"So, you wanted to go back to the library to return that book, right?”
“Flusk, I already told you that you didn’t need to come. I’m not a colt, I’m an adult and I can do things myself without another adult insisting they follow me.” Drizzle retorted.
“Well of course I’m not going for that reason. I’m an author, remember? I’m checking out their monthly book display! They always have some interesting reads at the beginning of the month.”
Well, that was half a lie. She did indeed want to see what new books they had for a recommendation but she also wanted to spend time with Drizzle, or rather keep an eye on him. One couldn’t be too sure with somepony who was emotionally unstable and had been dumped by their former marefriend about three weeks ago.
Flusk pranced her way in front as she and Drizzle walked through the busy afternoon of River Breeze. As they passed by, Flusk could hear the chattering of ponies debating on the new mayor of River Breeze and how much they either disagreed or agreed with his plans to add a fountain in the town square. They argued it was a waste of their bits and that it was completely unnecessary architecture fit to please those who traversed Ifera, not those who resided within River Breeze.
And then there were the usual vendors positioning their freshly picked fruit and vegetables upon their stands that they had labored for the highest quality possible to make ends meet. Flusk even saw a filly assisting her mother in lifting a gigantic watermelon into its place as ponies flocked to their stands to buy their produce. A slice of watermelon did sound refreshing on this balmy summer afternoon…
“I know you’re lying. You wouldn’t be this invested in following me if it were just for a couple of books.” Drizzle replied.
Ignoring his previous comment, Flusk leaned her head to the side to get a good look at the volume hugged tightly to Drizzle’s chest. It was a tattered old book that had most likely been borrowed many times in the past by unicorns who sought the knowledge of spell makers who had long passed before their time.
Drizzle was a bit of a “magic nerd” as Flusk coined it, who enjoyed educating himself about spells old and new and attempting them himself. Remarkably, he was capable of performing many and was much stronger in his power than Flusk ever would be. Perhaps it was because he always had his muzzle deep into a page of millennia-aged magic, or that Flusk was simply incapacitated from reaching that stage of mental advancement. Whatever the case, the stallion’s pride relied on a lot of his skill in controlling magic and talent to create artistic pieces of work.
“What’s wrong with that book?” Flusk asked, pointing at it. “You seemed to be enjoying it earlier.”
“It wasn’t what I was looking for. I’ve already studied a lot of these spells and they’re common knowledge amongst unicorns. I’m trying to find more advanced spells to study instead.”
“I hope you don’t try performing any of those inside my house. The last thing I need is you breaking anything.”
“I’ve been studying magic for a long time. I have excellent control over it and would never perform anything complicated indoors. You should have a little more faith in my ability, Flusk.”
“It’s hard not to be skeptical considering your past…”
Drizzle stopped in his tracks and gave Flusk a forbidding look. “What do you mean by my past?”
“Dark magic…When you use to-” Flusk replied shortly.
Drizzle interrupted her. “I haven’t done that in years, long before I ever met you. You think I’d ever go back to that awful habit?”
“Well, I don’t know if you will or won’t. It’s just a concern of mine since you said you couldn’t control yourself back then.”
“Dark magic is akin to a drug. It controls your mind and feeds it with thoughts that aren’t your own. I wasn’t in my right mind when I used it but normal magic is different. It doesn’t have addictive properties and it can’t do that to me.”
Drizzle quickened his pace to avoid the conversation from going on any further as he was already ticked off from the mention of something he wasn’t very proud of. As much as Flusk understood it was a touchy matter for him, she also understood that Drizzle was easily bribed by power.
He had made this same mistake about seven years ago when he first delved into the mysterious magic that promised strength and immense intelligence. But like many things that seem too good to be true, so were the dark powers. They abused his mind and filled it with cruel scenarios and thoughts that were inescapable, all the while providing him with what he desired most, power. At least, that’s what he had described to Flusk when explaining what he had endured for harnessing it.
The potential of it happening again terrified Flusk and all she wanted was for him to take great caution when investigating new spells he had never encountered before. Sure, none of these were anywhere near dark magic in theory but she couldn’t bear the thought of him losing his mind to such a manipulative incantation again. Dark magic was already hard enough to strip magic users away from once they started…
“Well, we’re here.” Drizzle said.
