Chapter 44: The Station Proper (and Improper)
I couldn’t tell you how long I laid in that spot, just getting my energy back. Time’s kind of meaningless when you have no way of knowing how it passes.Then again, I had this same problem when I was within the city. I rolled over to my stomach and slowly picked myself off the ground. The time I couldn’t tell was being wasted, and I needed to crunch that all in before it was time to return.
As if to answer my call to explore, the circle beneath me began to crack. That was never a good sign. As I looked around, I realized that it was coming from the shadow side of the platform. He’s not coming back THIS soon, is he!? No, it was impossible. Wasn’t it? I didn’t know then, and I don’t know even now. But the cracks became larger, spreading all the way to the edges. And then...it all stopped. The cracks just stopped spreading for unknown reasons. Maybe…
No. Bad idea. Even one step will mean this whole thing will shatter. Just wait around and maybe the stained glass platforms will return. It shouldn’t be too long, you have no reason...to…
My eyes shouldn’t have looked up. Because they saw a red curved sword, falling from the sky, right to the middle of the platform. Like it or not, this thing was gonna be destroyed soon, and I did not want to be there when it was. I can safely say that my thought process was roughly please get here platforms pleasegethereplatforms pleasegethereplatforms pleasegethereplatforms!
It didn’t happen, though. The sword had landed and the whole thing started to fall apart. From the middle out to the edges where I resided, every shard began to fall. I soon gave way and fell through the platform myself, shouting curses as I fell into the abyss. The landing was gonna hurt. Badly. I could feel it preemptively. Dreams suck in regards to falling from a high place. If you don’t believe me, then you’ve never had such a dream and I envy you.
There it is; another circular platform. So pretty much I’m either A. Gonna land on the platform in great pain, B. Go THROUGH the platform and continue falling into the abyss, or C. Slow my ascent and...land on my feet? As weird as it was then, C was exactly the option that happened. It was strange enough, but the glass now under me just made the situation even more confusing.
On it was a unicorn. White coat, black mane, a blue hat worn on her head; I think it was a she, at least. Many different pins and decorations adorned the hat, some curiously familiar. Even more curious were the twelve smaller circles around her, numbers on a clock if you will. Just like the platform from before with Orochi, there was a shadow on certain points.
Why is there so much darkness on these things? Are they going to spawn Heartless or something? My hand went to my hilt, taking a defensive stance. I glared at each spot, daring something to happen. When nothing happened, I moved to one of the small circles with darkness. Closer inspection showed it was less of a spawn point and more of just blocking something out. But what were they not wanting me to see? Maybe the other portions will be a clue…
I didn’t get to check it out. Within moments, the whole dais went dark, blocking out everything, apart from a small path to the closest edge. Not wanting to find out what was going to happen, I quickly ran on the path and jumped, landing on a well-placed platform that moved me away from the now-darkened circle. Was something, or someone, wanting to keep it a secret? Were the answers not to be known so soon? I could only guess now, and hope the platform took me somewhere safe.
I really didn’t want to stay in the Station of Awakening anymore.
It was a hint that your party isn’t going to stop growing, Bard said. It was amazing he decided to speak up now instead of earlier.
“Oh? And who was the pony in the middle of the circle, myself?” I asked sarcastically.
Could’ve been you. I mean, that hat looked like something you would wear.
“Very funny. The pony was a unicorn, and far too feminine to be me. I look at myself as an Earth Pony if any of them.”
So you lose the fun of having the horse equivalent to opposable thumbs and the power of flight for…?
“They won’t be around as long as I would be. At least, I think it would work that way. Plus, attuned to the land, what’s so bad about that?”
It would be good if you were a hi-
A voice cut off my argument with myself. Two, to be exact. One was a familiar, motherly voice. It made me wonder if I was about to meet Luna again. The other, however, was completely new; seemed smooth and bass-like. And was that a hint of...teenager? I think it straddles the line between teen and adult. Although I couldn’t make out the words, I could tell they were talking business.
