In the corner rested the still smoking device, the toxic fumes fighting Grima’s magic shield. All of it creating a cute looking ball of dangerous slowly changing colour smoke. But the three of them didn't focus on that, but instead on the Paper map out in front of them.
“We know the plan?” Grima’Daarken asked, holding up her object representation for the map, a bobby pin. Echoin nodded as he ate what was his representation figure for the plan was, a moon pie. And Elizabeth moved the trans flag pin she forgot she had in her hair back into their hair.
“Simple enough,” Echoin sneezed, coating the map in his snot. “I see what happened to this Ralph and Igor-”
Elizabeth chimed in, “Remember Earth pony named Ralph and a guy owl.”
Echoin rolled his eyes, “I didn't forget. Did you forget your job?”
“Of course not! I fly and grab a 20VS battery from Frazzles room using Grimas card, and she keeps the monster busy since her trench coat protects her from it's attacks.”
Grima nosed the glasses up her muzzle before smirking. And then looking up trying to remember something, before having her Ha-Ha moment. She turned towards Elizabeth.
“Actually, can you grab that book you had? One of the main characters is a frequent flyer for our alien section of the library. Her favourite books are ‘Mark Twain’ and stuff. I don't get how she likes those books. The characters are always weird.” Elizabeth looked up before looking at Echoin. And then groaning. Before nodding.
“Is their name Anna or something because if so, then they're from another realm where humans are probably real. Weird universe I'm used to them being the bad guys in bad early space books, like ‘attack of the cannibal two-legged nightmares.’ or ‘The creature who removed my limbs.’ that is the last one is a rather terrifying book for body horror alone.” Elizabeth said getting odd looks from Grima’Daarken, before they raised their voice to speak. They were cut off by Elizabeth.
“My Dad read them to me when I was young before he basically decided to be a real blt about me.” She said silencing Grima’s question, and causing some many more questions. All for later as they have more pressing matters. They put their hopes forward into the middle of the table letting them clack off each other.
“Break!”
They said getting up going to the door. Elizabeth hovered above the two of them as Grima swiped her card on the door scanner. Echoin bolted out the door the moment it seemed sorta open, stumbling a little bit here and there.
Grima tossed her card up to Elizabeth as this swooped out the door. Her trench coat ruffled as Elizabeth accelerated off, leaving her standing their. She turned to the card scanner and set the door to hold open, as she broke off to do her job.
Echoin rushed down the bookshelves, the lights in the library had long since been turned off. All of it light by the front blue glow of the books, bathing the pure white library in just enough light for the bat pony. His good wing was spread out beside him, cutting the air as he ran.
Past the first section of books, then the third. Igor and Ralph had a specific magic trail, Elizabeth had some stuck in their fur. It was an off shade of pulsating and creepy feeling blue, how he felt that from a shade of blue is unclear to himself.
He's just gotta find the trail. Where he was last attacked would be a great place to start or a great place to get attacked from. He slowed his run down, looked for the biggest book on the shelf, groaned as their all medium-sized, and pulled one out.
He resumed sprinting holding the book in his muzzle, the faint glow of the book helping his nocturnal vision out surprisingly well as he ran. All around him the bookshelves towered as he saw no end in sight, endless shelves, towering high with no end in sight. Before he realized what was happening.
“Remember their the manifestation of fear, they will adapt to hunt you, like your bull Echoin.”
So it wasn't attacking Grima as they had planned, Whatever, adapt, improvise, overcome. He dived right smashing into nothing as the fake bookshelves faded away, leaving him in a clearing. A tent stood before him, surrounded by study tables crowded around him.
All enclosing him around this tent. He knew it, he felt the dagger on his leg, he knew what it wanted. But he knew what he wanted.
“The fuck no!”
He turned around jumping with his left-wing extended landing on the top of a table, escaping the half-assed attempt to surround him. He sprinted forward toward a bookshelf. Not another-
He bounced off the real bookshelf, the wind knocked out of them as they stumbled back. Of course, there will be real bookshelves in a library. He looked around, even for nocturnal vision he can't see that far, far more than his friends should.
Who's idea was it to split up? He’d like to kick that person. Wait.
“We should split up, waste no time, I can't fly so we need to prioritise what is best suited for us.”
He gently hit himself in his ribs with his left hoof. Laughing, he looked around and laughed harder. The haze that he hadn't known was around him lifted, the light from the books on the shelf lit brighter as the haze lifted.
He tossed the book in his muzzle up onto the top of his muzzle. Sure he's done this with a sword so a book is nothing! He balanced it on his edge as he kept it on his muzzle, shifting and moving sideways to let it stay there.
He laughed at his stupidity, at the memories this caused, of people long gone. And he smiled as he realized this meant more to him than a simple joke, he balanced it and let his mind drift a little. He wasn't in a place where his fear ruled, he was at home, surrounded by comradery, dumb military friends because soldiers are soldiers, and there will always be the rush to wait.
The haze around him lifted as he looked around him, the book lighting the bookshelves around him. He knows that he got off easy, but why? And why is the noise of rushing air present.
He ducked on instinct, letting the Tomahawk sail over his head. It smacked into the bookshelf and dissolved into mist, he turned around quickly. And stared face to face to the buffalo, their body of mist shifted but he saw all the details as he remembered them.
Please don't. He thought as he felt the most hug him gently, forming the no-longer comfortable heavy Gruivion Armour. The helms red streak made him scream as he saw it, colourless in the mist but he knew what it was.
The gladius on his side, he didn't reach for it as the buffalo stood there. The entire feeling that is being given off is dirty, the magic, dark, the same colour as Grima’s. And the feeling inside raised as he looked at it.
“Do it again, kill me once again, you Durian” The Buffalo taunted him with the voice of the dead as it approached. The mist was clear as he looked at the books, their faint blue glow from the crystal, coupled with their faint blue tech haze. He saw it all clearly.
“No.”
Echoin stood there, facing the Buffalo, their wounds from his blade work showing even in the mist. He wasn't in the library, his mind wasn't their. He saw the rolling plain hills, the early dawn sun, and the smell of horror around him.
What they did was wrong, what he had done was wrong. He killed the one responsible, he can't blame his comrades, they did exactly what he did. Follow orders.
All thats left in his mind that's guilty is himself. He tears himself up over it enough. No.
He stood where he was, the mist of his nightmares laid out in front of him. He stood there, the most of his armour held as he stood there. The Buffalo lowered its head and charged.
He stood.