-Entry #9
-Date of entry; February 16th, 2012
-Date of event(s); Today
Marcus twitched in his sleep. His chaotic dreaming was marred by a familiar but foreboding tick. It always started softly, but it would rise to a hum, one that was almost comforting. It would grow to a drone, and soon become a thunderous chorus that drowned all his thoughts in its wake. Oddly though, it would end in a slide to perfect silence. Nothing would come after, only blackness. It would disturb him until he finally awoke.
He did not need sleep; it had been beyond his needs for some time. He still went through the motions though, hoping to forestall the day when he would finally snap, the day when he would finally lose himself completely to his own insanity.
Yawning, he rose from his bed. This too was pointless, just a phantom of once having a body of flesh and blood.
Yawning a second time, he stretched his limbs. The metal bands and bracers encircling his ethereal body drifted slightly further apart than normal. His wings thinned as they floated away from the metal rails controlling their position.
Guess it’s time for another journal entry, he thought as he reached into the hollow created by his breastplate and backplate. Finding the journal already open as he pulled it from within, his brow furrowed.
"Damn it, Malevolence. Chapter eight was supposed to come next, not an account of cleaning up another one of your reality splices."
"I've been getting so bored lately though, so just be happy that I interrupted so little over the first seven, and besides, I think you’re going to enjoy this one. Tee-hee-hee."
"God help us all."
"Don't you mean ‘Celestia help us all’?"
"You know what I meant.” Marcus sighed. “Thanks for keeping it in prose though, I guess."
"What? I'm not Demon King Jackass Doombringer all the time."
"....."
Replacing the journal, Marcus retrieved a fist-sized stone. With a flick of his wrist, the retractable talons inside it extended. Using the metal claws to trace the arcane pattern that had been etched into the stone sigil, he activated the illusion spell it held. Not that he minded looking like a suit of possessed armor, but appearing as flesh-and-blood instead of cold floating metal just made the day go by easier.
Not finding the Sun Princess in the throne room, Marcus wandered his way into the dinning hall. Celestia was inside, eating a salad as she read through several rolls of parchment. Moving closer, Marcus greeted the Regent of the Sun.
"Princess Celestia, good afternoon," he said, bowing slightly with a forelimb across his chest.
"Good afternoon to you as well, Marcus," pausing for a moment, Celestia smiled as she looked at the griffin.
Smiling back weakly, he said, "Malevolence got bored. It’s, in short, another one of those days.
"Is this the eighth or ninth time?"
"I haven’t bothered keeping track," Marcus said, shrugging.
Having gone through this exchange enough times before, Celestia anticipated Marcus’ next question and gave him the answer.
"Nothing has occurred thus far today to warrant investigation, though I will inform you if anything does occur."
"I'll be with the guys ‘till something happens, then."
"Today is Thursday, Marcus. Hal is holding his weekly training session, Tom is working down in the forges on armor, and school is still in session, so Fin is busy teaching."
"Does Hal have any Shadowbolts to train with yet, or is it still just castle guard and the Wonderbolts?"
"The latter, unfortunately."
"What about those two from Nightmare Night?"
"Volunteers from the castle guard."
Pondering this information for a moment, Marcus thought of the one friend that hadn’t been covered yet.
"That still leaves Mono, though."
"He's helping Luna in the library.”
"I guess I'll go watch Hal then. Laters."
A stupid grin on his face, he saluted half-heartedly, and jumped backwards, flapping his wings as he left the ground.
Twisting around as he sailed threw the open window, Malevolence wasted no time in voicing his indignation. “‘Laters’? You seriously just said that to Celestia?”
“I did. So what?”
“I have no words for you right now.”
“Good. I’m glad to hear that something about me pisses you off. I’m still trying to find that part of you that doesn’t piss me off.”
“.....”
Canterlot Castle sat, perched high on the mountain that rose from plains below. The altitude and time of year made the weather somewhat nippy. Winter Wrap Up was not far off and a light layer of snow covered the castle grounds. The group of ponies flying above, however, did not care for any of these things.
Every pegasus wore weight bands around their neck, the base of their tail, each hoof, and at the base of each wing. For the guards in the group, this simulated the weight of their armor. For those that were part of the Wonderbolts, it allowed them to train even harder.
