I’ve finally done it. Every room in this dilapidated castle is now a beautiful pristine color. Hell, I’ve even restored the throne room! Left the two thrones restored to their hopefully former glory, restoring the moon chair was pretty neat! Iron only needed to be cleaned, refurbished with a new purple padding, and cousin. The gold replacement was tricky, I knew unalloyed gold cannot be replicated due to their innate resistance to magic, so I had to use pyrite instead. A good trade off.
The only issue was the statue in the center and a weird memorabilia of a tree with holes. Wonder what those two are about. Not much I can do with those. God itself is probably preventing me from even touching those. Does this place have a god or is Celestia the next best thing?
Eh, less religion for now.
With my head and mind satiated I took a glance around. I’ve really done up the place, the book did say I need a honest opinion to break it. So here it goes! I think this looks pretty good!
…
Uhhh…Magic? Are you gonna stop?
Maybe I could continue with a couple more touch-ups. I’m not honest with myself, I may need more to fix up.
Like these…stairs! They take up so much space, put them as individual tiles on the walls. So that when intruders come, you flick a switch to retract them. Though that could be an issue with Pegasus and Unicorns being able to negate the whole uncrossable area…
Hmm…
I’m going to workshop this, I wonder if Twilight and Nameless are doing alright. I kept thinking of them when I was making the bedrooms. Gosh I am such a loving person! I should make more things for them! Right after these stairs!
“You ever feel a strange warmth after a while?” Nameless was exhausted, she was able to evade insane Twilight. Turns out, magic ain’t going to focus on a target if the user can’t even focus themselves.
“Yeah,” Twilight gives a heavy pant, now clear of mind and slowly realizing of her borderline foal abuse action. “I do.” Twilight felt her very core and hooves ache at the muscle. Too much action, even for one mare that saved the world twice.
“We really should get some exercise…” Nameless was faring much better, earth pony after all.
“Was thinking the same thing…” Twilight gave a heavy breath and stood up straight again. She read it in a book, it’s not good to sit, or lay down. Stand up straight and just breathe.
“Besides where are we? It doesn’t look like…” Nameless took a gander, yep, nothing she didn’t recognize, or know. “…a place we can afford.”
“It doesn’t look like any other architecture I’ve seen.” Twilight decided to pace around to let her muscles breathe as well. “The engraving on the table, even the bed read to me as Minotaur designs. Even a little griff in nature.”
“What? Are we in some other country that just kidnapped us?!” Nameless snapped, reaching for the door only to see the door knob as a circle instead of the usual hood handles. “Well that’s disappointing.”
“Perhaps, I don’t know how we got teleported here. Griffons and Minotaurs don’t have the magic to suddenly teleport anycreature from across the continent.” Twilight inspected the furniture further, they were a strange feeling. Something felt off. “Plus the furniture are entirely recreated by magic, they are permanent changes to the very being, but any good anti-spell can dispel these changes in a heartbeat.” Twilight continued to examine the furniture.
Nameless sighed and jumped up and got a grip on the doorknob, having to kick side to side to get the knob to twist and slowly open up due to her weight shifting the door. “Ha! Got ya! Uh, door!” Nameless let go of the doorknob and awkwardly waddled backwards to get back onto all fours. With a quick glance at Twilight, still inspecting the table she wandered off alone. A second away from her is a second spent well. “What does Anonymous see in her? I have some of his memories from his birth, something about not wanting to be a disappointment, or going too fast? Whatever, adults and their stupid romance…”
Nameless spent a moment walking down the hallway. It’s strange, she’s never seen this amount of extreme wealth, or abundance of gold in her life. Yet, yet earth pony instincts scream that the metals here aren’t gold.
Her journey took her to a throne room, empty as it was except for Anonynous in the corner doing something with his eyes. The neon green from his eyes and horn do not match his normally green eyes at all! They look so out of place.
“Hey. Whatcha dooin’?” Nameless looked up at her older brother’s visage, the bags under his eyes cannot be denied, he looks exhausted, but his eyes speak of boundless energy.
