The atmosphere in Ominis' and Sebastian's room was rather tense when the former finally returned.
True to the latter's assumptions, Ominis had visited Feldcroft on his own about ten minutes after we'd left, rushing to the Sallow residence as he realized the townspeople were cleaning up corpses, repairing everything the goblins had ruined, and yelling in panic and bewilderment as they tried to wrangle an impossibly-large snake. He was horrified to learn that Sebastian had used another Unforgivable - this time willingly - and was therefore banished, but after we'd explained why he was slightly more accepting of the fact... though he still didn't like it. He chose to agree that it was fortunate we'd been there to save Anne, and left it at that.
It was mildly concerning for all of us that at least for now, Sebastian was essentially homeless when school let out for the summer. He grimaced as he offered, but Ominis mentioned that his family owned a rarely-used villa on the eastern shores of the Isle of Man; they could likely stay there for the summer vacation without his family finding out. It was the least he could do after all the summers he'd spent in Feldcroft with them. Immediately I felt a great weight lift off of Sebastian's shoulders... and my own, I had to admit. It might've been... doable, but difficult convincing Fig that he might've needed a place to stay all summer. Sebastian thanked him profusely, promising to make it up to him someday.
Still, Ominis was generally not pleased with how the day had turned out. Not wanting our carefully-laid plans to fall entirely to ruin, I figured that perhaps letting him in on the secret of Equestrian music would help him forget about it, and brought a record or two down to their room while Sebastian conjured a phonograph. At first he was stunned into silence as the words graced his ears, but after the initial shock had worn off and I had explained a few concepts to him... he found Equestrian gangsta rap hilarious. Something about how the nouveau-riche thought their illicit enterprises made them worthy of being favorably looked upon, he said, as well as the lyrics being so vulgar it made the bawdiest of drinking songs sound like a religious hymn. And just imagine what his family would think if they knew...!
But it served its purpose - everyone went to bed that night in good moods, and all seemed to be forgiven.
The very next day, Sebastian brought the relic to my Room so we could begin our research. I set aside plenty of space for it, still unsure of what it was potentially capable of - the warning was still fresh in my mind. The dark sacrifice could theoretically be anything, and who knew what action or spell would set it off, let alone what it would do in response.
Despite this, I was eager to get started. My initial analysis of the relic revealed that it was crafted out of dried human skin stitched together with Banshee hairs and molded over a frame of juvenile Erkling bones. I couldn't exactly tell how powerful it was, but I could sense a vast store of potential magic deep inside it, just waiting to be unleashed. It was a struggle to not immediately, carelessly fall into temptation and activate the damned thing already.
Its purpose was to reverse Dark magic curses, but perhaps it could be... altered? Tinkered with to inflict them instead? Perhaps its purpose could be changed entirely? My mind swam with the possibilities. "You mind if I have a turn with the relic when you're done with it? After you've cured Anne and all."
"Of course. It's yours as much as it is mine, the way I see it," he grinned as he brought out Salazar Slytherin's spellbook. He opened it to where he had found the relic's first mentioning and began to reread the passages intently. I shifted in my seat to read as well, but was quickly caught off guard by a strange feeling.
It was a feeling I hadn't felt for some time. Not since I studied how to create Umbrum Crystals from Celestia's research.
I stared warily at the spellbook. By itself, the book's aura was noticeable but benign, but now...
A frisson of unease racked down my spine. Now that the two ancient objects were so close together, they were emitting a faint, subtle aura - too faint for the unaware or uninitiated to discern, but one I easily recognized from my past illicit studies. This kind of Dark magic had a habit of slowly, gently worming its way into one's mind without them realizing it, infecting them with a deep desire to learn more and more about its source until it was all they could think about. That desire could quickly spiral out of control and change a pony's heart for the darker...
...The same was probably true for humans.
I frowned.
"Something wrong?" asked Sebastian. My eyes slid over to lock with his.
"When you brought the spellbook in close proximity to the relic... don't you feel that? That aura?" He paused for a few moments, his eyes darting all around.
"...Possibly? I'm not sure if I notice it, or if I'm just imagining things," he admitted.
"I feel it," I shivered. "A gentle pull that lulls you into a false sense of security. It draws you in and makes you want to devote everything to the knowledge at your fingertips... it's a trap."
"A trap? What do you mean?"
"The allure of Dark magic... the secret allure that most people never realize exists, beyond the more general allure of learning what is considered evil and scary. If you never sense the aura, don't realize what it's doing to you... that's what turns someone Dark themselves," I explained. "If you're not careful, you'll lose yourself within the book, lose yourself to the ideals of the relic's potential. Your mind will become obsessed with the knowledge and power promised to you... and you'll become a slave to it. No amount of power is worth losing your own free will for... It's how many an enemy of the state Celestia had to deal with fell into villainy in the first place. They either didn't realize what was happening to them... or they did, and they let it."
"Please... You're saying that together, Slytherin's spellbook and the relic will turn me into a Dark wizard?" Sebastian scoffed.
"Only if you're not careful enough," I stared at him, narrowing my eyes until he seemed to grasp the severity of the situation. "I've had to deal with this sort of thing before... quite a few times, in fact. When researching such Dark magic, you need to take precautions to ensure you won't be affected."
"Precautions... alright, sounds reasonable enough," he nodded. "Like what?"
