Forever Roaming
Chapter 8 ALT END
The Bright Side of the Moon
“I, am sorry. Sorry for what you had to deal with” Rick said loud enough to be heard.
William looked at Rick. “No worse than what I faced when I saw, The physical pain is nothing compared to the pain and fear and anguish of getting a full colored detailed step by step plan of seeing two worlds enslaved by Nightmares and darkness. Physical pains will heal, and go away sometime or another, the scares of the mind.” he tapped his head. “I am sorry for screaming too loudly, I had to get you moving on your own as quickly as I could. I hope you liked my solution to a No Win Scenario.” He was acting a little loopy from the healing magic as he smiled a little.
“You figured out what angers me, thankfully to your advantage. Good job finding the Library.” Rick said with a smile. “Now, if you are ready, I think you should head back, I have to clean up.” Rick said, making a gesture with his head towards the black fluid.
“Right, if you want me to help, let me know, I, I,” He paused and trailed off as he found himself fading and shivering at his own memories. His last words were to Rick before fading from his mind were, “See ya later Rick.” Only for him to fade back into existence with a smiling Rick. “Yes?” William asked as he saw he was still in his mind.
“You have seen darkness, and much of my mind, would you like to help clean a little and see some light?” Rick asked.
William blinked and looked around before slowly nodding his head. “I, I can help I guess.”
“Come, I think you might find this to be better than you expect.” Rick said while making the gesture to follow him as he walked through a doorway.
William nodded his head as he looked behind as the slowly self repairing windows and the angry sky beyond was looking like dawn was approaching on the horizon. He looked back at Rick and slowly followed out of the room and into the hallways beyond.
The hallways seemed to stop spreading darkness but they remained still. Rick raised his left hand as he walked, brushing it against the walls as the darkness faded to light.
William didn’t try the same move, this was not his mind and he was not going to make a mistake now. “That is, that is a rather good cleaning trick.”
Rick chuckled in response. “If only it worked outside of my mind, cleaning would be easy.”
“Indeed, you might want to talk to the cleaning staff in Canterlot, they might have a few tricks of helping clean if needed.” William chuckled a little. “Trust me on that. I have seen impressive feats but that takes Celestia’s cake.”
After walking in seemingly random directions the two had come across a door, both familiar with the door. The blue light shined out faintly through the door.
“The Library?” William asked in shock. “We are back here?” He looked at Rick. “Are you sure? This is your sanctuary.”
“It is, but as it was created it still remains, that of goodwill can enter, and that you did.” He said as he pushed the door open, walking into the library.
William slowly crossed the threshold. “ peace on earth, Goodwill to man.” he muttered as he remembered an old phrase from his youth. “I, thank you for wanting to share with me this again.”
“You earned what I have to show, it is not often I have company here.” Rick said while walking to the light in the center of the room.
William only slowly followed and remained silent, something in the air was tingling his spine and he felt that whatever it was, it was going to be something that he should remain silent for.
Rick placed his hand on the orb of blue light in the center of the room, dragging his finger in which left a trail, across it in a pattern. Soon he stopped and raised his hand off the orb, it began to shine brighter and brighter, to the point in which William had to cover his eyes. With his eyes covered he felt something different, it seemed to push in one direction, but at the same time it wasn’t forcing movement. It was wind.
William blinked upon feeling the wind, what confused him was that the wind had no currents or directions or patterns. He slowly lowered his arm that covered his eyes and he blinked to regain his sight as he wondered just what and where he was. He tried to listen with his ears at the moment.
When his vision returned he was looking out across a large portion of land. Where he was standing on the other hand was a ship, specifically one flying through the air, the airship Rick had built.
William was in shock. “Oh, oh wow. This is.” he walked on the wooden planks of the ship and looked at the balloon overhead. “Completely different from the Equestrian models, let alone the Zeppelins of Germany, but, but still a beautiful invention, a beautiful craft.” He moved to the side and looked out upon the land. “Is this... your homeland?”
“Well,” Rick said from behind William. “Yes, or close enough to it, but this is not the best part of it.” He said, leaning on the rail pointing off in the distance. To a small town at the edge of land near the ocean.
William looked out towards the town. “Is that where your, your home was?” he asked with worry. “Still, all of this, it is beautiful.”
“Soon, soon you will get to see the town I had built with those around me. The town of Gardavia.” Rick said while making a gesture to the town.
