//------------------------------// // Ch19: Memory-The Rebinding of Book // Story: A Vivid Dreamer // by Kronoxis //------------------------------// A Vivid Dreamer – Ch19 Memory: The Rebinding of Book Dust Cover sat behind her desk, working on her current project. Her horn was aglow as she reordered the pages of a book. Its spine had unravelled and she was performing her routine maintenance. The book was called Caring for the Paper-bound: Spells and Techniques of Book and Tome Repair. The irony was not lost on her. With some strain and a flash she conjured a spine and bound all the pages and the covers into a whole book. The sound of the front doors' opening and closing marked the arrival of the library’s first, and only, attendee of the day. Dust set down the restored book and turned to face the entrance way. The library was not the biggest, but it was still fairly sizable as it occupied the east wing of town hall. Unfortunately, most of the town residents were not patrons of the facility. That left her with a little too much time on her hooves and she had a tendency to go stir crazy, so to occupy herself she would often try, and fail, to write her own stories. It was just a hobby and she didn't expect to write anything of note, but it did help her keep her sanity and prevent future Noodle Incidents. But today she had a visitor! The social contact alone would keep her going for several days! The visitor would... The visitor was a diamond dog, and in her experience diamond dogs were extremely poor conversationalists. Dust watched as the white canine walked inside. He was barely as tall as she was, and his pointed ears made up the difference. He wore an olive green vest and what seemed to be a ragged set of leggings. He was looking around the greeting area and smiled when he saw her. Dust got off her chair and stood beside her desk. “Let me guess, you’re here for a pictured reference guide to gems?” With a tilt of his head he gave her a quizzical look. “There is actually such a thing?” “Yes, but I’m afraid the only two copies I have are currently borrowed. I'm afraid you're out of luck for the moment, but if you want I can reserve a copy for you when one comes back.” Straightening out he smiled at her, “Oh? That won’t be necessary. I came here looking for something more substantial. I don’t suppose you would have any encyclopedias, would you?” Dust was surprised. The few dogs, who did come to the library, always wanted that one reference guide. Well, with the exception of that brown dog in the lab coat, who seemed a little high stung. She had recently checked out a book on magical storage. “You're new around here, aren’t you? I don’t think I've seen you, and I'm pretty sure I would have noticed a white diamond dog.” He looked himself over as he replied. “Oh, yeah, I guess you could say that. I've only been here about three days now, although I’m not exactly a dog. Healing Charm says I’m more like a fox. My name's Lodestone, by the way.” “I'm Dust cover, Librarian of this quiet establishment. Why do you want an encyclopedia, anyway?” Lodestone began to rub the back of his head. “Well, I want to learn, and an encyclopedia seems like a good place to start.” “Sure, but what kind of topics would a… diamond fox like you want to study? ” Lodestone frowned as he tried to think of something. “It's just odd to see you show an interest. Most dogs can't even read Equestrian.” “Yeah, most diamond dog knowledge is passed down verbally. But I would like to learn more about the world at large. Diamond Dog lore is biased and mostly limited to the pack and its territories.” “So I've heard. I must warn you, my collection of encyclopedias is a little dated, though it should still provide you with mostly accurate information.” She heard a low, dissatisfied grunt, but when she looked at him he didn't appear displeased. She led Lodestone through the aisles until they came to a particular set of shelves. “Here they are, but these are not tomes you can borrow. You can use the desks in the back.” Dust watched as Lodestone eyed the collection of ‘Encyclopedia Equestria’. “So, is there anything in particular you wanted to study?” Lodestone ran a paw gently along the spines before stopping at a random book. “Well, I would like to know what kinds of technological developments ponies have developed.” Dust didn't quite know what to think about the smug grin he was wearing, but she put it out of her mind as she started flipping through the “T~V” book of the encyclopedia. “Then you'll want to start by reading about Tech Demonstration and his many inventions.” She passed the book to Lode. “Thanks, I appreciate the help.” “Think nothing of it. The quest for knowledge is a noble one. If you need me I’ll be at the front desk.” Nodding, Dust left Lodestone to his book. /*\ As Dust walked back to her desk she began to realize the many peculiarities of the encounter. The obvious was he was a canine, who was interested in literature. He was also a new