"Well... usually just being aware of the aura is enough for me," I frowned, staring at the floor in an attempt to remember everything I knew. "But you can, and should take breaks while studying such things, and never study it without a partner. If it's really strong, you might even need to wear a reality anchor talisman, or take a potion with similar effects before studying."
"...I'm assuming those latter things are Equestrian inventions," he said. "I've never heard of a reality anchor talisman, or a potion with such effects."
"I sure haven't found anything like them here in my research, though I could definitely try to create an analogue of one for us to use," I hummed in thought. "Really, though, just knowing it's there and what it's trying to do to you is generally enough. Both of those anchor things are somewhat hard to come by, and Celestia would've asked too many questions if I came to her for one of them. So I just trained my mind to resist it little by little, and I turned out just fine," I waved a hand dismissively.
Yep... nothing Dark about me! No-sir-ee!
Sebastian stared at the two ancient objects apprehensively. With this new knowledge, his previously laid-back attitude changed and became much more serious. Deep in the back of my mind, something within me felt relieved that he'd listened... like I'd just avoided a terrible fate yet to come.
Slowly, purposefully, he turned to face me. "...Teach me. I must know if a cure for Anne lies within the spellbook, or if the relic can truly grant it."
"Of course," I smiled. "We'll keep each other grounded... by doing this together."
And so we did... although it was slow going at first. We mostly just stuck to reading the spellbook and dissecting the meaning of every individual sentence in the passages, coming up with various theories and hypotheses to test out once we were ready. I kept a close eye on the time to ensure we took a break from our research after every fifty minutes... at times I found myself checking my pocketwatch far more frequently than I needed to.
Sometimes he'd fight me on wanting to continue researching just a little bit longer - "let me finish this sentence first", or "let me write down my thoughts before we stop". I considered every request on a case-by-case basis, and generally let him finish if it'd only take a few seconds. Other times he'd get annoyed, but an unimpressed glare was all I needed to keep him in line.
At the end of the day, I advised Sebastian that it would be for the best if the spellbook and relic were kept separate from one another when we weren't studying them. To my relief he agreed easily; I would keep the book in my Room, while he kept the relic in his room, tucked away in one of the drawers of his desk.
"Are you really this strict with your own research? How long does it take you to get anything done?" he whined. I sighed, though it was more sympathetic than a sigh of annoyance.
"I get it... it's hard to not just dive in and work at it for hours until you pass out at your desk," I nodded. "But trust me... going at it slowly is far better for you in the long run. Besides, it also helps with creativity, affords more opportunities to think outside the box and correct your mistakes early on... and, of course, has a much lower chance of turning you Dark."
"I... suppose you are right," he admitted as he shut the drawer, though not after one last glance at the relic. Shutting it caused some loose pieces of parchment to spill onto the floor; while helping him gather them back up I remembered something extremely important, something that I hadn't had the chance to ask yet.
"Oh, yea... have you started on getting your crest to Anne?"
"Not yet," Sebastian answered. "Why?" I swallowed nervously, suddenly slightly worried about how he'd take the news.
"Well... while we were fighting off all those goblins, her curse... it flared up pretty bad. And that should not have happened."
"It did?" he recoiled in worried shock. "I thought she might've been struck by a stray spell... are you certain?" I nodded somberly... his face paled as he stared at the floor. "No... no, no, no... not again...!"
"When you get the crest to her, tell me... I need to see her, too. I need to cast a diagnostic charm on her so I know what went wrong. I don't want that to happen again."
"Of course," he frowned. "It's doubly important that we do. I... hope that whatever the problem, you are able to find a solution to it."
"Me too." I turned away and stared at a nondescript bit of texture in the walls, already recalculating my formulas for the hundredth time in my mind. I hated the feeling of getting something so simple so dreadfully wrong... and I hated the feeling, just the mere thought that I might've let my friend down.
Failure... it was not something I ever liked to think about.
But as though he could read my mind, I felt Sebastian's hand gently grab my shoulder. "Hey... it'll be alright. I'm sure it's just a matter of one reagent not quite being pure enough, or something else out of your control like that. You're too brilliant to have made a miscalculation, or made an error in your brewing... you're brilliant."
His kind words didn't quite quash my anxiety, but I appreciated them - and the praise - all the same. Knowing that he fully trusted my abilities filled me with that familiar fuzzy feeling... It was my turn to cover his hand with my own and squeeze it.
"...Thanks."
~
The days passed. When I wasn't studying the relic with Sebastian, I was finishing my schoolwork assigned to me over the break, or further researching the correct substitutions and ratios of potion ingredients in this world that were the equivalent of those back in Equestria, or the two of us would hang out with Ominis and practice our new instruments (although the band idea was quickly becoming less feasible, due to Ominis' harp not exactly jiving with any of our desired genres, or Sebastian's utter lack of coordination on his drums, or my own reluctance to sing in public).
Soon it was New Year's Eve. After finishing our illicit studies for the day, Sebastian and I decided to make a trip to the castle's kitchens and see if we couldn't procure some champagne or something from the house elves. While passing by an empty hallway, however, I stopped in my tracks.
There was an odd noise coming from around a distant corner. As Sebastian kept walking and his footsteps quit echoing off the walls so loudly, I could finally discern the noise as... crying.
Someone else was speaking softly, too softly for me to pick out any words. But I could recognize the cadence of the voice as belonging to Poppy... which meant the one crying was likely Natty.
Hmm.