William could only nod his head, looking back at Rick. “May I ask why you wish to show me this? You are not the first who has shown me precious places and memories of their lives with me. What makes you wish to open up to me?” He looked curious and actually a little uneasy.
“I wanted you to see and talk to those before everything happened.” Rick said while headed towards the controls of the airship, getting it ready to dock.
William only nodded his head once before returning to look out at the skies. He had a faraway look in his own eyes. He blinked once and turned back to look at Rick. “Wait, talk to them?”
Rick only smiled from where he stood, with a careful hand he messed with the controls moving the airship into a slower speed, preparing altitude, stuff as such. He walked back onto the deck as the airship stopped it’s movement and grabbed a rolled up ladder and rope. both attached to the ship. With a throw he tossed them onto the wall below. “Come on then, we can not wait all day.”
William blinked in confusion and slowly moved to ladder to climb down each rung towards the ground. As he began to descend he grumbled to the heavens. “I really wish I had my wings, this is way too nerve wracking.” He looked down and looked at the ground he was now half way down or up depending on your perspective.
When they reached the bottom of the ladder, or the top of the wall, Rick turned and walked towards a part of a the wall in which seemed to be connected to the roof of a house nearby. Walking along the path he stepped onto the roof, he then turned and waited for William to catch up, a small smile on his face.
William slowly followed and seemed impressed. “Solid roof it looks.” He looked around and followed along the wall to the roof. “So, what is your plan of action here?”
“Simple.” Rick said with a tap of his foot on the roof, with two steps over he tapped again, this time it sounded more hollow, with a stronger tap the roof opened up at his foot, a hidden hatch revealing a ladder down into the attic. “First, how about you come inside.” He said as he started down the ladder.
William blinked at the antics before slowly moving down into the strange building not sure what to say at the moment.
Inside the attic seemed to be some dust covered bookshelves, though it was obvious that a good fortune of them had been moved and taken off the shelf several times. There was another hatch and ladder leading down into what would be the second floor. Off to the side was what looked to be pieces for a bed. Other than what was mentioned the rest of the stuff was storage chests, some metals, spare wood, and a table with a couple of tools and writing instruments. Rick seemed to be headed for the next hatch.
William only followed Rick, the last time he had poked around another’s attic he had discovered a rather sensitive secret from Luna. He was not going to repeat that mistake again. “Well, looks like an attic.” William muttered with a light chuckle.
With a slight roll of his eyes and a smirk, Rick responded, “Well I am sorry that I do not have a amazing attic, though the basement is better.” He said as he swung the hatch open and started his way down. “I do not keep much up here, but I still checked the books. If things are correct you might find something interesting.”
William laughed a little. “Sorry, but anything that is not Luna’s attic is just an attic. I was trying to be funny.” William sighed and bowed his head in shame as he felt like his joke failed not seeing the smirk Rick gave him.
“Come on then, I think I would like you to try something.” Rick replied from downstairs.
“Uh, okay, just, just lead the way.” William replied with an uncertainty in his voice as he followed even further down stairs and into the second floor of the house.
The second floor had some windows in it, allowing light through. On one side of the floor it seemed to be where Rick would keep his clothes and rest, as a bed and dresser was in the corner, but around that sat tables and chairs with countless quills and inkwells. Papers were scattered about looking like blueprints to some contraption that might have been worked on. There were several chests and even more surprising was a large collection of books, placed neatly in a corner of the room, dedicated to a quiet area. It did not have a large amount of clutter, only a small table and chairs along with the shelves that lined the walls. Rick seemed to be looking at a couple of the book titles.
William looked at the setting and to his own surprise the first words from his mouth were, “Well, don’t let Miss Twilight Sparkle to see this, it would cause mayhem as she would get a thrill from all the ink and parchments and books.” He paused and smiled a little. “I like the book look myself, I use to have a few bookshelves in my own room, and I always had a book to read at times.” He paused before laughing a little. “Uh, I won’t look at the books as I highly doubt I will be able to read the text too much.”
Much to his surprise Rick picked up a book, read the title and proceeded to pass the book to William, the words, “Heads up,” leaving his mouth.
“Ejha?” William made a strange startled noise before catching the book and looked down at it as he wondered why he was tossing books at him now. William shook his head with a small smile on his mouth.
To his confusion the book seemed to be written in an entirely different language, one he couldn’t understand or even decipher. It showed symbols across its front, most likely its title.