arrival, which went against what Dust knew about Diamond Dog territorial behavior. From his appearance alone she could tell he was not from the local pack, but she couldn't fathom why he would have been sent away from his own pack or allowed to remain here. She tried to recall the heraldry of his collar so she could place his home, but upon reflection she realized he wasn't wearing one. She knew collars held great significance to dogs, but as she pondered this another thought stole her attention. It didn’t seem significant at the time, but now it was bothering her. He was able to hold a conversation with her like any pony could; his speech was not the broken Equestrian of the dogs, nor the lazy, malformed speech of the pups. By his size and complexion he appeared to be very young, but he mostly acted like a mature adult. As she thought she found many possible explanations ranging from dwarfism or stunted growth to his apparent Fox ancestry. Could dogs and foxes crossbreed? What was a fox? Were they all like Lodestone? Did they have packs or collars? Did they eat gems... or ponies? Before her train of questioning could become more grim she was interrupted by a loud yelp and the clatter of falling books. “GAH… OW… mrhmph. Merh gewrd twart herrts!” Not understanding how anypony could get hurt in a library, Dust quickly trotted to the back. As she rounded the shelf she was greeted by a ridiculous sight. Dust looked down at the sprawled form of Lodestone. He, his chair, and several books had fallen over, leaving him sprawled out on his back with the first finger of his right paw in his mouth like a pacifier. Dust continued to look down upon him with a confused expression on her face. “What... What happened?” Looking up at the voice, he gave a crooked smile around his finger. “Perper kert.” He mumbled before realizing his speech was impaired. He pulled his finger from his mouth with a slight pop, rolled over on his front, and stood. He inspected his finger for a moment before he shook it in a vain attempt of nullifying the sting. “Sorry… got myself a real bad paper cut.” From where she stood Dust couldn't see the affliction. “I never thought my pads would be sensitive like this. That hurt way more than it should have.” “Aren’t dog paws supposed to be callous? I mean you dig through solid rock on a daily basis.” Lodestone looked at the ceiling as he pondered his reply. “I can only dig through soft, alluvial soil, like a graboid.” He held his paw out for Dust to inspect. “See?” The pads were a dull pink similar to his nose and the insides of his ears. Tracing the paw's shape to tips of each digit with her eyes, Dust could barely make out the tip of a white claw within the long fur of his coat. Sitting on her haunches she held out a hoof. “May I?” “Sure.” Dust took his paw into her grip and was surprised to find that it was soft and yielding. It was either not accustomed to heavy digging or it was never intended for it. Tracing her hoof along one of his digits, she instantly pulled her hoof away when Lodestone flinched. “I’m sorry, did I hurt you?” “No, not really. It's just still a bit sore.” He smiled, trying to disarm her worry. He leaned down and began gathering the fallen books. Watching him handle the books caused a Dust to realize another peculiarity. “Where did you learn to read?” He visibly tensed, but he replied after a moment of silence. “From my pack.” “Really? Why would your pack teach you to read?” He set the books on the table and began looking for his page. “Education was important to them.” “Oh? I didn’t think learning how to dig required higher learning.” Not until after the hateful words left her mouth did she realize how unintentionally offensive that was, but Lodestone didn’t seem to take it personally. “It’s not just about digging.” He looked at Dust and asked “Did you know most diamond dogs do know how to read? Just not Eng—Equestrian. They have their own writing system, caneiform.” Dust’s curiosity was piqued by the prospect. “If that were true why haven't I seen it before? I live right on top of the largest pack in the area.” “Well, like I said, almost all pack knowledge is passed verbally. There isn't a culturally driven onus for it to be written. It’s mainly used for work orders and unambiguous communication. It's not flowery like Equestrian can be. It wouldn't be useful or interesting to most ponies.” Dust was busy nodding her head in understanding. “I guess that makes sense, but why would your pack be interested in reading Equestrian?” “Because we like to learn, but verbal knowledge tends to be colored by the speaker’s biases. Look around you, there are so many collections of knowledge and stories here, and I wouldn’t be able to access any of it if I couldn’t read.” “So your pack learned Equestrian to read in pony libraries? If that were the case why haven't I heard about foxes before?” Lodestone gave her a deadpan look. “You presume only ponies have libraries?” “Well, no, but I thought