...I supposed it would be nice of me to go see if they were okay. Friendly, even. When Sebastian finally noticed he'd left me behind, I simply shooed him onward and said I'd meet him in his and Ominis' room, then made my way down the hallway. Immediately I felt like I was interrupting something, as Poppy was in the middle of giving Natty a big bear hug, her face buried in the crook of her shoulder.
"Uh, hey, guys..." I drawled uncomfortably; Poppy gasped slightly and let go of Natty, but relaxed as soon as she saw it was me. "Um... you okay, Natty?" She was silent for a moment, wiping her face with her sleeves.
"Some days are more difficult than others," she croaked, shaking her head. "...There are times when my father's absence drifts to the back of my mind, and I feel peace for a day or two."
"...But this is not one of those times," Poppy offered quietly. Natty shook her head harder, a sob shuddering through her.
"I miss him... I miss running with him... I miss Matabeleland..." she wept. "He should s-still be here... and it's my f-fault that he isn't."
"No... it's not your fault, Natty," Poppy whimpered as she took one of Natty's hands in hers. "There's nothing you could have done to prevent it." Natty spent the next few moments crying, too distraught to argue.
"...That is what my mother says," she forced herself to speak. "But he died protecting me... and I cannot help but feel guilty over that. I find myself reliving the moment more often than I would like." While Natty cried quietly, I closed the distance and leaned over towards Poppy.
"What brought this on?" I stage-whispered to her. Before she could explain, Natty inhaled sharply to calm herself.
"I told my mother... in the hope that she would be more forgiving of what I have been up to if it came from me," she sighed.
Ooh... I cringed. Rookie mistake.
"Unfortunately... she might, in fact, have been even less forgiving than I'd hoped," she shook her head, her eyes and mouth squeezing together painfully.
"Well... better to ask for forgiveness than permission, I always say," I glanced away uncomfortably. Why did I even come over here? I had no idea how to cheer someone up when they were like this. "Just imagine if you told her about everything we've been up to... and not just about trying to get Harlow arrested."
"Oh, if she knew any more about what I've done, she would never let me out of her sight again," Natty wrapped her arms around herself, looking genuinely scared.
"And Officer Singer still hasn't done anything about Harlow!" seethed Poppy. "Even after all the evidence we've collected, he's as strong as ever!"
"Eh, to be fair... it's the holidays, and it does take some time to plan out an assault on someone like that, and all his underlings," I reasoned.
"Someone needs to stop him... whether it is Officer Singer, or us," Natty frowned grimly, before her voice broke from a sob. "...If someone had stopped the monsters like him in Matabeleland... my father would be alive today."
The sorrow radiating from her made me feel like I was trapped within a cloud of salt water. Part of me just wanted to slink away and let her cry it out, but the other part of me was curious as to how all of this related to her dead dad.
I cleared my throat as politely as I could, and lowered my voice. "What, uh... happened to your father?" After a burst of fresh tears and conjuring a handkerchief so she could blow her nose, Natty took a few deep breaths.
"...It was a beautiful day. My mother had gone to tend to a neighbor who was ill, and so my father and I were galloping in the savanna."
"Galloping...?" breathed Poppy. "...That's right, lots of students at Uagadou become Animagi. So he...?" Natty nodded.
"He could become the most majestic giraffe... and he would carry me on his back, my arms around his neck."
"Animagi, huh?" I mused to myself - I'd certainly studied them on my own after seeing Natty change back into a human from her animal form. The ritual in order to become one was both dangerous and tedious, and relied on more luck than I was willing to gamble on. It had to be a perfectly clear night when you spit the mandrake leaf you'd been sucking on for a month straight into the vial, you had to find a teaspoon's worth of dew that hadn't seen sunlight or been walked on for at least a week, and, of course, you couldn't pick what animal you became, so you had to hope it'd be a good one.
Something told me I'd just wind up being a unicorn again if I tried it. And honestly? Now that I'd gotten used to my body... I kind of liked being a human more.
"We were on our way home when we surprised a group of bandits who had come from our village," Natty continued, her voice beginning to tremble as tears streamed down her cheeks. "One of them saw me, just as he removed a scarf from his face... he shouted, and then aimed his rifle."
"...You would have been able to identify him," Poppy moaned quietly.
"Exactly... my father bowed his neck to protect me, and... h-he was h-h-hit..." Fresh sobs wracked Natty's body. Poppy quietly wrapped her arms around her as she cried, Natty returning the gesture and holding on tightly. Waves of grief and sympathy flooded my body, nearly forcing a tear from my eye.
I blinked it away, but still felt myself being moved. Even though I couldn't relate to her at all - I had no idea who my birth parents were, if they were alive or dead, or if they'd died a violent death like her father if they were.
"As he fell... my father changed back into his human form. When the bandits saw this, they turned and ran in fear... magic terrified them," Natty barely whispered. "And then... he was g-gone. And it was a-all my f-fault."
"Your fault?" I blinked. "But... parents are supposed to sacrifice themselves for their children, in such circumstances... because they love them." As soon as the words left my mouth, it occurred to me that perhaps that wasn't the best thing to say... but so far, among the few others that had told me about their families, Natty's father seemed like the only one who matched what I thought a parent was supposed to be like.
"He died protecting me! If I had been c-capable of protecting myself, he would still be alive today!"
"You were nine, Natty..." Poppy sighed as she laid her cheek on Natty's shoulder. But Natty didn't hear her, or her grief made her ignore her.