Soon, I was close enough to hear a question, from the motherly voice. “Why are you here on Equis?”
There was a pause as my platform stopped, and began making a staircase. The bass voice seemed to chuckle. “You sounded curious about that. Do I interest you, Mare of the Moon?” Uh-oh. This didn’t sound good. I kept low and climbed the stairs, keeping my ears open and my mouth shut.
“We fail to see the humor in your shallow cleverness, Mr. Silas. Please refrain from using humor of such a crude disposition when conversing with Us.” Yeah, that was definitely Luna. But what was the princess doing here a second time, much less with someone whose name I didn’t even recognize? Wasn’t this my dream? Or maybe...
“Fine, be a killjoy.” Silas’s voice cut my thought short. “I’ll keep my happiness to myself; sure enough seems like I’m the only one to care for it. And to answer your question from earlier…” He seemed to pause. As I got closer, I could see the top of the circle the two stood on, but not the speakers themselves. That required a bit more climbing.
“I don’t know,” Silas continued. “Maybe I’m seeking fun; maybe I’m seeking happiness, love, hate, power, wealth.” There was another pause as I heard a hiss of a snake. What the hell was he doing? “I don’t think I’ll ever know.”
Wow, way to be vague, Si. As I approached, I finally got a look of the speakers. Luna was wearing the brown cloak, the same one I remember from the Nightmare Night episode. The other guy, however, was something I never imagined I would see. He looked vaguely human, but with far more draconic aspects; clawed hands, raptor feet (y’know, three front talons and the back razor and standing on the balls of your feet?), and inverted knees. His scales were a navy blue, with a lighter blue - I think sky blue? - underbelly. He wore a jacket that matched the underbelly scales, along with anaconda-patterned pants. I saw black around the waist, where I assumed a belt was. Man, did I imagine this dragon, or…?
Luna’s voice cut that thought. Man, I don’t think I’ll ever complete another thought as long as I’m around these two. “Then answer Us this: What do you plan to do now that you’re here? Be warned, however; We sloth not in detecting deceit.” We sloth not in detecting deceit? Really?
Silas chuckled as he turned to face Luna, giving me a look to his back; was that hair on his head? Just like everything else about him, it was sky blue, dropping down to about mid-back. I also mentally noted to kick myself for thinking how muscular the guy looked compared to me.
“Worry yourself no longer,” he said. “If you think me a threat, you’re deluding yourself. I haven’t the time to concern myself with petty subjects such as world domination and the like.” Okay, I am done standing to the side. It’s time I made myself known. Hopping onto the circular platform, I made my official entrance.
“So what ARE these plans of yours?” I asked. “You didn’t quite answer her question.” Silas’s face made a frown at seeing me, as if my presence was unwelcome. Luna didn’t bother to look my way, instead keeping her gaze solely on the dragon-man.
He turned his attention to Luna and answered properly “My reasons revolve around survival only, Luna. I was forced to come here; a situation in space demanded it to happen. There was no choice. Your people will not be harmed, I can assure you.”Situation in space? What is he, a draconaut? Because of my loss in thought, him turning his attention to me just about caught me off-guard. “And as for you: who are you and what do you want? In case you haven’t noticed, I’m dealing with royalty right now.”
No, really? Well, if I’m gonna see him in the real world soon, might as well have some fun here. “Ah, you too? What a coincidence: I just got finished talking to royalty,” I explained. “Convinced me to stay in Equis. My name is Daniel Fortesque. As for what I want…” I coughed before putting on my best Tony Montant impression, “the world, chico, and everything in it.”
Luna’s tail gave a slight irritated twitch, but otherwise didn’t give me any attention. Maybe asking for the world and everything in it was a bad idea, Dan. Expect retaliation soon, Bard chuckled.
