Chapter 14
I checked over my bags one last time, making sure I had everything I thought I’d need. There wasn’t much, since I didn’t plan to be gone more than a few hours, so there was no need to go all out.
Mostly, I was just bringing the basics; snacks, a few iron supplements, Dimensional Dagger, Cellphone, two water bottles, one water bottle with iron supplements, and the Watcher’s Vial.
The bare minimum, which would be plenty. Honestly probably don’t even need any of this stuff, but my mother has taught me to always be prepared.
I slipped the bags onto my flank and strapped them down.
Once I was ready I opened my door and carefully trotted down the hallway, hoping I could avoid my parent’s. The last thing I wanted to do was explain myself to them.
Luckily I found them passed out on the couch together, a movie’s credits playing on the TV. Perfect.
Moving silently, I slithered through the room and out the front door, closing it with my tail. Now that I was home free I took to the sky.
I had one quick stop before I went to the mansion.
ooo000<^>000ooo
Domitor stood in his room, staring at his things he had laid out. He didn’t have much, so he packed light. Just a single short bladed sword with a handle that attached to his hoof, binoculars, and drawing supplies.
He’d packed more, but his father had cleared his room out so much that he didn’t really much of anything anymore. But he’d gotten used to it, plus it helped him stay focused, which is what his father always wanted.
Once everything was packed away, and sword attached to his side, he moved for his door and headed for the main lobby of the mansion.
Everyone who was going with them was there and waiting. Half of the group was staying here, and half was going with them. Only Hester, Lemon Tape, Ulystee, Ponpuffle, and Kal were going. While Psalm, Tiff, and Champion were staying.
Jerry quickly scampered across the floor and climbed up his leg, finding his place on Domitor’s back.
Looks like Jerry was coming along as well.
He wished his mother was coming with them, but his father made it clear she wasn’t to come with them. The reason why wasn’t clear to Domitor, as his father usually drags her around everywhere due to her Ego.
At least Jerry would be there, seeing as he was somehow the closest thing he had to a friend.
“Final checks,” Kal announced, seeming very eager to get things underway. “She’ll be here shortly.”
Everyone but Domitor opened their pocket dimensions and began to shuffle through them.
“Before we go through the Q&A with whatever guardian is watching over the dimension, I want everyone to apply their charms against omniscient. I don’t want our cover blown before my goals are achieved,” he said as he stared at each of them in turn.
Domitor felt singled out as his father held his gaze on him, eyes slowly narrowing. So he held up his charm and tapped it to his head, casting it on himself..
Kal gave a sharp nod and walked over to Champion and began to speak with him in a low tone.
Looking around at everyone, Domitor felt nervous. He’d never gotten along with any of them, yet he was about to embark on an adventure into a hostile dimension with them. Would they finally start treating him with some form of respect? Was he finally going to be accepted into their ranks as one of them?
“Don’t screw us over, Domitor,” Lemon Tape suddenly said, almost like he could sense the hope in the young stallion. “I’d hate to have to put you down.”
“I’ll try not to…” Domitor muttered, getting a laugh out of the cruel stallion.
He backed up and stood at the edge of the group, not feeling like socializing with any of them anymore.
Jerry shifted on his back and gave the back of his head a nudge, almost in a reassuring way.
“Thanks, Jerry,” he muttered, watching everyone laugh amongst themselves.
ooo000<^>000ooo
“This is incredibly stupid and irresponsible,” Roxxy protested as she and my friends stood around me.
“You need to bring us with you,” Flippy Dew insisted.
“Yeah, going alone is… exactly what you shouldn’t do!” Nightstreak added.
“Guys,” I said with a laugh and waving my hand at them, “you’re thinking to hard on this. It’s a simple go in, drop him off, explore a bit, then come home. Easy peasy.”
Dude scoffed, “nothing is ever easy with you, Shayla! At least take Roxxy with you.”
“Nah,” I responded, much to their annoyance. “There’s no point. I don’t plan to stay there long, and once I get back I want us to finally go to the Eternal Plains.”
“Shayla,” Summer Breeze groaned.
“What?” I asked, giving them my signature smile, “I got this. Stop worrying about me so much.”
Roxxy sat down on the ground and rubbed her face, “when will you learn to listen to your friends?”
I wink at her, “when I stop being right all the time.”
“Oh sweet fuck,” Dude grumbled, also falling to his flank. “Why’d we choose her as the leader?”
“Because I’m the most badass and charming member of Phantasm Troupe,” I replied, giving my mane a little toss.
My friends just grimaced at me, clearly not a fan of my choice to go in alone. But there was no point in taking them, I didn’t plan to stay there long.