"My mother and I tried to go on without him... but it became too much for us there. A few years later, we left to come to Scotland... but now, even here, I see the same senseless cruelty! I... I believe I would feel less helpless if I could truly put an end to Harlow, and the rest of Rookwood's miserable lot." A hiss of anger joined her sobs, creating a noise I found most unpleasant, but I tried not to express the thought openly. "With him on the prowl, there can be no real peace. Each day he remains free he does more damage, harming innocent beasts and leaving people like poor little Archie to suffer the consequences!" Poppy nodded in agreement while I took a moment to consider her words.
"...Is this why you're so intent on taking down Harlow? Do you think it'll help you avenge your father?" I asked.
"No... vengeance is not what drives me. My father would not want that," Natty shook her head. "He - and my mother - raised me to believe that it is a privilege to be able to fight for those who cannot. I know there is risk involved, but... I feel it is worth it. And I am glad you both seem to think so, too."
"Of course," Poppy replied with cold fire in her eyes. "Not a day goes by that I see the butchered remains of a beast, carelessly tossed to the side of the road... or Highwing tells me about yet another close call she's had with a poacher. That monster must be stopped!" Now the bold determination I could sense from the both of them filled my heart, and suddenly I felt myself gaining a new appreciation for these two acquaintances of mine. Far too many ponies I had known in the past had no sense of devotion, no sense of initiative, would so easily falter and look away at the first sign of resistance...
...But not these two. I could sense that they were going to see this through to the end... that if push came to shove, they would take down Harlow themselves. And this kind of dedication - though foolhardy, as they weren't nearly on my level of competence - was something I could respect.
"It's rare I see someone so committed to a cause... I like it," I nodded in approval. "You can count me in if you two decide to quit waiting for Singer to act... Harlow won't stand a chance against the three of us."
Or, well, just me, really... but let's not rain on their parade just yet.
For a moment, Natty stared at the two of us in surprise. But her face fell, and she began crying again... but this time they were tears of gratitude. "Thank you... I think my father would have enjoyed knowing that I had compatriots like the both of you." Poppy and I both nodded in solidarity, and as Natty sniffled away her tears we shared a more comfortable silence.
At least until Poppy gazed at the floor. "I'm sorry, Natty... your father sounds like he was a great man."
"He was... truly extraordinary," she replied softly. Poppy's head tilted back up towards her, and as their eyes met Natty smiled. "Thank you. We all have our burdens... my father had a saying about that."
"'Rain does not fall on one roof alone'... right?" she suggested. At first Natty seemed surprised that she'd remembered the proverb, but it quickly fell away, and she scooped her up in a big hug. Poppy happily returned the gesture, squeezing her tight.
"...Thank you for speaking with me. It was... very helpful," Natty glanced up towards me, smiling.
"No problem... I think I'll leave you two alone now," I grinned, nodding at her with a knowing look. She returned her attention to Poppy as I jogged off down the hall to catch up with Sebastian.
~
Soon the 5th of January approached... the rest of the students would be returning tomorrow, and classes would begin again on Monday. I was busy getting our workspace set up for studying the relic some more when Sebastian suddenly burst into the room, out of breath.
"Sunset... Sunset...!"
"What's gotten into you?" I recoiled as I whipped around. He skidded to a halt and supported himself on the desk while he took a few breaths.
"I'd been so preoccupied by all that's happened... I'd almost forgotten what it was that had struck me about that triptych! I recognize the view on it!"
"Triptych...?" It took me a few seconds to remember what he was talking about - the mostly-ruined painting that a secret ancient magic passage hidden in the remains of Isidora's manor had led us to. "Oh, the triptych! Wait, you know where the one image on it is depicting?"
"I do... it's a mountainside called the Overlook, a little northeast of Upper Hogsfield. I remember there's an abandoned mine there... perhaps there's something to do with your ancient magic inside?"
"Hmm... maybe," I agreed with a smirk, standing up from my seat. It had been some time since I'd been able to further my studies on the stuff - Fig had yet to hear from Headmistress Fitzgerald about my next trial, and everything he'd managed to find about the goblin metalworker Bragbor had so far failed to mention any massive repositories he might've built. But the goblin had been well known for his quality, so whatever he had built was surely still in perfect condition, just waiting to be found. While I seriously doubted the giant repository would be waiting for me in the mine, perhaps there was something else there I could use to my advantage.
And even if it turned out he was wrong, or there was nothing there at all... I could just teleport us back to Hogwarts, that was no problem. In fact, maybe it'd be faster if...
...Eh, I'll think about that later.
"Well... if you don't mind taking a break from the relic for a while, lead the way," I grinned, throwing on my golden cloak. We made a quick detour so he could put the relic away, then as soon as we left the castle we hopped onto our broomsticks and flew off towards Upper Hogsfield.
About twenty minutes later, the Overlook came into view. Sebastian led the way as we flew over the mine's entrance, and I felt my heart sink - a goblin camp had been set up outside.
They knew about this place. Thankfully they didn't notice us as we landed in a small clearing on a ledge just above the mine. I peered down at our enemies over the edge while Sebastian gazed out upon the horizon, smiling confidently.
"I'm definitely right... this is the view painted on the canvas that was left of it!"
"I'm glad you know the area so well, I never would've realized it," I said, looking back at him as he joined me. "Unfortunately, we're not alone... the goblins think there must be something here, too."
"They're searching it? The way they did Rookwood Castle and Isidora's manor... then there must be something to do with ancient magic inside that mine. Now, how do we want to handle this?" Though he was polite enough to ask, he already knew my answer.