“Ignoring that shameful response, We wish to impart an apology for my earlier assumptions, Mr. Silas,” Luna said. “Your exotic appearance did little in helping Us to discern your position as malicious or harmless. We were only protecting Our subjects from would-be threats.” Luna dipped her head. Bowing to a commoner? What the hell!?
Silas didn’t even seem to CARE what happened, because he simply waved his hand dismissively. “Save the formalities, my dear, they serve no purpose with me,” he responed. “As you can see, I’m a very laid back individual that seldom gets upset or feels anything other than boredom or happiness. This was, however, a rather interesting experience to say the least...” His eyes went wide-eyed as a thought occured to him. “And opportunistic! As you might have guessed by now, I’m not exactly from Equis. Do you think a showing of myself backed by you could happen in the future?”
“Wow, get in line, buddy,” I commented a bit more sour than I usually acted. “Behind about twenty thousand nobles who want their backing.” I haven’t even known the guy for five minutes and already he was pissing me off more than Albus.
He frowned once again at my comment. Not surprising, I actually did have a way of changing someone’s attitude simply by talking. “The same twenty-thousand nobles that plague her courtroom with pleas of increasing their wealth, no doubt?” he sarcastically shot back. “You must be kidding, declaring them to have better standing than me. Their lives aren’t in danger the moment they step out of their spaceship, nor are they prone to any violence after leaving their homes.” His gaze turned deadly as he spoke the next words. “Do not interrupt this matter again, as it is very important to my health, sir.”
“Oh, so if I interrupt again, you’ll keel over or something? That’s pretty unsafe, you might wanna find a doctor for that,” I said. “As for those nobles, I’m not saying they’re higher standard than you. But that wealth they have? They would NOT hesitate to spend it going after something they deem ‘foul’ or ‘evil,’ even when evidence says otherwise. Trust me on that, I have a whole army after me just because I’m not a species they like.” I couldn’t help but give a cocky grin, since I knew I had him there.
“Daniel...” Luna began with that ‘Do not make me kick you’ tone. I immediately regained composure, knowing she probably wouldn’t hesitate to make that unsaid threat a reality. Shaking her head in annoyance, Luna looked back at Silas. “We see no harm in this. Should you ever happen upon Canterlot, Mr. Silas, please drop by the Castle. We know Our ponies will not receive you well based solely on your draconic appearance, but rest assured that the Guard won’t be giving you any problems.” What the hell!? Is Silas hiding a silver tongue in his mouth or something!?
As if to taunt me, the dragon did indeed stick his tongue out at me. It took all of my will, along with Bard noting that starting a fight in front of Princess Luna was not a good idea, to keep myself from attacking him. “You have my thanks in advance then, Ms. Luna. I hope this marks the start of a great companionship,” Silas said, dropping the quick petty act. Luna hummed, as if thinking over the request. Please don’t say yes, please don’t say yes, please don-
“We have no qualms with it, no.” God damn it. “Welcome to Equis, Mr. Silas. We await an audience with you at Canterlot Castle. Take your time in getting here, and enjoy the view as you do. This world has many wonders, We can assure you,” Luna replied.
I finally voiced my disgust the only way I could; meta-humor. “Geez, can you get any more cliché, Mr. Businessman? Seriously, just give her the Oxy-Clean now and be done with it.”
“Is this really the time!?” Silas roared. “I’m trying not to die here, and you’re being quite rude with your comments! Knock it off, or get out! I’ll talk to you after Luna and I are done!” He crossed his arms, I guess his way of being intimidating.
I raised my hands in defense. “Okay, okay, geez...seriously, though, just what have you done to just ask her for support?” I asked sincerely. “Or shall I wait until the Night Princess has taken her leave to hear that answer?” I imitated Silas, crossing my own arms and tapping my foot for an answer.