Flusk nearly trotted into a solid stone statue of a unicorn balancing a scroll on its hoof. Another statue which differed from the other stood to the right and was of a unicorn rearing onto its back hooves, reaching for the sunlight. They stood guard at the grand staircase that led to the entrance of River Breeze Library.
The library had been a building that stood against centuries of war and climate that threatened to demolish it eons ago, yet it remained as one of the oldest pieces of history within Ifera ByFlame. It carried books and manuscripts by authors who had been lost to time and had the privilege of being remembered for their best works. And presently, its existence was used for young magic users to study the old and new spells of famous sorcerers who had made their impact. Or if you’re Flusk, the new trending and burning hot books placed brand new on the shelves.
Upon entering, the library had a musty smell Flusk didn’t remember getting a whiff of when she last came here. It appeared the aged property needed another cleaning again as not only the stale scent but cobwebs and dust accompanied it. Flusk wrinkled her muzzle in disgust as she hurried to follow Drizzle to the front desk of this establishment.
“Welcome to River Breeze Library, how may I assist you.” An old mare with a salt and pepper mane asked monotony as if she had said this very line far too many times.
“I would like to return this book, please.” Drizzle replied, sliding over his beaten book.
The old mare studied it for a moment before reaching over for a notebook and flipping through the pages. She traced her hoof over his name. “It says here you borrowed this book almost a month ago. The due date was last week.”
“Oh really? I thought I still had more time. I’m sorry, I’ll bring it in earlier next time.”
“Next time, eh? All you young ponies say that and end up never bringing it back. Then I have to chase you lot down…”
She narrowed her eyes on Drizzle and leaned over the counter, staring him down. The stallion nervously shifted backward to avoid her getting any closer as he smiled sheepishly.
“That’s uh…A bit offensive to say but I promise I’ll bring it back. It was only a week late after all.”
“I once had a colt who looked quite like you that borrowed a book. I never saw him again until I found his address myself. Do you know what I did to him?”
“Uh…No?...”
Flusk surveyed the situation happening in front of her with both confusion and apprehension as she observed the elder mare nearing Drizzle’s personal space. She could tell that Drizzle was restraining himself from just beating up an old lady out of self-defence but knew that he would most likely be arrested for it so he didn’t go through with it. However, she wasn’t going to stay behind to find out.
“Uhh…Hey, Drizzle, I’m going to go check out some books. Let me know when you’re done!”
Flusk practically sprinted away before he could reject her from leaving. She felt guilty for letting him deal with that unhinged mare alone but she wasn’t about to put an end to it either.
Once she was a distance away from them, she slowed her pace to a trot and halted in front of the display section. The latest award-winning books were positioned in front of her and she inspected them with both excitement and curiosity.
“The Adventures of Princess Faithela,” Flusk murmured to herself, reading titles. “Discordant Origins, The Kitsune…Oooohh, they have Lullaby’s Voice here!”
Flusk nabbed a baby blue book off the display which depicted a young pegasus filly perched on a tree branch, musical notes swarming all around her as she sang to her heart’s content. Her hoof brushed over the front cover as she could barely contain herself over being able to find this novel here.
“Hold on a second, is that who I think it is?” Flusk squinted at the book.
Her eyes fell on the nominations of awards and ratings given to the book before falling on one specifically. Besides the judging from Robin Wings Publishers, one of the rulers of Ifera ByFlame, Princess Aphrodite had also submitted her own judging. She had rated the book highly and recommended others read it if they were in need of a sweet story. Flusk nearly lost it at this information.
“Princess Aphrodite? The Aphrodite?”
Flusk suppressed a squeal and squeezed the book to her chest. Princess Aphrodite had been an idol that she long praised and admired for a long time. A shy but elegant princess who did not need to say many words unless it were necessary. She was always seen at the shoulder of her older sister, Princess Regalia who was far more confident and carried a strong voice.
The younger sister was a bit of a mystery to most of Ifera but she was well respected and loved equally as much. The way she held herself was so graceful and selfless that Flusk couldn’t help but fall in love with her, perhaps quite literally. The fact that her favorite princess had commented on a book she had been intrigued by reading was all the more reason it was a perfect pick.