“Building extra tight security stairs.” Anonymous cursed yet again as he continued to make strange design, after strange. First was a trap door, then a cage at the end, next was implementing unalloyed gold but he remembered he can’t manifest that. So Nameless just watched in boredom.
It was neat watching stairs get lifted up then build back down like building blocks.
Eventually it got old, the sounds were not appealing. Too crunchy, not enough clicking.
“It looks fucking stupid dude. Just make normal stairs.” She broke the silence
“I-Wha?” Anonymous visibly flinched at her comment, breaking his concentration, and the stairs. Causing the stone masonry to crack and break once the magic rebuilding then was gone. “Ow! Jesus…” He rubbed his horn, burning at the edges. “How much magic did I spend? I was only here for…an hour at least. And I…” He took a look around. “I feel I’m no longer hearing my thoughts…”
“Eh, get used to it.” Nameless punched his shoulder, Anonymous simply rubbed the weak bruise he was given. “What were you doing anyway?”
“Remodeling this castle, why? Did I?” He paused for a moment. “Wait, did I bring you here?”
“Probably. Don’t know how you’re remodeling a castle…Twilight might now but she’s inspecting a table right now. Something about magic layers.”
“Like onions?”
“It’s only two layers, so like a potato? Is there a joke for this?”
“Unimportant.” Anonymous stood back up, horn feeling a lot lighter. “Whatever that magic book did, it fixed my mana issue. I think I just needed to swap settings for a moment.”
“Settings? Horns have settings?” Nameless tried to reach up to touch his horn. He shuttered and pushed her off. “Gross, it’s warm. Usually it’s cold when I touch it.”
“Incantations are so cool dude. Also don’t touch a dude’s horn, that’s actual sexual harassment in these parts.”
“Can I use one? The incantation, not the harassment.”
“Didn’t think you need to clarify but okay!” He took a step towards the hallway, he could feel Twilight’s energy from the other room. “Do you want to shoot fire from your hooves?”
“Yes?! Is that even a question you should be asking? It’s going to be yes.” Nameless followed behind.
“Cool. I think I remember a few. Gonna have to dip into my head for it though.”
“Oh. You just gave me an excellent idea of what to do to a certain…”
“Yeah going to ignore that. Just don’t kill anyone, don’t really care what you do honestly. Just don’t get hurt, or die.” Anonymous gently pat her on the head
“Bitch, you can revive me.” Nameless swatted away his hoof and pushed another into his chested stopping him in his tracks. “Just use that scroll or whatever, spellsheet.”
“That was a one time use scroll we used to make you.” Anonymous gently put her hoof down to the floor. Where he kept it near just in case she gets uppity again.
“Right…” Nameless sighed and looked down. A little self conscious about her mortality suddenly.
Anonymous wondered if it was just him, or did Nameless’ green fur suddenly flash white for a moment. It was similar to Second Heart, his first clone, but it wasn’t instant. He knew it could mean she’s slowly gaining more independence and a soul. Only leads to him wondering why Second Heart was
much faster at developing a soul. He thought it was the fact Nameless is a child whilst Second Heart was him, but from the Mirror Pool.
“How intriguing!” Twilight’s excitement cut off Anonymous’ thoughts.
“It seems this spell dates back to many centuries ago! Perhaps even longer if I could just find whoever casted this spell.” She was rubbing a now bare table, having removed the manifestation spell off of the furniture and inspected it closely. Having multiple scanning spells go off one by one.
“It was me!” It felt appropriate to yell out, unfortunately no sliding whisky for him to drink.
“What?” Twilight turned around to see Nameless and Anonymous.
“I did it like this!” Anonymous aimed his horn and shot the table. Causing Anonynous to fling himself backwards into the ceiling.
Twilight could only stare horrified at what he did. The scanning spells now wore off.
“What was a joke.” Only Namess gave a single ‘ha’, yes this is stupid.
“It was…” Nameless held in something in his mouth, maybe casting multiple spells of manifestation in a row isn’t good for the stomach. “Me. Still. I kinda messed around with a cool book I found.”