William laughed a little. “I was right, the language is different, so that makes me feel better in that, well the talking with one another.” He closed his eyes and shook his head. “Trust me, when Ponies started to speak my native English in my mind’s ear, it drove me nuts as I knew they were not speaking... Uh, never mind, seeing this actually makes me feel a little better.”
“Look again at the title.” Was the only response he got from Rick.
“Uh, okay.” William looked down at the book in his hands just to humor the other human.
In his hands was the same book, but this time the letters were different, not just different, but understandable. ‘Dimensional views and theories’ was the title of the book.
“Because of how my mind and magic work together, my memory is stored and better yet, if there is others with me, it can help transmit it, making things like that readable. Do not worry about you now being able to understand the language, it simply changed it into a way you could understand.” With a small smile Rick added. “I did mention I have not read that book in ages, but, there it is.”
“This is, You do realize you can get Chris and I back home if needed?” He seemed a little happy at that thought. “This can help all of us maybe... but still, we need to be careful, this book, I just know this can be a bad or a good thing.” He blinked and shivered. “Sorry if any of my demons got in your head.”
“You know there is a reason I never brought up trying to send you back home, if I tried to open the rift by myself, even with everything in my being, I could die in the process.” Rick said with a shake of head. “But other than that, it is just a pain as it is. Come, I did not bring you here to bring sad memories, how about something you might find interesting.” He said as he headed towards the stairs. “You can keep that book on you if you wish, when this is all over it will return.”
“Well that is good security then for your books, thank you.” William muttered tucking the book under his arm and slowly followed Rick down some stairs. He decided to bring up a problem he realized once more at a later date. He wondered if his nation knew about blood types he wondered.
The first floor was pretty simple, a couch, a table, another storage unit and what seemed to be a metal box. Off to the side seemed to be a sink of sorts, or at least it was close enough to one, and finally a glass like stone, clear and clean. Rick didn’t seem to be headed towards any of it as he rounded the stairs and headed towards a door on the side of the stairwell. “Come, the best part is down here.”
“Ah, into the depths of the ground. Makes sense some of the best places to keep the best stuff can be either in the sky or under the surface of the earth. Lead on.” William muttered with a smile and a chuckle.
As he stepped down the steps he noticed that it actually seemed to get brighter as they continued down, until finally he reached the bottom step and the room opened up before him. The room consisted of what looked to be thick stone walls and floor, but at the very end it seemed to open up into a blazing fire. The fire was intense and bright, yet the room remained cool. All around the room was open chests, having metals, blueprints, diagrams, all sorts of things. An anvil sat off to the side, and next to it was a table. All sorts of things were across the room all with a purpose, to build, and create. Rick walked across the room, his hand dragging across the surfaces of the tables which held his tools.
“Oh wow... a Blacksmith, I only saw one at a living history village and this, this was amazing, you have more information and events here than I ever saw, and I am in the actual smith itself. Amazing.” William stood there in amazement at what he was seeing.
“It is my pride and joy, just to create these things.” With a smile he turned towards William. “To create things that can help so many.” He walked back towards William. “I have a choice for you. Would you like to either, read up on some of the books that I had upstairs, or would you like to meet some of the town members?”
William looked a bit lost in thought. “I think a view of the town would be good. Mind you I may just ask silly and odd questions.”
Rick shrugged in response. “You might, you might not. It is an interesting town in the first place.” He started his walk to, and up the stairs, motioning William to follow. “Let us go then.”
“Uh, okay.” William shivered a little. “Sir, I must say that this, sorry but the last time I was in this detailed of a place I saw the subjection of Equestria, and... plans that would make a warrior sweat a little.” He finally realized why he had been feeling a little off, it was so slight he had only noticed it a minute ago, and now, he knew why. “I have had bad luck with mind places.”
Rick only smiled slightly. “That is why the only way to get here, is through the library. Only my own corruption can alter a memory, but, I am free and I have been taking care of it this whole time.”
William still took a sharp breath in. “Still, You don’t mind if I am on edge? Coping with all of this still.”
Rick turned to William as he stood at the stop of the steps. “You will be fine, trust me. If need be, try not to attack people in the town, but you can be ready for it.”
“Thank you. I am..” He paused and blinked when an equestrian short sword appeared at his side. He looked at his side and relaxed a little. “Uh... mental powers, are strong I think.” He smiled a little. “Better not introduce a M16 to a population, they would think I am some herald of some god of war or something.” Still he looked a little on edge still.
Rick only raised a brow at his choice of words before shrugging to himself and continuing out the door, waiting for William to continue following.