Leading this hodge-podge group of volunteers for extra practice was Hal. While he preferred sculpting and the occasional bit of alchemical fiddling for recreation, he couldn't deny the freedom of flight. He had at first kept up his skills by training with the castle guard, when they would allow it, but he soon had found that they were not strenuous enough at times. So, eventually, he found his way into the Wonderbolts.
*.....*.....*.....*.....*.....
"When we say 'found', we mean that he outright challenged them to a race."
"He came in third, barely, but they still allowed him to train with them."
"To be fair, he did manage it without the use of his powers, or any violence."
"True."
.....*.....*.....*.....*.....*
Even though the Wonderbolts did train more intensely than the castle guard, Hal still found that they lacked something. So, he started his own training routine, one that was even more intense than the Wonderbolts’.
He would occasionally invite a guard or Wonderbolt for maneuvers and routines that required more than one pony. Eventually though, pegasi from the different groups started to ask if they could join in, so Hal turned his practices into a volunteer free-for-all. Anyone could join, so long as they could keep up with him.
Sometimes even the occasional passing pegasus had tried to join in, but would usually be laughed off from their lack of endurance and/or skills. Hal made a point to at least congratulate those that tried. Some had even come back multiple times because of that, until they could keep up.
However, the participants today consisted of veterans of Hal's sessions. General Gale Greywing brawled with Wave Chill; Fleetfoot raced against Sergeant Friction Zero; and Cloudy Horizons teamed up with Blaze against Lucky and Fire Streak. Hal fought Captain Storm Wing far above the others to keep from hitting any of them with stray lighting.
Marcus hid in a cloud nearby, resting for the moment. Ten minutes passed as he watched the group fight, race, and fly in formations. At one point though, Hal had yelled at them all to line up.
"Do we really have to interrupt Hal’s sessions every time we come to watch, Malevolence?"
"Why you ask? It’s always such fun."
"It was fun the first time when I wanted to see just what all Hal would throw at me."
"Pegasi Bowling GO." The griffin shot out from the cloud at tremendous speed, aiming for right behind Hal.
As Marcus neared, his friend turned in time to see a white, gold, and brown blur. He heard the words, 'Think fast', before being spun around and then thrown into the line of pegasi. The ponies were knocked in all directions as Hal tumbled through them. Lucky hovered at the end of the line. A sneezing fit was all that saved her from sharing the same fate as the pegasi beside her; it propelled her out of the way of Hal’s path.
The offending Griffin was already hiding in another nearby cloud before anypony was able to right themselves. He had tried just flying straight off before, but as soon as Hal would catch sight of him, he'd get shocked, burnt, or frozen for his prank.
*.....*.....*.....*.....*.....
“That’s the understatement of the year.”
“Zip it.”
.....*.....*.....*.....*.....*
"WHERE IS HE?! WHERE IS HE?! I'LL BARBECUE HIS FEATHERED FLANK!!!"
Regaining his bearing before anypony else, Captain Greywing moved to soothe the fuming zegasus, fearing that he would do something more brash than usual.
"Calm yourself Hal. I have an idea for how we can find our little intruder."
"Really, Greywing? Come on then, tell me!"
"Just as soon as you calm down."
"Oh err...” Hal hovered still for a second, nothing but his wings moving. He breathed deeply. "Heh heh, sorry," he said, scratching the back of his head.
"Thank you. Now, do you know if our intruder is using any magic at all?"
"Magic? How would I know -- Actually, yes. He uses an illusion spell."
"Excellent. Storm Wing!" called Greywing.
"Yes sir?"
"Can you see any sources of magic nearby? Particularly any inside of a cloud?"
Captain Storm Wing looked around the airspace briefly before squinting at one cloud in particular.
"Yes sir. That cloud, there."
Hal tried to make straight for the cloud, but was held back by General Greywing.
"What the hay, General?"
"Finding him was the first part, isolating him will be the second. Clear all the other clouds."
No sooner had the words left the general's mouth, than did Hal fuel his powers with his aggravation. Jagged spikes of lightning tore from his body, clawing their way through the air towards their fluffy white targets. Each one vaporized in an instant.