I could tell I was getting to him by his deep sigh as he pinched the bridge of his nose. After a moment, he spoke with a little bit of irritation. “... Nothing. I have done nothing. I do not have the right to ask her for help, for I am not one her precious sheep.” Oh, great, he’s a philisophical draconaut. “But again; I am no hungering wolf roaming her pastures. If anything, I am the blackbird near her chicken feed; barely worth her time or effort. Is it wrong to count on the kindness of others without any redeeming qualities to speak for oneself; to simply rely on the good graces of a fellow sapient being to help them?” My god, I could just FEEL the cheesiness of his speech. Glancing at Luna, she had opted to sit down and watch this joke of a debate.
“Honestly? I’d rather know it’s the wolf than deal with the wolf in sheep’s clothing,” I stated. “Yes, getting some kindness from others isn’t something I should preach against, but why not offer her something in return? Y’know the saying, I scratch your back, you scratch mine?” He wanted a debate, that’s what I would give him. Though, judging by the fact that he seemed to apply more pressure to the nose bridge, he was hoping I would shut up, not continue talking.
His next paragraph was given after another sigh and with a helping of another hateful glare. “What could I give? I am not from here, and I don’t recall how to work most of my technology. Giving them parts from my ship could end up starting something no country wants... war. A war over who gets to keep the shiny object that the alien gave to the Princess, or a war for its uses thereof! Your questions, while valid, are nothing more than the bare minimum in what’s to be assumed when dealing with extraterrestrials. Please silence yourself, Daniel, and let me speak to Ms. Luna.” I suddenly realized; this guy is freaking pessimistic AND materialistic. But fine; if he wanted to speak to Luna without interruption, I would let him. But I wasn’t going to sit down without one more word in edgewise.
“One more thing before I allow you two to finish undisturbed,” I said. I gave him a stare of my own, though not one of hate, as I spoke. “I’m not saying give her tech. Helping with an uprising or balancing taxes or just, I dunno, doing a random comedy routine to brighten someone’s day. Those things can do just as much as giving up a shiny object capable of engulfing a world in flames just because everyone wants one. Now, I’m not saying do something immediately, but when you’re asked to help, you’d best be prepared to help; double time if they’ve already backed you.” I sat down and hoped he would nod and at least take my advice with a grain of salt.
“I don’t know where you read up on how to deal with extraterrestrials in first contact, but you need to burn whatever article you did to cinders.” So much for that. “I will once again present you with the pachyderm circus in town; I am an alien. I do not understand this planet and its inhabitants, nor do I care to.” And a strike against the draconaut for not acting Roman-like in Rome. “No one will accept a random act of kindness from me, not if driving the ‘unknown creature’ from their town will work in alleviating the falsely erected fear of me.” He frowned as he finally removed his claw from his face.
“There will be no guarantee for my safety unless a public address happens; preferably from a notorious political figurehead; double that if they are one the people enjoy.” Ooh, using my own words against me. Props for that. “I have nothing to offer, and I refuse to offer myself. I keep my word, and although I have no proof of this, I had honestly expected to count on any shred of goodwill from anyone. But as it stands...” He gazed at the both myself and Luna with equal displeasure. It was just me contesting, why the dark look to Luna, too? “I can see that goodwill is all but extinct on this planet. It’s an illusion,” he finished.
Now, had I not made my promise, I would’ve fought more. But, I’m a man of my word. I simply sat down and looked at Luna, who had stood up. “We see this clearly now,” she announced. “You wish for Us to help you with no strings attached. No qualms exist with Us on this matter, but We do not think proper explanation is necessary if you spit upon our goodwill.” If it weren’t for that last portion, I would’ve asked if Luna was off of her rocker for actually agreeing to help this jerk.
Silas, for the most part, nodded in confirmation.
“Good! Then an accord has been reached!” she shouted loudly. “We are pleased to have made an extraterrestrial friend on this night of Ours! Well then, We must be off. The duties of the night never rest, even as my subjects do.” She made her way to the edge of the circle and looked at me. She said nothing, but her eyes said it all; she was going to visit me after she made sure the rest of her subjects were taken care of. “Remember to play nice, you two.” And with that, she jumped over the edge and disappeared into the abyss. There was a bright flash that signaled she left in her own special way.