you said dogs didn't have a... “culturally driven onus for written knowledge”? You sound like my old professor sometimes.” “That’s what I know about the Badlands pack. Alpha Zak has told me each pack has its own set of rules and tradition.” “Like your pack?” Dust questioned. Lodestone thought for a moment. “You could say that, but my pack wouldn’t be anything like you would expect.” “Really? Sounds very interesting. Where is your pack?” Lode could hear the eagerness oozing out of her voice. “Uh… They are no longer with us.” He said as he turned back to the tome he was reading. Dust deflated as she looked at him while he read and frowned. “Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t—“ “No, its fine. Nothing bad happened. I just don’t want to talk about it.” The two sat there in silence for several moments. Dust just watched him as he read until he stopped at a page and traced a claw along the words. He looked up and began searching the shelves closest to him. “Need help?” “Yes, please. I don’t suppose you have an Atlas, would you?” /*\ Dust was carrying the atlas on her back to Lode's reading desk. There she found Lodestone looking through one of the earlier tomes she had brought. He was busy paging through it, searching for something. "Dust, is Democracy a thing?" She looked off to the side and racked her brain for the definition of the word. "Demo-what?" Bemused by her incomprehension, Lodestone shook his head. "...Never mind." He watched as she placed the book on his desk with a thump and grinned as she gave him an annoyed look. “Its not entirely up to date, but it should have all of the important locations on it.” Dust said as she looked over the cover. It read Atlas of Equestria. “Are you sure this is the only atlas you have? Nothing about anything outside of the borders?” Lodestone asked as he pulled it closer. Reaching over he pulled it open to a random page, which showed a map of the city of Tall Tale. “Well, nopony really sees a need to leave the borders, so not a lot is known about the Otherlands except what we learn from immigrants.” Lodestone frowned. “So you’re telling me ponies don’t have any ambition to explore?” Dust shook her head. “Oh no, its just we don’t know what’s out there. It could be very dangerous.” Lodestone sighed and wore an exasperated look on his face. “…Never mind.” He turned back to the atlas and started paging back to the front cover, but stopped when he saw the national map. “Seriously!” he huffed as he looked at the map. “Whats wrong?” “This map is completely inaccurate, it even says so right here!” He pointed a claw at the bottom left corner of the map, where it said ‘distance not to scale’. “And you say this is the official map of Equestria?” “Well, it’s a little outdated, but this was official at one point. Really, what's wrong with it?” Lodestone slapped his paw to his face and allowed it to slide off his muzzle. “An accurate map is very important when you travel. It allows you to judge distance, to measure travel time, and to orient yourself to surrounding landmarks. Without one you can easily get lost… searching for civilization while… hungry and dehydrated.” Dust watched as he visibly shuddered. Dust was very confused at this point. “Why would anypony get lost?” “Uuuh... I just told you. If you don’t have a proper map you can't navigate by land marks. This map doesn’t tell you how far,” he gestured to the map, “Dodge is from, say… Appleoosa.” Dust was thoroughly bewildered by what this implied about Lodestone's past. “I’m not sure what maps your pack used, but this map isn’t meant to show any of that” “What?” “No, it’s meant to show and remind ponies the names and places of each town and city. Then the pony just needs to use Skynet to guide them to their destination.” Lodestones eyes shot open, allowing Dust full view of his crimson irises. “S-Skynet?” “You don’t know about Skynet? I guess that would explain your confusion... But I thought everypony learned about Skynet!” Dust looked at him as his face bore an odd expression of shock crossed with disbelief. “Would you like to see it?” “Y-yes please, as long as it’s safe.” “Why wouldn't it be safe? Come along.” Dust led Lodestone out of the library and back to the central entrance of town hall. Her hooves quietly clopped on the wooden floors as they travelled through the meeting hall towards the belfry. As they walked Dust's fur began to bristle. She'd never felt like this before. It was a really eerie feeling, like she was being followed... but she already knew Lodestone was behind her. They were only half way to their destination when the feeling reached its peak and should couldn't stand it anymore. She stopped and warily examined the hall, but only the two of them were there. “Are you okay?” “Yeah, I'm fine. It was... Nothing.” Dust started moving again and could hear the sound of her own hooves, but she was only able to get a few steps before the feeling became unbearable again. He silently approached her