Staring at my friends, I gave them a reassuring smile. “Trust me, I got this.”
This caused the rest of them to sit down, shaking their heads at me.
Rosemary appeared behind them, looking them over. “I think you should bring one of them along at least. Having a friend with you makes everything easier.”
‘I don’t want to put them at risk,’ I admitted to her. I’d never say that to them, since I didn’t want them to worry.
“Still…” she muttered, then raised an eyebrow. “Are those two a couple?”
I blinked at her and looked at who she was staring at, a smirk forming on my face. ‘Yeah, but they aren’t ‘official’ and think no one notices. Stupid love birds.’
“Interesting,” she commented, fading away.
“What are you smirking at?” Nightstreak asked as I was staring at him. I just kept smirking at them, an eyebrow raising slightly.
“Okay you’re starting to creep even me out,” Dude said as he stood next to Nightstreak.
Finally, I stuck my tongue out at them and went back to my normal self. “Anyways! Just hang around, I’ll be back shortly.”
“Shayla, please take Roxxy or someone,” Flippy Dew begged.
But I just gave her finger guns, flipped down my Pit Vipers and flipped backwards into the air, zooming off towards the mansion.
“She’s an idiot,” I heard Roxxy groan as I flew away.
ooo000<^>000ooo
“Ah, the guest of honor!” Kal exclaimed happily as I pushed open the doors to find him and a few of his cronies standing there, looking ready to go.
I narrowed my eyes, his wide smile making me feel a bit uneasy. “Let’s get this shit over with. I have things I need to do today.”
“Of course, this won’t take long!” he assured me, waving for me to come forward.
As I walked forward, I swear I saw Champion vibrate, like he seemed to move slightly. But I couldn’t be sure, probably just him being weird, as usual.
“So what do I need to do to get…” I started, but stopped when I saw Domitor in the corner, sulking as he glared at me. “What the fuck is he doing here?”
“He’s coming with us,” Kal said, then quickly added as I started to growl, “but he won’t be coming back here, so you won’t have to deal with him anymore.”
This at least satisfied me, as not seeing him again sounded wonderful to me. “Fine, just keep him away from me.”
“Consider it done,” Kal said, waving his hoof at Domitor, who sneered, but nodded.
“Good,” I said, looking back to Kal. “What do I need to do?”
He pulled out a Dimensional Key with a strange design on it and held it out to me, “it’s simple. Take this key and make an unlocking motion while thinking about the place you want to go. Can you do that?”
“That’s child's play,” I said as I snatched the key from him. “So what? Just think about going to Eris and it’ll just take us there?”
“Yes,” he confirmed as he gave me a little charm. “However, it is rumored we’ll be stopped by the guardian of that dimension. So cast this on yourself so they won’t be able to affect your mind or memory, and just be honest with them and we’ll be fine.”
“So just tell them I’m taking you there to get a Thorn?” I said with a raised eyebrow, tapping the charm against my head, causing it to disappear. “Will they like that?”
He just nodded, “yes. Let me do most of the talking.”
“Fine by me,” I said as I looked at the key. “I guess here we go.”
“Here we go,” Kal said, his body shaking in excitement.
I raised the key and stabbed it forward, making an unlocking motion while thinking about the Eris my mom had told me about. At first, nothing happened, causing Kal to start sweating. Then, with an explosion of hot air, a portal ripped open in front of us violently. A strange and ominous feeling swept over me, causing me to take a step back.
“Well, without delay,” Kal said as he waved for me to walk in. “You have to go first or it’ll reject us.”
Frowning, I stepped forward, stepping through the portal and into a colorful void. The others filed in behind me, the portal snapping shut right behind us.
“Uh…” I muttered, looking around. “Is this the right place?”
“It is,” Kal assured. “Just wait.”
Before I could ask what we were waiting for, a strange being appeared before me, as in, right in front of my face.
“Hmm, whatcha little creatures up too? Tryin’ to sneak into our little dimension?” the thing said as I jumped back, taking it all in. It was a very colorful looking scarecrow creature with a wide smiling face plastered on it.
“Erm…” I started, but found myself at a loss for words as the masked scarecrow stared mostly at me. At least, I think it was staring at me.
The scarecrow slid closer to me, looking me over. “A Kejtdra mixed with a pony? Who’s your parent’s, hon?”
I looked to Kal, who nodded for me to answer. “Um… Scamp and Mallogory Beltosh.”
“Ah! Little Mallo found her way out there in the wide open world, and even found herself a mate! How wonderful!” The scarecrow exclaimed, causing me to raise an eyebrow.