"Same way we always do. We go in and raise some hell," I grinned darkly. "They'll never even know what hit 'em."
"I knew you'd say something like that," he matched my smile. Simultaneously we cast Disillusionment on ourselves and snuck our way down the hill towards the goblin's camp just outside the entrance. While we positioned ourselves behind a boulder, I heard one of them barking orders to the rest, instructing them to kill anyone who tried to enter.
"Ranrok's Loyalists are out for blood," Sebastian whispered behind me. "I'll let you lead."
"You sure? There won't be anything left for you to handle," I replied.
"What can I say? I like watching you work." The twinge returned, forcing an unseen smile to my face.
"...Get a Protego ready," I advised, raising my wand. Near the entrance to the mine, someone had foolishly left a couple stacks of barrels filled with explosives, and currently, no one was watching them. I surrounded both stacks in my magic and pulled them into the air high above them and their campfire, forming a jagged ball like a meteor caught in freefall.
Next, I levitated every single small piece of metal I could see. Weapons laid against racks, crates of nails, screws and bolts, scrap metal and more began to rise into the air. This the goblins did notice, and they watched in confusion as the many pieces surrounded the barrels of explosives like the rings around Saturn. The orb of death was large enough to eclipse the sunlight over half of their entire camp.
"Hey... what is that?" I heard one of them say.
"Are those... are those the explosives for the mine?"
"...Who didn't keep an eye on the explosives?!" I smirked at their stupidity, and as Sebastian's Protego shield enveloped the both of us, I let the small moon fall. I also threw in a Confringo for good measure, and prepared a Muffling Charm as well. This was going to be quite noisy, after all.
"Oh, bugger-"
The entire mass exploded with the force of a star, so loud and powerful the ground quaked. Goblins went flying everywhere, as well as their tents and other supplies, their heavy workstations tipping over in the blast. The added shrapnel tore everything apart as well, both the camp and their flesh alike. I couldn't help squeezing my eyes shut in response, and I could only imagine Sebastian was doing the same; I heard leftover bits of metal, pebbles and explosive residue pepper his shield, but it held strong. After that, there was silence.
We canceled our charms and Disillusionments and strolled into what remained of the camp. Other than a goblin corpse charred beyond recognition, there was hardly anything left to suggest anyone had ever been here.
"Have I ever told you that you're positively mental, and I adore that about you?" Sebastian quipped as he surveyed the damage.
"No... but I do love my praise," I grinned back at him. He chuckled - after we'd made certain there had been no survivors to get the drop on us, we moved a bit of debris out of the way of the mine's entrance and walked in. The entrance tunnel led us about a hundred feet into the mountain before it opened up into a small cavern, where another group of goblins were huddled in a group, wondering what on earth caused that massive explosion outside. A quick Depulso shockwave from Sebastian blew the lot of them over the edge of a cliff I hadn't seen, giving us a chance to look around.
I sighed as I saw that the walls of the cavern were littered with giant spiderwebs. "Ugh, don't tell me this place is infested, too."
"It was closed after accidents were reported... now I see why," he frowned. A path to the left snaked around the cavern and into another tunnel.
"Maybe we'll be lucky, and the spiders and goblins took each other out?"
"Nah... they're too disgusting for even a spider to prey on." A crack in the wall allowed water to seep into the tunnel, turning the floor slick and smooth. A sudden decline in the path sent us sliding down into another cavern, again populated by a group of goblins. Thankfully, they were too busy conversing with each other to notice our arrival, allowing Sebastian and I to Disillusion ourselves before sneaking closer.
"How many of Ranrok's Loyalists are in here?" he groused.
"Too many. There's definitely something to do with ancient magic here," I replied, carefully aiming a Diffindo. I swept my arm in a wide arc, the rip in space slashing outwards as it sang through the air, perfectly decapitating every goblin in one quick hit. We took turns hoisting ourselves up a short cliff to continue forward, finding another tunnel that led to an even bigger cavern than the last. The spiderwebs appeared thicker and more numerous, and wrapped bundles the sizes of both goblins and humans hung from the ceiling like stalactites.
"How could anyone ever like spiders?" I shivered, hoping they'd all been driven from the mines due to all the goblin activity.
"Could be the hairy legs, or the soulless eyes, or the venomous fangs," Sebastian began counting on his fingers, "or any number of endearing qualities, really." We followed the path deeper into the mountain, where another sharp slope plunged into darkness. Lighting my wand, I adjusted myself and slid coolly down into the next room. My dear companion, on the other hand... wasn't quite as smooth. Whereas I came to a halt right at the bottom, his momentum sent him tumbling and shouting into an empty crate, splintering it into pieces.
I snickered as I watched him pick himself up from off his back, his legs over his head. "He is beauty, he is grace. He fell on his arse and kicked himself in the face."
"Ow... should've thought to conjure stairs," he grumbled, stretching out his back. We had entered the largest cavern by far, our path taking us beside the shores of an underground lake. It took a few minutes to traverse until we finally reached another tunnel, and I froze in my tracks as I felt rapid, scurrying footsteps through the ground. Not a moment later, a swarm of spiders poured out from the tunnel, and from the walls around us.
My wand extinguished as I prepared a Confringo. Soon the cavern was alight in flames, spider parts flying everywhere. We fought, shouting with exertion, our Confringos firing out multiple projectiles at once. It was a wonder we hadn't caused a cave-in yet.
"We're making quick work of them," Sebastian remarked as the last one simmered to a crisp, allowing us to finally pass into the tunnel.