Making up her mind, Flusk cradled the novel in her purple aura as she prepared to make her way back to the front desk to sign the book out. However, just as she turned around, her flank accidentally knocked over a book off the display table.
“Oops!”
She levitated the book off the floor and in her line of vision, dusting off any smudges or dirt on the cover.
“Hmm, Ifera ByFlame’s Myths and Legends…That doesn’t sound like a newly published book.”
She rotated it around and read the synopsis. It appeared to be a book that had been written preceding the time of Princess Aphrodite and Princess Regalia’s births and was updated every few centuries once new tales emerged. It certainly didn’t belong on the display table and didn’t look like it either as it was in similar shape to the book Drizzle borrowed but it piqued Flusk’s interest. Perhaps she would have two books to sign out today?
She looked back and forth for anypony around her in case they were judging her for grasping such an unappealing book and darted for the front desk.
Drizzle was still standing there when she returned but he and the old mare didn’t seem to be having a quarrel anymore. In fact, she instead was recalling memories of her past and reminiscing happily. The expression on his face as he was forced to listen to her stories for the past fifteen minutes made Flusk think he quite literally wanted to kill himself. Luckily she had a reason to shut her up.
“Hello, I’d like to sign out these two books please.” Flusk interrupted, placing them on the desk.
The old mare was momentarily irritated to have her nostalgia paused but once she saw the aged book Flusk possessed, her mood lightened.
“Ah, mythology. I love reading those old stories about dragons and ponies with the power to control rain. You have a keen eye, my dear.”
She stamped the two books and scribbled something down in the notebook before sliding them back to Flusk. Drizzle gazed at her with his mouth agape, utterly astonished and envious of her somehow getting on the mare’s good side by doing virtually nothing.
“Now, sonny boy, are you going to sign out a book or what? I don’t have all the time in the world.” The mare changed her tone.
Steam was practically coming out of his ears as Drizzle grit his teeth. “I’ve been trying to return a book this whole time but you keep talking!”
“Well, why didn’t you say so? I would have been lickety-split and had you out the door by now.”
“Why you piece of-”
Flusk proceeded to drag Drizzle away by his tail before he could finish that sentence. She didn’t need her best friend having them both banned from the library permanently.
The old mare simply shrugged when they finally exited the library and she placed the book Drizzle had attempted to return in a box stacked to the window. She returned to the desk shortly after, settling herself to prepare for more ponies to assist but suddenly paused.
“Wait, Ifera ByFlame’s Myths and Legends wasn’t it?...”
She thought to herself before recollecting a conversation she shared with another pony recently.
“That was a book the author requested the library take off the shelves…Oh, dear.”
Dusk had fallen over River Breeze once again and Flusk and Drizzle had long since retired back home before the sunset. Drizzle was slumbering on the couch again, not wanting to spend the late hours conscious and with his reflection on the events that occurred with his former marefriend. They always became far more distressing at night.
Meanwhile, Flusk was in her usual place in her bedroom, pouring over the books she brought home today. While it was expected she’d be reading Lullaby’s Voice first, she decided to take a closer look at the other book she just happened to bump into.
She flipped through the contrasting legends and myths of ponies blessed with the gift of immense strength from coming in contact with a large rock and the strange rituals old villages of the past performed to ward off destructive dragons. In all honesty, these stories seemed like tales told to young fillies dozing off before bedtime and weren’t as exciting as Flusk had hoped. She may as well have selected a picture book from the filly’s section of the library instead.
Feeling rather drowsy herself, she moved her hoof to shut the book but abruptly ceased her action when she noticed a familiar image on a page. A large mountain with a blanket of snow on top caught Flusk’s attention as she shifted her desk lamp to face the text.
“Mount Mooncaster?...” She mumbled.
Mount Mooncaster was a mountain that resided a few miles from the general area of River Breeze. Flusk had known about its existence for her entire life, including those who inhabited the village. For tourists, it was an attraction that most refused to miss and visited River Breeze to take in its magnificent sights, especially on the night of a full moon. The light of the moon would cast itself upon the mountain and create an illusion of the natural landmark glowing, thus the reason for it gaining the name, Mooncaster.