"Now General, was there a third part to this plan, or can I ground the jerk?"
"No. That about does it, my impatient friend. Though I would recommend surrounding the target from all sides."
"No need," Hal ignited as he continued, "I would recommend you move back a bit though. Knowing him, its gonna take a whole lot more FIRE!" the zegasus charged forward. Calmed of most of his previous anger, he fueled his flames with the elation of having an opponent that he didn't have to hold back on.
"Sweet Celestia!" Marcus breathed, "I thought I would have been the target of all that lighting."
"Pansy. I'd have thought after all the times he's shocked us, you wouldn't fear it anymore."
"Getting blinded and burnt at the same time isn't exactly pleasant, and then there’s the erratic spasms for the rest of the day. I know we probably deserve it -- you more so than me -- but that doesn't mean I want to get shocked."
"You could always try to resist my influence more."
"I know you better than that by now. It's just been easier to go along with it."
"Good answer. Now, let's see what’s going on out there."
".....Fire, that’s what's going on out there."
"Fire?"
"Yes, fire. Whole freakin’ lot of it too....."
As realization dawned on them, Marcus and Malevolence had the same thought: Shit. Not a second later, Hal slammed into them, vaporizing the cloud they were in, and driving them towards the ground.
"Sir?" asked Zero, "Should we be letting Hal wail on that griffin?"
"Under normal circumstances I would have to say no, we shouldn't, Sergeant Zero," Greywing replied, "But from the looks of it, he's holding his own against Hal."
Hal slammed Marcus into the ground, boring a deeper and deeper hole as he continued to stomp on the griffin. Marcus headbutted Hal, knocking the zegasus out of the hole before climbing back out himself. Hal Slammed a hoof into the ground, causing the earth under Marcus to rocket upwards in a pillar. Peeling himself off of the pinnacle of rock, he dove toward Hal. The zegasus took to the air in kind.
"I guess that means the session is over, then?" Blaze half-asked, half-stated, as he gawked at the fight.
"I guess so," said Wave Chill.
The griffin and zegasus collided in midair with a resounding BOOM. The two tumbled through the air, a multicolored blur of thrown hooves, knees, and heads. Neither watched - nor cared - where they were going, which happened to be right through a castle window. The two crashed through the pane, bounced off the floor, slammed into the wall opposite the window, and slumped to the floor in a heap. Both were momentarily stunned.
Fin sighed, I wish those two would watch they were going for once. The last thing my students need to see is blood. He might have been able to think calmly, but he was still a timid pony and cowered under his desk just like his students.
Over a thousand years of life and he's still a wuss.
Urg, hrg, uugg. Time has little meaning with regards to ponies’ personalities.
Oh look, he's finally crawling out from under his desk, took him long enough.
He deals with a group of unicorns on a daily basis; that’s more than you can say for yourself. Urg.
Fin pulled himself from underneath his desk. The fear and confusion on his students’ faces prompted him to take action.
"Now class, back in your seats please.” Fin paused, watching as his students composed themselves What to do? What to do? he thought as he looked from the broken window to his students, to his friends, to the lesson plan on his desk, and back to the window. He repeated this process over and over as his mind ran through multiple courses of action.
Oh hells no. He did not just go all blue-screen-of-death on us.
Hal got Impatience, Tom got Obliviance, and Fin got Thought Overload. You do realize that no one but us will understand your last thought.
What? No long-ish single word for Fin? And like I care?
As far as I know there isn’t a single word for it, and I don't know why. I still hope that you will sometimes.
Oh hey, we can move again.
Let's help out Fin, then.
What about Hal?
I'm sure we'll think of something.
Marcus got up, standing on only his hind legs, and using his wings to keep upright. As he made his way to his unicorn friend, the class looked at him with varying degrees of shock, awe, disgust, and confusion.
The griffin walked up and whispered in Fin's ear. Broken from his trance by the sound of his friend's voice, he jerked away from the source of the noise.
Taking a deep breath, Fin turned towards Marcus and sighed. "Really, Marcus? Really?"
"Sorry about that, Fin. Though I do have a suggestion or two for you."