“My mom never told me about you… and she told me alot about Eris,” I commented, getting a giggle out of the scarecrow.
“Well of course she wouldn’t remember me, that’s the way this works, hon,” she said, then looked to the others. “And y’all? What’s your story?”
“We’re the companions of Ms. Beltosh there,” Kal said in his charming voice. “She’s bringing us along to visit her world.”
The scarecrow looked back to me, seeming to judge me. “Why, hon?”
“He lost his Ego,” I said, being truthful and pointing to Kal. “And wants to get a Thorn to replace it.”
This answer caused an eyebrow to raise on the scarecrow. “Is that so?”
“Yes,” Kal confirmed, then gestured to one of his followers. “I do have an offering though.”
“Hon, I don’t take offerings,” she laughed, her clothes rippling in an unfelt wind.
“This is Ponpuffle,” Kal continued anyways, “her talent is recording and memorizing the world around her. She is known as a Loremaster on the Eternal Plains, and has an untold amount of stories to tell.”
This seemed to pique the scarecrow's interest, “a Loremaster? I’ve never heard of such a thing! How varied are the stories you have, Miss Loremaster?”
The mare in question stepped forward and replied in a monotone voice, “I have all kinds of stories stored in my mind. It would take years to tell even a fraction of them.”
“My offer is to leave her with you till we’re ready to leave, so she can swap stories with you,” Kal said, smiling happily at the scarecrow.
“Hmmm,” the scarecrow muttered, seeming to consider this. “It’ll take a week for enough Sucro to accumulate in your bodies to gain a Thorn, are you willing to stay here that long, Miss Loremaster?”
“I’m willing to stay as long as you have stories to tell,” Ponpuffle replied calmly.
“Then welcome to our little dimension!” the scarecrow exclaimed. “Don’t do anything extraordinary though, hate to see the Bossman kick you out.”
“Thank you, Miss…” Kal began, bowing to the scarecrow.
“Vivi,” it said happily. “But you won’t remember any of this interaction once you leave this place.”
“Ah, well then it was a pleasure, Ms. Vivi,” he said, bowing lower.
Vivi just giggled as she bounced over to Ponpuffle, “you and I will engage in a nice little conversation, and if you grace me with some thrilling stories, I’ll even let you keep your memories of this interaction.”
“Wonderful,” the mare said with a lazy smile. “Shall we?”
“We shall!” Vivi exclaimed as she flashed, causing all of us to start to fade away.
A few moments later, we found ourselves in a forest of some kind. But not a normal forest, more like we had shrunk down and were now among grass and other kinds of ground debris. Above us sat a bright sun, glaring down on us.
“Alright, gather around,” Kal said, followed by everyone walking up to him. “Not you two,” he said, as I and Domitor began to walk towards him. “You’re already in your base forms.”
I raised an eyebrow, assuming he and the others were about to turn back into their cat forms.
Kal pulled out an item and threw it on the ground between all of them. With a flash, all of them changed from their ponies forms and into completely different ones.
This shocked me a bit, as they were not in their cat forms, but were all humans, except for the one known as Hester, who appeared to be some kind of slender demon creature.
With a sigh of relief, Kal stood there, fixing his clothes, “it has been so LONG since I’ve been in my normal skin!”
“I don’t know, I kinda enjoyed the pony body,” Lemon Tape laughed, flexing his arms and muscles. He looked just as creepy in his human form as he did as a pony. No wonder my mother hates his guts.
With a flip, Kal put on his hat and pulled it down low, his intense and insane eyes locked on me. The others turned to face me, smirking.
I did not like the looks I was getting from him and his little group.
“Wait a minute…” Rosemary muttered as she appeared between us, looking a bit startled as she examined them. “Oh no…”
“Domitor, put Jerry down,” Kal said as he held the little item up again.
Domitor looked a bit unsure as he lifted the small gator off of his back and placed it on the ground. It then ran right at me and stopped a few feet ahead of me, staring at me with wide eyes.
Creepy little fuck…
"Shayla, run," Rosemary said carefully, eyes locked on Kal.
With a smirk, Kal tossed the device near Jerry, causing him to flash and grow into his normal form.
My eyes went wide, as something inside of me clicked.
“Oh my God!” Rosemary yelled, falling back and scooting away quickly, even though she couldn't be seen.
I stared up at the creature before me, my eyes wide as I took a step back.
“Hello, daughter of Scamp,” the creature said with a wide toothy grin.
“Oh fuck…” I gasped out, unable to properly react as I stumbled and fell on my ass.
The others laughed, except Domitor, who looked just as shocked as me.
"Leem?!" Rosemary screamed.