"Of course we are! You and I are the best team anyone could ask for," I grinned smugly, clapping his shoulder.
"Heh... that, we are," he smiled back. The tunnels and caves just kept getting more treacherous, the damp, dark conditions a perfect breeding ground for a huge patch of Devil's Snare. We cast Lumos and carefully stepped over the receding tentacles, littered in places with bones of indeterminate origin. The patch ended after a couple hundred feet, but only because it was on the border of a silk-covered cavern, full of even more spiders.
"Do you think we're even on the right path anymore? The goblins clearly haven't made it this far, and we've yet to see a single rune symbol," sighed Sebastian once we'd cleared out the cave.
"I haven't seen any other paths to take in here," I shrugged, forging onward. A surprisingly web-free tunnel led us into yet another room deep within the mountain... a particularly exhausted group of goblins were in the midst of setting up their camp. "Ah, look. We're on the right track after all."
"Then I hope we're getting close. I should think we've been in here a while," he groaned as he cast a Confringo into the campfire a goblin was building, sending shrapnel into its face and blinding it. While it screamed and distracted the others I ripped the weapons from their holsters and hands, swirled my wand around until I had built up a semi-sentient whirlwind full of sharp objects, then sent it after the rest of them.
But as the last one was caught by a blade and sliced to ribbons, spiders began to swarm into the room, surrounding both their bodies and us. The biggest and nastiest we'd seen yet were among them, shoving the smaller ones out of the way before sinking their fangs into the goblin remains. An audible slurping noise graced my ears as their corpses shrank inwards, desiccating.
"I suppose I should have expected I'd be exterminating an entire mountain's worth of these bloody things," I snorted, quickly growing frustrated. I reached inside myself for the bubbling magic within me, growing and encouraging it upwards until every nerve in my body tingled, the hairs on my arms and neck standing straight.
"It's almost as if they were waiting," Sebastian remarked, pressing his back against mine to cover me as I focused. My horn glowed with roiling fury, and it streamed through my eyes as I set them upon the largest spider in the room. With a scream I punched my wand upwards, lightning snapping out and striking the spider, then chaining into all the rest. A loud boom reverberated against the cavern's walls, drowning out the hiss of boiling innards escaping through cracks in carapaces. Moments later, even the largest one ceased to move, its legs curled into itself.
I took in a deep breath. That had to be the last of them! I felt that lightning strike all throughout the cave system!
"We certainly cleared the room," Sebastian noted, only relaxing his posture after he'd scanned the room for any movement. Only when he did, did I allow myself to relax, too.
"Heh... don't know why Gryffindors get all the credit for bravery. We Slytherins are full of it," I smirked as I caught my breath.
"And we're much more fun to fight with," he glanced back with a grin. "Now... we can have a look around in peace."
"About time," I sighed. Looking around, we had absolutely littered the ground with corpses. Explosions of black ash stained the walls and ceiling, the spiderwebs torn into loose fragments carried on subterranean wind.
But suddenly, a glimmer of blue-white light caught my eye. Above us, three runic symbols of wispy flame had been etched into the ceiling, filled in with golden metal.
"Finally..." I breathed in relief. "Guess goblins are too stupid to look up." Sebastian looked upwards at my words, his eyes tracing over each rune. I then lowered my gaze in order to find the door - it was tucked behind a blind corner, soot covering it from our assault. Without hesitation I struck the three runes at the same time with a Diffindo slash, and the blackened door clicked and creaked open.
Having finally reached our goal, we walked inside to find a well-furnished room dug out into the cavern's side. Bookcases lined the walls, and tables full of dusty relics sat untouched. We wandered around for a while examining everything that seemed like it might've been useful.
At one point, I found a journal that had been left out on a side table. It was opened to its last entry. I blew off the dust and read what had been written down so many centuries ago.
The world floated back to me, as if in a watery haze. How long had I been unconscious? I only remember his eyes... empty. Empty of sorrow, yes, but also -
I recall feeling a sense of euphoria as I watched the pain vanish... but then everything started to turn. When I fell, I must have hit my head. I neither feel nor see a mark, but the pain is throbbing. I can only hope it is not the Black Death.
At least he is no longer in pain.
No longer in pain...? I gasped quietly as my eyes retraced the words. Were my past assumptions wrong?
"Did you find something?" asked Sebastian, drawing close.
"Looks like another of Isidora's journals," I hummed, flipping through the rest of its pages as carefully as I could. Unfortunately, the rest of the pages were blank. "Strange... this is the only entry."
"Hopefully it will help us unravel more of this mystery," he said, already breaking off to examine something else. I opened my mouth to tell him about the entry, about the part that mentioned watching pain vanish... but something else caught my eye.
Traces of thin, glimmering lines surrounded a drawer in an old desk. Pulling it out, I found a large piece of white canvas had been neatly rolled up inside. Ancient magic sparkled all around it... there was no mistaking what it was.
"Hey, Seb... I think this is another piece to the triptych!" I called over to him.
"Brilliant! Our efforts weren't in vain after all," he grinned as he rushed over. After double checking to make sure there was nothing written down on it, I placed it securely in my pocket dimension.
"If the triptych led us all the way out here, then it's probably safe to say that Isidora used this place as a sort of research center," I said.
"She seems to have been everywhere," he replied.
"Right... here, the Undercroft, her manor in Feldcroft... but why all the way out here though?" I wondered.
