its serpent-like body, and the ones that were there reminded Rarity more of the twists and turns fashion models performed on runways than of the accordion shape Discord normally presented himself in. The wings of the creature were just as conflicting as Discord’s, with one like a pegasus’s or a bird’s consisting of white feathers and one dark and webbed with a leathery membrane that could’ve belonged to a dragon or bat, but while the set on Discord’s back were comically small for a being of his size, these wings were proportional to the body they were attached to. Perhaps the most striking difference were the facial features. Now Rarity wasn’t the kind of mare who would ever describe an acquaintance as unattractive, just that if she had to be generous, Discord’s face looked like it had been punched squarely in the snout by a professional pugilist then compressed by an industrial vice before being thrown into the streets that an entire tribe of buffalo was stampeding through. She couldn’t say the same about the face before her, however. Like the rest of its body, the head was smooth, with curves instead of lumps, and it was more noticeably equine. The tuff of hair on the chin was missing, as was that single fang that was normally sticking out of the draconequus’s mouth. Its white mane seemed to flow in some nonexistent breeze, much like with Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, and the way the creature held their head reminded Rarity of Equestria’s sovereigns as well. The eyelids remained closed, but something gleamed through the slits. The creature smiled, flashing rows upon rows of fangs. Rarity swallowed. “M-my mistake. I apologize, I thought you were, well—“ “Someone you know? Or shall we say, knew?” The creature laughed again and made a motion toward Rarity. The fluffy platform she was on suddenly rose and floated up to the throne. “Don’t be afraid, child. I know of your blight, and I am here to help.” “You do? You are? Then, do you know how I got to this world? Why I am here?” “But of course! My child, I’m the one who brought you here.” “You? But—“ Rarity shrugged against the sticky fluff at her feet. “You did this? Why?” The being shrugged. “We made a pact, the king of Spiketopia and I. He needed children to continue his dynasty, and I required an agent in the mortal material realm. And you, child.” The being reached forward and tapped a talon against the tip of Rarity’s nose. “You are the product of that pact.” “Pact? Spiketopia? Court of what?” Rarity shook her head. “What are you talking about? None of this makes any sense!” The creature on the throne sighed and pinched the bridge of their (her?) snout. “I forget how slow you mortals sometimes are. Let’s start with something simple. You want to save your friends, don’t you?” Rarity nodded slowly. “Yes?” she said hesitantly. The creature clapped. “Wonderful! And I need the Squid Wizard taken out of the picture. Don’t worry about why, your mortal mind wouldn’t understand. What you do need to understand is that our interests align, and I am willing to help. It’ll be a, what’s the mortal word? Starts with T, something to do with the exchanging of goods and services?” “Trade?” Rarity suggested. “Yes! A trade. You do this favor for me, I help with this problem of yours. Reasonable, yes?” “Then, you can get us back home?” “One step at a time.” The being shook their head. “So impatient, but I suppose it comes with having such a limited lifespan. First, let’s get your friends back into fighting condition, and we’ll work from there, okay?“ Rarity frowned. Every part of her was tense. The creature’s very presence seemed to carry an air of suspicion, much like with Discord, and it took time before Rarity could look past that air and give Discord a modicum of trust for him to toy with. And to be given such a tempting offer, assistance when all other avenues seemed lost to her, it was far too good to be true. “You’ll help me save Spike and Discord?” “Amongst other things, yes,” the being purred. “And in return, what will it cost me?” “I told you, I want the Squid Wizard gone. I have plans for Spiketopia, plans that that meddling cephalopod is interfering with. And again, don’t bother asking about those plans,” the being added with a sniff. “You wouldn’t understand them even if I wanted to tell you, but rest assured, you’ll have a future part to play. So yeah, helping you helps me. What, sounds too good to be true? That look on your face, you don’t quite believe me, do you?” “How did—“ Rarity began before cutting herself off. The being’s eyes were still all but shut. They couldn’t have possibly seen her expression. The being laughed. “Don’t trust me? A wise decision, but if we’re going to get any work done, that’s going to have to change, at least a little bit. Hm.” They rubbed their chin thoughtfully. “Ah, I know. You must have many more questions. Go ahead, ask away.” “And you’ll answer them?” asked Rarity. “You’ll answer them honestly?” “To the best of my ability. I’ll admit, I’m not omniscient, and some knowledge can’t be handled by mortal minds. How about this, if I can’t give you a straight answer, I’ll let you know. Sound fair?” Rarity mulled over the presented opportunity as she looked over the serpent-like creature in front of her. Their features were unreadable, their body language still so foreign, Rarity had no way to confirm whether the answers she’d receive were truths or lies. Still, the chance for actual answers was too great to squander. “Very well,” Rarity finally said. She considered her long list of questions before settling on one quick and easy and fresh on her mind. “What is Spiketopia?” “The country we, or rather, you, are currently residing in, recently conquered and under the control of the Squid Wizard.” “Why is it named after Spike?” “Sheer coincidence.” “Who are you?” The being made a sweeping bow, stretching out one of their arms while placing the other over their chest. “Why, the Queen of Fey, your most humble of patrons.” “Fey?” “Or fairy, fair folk, Children of the Weave, or...” Rarity’s ears flattened against her skull at the following string of unrepeatable syllables. “Whatever your preference. Fey just felt the most concise. And, as my agent, you carry