I decided to speak up, now that Luna was gone. “Couple of newsflashes...Silas, was it? Yeah, I think that’s right. First off, you’re NOT the only extraterrestrial here,” I pointed out. “Humans don’t exist on Equis. Second, if you’re gonna be here for so long, whether it be a week, a month, or even a YEAR, you’d best understand the planet and all of the sentient beings it inhabits. For example,” and no offense to the Mistress of the night, “you asked the wrong alicorn to get good PR for Equestria.” I decided to make sure my sword worked, just in case Silas tried anything. I pulled out my hilt.
“And that’s out for what purpose, Daniel?” he asked, hand to his belt. Ah, so he had a weapon, too. I pressed the button on my hilt and showed the Beam Sword’s blade. He gripped his own weapon and glared, daring me to attack. I looked down at my sword and wondered to myself if I could probably get this in a blue color.
After a while, he spoke up again. “Irony at its finest; a Princess who the people barely like.” I looked up, a tad confused. A princess not liked by her people was ironic? Did he even know the meaning of the word? “Normally they’re something out of fairytales; played up to be too righteous and really good singers that love peace and happiness. I could tell from the way she looked at me that her life wasn’t sunshine and rainbows, like how most of those fairytales go. That’s why I asked her, and not her sister when she spoke that she had one.” He turned his back to me, as if saying he was right and I was wrong.
He kept going, though. “It is because she seeks to do things to improve her own standing with her people. Back then, when you said I should do something to scratch her back? Little did you know that I was way ahead of you in that regard. I saw the hurt on her face, even though the mask she put up was rather good.” He paused and looked back at me, seemingly giving me the stink eye.
“One who constantly wears masks is quite good at getting behind those of others. And to think you thought yourself to have her best interests at heart....tsk tsk tsk, Daniel; alas, you do not. Nor will you ever, I’m afraid. If you’re done, please leave and stop taking up my time; or do you have something else to discuss rather than my future plans on Equis?” As he looked away, I gritted my teeth. A dragon, who admitted to not even CARING about her best interests, is telling me I don’t!? And worse, that I NEVER will!? This guy has some serious issues that he’s hiding, and with his talk about putting on a face to disguise it...yeah, sooner or later, his own mask will break, and he’s going to find himself in my position just moments ago.
“Well...I do have two. First, if and when you face your Shadow, will you be ready to face it? Everything you’ve said and done to build your own mask, being attacked from every angle, blows that are low even for a heartless villain. If you had to face yourself, your TRUE self, would you be ready to fight for your life?” A warning is better than nothing. If he knows, he can probably open up to others and prevent a lot of collateral damage.
He was silent for a moment, as if wondering if I was speaking the truth or calling him out on his actions. “I guess I’ll find out,” he seethed, not turning to look at me and say it to my face.
He’s not prepared. When he runs into his Shadow, he’d better have good comrades to save him. “Now, the other question, and this is far more important…” I hesitated a bit, turning my blade off and pocketing it. While I was curious about what his true intentions were, and no, I did NOT accept ‘just survival’ as the answer, I decided that he needed comedy more than seriousness. “...are you gonna give Luna the spray-on Oxy-Clean, or the detergent-type Oxy-Clean?”
He got onto his feet and gave me a glare so great that it would’ve made hearts stop. “Leave. now,” he commanded “You’re no longer wanted here. This is my dream realm, and I want you gone!”
I held up my hands in defense. “Yeesh, sorry for trying to get you to lighten up,” I replied. “If you can’t take a joke, your time is gonna suck in Equis. If you really want me gone that bad, I’ll take my leave. There are other platforms like these that I can walk on, and less draconic.” I put my hands in my pocket and went to the edge of the circle when a cough stopped me.