"And why hide it behind cryptic rune symbols and ancient magic? This is all rather baffling," Sebastian hummed. "Let's take the canvas back to the triptych. Perhaps the answers are there." I nodded in agreement, and we began searching the room for a slab of enchanted stone. "This place is odd, to be sure... but I'm fascinated by it."
"I do wish there was something in here that could teach me more about this magic, though," I grumbled. "You'd think she'd have written something about it down." After a few minutes of searching, I found a wall of enchanted stone behind one of the bookcases, reflecting the Undercroft in its surface exactly like I'd predicted. Once I'd alerted Sebastian and floated the bookcase out of the way, I took his hand and stepped through.
~
"And now, for the moment of truth," he said as we reappeared in the Undercroft. I brought the canvas out of my pocket dimension, and we walked over to the incomplete triptych. As I held it up into the space it matched, I saw a flash of ancient magic ripple outwards from the canvas, and it repaired itself. Colors bloomed into it, revealing what looked like an empty field beside another small mountain.
"Do you know where this is?" I asked. Sebastian nodded.
"The good news is I do, in fact. It's by the coast."
I blinked at his response. "...And, the bad news?"
"We're in for more trouble. Ranrok has taken over a huge mine there, and the surrounding area. Marunweem has suffered for it... it's as bad as Feldcroft's become."
"I see... and I haven't been to that area at all yet," I tapped a finger on my chin, considering my options... the last goblin mine I'd been in, Lodgok had told me about it, so maybe... "...Wonder if Lodgok knows anything about this mine."
"Lodgok?" Sebastian blinked, confused.
"You know... that goblin I talked into helping me." To my surprise he recoiled in disbelief, a deep frown forming on his face.
Suspicion. Anguish. Shock. Outrage.
"A goblin?! Tell me I'm wrong! You know goblins cursed my sister to shut her up! Said she should be seen and not heard!"
"No, no, this one's far too old to have gotten into the business of setting houses on fire," I handwaved. "Besides, not all goblins-"
"Not all goblins what?!" Sebastian shouted over me. "Have you forgotten Feldcroft?! Have you forgotten the mine we just went through?!"
"Of course not!" I narrowed my eyes, crossing my arms. "You saw me tear half of them into pieces!" What was his deal with being against collaborating with goblins all of a sudden? Didn't I tell him about this before...?
...
...
...
...Crap. It totally slipped my mind. Guess that's what being so used to doing everything yourself does to a girl...
"Then explain yourself! Why would I listen to someone so ignorant?!"
...
...I-Ignorant?! What the hell...?!
I blinked a couple times in disbelief. My heart filled with both anger and pain... his sudden, sharp words hurt far more than I expected. For a moment I wanted to lash out - the old me wanted to do something... quite unkind to him for yelling at me, calling me that.
But as much as I wanted to permanently Transfigure him into a cactus and set him on fire... the old me wasn't friends with him. I was. And even if he'd said something he very clearly shouldn't have, I wanted to fix this problem I'd created as quickly as possible, which, luckily for him, also meant as diplomatically as possible. It would be the most sensible course of action to sit his arse down and talk about this, nip the problem in the bud right this second... even though he likely wasn't in the mood to be reasonable.
Even so, my thoughts and reasoning did little to soothe the pain. "Excuse me...?" I drawled dangerously, defensively.
"You heard me! You know bloody well how I feel about goblins, so why the hell did you think it was acceptable to-" He didn't get to finish his sentence before I flicked my wand and made his mouth disappear. He glared daggers into my eyes as he tried to continue arguing, making all sorts of rude gestures. Serves him right.
"I'm explaining. Now, are you going to listen to me? Or am I going to have to remove another orifice first?" I raised an eyebrow. Sebastian murmured extra hard for a few seconds before quieting down, nodding sullenly. "Good boy," I groused, restoring his mouth with another flick.
"Bah! How dare you?!" he growled as he wiped at his mouth.
"How dare you?" I reiterated. "Clearly, you don't know the first thing about subterfuge. Lodgok, believe it or not, wants no part of what Ranrok's doing, and happily agreed to sneak me information so I can figure out whatever it is he's doing and stop him!"
"And how do you know you can trust him?! He's a goblin!" he argued, gesturing violently. "They're well known for being duplicitous, cold-hearted bastards!" I recoiled slightly and blinked.
"...Now that's just racist, Seb. Goblins are sapient beings just like you and me."
"Pff. Yet you have no qualms about killing them by the dozens," he retorted. I opened my mouth to reply, but what nearly slipped out was that since these creatures had no analogue in Equestria, they were as easy to disassociate from and kill en masse as if they were timberwolves or Changelings. And that was a conversation I didn't want to have right now.
"...Alright, you got me there," I settled on replying. "But it's one of the most basic lessons in warfare, trying to get a spy into enemy territory. Sun Tzu might not've been a wizard or a pony, but he definitely knew what he was talking about. Sure, it would suck if it does turn out Lodgok's been lying to me all this time, but at most it'll only be a setback... then I'll just have to do things the long, hard, and especially murderous way." I emphasized the point by narrowing my eyes and punching a fist into my palm.
"I... ugh..." he shook his head, failing to form an argument. The anger on his face melted into a worried expression. "Do you think you can handle that, though? If he has lied to you, and you'll suddenly have to fight against Ranrok and his full forces?"
Uncertainty. Yielding. Tenderness. Chastening. I was managing to talk him down... I think I see why he has such a problem with this.