and rested a paw on her withers. “Are you sure you’re okay? You seem really tense. You sure Skynet's not dangerous?” Something clicked in Dust's mind, but she wanted to make sure. “Would you mind walking up to that window?” Lodestone gave her a questioning look, but assented. “Uh... Sure.” As Dust watched him taking steps towards the window, her ears twitched, searching for a sound that never came. She sighed as this seemed to prove her theory. “Do you know you don’t make a noise when you walk?” Lodestone stopped and leaned against the wall for balance so he could look at his foot pads. Dust could see his eyes widen and glint with understanding. “Huh, I never realized. I must have been setting off your prey instincts. Heh… I suddenly feel like Snake.” “That’s what I thought as we... What?” The last part of his statement confused her. “Why would you feel like a snake?” “Not A snake, THE Snake. It's like a... thing sent to deal with the Metal Gears.” “You mean a snake that deals with the gears of a clock?” “I dunno. Maybe a snake made of gears?” Dust thought for a moment, “Like a clockwork snake? Sounds like an interesting idea.” Lodestone stood up straight and looked down at his feet and wiggled his toes for a bit. “My claws aren’t big enough to reach the floor, so I can't really force myself to make noise.” “Oh, that’s fine. You can just walk ahead of me.” “But I don’t know where to go.” “...We're almost there, We just need to get to the belfry.” The pair walked to the end of the hall with Lodestone in front, in plain view of Dust. After walking up the stairs they found themselves several stories above ground in front of a closed door. “Here we are. Our Skynet beacon is in this room.” Dust opened the door with her magic as they walked inside. The room was round and ringed by small windows, which allowed for a 360 degree view of the town. In the center of the room was a pedestal, which looked like a purely aesthetic support because the orb above it floated by itself. The orb held a roiling mass of what appeared to be cloud, but it would occasionally change colour as it cycled through the visible spectrum. Dust watched as Lodestone was transfixed by the globe. “From what I recall it was a Pegasus creation. Cloudsdale, being made out of clouds, drifts in the wind and is impossible to hold stationary. They created the first beacon sometime before the founding of equestrian. It would allow anypony, who knew the name of the beacon, to follow it to its location. After the founding the magic was shared between the tribes and a beacon was placed at each major settlement. Maps don’t need to show distances or size; they just need to show direction and the name of the town. The beacons tell ponies where to go and how to avoid obstacles and dangers.” Lodestone walked around the pedestal with a perplexed look on his face. “That's amazing. All of its done by this little globe? …huh.” “Well, not the glass. That just contains the spell. But were you expecting something else?” “Yes, actually. I thought there would massive rows of terminals linking together a massive communication network, and all of it would be controlled by an artificial intelligence, which hopefully wouldn't go insane and on a homicidal rampage.” He stated as he looked at the glass orb, watching it cycle through many colours. He had his back to Dust and could not see her look of confusion. “What?” That was all she could say. His answer came so far out of left field. Lodestone turned around and looked at Dust before chuckling to himself. “Oh, nothing. Never mind me and my silly superstitions.” Then a smile spread across his face. “Hey, Dust, do you know what an artificial intelligence is?” Dust thought for a moment. “An intelligence... that is artificial?” The ignorance laced in her reply doused his glee. “...Never mind. What about artificial constructs?” “You mean like a golem?” The possibilities of her question rekindled his smile. “You mean ponies actually practice golemancy?“ “No. It is as forbidden as necromancy and hemomancy. It cannot be practised without sanctioned permission from Canterlot.” Lodestone’s ears were both fully pointed as Dust. She had his full attention, and he wore a stoic expression. “Why's that? I get necromancy and hemomancy, but golemancy shouldn't be more dangerous than any other kind of utility spell.” “Forgive me if I'm not too learned on the subject. Almost all research is locked away in the Canterlot archives. I don’t know all the details and all of this is second hoof, but there was an incident a few decades ago when somepony attempted to create a golem. It seemed everything was going fine. The golem obeyed commands and was able with do heavy, dangerous jobs without damage. And then... It went berserk.” “Do they know why it went berserk?” “By what I understand it was just an automaton. It shouldn’t have done anything without being told.” “Are you sure about that?” “What do you mean? Of course I don’t know. I'm just telling