“You just don’t show up here for no reason; I’m not daft,” Silas said. “What has brought you here, besides annoying me and hindering my progress towards survival... and for that matter; what are you?” Huh. He must be some crazy alien from a different dimension if he’s asking WHAT I am. Either that or he’s asking what he’ll run into on Equis. I decided to ask for clarification.
“That depends. Are you talking about what you’ll see on Equis, or what you’re looking at now? Because right now, you’re looking at one of over six billion humans from a planet simply called Earth. And I’m here because...well, I can’t currently wake up and go back to my own body.” I looked at the ground as I said that, knowing I’d pretty much be asleep for a few more days still.
“Oh? You’re using magic, I take it?” he asked. “Scrying, perhaps; if I do recall correctly. Nevertheless, there’s a reason why you’re here, and I want to know what it is. And of course I know of this form of yours; I’m human as well, Daniel, even though I might not look it right now.” So it was the latter. And I’ve been talking to a cynical human this entire time. “However, I do not plan to recover my old body whatsoever; I haven’t a need for it anymore, not when this one is superior.” I raised my head up at that, noticing that he walked over to a fountain. Was that there before, or did he conjure it? And if it was his doing...
“I’m not using magic. As it stands, I’m in a coma that’ll last for another…” I counted on my fingers, just because. “Six days or so. I am here because I wandered here. I saw yourself and Luna and, fearing for her, I approached. I won’t lie and say I didn’t think you’d do something to her.” As I finished speaking, he gave one of those smug smiles. Rubbing a point in my face in three. Two. One.
“And your basis out of that assumption; does it not stem from the fact that I’m an alien, unseen and uncharacterized?” he asked, a hint of superiority in his voice now. “It is as I said earlier; the masses will not bother understanding me, just like you assumed I’d harm Luna, they too will assume me guilty in plotting to harm them.” He turned his back to me once more and waved a claw, as if telling me to leave once more. “As fun as this chat has been, I’m afraid you’ve overstayed your welcome. If we do meet outside this Station, I hope it will be on less annoying terms than in here.”
“...so it was wrong of me to stand aside and watch what would happen? Give you the benefit of the doubt instead of pull out my sword and engage immediately?” I shot back. “Though my initial impression was you two were about to fight, I wasn’t about to go berserker on you just because you look like a dragon. And apparently have the attitude of one, being somewhat selfish,” I added, the last part simply being out of spite more than anything.
SIlas scoffed. “Selfish? No no no, I don’t think it was selfish to preserve my life, Daniel; that’s instinctual; a commonly shared survival tactic amongst all races, regardless of planetary background, you see. Even though I could thank you for not charging me with that blade, I’m afraid I won’t; seeing as how it should be common practice not to act so crudely to the unknown unless they identify themselves to be of malicious intent and insidious in nature.” He was just making it hard for me to actually feel good about my choice. He was acting like nothing more than a smug monster who expected mountains to move at his command.
He took a drink from the fountain before he continued. “I hope this planet will continue to be entertaining, for Earth was too monotonous for me. There was no place for someone of my caliber there; someone with my indomitable spirit and quick mind. Do not think this to be pride, Daniel; it is fact.” I could only snort to myself at his arrogance. I turned and went to the edge once more, waiting for him to finish. “You may take your leave now; and trust well that we’ll be in touch again. As much of an annoyance as you were, your entertainment factor has drawn my curiosity. I look forward to when we meet next, Danny boy.”
Ugh, now he was resorting to stupid cutesy nicknames. Dan is fine, but Danny wasn’t really okay, and Danny boy was just right out. Staring into the abyss, I replied. “I have no doubt I will see you again, Silas. I do hope you do something for Luna, despite the fact you say otherwise. But then, I hope for many things. Like I hope to see you outside of dreams.” I positioned myself as if preparing for a dive.
“Until then...farewell.” I jumped into the abyss, only to land on one of the square platforms, which took me away from the draconaut. I also realized that as it took me away, the darkness seemed to dissipate, giving way to light. Where was I going now?