//------------------------------// // Library // Story: A Drink // by Chemtest //------------------------------// Darius trots down a dark hallway of a hidden wing of the palace, dark somehow still despite the light outside. The mare he met the day before, D, trots behind him, “You’re lucky that today’s a slow day around here, you know, Durian.” Darius looks back, “Yes, I am, and it’s Darius.” D grins, “Well, you’re a bit fruity, so it’s Durian.” He shakes his head, looking ahead, “You are so… I cannot even put it into words. Indescribable, mare, you are indescribable, and I haven’t the faintest if that is good or bad-“ He’s cut off as he runs head-first into a guard. The armored mare stumbles back, looking at him, “Emperor Darius? You aren’t supposed to be here.” Darius stumbles for a second, finding his footing quickly. He looks at the guard, and nods, “Perhaps I’m not.” He holds forward a nondescript brown bag, the clinking of coins coming from inside, “But it is lucky that you escorted me out of here, then, isn’t it?” The mare blinks slowly, and then takes the bag, opening it and eyeing the bits on the inside. She closes the bag, placing it into her saddlebags, “I don’t think I saw a single living thing in this wing, barely even a rat.” She nods, and trots past Darius and D. D looks at Darius, “Bribing a guard? Shit, maybe I underestimated you, Durian.” He nods, trotting onwards, “I do not like it, but if what you say is true, it needs to be done. From our short encounters I must admit I am quite smitten, and you have told that she will need me in these coming days. Even if I may not enjoy skullduggery and bribery as such, I shall still do it to help her.” D grins, trotting after, orange flames dancing in her mane, “Oh, a bad boy with good intentions? And a nerd too? Oh yeah, you two are gonna fuck.” He looks back with a slight frown, “Try to be less vulgar, if you would. I do not appreciate such vulgarities and vocabularies being uttered near me. In any fashion, I am not the nerd here.” He trots into a room, a wide and large library, dimly lit. Shelves line the walls and form aisles all over, overflowing with books of all sorts, with even more books scattered across tables in the center of the room, “It was you, mind, who asked to be taken to a library for payment.” She grins more, “Oh no, a mild and mediocre comeback, how shall I ever recover? I can almost feel my very soul slipping away, dying off, entering the great void beyond worlds. Oh, how could you ever be so mean, Durian, to call me a nerd?” She smirks, trotting to a table, “Look, Durian, only one pony can pull of the ‘No You’ joke of repeating someone else’s words but funnier, and it isn’t you. Now, shoo, go look in the big forbidden library, I have something to read.” Darius nods, “You truly are an indescribable and often unbearable mare. I’m afraid I cannot see what the Fatecaster saw to make you a Lady.” She rolls her eyes, “Please, you think blind, short, and scarred made me a Lady? The only thing he made me was a want to die. Now, like I said, shoo.” She sits at the table, holding up a book, “I’ve already wasted too much funny on you.” He shakes his head, turning and trotting to a random aisle of bookshelves. He looks past many old books, dust obscuring their many titles and age wearing on their binding, until his eyes land on a specific book. He takes it off the shelf, blowing off the dust, and looking at the front. A binding made of bright red leather, inlaid gold on the front forming a symbol like a ‘U’ of wheat. He looks at the title, muttering out loud, “Liber Alicornium, sounds almost like Romauian.” He flips open the book to the first page, upon which is an illustration of a young alicorn filly, with a bright white coat and a pink mane, playing with some Phoenixes. He looks over the page, reading aloud, “Celestia Solaris Ordver, Aspect of the Sun. First to fall, year 220, still survives. Protected by Aspects of Order, Chaos, Shadow, all attacks ended in failure, attack not recommended.” He blinks, and mutters the last line, “If seen, immediate evacuation recommended, too strong for even the Legates.” He shakes his head, flipping to the next page, showing an illustration of a tall alicorn colt with a bright golden mane and grey coat, this time the illustration has the golden symbol of the cover on top of him, “Honorius, Aspect of Honor, fell 221… eliminated by beheading.” He flips to the next page, a smiling alicorn filly of blue color there, the golden symbol on top of her, “Positida, Aspect of Ocean, fell 223, eliminated by burning at the stake.” He flips once again, where a bright red alicorn colt is shown, the same symbol on top of him, “Ofre Nail-Hoof, Aspect of Sacrifice, fell 240… crucified.” He flips quickly through, only skimming pages, “Jimothus, Fatherhood, drowned. Anon-Filly, Opposition, poisoned. Fortunado, Luck, impaled. Rammus, Cooking, crushed. Bright Star, Life, drowned.” He flips past at least twenty pages more, stopping as he comes to one of the last two. A small dark blue filly with a lighter blue mane, holding a dagger, too big for her, within her mouth as she trots towards a cave, “Noctarus Lunarid Ordver, Aspect of Moon, fell 700, still alive. Protected by Aspects of Order, Shadow, Chaos, and Sun. Adventurous, but impossible to be ambushed even when on her own… a capable warrior despite her young age. If seen, immediate evacuation recommended, lest Shadow kill you. Do not engage.” He looks over the page, slowly flipping to the last one, showing an older filly. Her coat is grey, with blue and yellow mane, and eyes that shine the colors of the rainbow, “Harmonikus, Aspect of Harmony, fell 750, still alive. Protected by all other Aspects, a skilled martial artist in her own right. If seen, do not evacuate, instead sit and have a drink. Do not attempt to fight.” Darius closes the book, shaking his head as he puts it back, “A book on how to… kill alicorns? There were more alicorns?” D speaks from behind him, “Why do you think Celestia is so paranoid, Darius?” He looks back, “Is she?” D nods, “You haven’t seen it, because she’s sneaky. Her family died to us mortals, she’s the last one left. She needs someone, you know.” Darius looks away, “I suppose I do know… is this why you took me here?” She grins, “Nah, I just wanted to read Striped Sun. It’s a book about a group of zebra stallions who ambush Celestia on a diplomatic trip and-“ He holds out a hoof, “I don’t need to hear any more. I swear, mare, you are like a switch, flipping from serious to… that, in an instant.” She grins more, “Yeah, and? Now come on, Durian, let’s get you dressed to ask her out.”