you what I was told.” “No, I mean perhaps the golem wasn’t just an automaton. If I were forced to follow someone's instructions to the letter as they forced me to do things that could hurt or kill me I would do everything to get free. If given the opportunity I wouldn’t hold back.” Dust thought on that for a moment. “You're saying that they put a pony inside the construct?” He shook his head. “Not necessarily. That could have been what happened, or they may have created new life. I wouldn't be surprised if they were doing things to it you or I would never do to a living being. It sounds like that was the point.” Dust wore a disturbed expression as she gazed at Lodestone. “How would you know so much about this?” Lodestone gave her a smirk. “Reading fiction tends to free the imagination. Anyway, I'd like to get back to the library now. Nothing feeds a good imagination like knowledge, eh?” /*\ Dust was in the middle of reorganizing books when she heard someone enter. When she got to the front desk she was greeted by the beige form of a diamond dog, who towered over her. Looking past the dog and outside through the door, Dust could see the dim oranges along the horizon. It was dusk. She had lost track of time and hadn't realized how late it was while she helped Lodestone. She looked up at the massive diamond dog. “Hello, how can I help you?” “You must be book pony?” Dust cringed. She didn’t like how most of the dogs would call her that. She had a name, after all. She researched the issue a while ago and discovered that diamond dog culture rarely allowed dogs to call non-pack members by name. While she understood it, it still irked her. The dog’s massive size allowed her to peer over the shelves, and she seemed to be looking for something. “Forge pony said pup came to see book pony. It is late. I came to fetch pup.” “Pup?” “Yes.” She raised her paw to the level of Lodestone's eyes. “About this high, white—“ “You mean Lodestone? I thought he had a stunted development.” The large dog frowned at Dust, which caused her to flinch. Instead of risking insulting the intimidating dog, she decided to get to the point. “Yes, he's here. He's reading at the back.” Dust led the massive creature through the aisles to the reading desks. She was surprised by how the dog was able to weave herself around the shelves without disturbing anything. When she reached Lodestone's desk she couldn't help smiling. Lodestone had fallen asleep while reading. He was slumped over in his chair with his arms hanging by his sides. His head rested on the edge of the table, and occasionally a breath would cause the pages of an open book to turn. Her smile only widened as she watched his tail flick and his foot twitch. When she looked up at the large dog's face Dust could see a similar smile. “Pup asked Alpha Zak many questions. He told pup ‘go talk off pony ears. I still need mine’.” The beige dog bent down and cooed into his ear. “Come pup. It is late.” His ears twitched, but he remained asleep. The large dog let out a happy sigh and reached under, and lifted him up to her chest with one arm. Lodestone reflexively curled up close as the dog walked past Dust to the exit. Dust followed them and watched them leave. The massive dog turned. “Did pup not try to borrow a book?” “No, most of the materials we went over are not meant to leave the library.” The large dog nodded. “Forge pony told me if pup were here with book pony he should get book. What was name? Hammer hard?” she asked, tilting her head as she tried to recall the name. “Hammer Me Hard: Techniques of Shaping Steel? Yes I still have that book on the shelves. If you give me a moment I can get it for you.” Dust headed to the non-fiction section, while the large dog waited at the door, and she went through shelves until she found the book. She brought it with her to the front desk. “Seeing as Lodestone is currently indisposed, I'm sure you wouldn’t mind checking it out for him. All I need is your name.” “Bertha.” She stated. Dust filled out the ledger with her name and a quick description of her appearance. Dust floated the book over to Bertha and watched as she took the book with her free paw and stuck it in her vest. “Now, that book is your responsibility. I don’t want to see it returned with any bite marks.” Bertha huffed. “Yes, book pony, very good, book pony. I will refrain from using book as chew toy, book pony” With a shake of her head Bertha left the library and Dust had the familiar feeling of tasting her own hoof after making a bad joke. Dust Cover sat there for a moment longer and began to recall the odd discussion with lodestone at the beacon, which was made more confusing because now she knew he was definitely a pup. Something sparked in her imagination, a story idea, perhaps. “A servant made of iron, but having a mind like a pony. It could be a little dark, a little grim, but that could make it interesting, certainly more interesting that those awful Daring Do books.” “A Windup Pony.”