my symbol.” The creature’s eyelids lifted. Rarity covered her eyes, shielding them from the blinding light. The light quickly subsided, and Rarity lifted her head for a quick look at what had been hidden. Instead of a backdrop of white, Rarity found herself staring into an ocean of gold. The round black pupil normally found in the center was missing, and in its place was a silver snowflake, with jagged arrows branching out of the middle in every direction. Something burned against Rarity’s chest, and Rarity, as a reflex, grabbed at it. The silver pendant from earlier now sat in her hoof, humming away. The being smiled. “Yes, that’s it. Most won’t recognize it, but those with connections to the Fey will understand that you are under my patronage, so do be careful about whom you show it too. It will also serve as a focus through which you may channel a small portion of my power.” Rarity tore her eyes away from the pendant. “I’m sorry, channel your power? What do you mean?” “Oh, just a small favor to help you on your way,” the being said. “Like how you escaped from the Squid Wizard.” They leaned over and laid a finger against the silver symbol. “Now there is a limit to what you can do with my magic, you are only borrowing a small piece of it after all, and you can only use it so many times before that pool runs dry. After that disappearing act, I’d say you’ve got two miracles left, so make them count.” They lifted themselves up and returned to their seat on the throne. “We can discuss increasing that amount after you take care of the Squid Wizard for me.” Rarity gave the symbol a little shake. “How does it work? The channeling, I mean. How exactly do I use your magic?” “Dunno. This is all pretty new to me too. But I’m sure you’ll figure it out. You got out of the Squid Wizard’s clutches pretty okay.” “I was dropped into a muddy puddle,” grumbled Rarity. “Eh, practice makes perfect. Only, hm, you don’t really have much to practice with. Ah, well, I’m sure you’ll be fine,” the being blustered. “Next question.” It was hardly a satisfying answer, but Rarity moved on. “Do you know why everypony thought I was this Princess Shmarity?” The Queen of Fey shrugged. “Probably because you look like her. Or are her. Possessing her body? I don’t know, I don’t really understand that sense of identity you mortals put so much stock in. It doesn’t really matter.” “It does to me,” Rarity protested. “This whole identity crisis has been most confusing and has caused more than enough heartache already.” “Look, just think of it as playing a role in a stage production,” the Queen of Fey responded with a dismissive wave. “In that world, the world you’ll wake up to, you are Princess Shmarity, princess of Spiketopia, former prisoner of the Squid Wizard, secret agent of the Fey. You might even be able to use that identity to your advantage. Or play the crazed amnesiac who was potentially brainwashed by the Squid Wizard and thus probably shouldn’t be trusted and likely won’t be able to accomplish anything, your call. Next question.” “Why am I here?” “Ah, one of life’s greatest mysteries. Be a little more specific or we will be here for the rest of your relative short lifespan.” “Okay, let’s start with why am I here right before you? Where is this place?” Rarity gestured to the empty skyline behind her. “Oh, your dreams,” the Queen of Fey answered nonchalantly. “That’s the where. It’s a tricky thing, communicating to mortals. Even in dreams my presence is enough to cause lesser beings to lose sanity if I’m not careful. As for why, well, it seemed like you could a bit of guidance. Was I mistaken?” “Then—“ “That was a rhetorical question by the way,” the Queen of Fey added. “You most definitely needed a shove in the right direction. Don’t go making a habit of it, though. I do have an entire plane of existence to maintain and won’t always be available. A bit of self-reliance goes a long way, you know.” Rarity rolled her eyes. Queen of Fey, Lord of Chaos, both were utterly infuriating to deal with. “Right, well. Then do you have any advice for me?” “Well for one, make sure your next question is a good one.” The Queen of Fey pointed up. Rarity’s gaze followed the gesture. Parts of blue sky had gone dark and gray, and that lack of color was slowly spreading. The world suddenly shook, and Rarity grabbed her forehead as a shrill, deafening screech rang out and through her ears. The noise subdued, but it left behind a throbbing headache. “You’ll be waking up soon. I won’t be able to keep you for much longer. Oh, and two, if you want to save your friends and, I suppose by extension, this land, you’re going to want to head south. That’s where you’ll find information on necromancy.” “Necromancy?” repeated Rarity. It wasn’t a word she knew, but she was well read enough to recognize the prefix for death, which only raised more questions. Before she could consider the subject further, however, the world shook violently, nearly knocking Rarity off balance. “Yes, in the south! Ask for the scrolls of Valmeyjar! Last question!” the Queen of Fey yelled over the rumbling. “Hurry!” The pounding in her head was becoming unbearable. The winds were picking up in strength, throwing up sand and dust into the air. Rarity raised a hoof over her eyes and squinted as the island and the Queen of Fey became blurred. She tried to scream over the howls of the wind and the rumbling of the world. The Queen of Fey leaned forward with their paw cupped around an ear. “What?” “My horn!” Rarity tried again. “Where is my horn?” The being was no longer visible. Rarity strained to listen past the noisy din. “Look south!” Rarity managed to hear just as her vision went red and she fell to the floor, screaming. She grabbed hold of her head, digging her hooves into its sides. Her skull felt like it was seconds away from splitting apart as the pain intensified relentlessly. And in a single instant, without any warning, the aching disappeared. Rarity’s breathing calmed, and the sensation of touch slowly returned to her body. The softness of those pink sticky fluffs was replaced by a hard, itchy surface. Something stirred beside her. Rarity opened her eyes just as the crow of a rooster rang through the village, welcoming a new day.