But the mountain had been for only viewing purposes and was outlawed for anypony deciding to climb the beast. Flusk wasn’t exactly sure why and what had occurred for such a decision to be made but she had been told this since she was a little filly and never really had a desire to trek up the mountain anyway. However, seeing as it was mentioned within this book, she wondered if there was more to the story.
She smoothed out the page with her hoof and began to read.
“Mount Mooncaster, a mountain that formed long before the creation of its neighboring village, River Breeze, has always been a point of suspicion for geologists and historians alike. Its rock formation appears seemingly normal, however, it carries a foreign aura that many unicorns have accounted for with no source of where it’s coming from. To add on to it, records of the mountain dating thousands of years ago bare no mention of the mysterious magic emanating from its surface, nor much about the mountain at all.”
“Amongst this missing information is a circling legend about the interior of Mooncaster being an area where the royalty of Ifera ByFlame have been banishing ancient and destructive artifacts for centuries, perhaps even dangerous entities. It’s predicted the effect of these objects and existing life in the mountain has been a reason for the wild magic appearing upon its surface and why the princesses have outlawed pony civilization from investigating it further.”
Although this information wasn’t entirely confirmed, Flusk found herself absorbed in its content and had many questions on her mind about the mountain. In fact, for the first time, she felt like she wanted to know the secrets it was hiding and why the princesses attempted so hard to hide the truth. What lies beyond the warning signs and cautions of the ponies?...
Flusk closed the book and dived into her bed, knowing she would stay awake wondering if she kept herself occupied with the page. She had a new goal in mind and a motivation for what she would do next. Whether Drizzle would agree with her plans however was a different story…
“No, no way in hell.” Drizzle said.
“Come on, I can’t go by myself! What if something happens to me?” Flusk pleaded.
“I’m saying no to both myself and you. There’s a reason why that mountain is blocked off and I’m not testing it.”
Drizzle approached a watermelon stand with Flusk in tow, the owner of the fresh produce excitedly moving to receive his currency in exchange for a particularly juicy watermelon.
“But you’re all about learning new things, especially stuff that involves ancient magic.” Flusk pulled out the book she had been reading. “And, I read that Mooncaster has strange magic coming from its surface and they still don’t know why. Doesn’t that sound at least a little interesting?”
“Interesting, yes. Worth risking my life over? Fuck no.”
Drizzle heaved the purchased watermelon with his magic off the stand and allowed it to gently levitate beside him as he trotted onwards.
“You don’t even know if it’s dangerous or not yet!”
“Let’s see, blocked off trails, sightseeing at a distance, and not to mention all the stuff you told me about them thinking the princesses are just throwing dangerous artifacts in there for safekeeping.” Drizzle listed off. “Even if the legend isn’t true, if it’s illegal to enter, then that’s enough reason for me to stay away. I already have enough on my plate.”
“But how is anypony supposed to find any answers on what’s going on if they all just gallop away with their tail between their legs? You have to take risks to find out the truth sometimes.”
“Funny, you willingly talk about investigating unknown territory that could kill us yet you were so concerned earlier about me reverting to my old ways and using dark magic again. Don’t you find that a little hypocritical, Flusk?”
Flusk halted and Drizzle turned his head to gaze back at her. Her ears were folded to her head and she glared down at the earth, refusing to look him in the eyes.
“This…It’s different this time,” Flusk hesitated with her words. “I feel like I need to be there somehow…Like, I’m being called to find whatever is hiding there.”
“Dark magic has the same effect. It can make you hallucinate about your name being called and lead you to different places without you even knowing. To me, this just sounds like you want to get us both involved in the same power that once took control of my mind.”
“I’m not trying to put us in harm’s way! You know I would never.”
“Then why suggest something so horrendous when you already know what the outcome will be? Death, Flusk. We’ll fucking die!” Drizzle snapped.
“No, we won’t! In fact, I'm going to go find somepony to accompany us on the trip up the mountain that will not only prove we’ll be safe but prove Mooncaster is worth the risk!”
And without another word, Flusk dashed off to meet with her undisclosed pony in mind. Drizzle didn’t bother pursuing Flusk and observed her galloping away scornfully. If there was one thing he hated more than anything about Flusk, it was her stubbornness to give up something she was passionate about. Especially if it were futile.