“A cool book?” Twilight immensity stopped caring about the table and got way too close for comfort to Anonymous, his instinct being to leak back.
“Yes. A very cool one. Inspiration Manifestion. Cool book, I lost it but all it was was an incantation.”
“So it’s just…an incantation? Did you use that to create all these things. Where are we anyway?” Twilight looked around and existed the bedroom.
“Some ruined castle in the Everfree. No idea what it is, just found a library, took some books, read one and made this place my home.”
“Anonymous…” Twilight was speaking low now, Anonymous now knew, he bucked up.
“Anonymous. This is the castle of the Two Sisters! The original home of Princess Celestia and Luna!” Twilight began to scold anonymous, who began to walk backwards away from her. Yet, Twilight pushed forward and kept staring at him. “This castle is officially recognized as property of the crown and you have decided to stake a claim in it? For what?”
“I uh…” Anonymous stammered. Cursing his brain for not letting him admit about wanting to move out.
Nameless snickered from the sidelines. Twilight is scary when she has a reason to be angry. Glad it’s now her this time.
“I shall see we clean this place up! Right now!” Twilight puts a hoof into Anonynous’s muzzle. “Do I make myself clear?”
“Y-yes.” Anonymous felt nothing but fear, and slight arousal at this treatment. He can’t explain why.
“Good!” She went back to her usual cheery self. It was all a ploy. To hang out with anonymous more! Those books Rarity recommended about romance were working!
Namless decided to take a step outside the castle to see nothing but derelict fog and, a moat that doesn’t have water outside. “Nope! I’ll just wait here with them.”
Nameless looked at the duo who are now casting an anti-spell to dispel the world Anonynous has created.
Anonymous felt odd, the magic that held his mind hostage went away now. It also felt like it took a piece of him away. Cursed incantations are never fun. Still, he has to visit his dreams now.
Also an excuse to mess with Luna. Could be fun, he hasn’t talked to her ever since the whole mind invasion incident. Eh, not the first time he’s been mind invaded, but he’ll take good care of an actual good Dream Wizard.
“Phew! Who knew cleaning an entire castle was that difficult. Makes me wonder how the maids do it.” Anonymous was slightly exhausted, sure his magic circulation seemed to be working now, but it was still the Everfree. Even he doesn’t know what magic he’s absorbing from this place.
“Yeah. They’re always so quick too! Celestia hasn’t told me their secrets yet, but I’m always betting on secret passageways.”
“Makes sense to me, most castles have secret passage ways so the diplomats and royalty can quickly escape when an invasion occurs.”
“Ah, makes sense to me. I wonder why I haven’t seen them….” twilight paused, then slowly a realization hit her. “She didn’t want me in there for studying! Of course!”
“You only study, and hang out with your friends. No one else enters the library unless it’s kids from that school.”
“Yeah, but…that’s fair.” Twilight looked a little down. Anonymous could only guess no one really visits her that much in Ponyville. Librarians aren’t popular here? Then that means less competitors. He doesn’t like what he’s thinking, but he’ll be fine. Sanity want his strongest characteristic.
“Learn anything this week?”
“Don’t read creepy books in creepy castles?”
“Close enough, I doubt I can put that into a letter.”
“Eh, Spike’s birthday will probably be more exciting. A lesson about sharing to bring back to generosity?”
“Are you trying to write and plan my friendship reports for me?”
“Maybe.”
Twilight could only softly chuckle and bump her barrel into his. “Oh you.”
“Yeah.” Anonymous chuckles, smiling clearly at the banter. “Maybe I can do you one better and plan your week.”
“Oh don’t you dare, I plan the week this week.”
“Don’t make me go and do your tasks you set out. I can knock them all out before you wake up.”
“Oh good luck, I organize my library in a-“
Nameless who has been following silently behind them didn’t respond with a gross face or anything mean. She was just happy, she couldn’t explain why.
She doesn’t know what these emotions mean, is it pride? For her brother/clone/father…no, her brother. She smiles because he doesn’t seem to be carrying a fake smile today. Her fur feels a little extra white again.