William followed slowly from a few paces away keeping an eye on everything. His clothing shimmered and changed to be a full battle armor of the Lunar Guard. As this was a mental security blanket he currently was having and using.
“I was waiting for that to happen.” Rick commented at what he saw.
“You, you were?” he looked down a little. “Rather normal, usually this is what happens before I fight the nightmares in my head, but then there usually is music around, unless I am near a magically charge artifact like anchor crystals then the music plays for all to hear.” His voice low and mumbling.
They stepped out into the town itself, after stepping out of his plot of land and closing the gate Rick started to head off, naming places here and there. There wasn’t that many people out it seemed but Rick only responded with the fact that the town had just been built, at this point in time, about four to five months. After rounding a corner they came face to face, nearly bumping into, a man who was covered from head to toe, cloth and leather straps could be seen across his odd set of armor while his face was covered by a hood and bandana.
The man looked up for a moment and seemed to recognize Rick immediately. “Ah Rick, good to see you have returned.” His voice was like a whisper, but still loud enough to be heard. He turned towards William and squinted his eyes, studying him. “Who is this, also might I ask where from. I do not recognise this armor he wears...” His eyes traveled up and down constantly, seeming to take every detail of the armor in.
Rick only shook his head. “A friend, now why not introduce yourself to each other.” Rick stepped to the side one step to allow them full view of each other.
“I am William Jefferson Howard, as for my armor, It comes from a kingdom far away.” He placed his right arm across his chest. His armor had the Dragon’s eye as well as a few motifs of the moon.
The man never let up his squint while looking at William. “Elestor.” He walked closer to William. “I do not like you, but stay out of my way and I will not have you wanted across the kingdom.” He proceeded to walk past William, not bothering to continue the conversation.
“uh, okay.” He paused and bit back the same reply if he ever visited his own princess’ lands. He turned to Rick. “I am impressed by you making friends, you seem like a friend of mine, friends with all, even the local bullies of our school.”
Rick shrugged. “He is a great friend when he knows you better. In his line of work it is hard to make him trust others.” He made a gesture to where Elestor was walking away, but he seemed to be gone already. “Your armor might have reminded him of his past, he tends to talk about it here and there.”
“Ah, well, is he a spy for the king? or the right hand? And what about my armor that reminds him of his past? The design is not like anything you have in your world.” William was still rather confused with what was happening.
“No no.” He leaned in slightly. “He leads a group of assassins, the order was created to make sure things were balanced in the power of our king, and the power of the people.” He looked towards Williams armor. “Your armor has near similar color to what he mentions, that is most likely the case.”
“Wait, your’” he turned around and looked back at the vanished person. “I meet, woah, that is kind of cool, grandma’s luck holds out again.” he turned around at the odd look Rick had. “Uh, she served tea to a princess from my world while they visited the states... or something like that,” his brow furrowed before waving his hand as if to dispel cobwebs, “Or something like that, still Grandma always meet and dined with interesting folks.”
Rick simply shrugged. “I fear I might never understand some of the things you and Chris say, or things you have done.” He smiled lightly. “But you still are great friends.” He patted William on the shoulder. “Even if we are plenty of years apart.”
William nodded his head. “Yes, but in others I am the master and you are the apprentice.” He grinned. “I still plan to have you learn how to handle some pistol training, or weapon use in case I fall.” His smile twitched and faltered. “How are you holding up with being home sick?”
Ricks gaze went towards the floor. “If need be I can still return to a memory to see them once in a blue moon.”
William paused, “uh, that means once in a rare moment? right?” He asked a little bit. “Because back in the old Equestria, blue moon means mourning.” He just smiled a little.
Rick hummed in thought. “ A Blue moon here is that of which the magical energy in the air is built up to the point in which it develops a thin layer of magic over the entire world, typically in the atmosphere, thus giving it the tint of blue.” He scratched his bearded chin in thought. “During the night any magic user or caster is at a higher power until the night is through. It happens once every,” He paused in thought. “Well I can not say, they happen at random.”
William nodded his head. “For your world, a blue moon, is just that, a blue moon, a blue moon on our world is where their are two full moons in one month.”
“Interesting, though quite the shame. I could perform great feats to assist if need be.” He frowned slightly. “Though now that I think about it, I do not think I will need to do that...”
William gave him a small look of confusion before moving to look into the rest of the streets. He smiled a little, it reminded him very vaguely of a Zelda game.