"Of course I can," I puffed my chest out. "You haven't even seen the half of what I can do to those insolent fools." At first Sebastian stared at me incredulously, but it soon gave way to resignation, and he bowed his head as he sighed deeply.
"...I hope you're right about this," he uttered.
"I'm always right," I sneered. As he raised his head back up, however, I was hit with an invisible wave.
Damn it... letting my emotions get the better of me again. Come on, Sebastian, you're better than this. Don't alienate the only friend willing to stand beside you.
My expression faltered, despite my own feelings, and I exhaled roughly. "Look, let's just... agree to disagree, I guess. We're both trying our best, here." His face was unreadable.
"...Very well," he conceded. Even though it was the answer I was looking for, I still didn't feel satisfied... I was still angry. I turned and left the Undercroft; it wasn't until I was halfway down the stairs of the Defense Against the Dark Arts wing that I noticed he hadn't come with me.
...
...
...
Really? I mean... really?! What a dick!
...
...
...
Fine. Maybe some time apart was necessary... I'd spent a ton of it in his presence lately, anyway. I missed being alone... I liked it.
~
I hated it.
Inklings of guilt, emptiness and remorse kept prickling at my heart like needles, seemingly echoing off the walls of my Room and making it feel cavernous. The end of our last conversation kept repeating in my mind, and I wondered if there was anything I could've, should've said differently.
The thoughts were persistent. Agonizing. Maddening.
It was enough to make me truly consider the whole concept of friendship. This was... kind of like all those other times, with all those other ponies... they'd get mad at me for some stupid reason, likely for realizing they could never meet my standards, never match my skills, never become even a step or four below my equal... and their manners would devolve and they'd shun and scorn me. And I, in turn, would fully write them off as pathetic, miserable, talentless losers, and step on them every chance I got, just like they deserved. The main difference was that this time... I actually cared about what this one boy thought. I didn't want to just discount him and toss him into the pile of those who weren't worth my time.
No... as mad as I was, I wanted to push it aside and pretend it had never happened. I was... actually willing to forgive and forget. And I never forgive, nor forget, not even the smallest slight against me.
I was alone until the evening of the 7th, the evening before classes started up again. I was in the middle of reorganizing all the work I'd done over the break when I suddenly, finally heard the door to my Room crack open.
"Oh. Hey," I greeted Sebastian neutrally.
"There you are," he said, though the smile in his voice felt forced. Sure enough, it fell away the next time he opened his mouth. "Sunset, I..."
"Hm?" I glanced up at him with an eyebrow raised, ignoring the pangs of my soul that wanted to run over and hug him, demanding that he never leave my side again.
"I... apologize for my outburst the other day. I shouldn't have said what I did to you... called you ignorant," he shook his head. "It's just that... Feldcroft has been besieged by goblin raids for as long as I've lived there, and then Anne was cursed by the goblins. I've never thought all that much about them before, but after all that's happened I just can't help feeling disgusted by them. Every time her curse activates, and she cries out in pain... I-I can see their faces, laughing and jeering at her... at me."
I lowered my head, looking away to the side... it wasn't a great reason, but I could still understand where he was coming from. "It's... fine. Don't worry about it."
"Are you certain?" he tilted his head.
"Yea." He looked down at the floor with a morose expression; I was instantly reminded of the emotions of his that I'd felt at that time. A part of me felt irrationally guilty that he'd second-guess my loyalty to him. I let out a sigh, my lips pressing together uncomfortably as I left my stuff behind and took a couple steps towards him. "Hey... I meant what I promised you. You don't have to worry about pushing me away or making me abandon you... I'm not going to stop helping you find your cure, even if you do piss me off from time to time," I tried to smirk jokingly. A small, guilty grin broke out on his face.
"...You won't?" he asked timidly, hesitantly. I shook my head as I laid a hand on his shoulder.
"Never. I promised you we'd find it together... and I'm a woman of my word." I smiled as he reached over to cover my hand with his, squeezing gently.
"Thank you... what would I be doing if I'd never met you?" he smiled as he let go, slowly shaking his head.
"Whole lot of nothing. Clearly I'm the brains of this operation, here," I grinned smugly. Sebastian chuckled, silently agreeing with me... we giggled together for a few moments before it naturally faded away. He stared at the floor with a dumb smile, then his eyes flicked up towards me.
"...Friends?" he tilted his head, holding out his arms. Somewhere deep inside, a part of me was glad he was as receptive to physical touch as he was.
"Friends," I replied, leaning forward to accept the hug. For some reason, his embrace felt even warmer than before, the fuzzy, tingling sensation within my chest radiating more powerfully. I nuzzled slightly into the crook of his neck to catch that intoxicating floral scent of his, letting out a quiet hum.
And then it occurred to me that this was slightly more... intimate than I was used to being. For a moment I wondered in horror if he could somehow feel what I was feeling.
Quick, think of something...
"...Do it again, though, and I'll shove that relic so far up your arse it'll come out of your mouth," I threatened softly, still smiling.
"I'll not do it again," he laughed, squeezing tighter. "Promise... I know you'll make good on that threat. I don't think I want you anywhere near my arse... for now."
...
"Alright, now you're just making it weird," I snorted as I broke away from him. His only reply was a smug, toothy grin framed by half-lidded eyes. My lips blew a raspberry as I covered his face with my hand and shoved him away, making him laugh again.
I laughed as well... was this what friendship was always like? It really did feel like nothing had ever happened between us.
And I wanted to keep it that way.