Rick sighed slightly. “Anyways, would you like to see anything else, and do not be afraid to ask, even if it something that you think would be best not to ask.”
“Will do, I will keep that in mind.” William spoke with a small grin. He looked at the surroundings. “So, is there something or someplace to go? Do you have a barracks? Guards?” He paused, “or a Library, a open square for debate?”
Rick raised his hand to stop William. “At the current time, no, this town was finished and able to be moved into around four months before.There are guards, but the barracks are not finished, the library never opened in this town sadly as it seemed not that many would even bother to read. I could only show you any place I have visit, or anything I have seen.”
“Ah, well, I rightly don’t know. Stranger here.” William admitted. “Why not show me around and introduce friends if that is not too painful?”
“It is not painful but I can not hold your mental form in my mind much longer, which is why I must say, one last place, or person if you can think of a group or such, or even a event that I might have said at one point or you have seen in my mind.” Rick explained.
“Okay, how about your most fond memory?” William asked.
Rick smiled slightly. “I have an idea.”
The world seemed to shift around them and soon they found themselves in Ricks home once more, it seemed to be very dark out. The amount of people inside the house wasn't what brought the attention, but instead they all seemed to be flowing their own aura into a man in the center of the room who appeared to be lit in a blue fire. Upon looking closer William noticed it wasnt fire, but a magical aura, specifically Ricks.
The present Rick stood by Williams side, and he uttered one word. “Watch.”
The world seemed to start up once more, the auras flowing through the air into Ricks past self. Several people were talking at once and they seemed to be worried.
“Can he handle it?”
“Can he do it?”
“Will it work?”
The questions ran through the air until finally Rick, with his eyes closed, put his arms out, one on his left and one on his right. His right palm faced the sky as his left faced the earth. He then started to move them, his right hands fingers to point at the sky and his left to the earth itself. His aura seemed to be slowly fading as he seemed to be using powerful magic. He slowly trailed his hands together and after a moment his aura flickered out and he dropped to his knees, then forward, unconscious. The people stopped channeling their aura and went to help the man when they noticed it getting brighter.
With a glance outside it seemed that the clouds that were overhead were dispersing, making the area much brighter. Even though Rick was unconscious his memory seemed to be continueing, they began to cheer, and quickly helped Rick to his bed upstairs. Then everything slowed to a pause, Rick was asleep and the others in mid cheer. The last words escaping their lips. “He did it.”
William only smiled. “Well done.” He didn’t know what it was that happened but he was getting caught up in the atmosphere and attention of the others celebrating something.
“Do you know what I had done?” Rick seemed to fade into the area, his past self still asleep on the bed. He looked to the people in the room as he smiled. “I nearly died this day, but, it was worth it to see this.”
“I don’t know, but from what the others did and reacted, it was a big thing, but you did a duty, nothing more and nothing less.” William spoke with a soft tone of voice. “At least that is how I see it. I can be wrong after all.”
Rick only smiled. “The demons of my world, they had stopped the shifting of our world, sun and moon, as well as clouding the skies.” He walked over to the window, looking out. “I knew the chances of my death, and I gladly tried. I had to use the power from powerful magic users to shift them, to start the movement once again.” He turned around and faced his past self. “I was knocked unconscious for several days, but my own aura lingered in the area for the whole time I was asleep, and that allowed me to remember these things, though I should not.”
“Oh wow.” he paused a little out the window. “Maybe that is what caused Equestria, a round world frozen in time, having to have two creatures take control and keep the world safe.” he shook his head. “What you did, amazing, I have known only four beings that could do what you did, and two of those four are copies of the first two.” He twitched his mouth into a small light smile before turning to look out the window at the weather.
Rick seemed to falter for a minute, the world shifted and returned to the form of the bedrock library inside his mind. He seemed off balance. “Gah, it is getting hard to hold the timeframe outside. If we continue any longer time will start to pass again outside my mind...”
“Then I shall bid thee adieu, and see you when you wake up I guess.” William replied with a small bow as he was once again back in his original clothing from the start of the adventure.
Within a blink of an eye William found himself outside Ricks mind.
He looked up and saw Luna looking at him. “uh, Hi!”
“Hi to you as well, you were out for a day.” She replied even toned and with worry.
“What?” William sat up fast and looked around only to look back at Luna laughing.
“Tricked you. Only a second really.” She giggled a little.
“Celestia is a bad influence on thee.”
Whilst the two talked they didn’t notice the small grin growing on Rick’s face.