"I am, uh, kinda afraid to, umm, ask."
"Nothing over-the-top Fin. Simple stuff really."
Marcus leaned down and whispered in Fin's ear once again. The look on the red-tinted grey stallion morphed from one of discouragement, to suspicion, to optimism.
"That doesn't sound too bad actually," Fin said.
"I'll just start being more distracting then." With that said, the average-looking griffin took a step back and did something completely bizarre.
Marcus extended his wings, touching the tips to the floor, and pushed down. His body lifted into the air slightly, his wings acting as a pair of impromptu legs. Satisfied he wasn't about to fall over, he crossed his hind legs over each other, Zebra style, as if he was sitting on the floor. He clasped his claws together in his lap, and halfway closed his eyes. Glancing around at the students before him, he couldn't help but chuckle at the look of bafflement on each one of their faces.
Priceless!
I can agree to that. Heh heh heh heh.
Fin smiled weakly at his friend's display. Turning to face his class once more, he called out for their attention.
"Now class....." the timid unicorn said, but was ignored in favor of his friend.
"Students....." Fin raised his voice, getting a few unicorns to focus on him.
He sighed, rubbing his head with a forehoof. Sometimes Marcus was more distracting than he meant to be. Focusing his magic, Fin cast a soundproofing spell on the boundaries of the room, and an amplifier spell on his own voice.
"ATTENTION!" he boomed, causing all eyes to snap to him. The reclining griffin even wobbled a bit from the force of the sound.
Dropping both spells, he addressed the class once more, "Now class, since my friends Marcus and Hal decided to intrude on today's lesson, they shall be volunteering themselves as practice targets."
"There are three stations. The first will entail repairing the broken window. Those wishing to practice Levitation, Telekinesis, Material Mending, or Time Reversal spells, please gather to my left."
"The second station includes Hal. For those who wish to practice Diagnostic, First Aid, Grooming, or Revival spells, please gather around the unconscious zegasus to my right."
Turning to face his friend once more, Fin gave Marcus an inquiring look. The griffin simply nodded back. Reassured about the last part of the suggestion, Fin announced the third, and final station.
"The last station involves Marcus the griffin. The goal is to move him, or get him to move from his current position. Any and all spells that you may know are allowed, though any damage to the room, or endangerment of fellow students Will. Not. Be. Tolerated."
Some of Fin’s students dispersed to either station while others stayed in their seats, debating methods to get the griffin to move. The teacher trotted towards the window group, stopping when a new issue came to mind.
How do I oversee two groups at the same time?
He looked back and forth, he needed to be in two places at once, so there needed to be two of him. With a shrug of his shoulders, he thought of two of himself and called upon his magic. Within moments a perfect copy of himself appeared to his right. With a slight nod to each other, both Fins made their way to opposite ends of the room.
The reclining griffin lost balance for a moment; he was used to Fin's casting, but sometimes the unicorn still managed to catch him off guard. He arched an eyebrow as a Fin made its way past him. With a shrug, Marcus went back to watching those that were trying to get him to move.
Time dragged on for Marcus, the students’ attempts had little effect. With each telekinetic shove or wind-based push, he became more and more bored. Blinking he heard the distinctive pop of a teleportation spell.
A unicorn mare appeared in the air above him for a brief moment before falling into his lap. His wings collapsed and curled under him like the legs of a rocking chair. Sinking from the weight, he rolled forward, and deposited the mare on the ground in front of him before rocking backwards, his wings straightening back out.
Finally! A pony with brains! Malevolence thought.
"Very good uuuhhh," Marcus struggled for her name as he switched from his wings to his hindlegs.
"Moondancer," the grinning mare replied.
"Ah. Very good, Moondancer. Thank you." He ruffled her mane, getting a look of indignation in return.
"Sorry, old habits and such." He looked up as she trotted back to her seat. Most of the other students were at their seats as well. Only a few stood around Hal, who was still lying, seemingly unconscious, on the floor. Marcus looked around; there was only one Fin now.
Marcus’s gaze flicked back to the classroom. Something was wrong. He blinked. The bottom of the room looked normal, but the top half was filled with young fillies and colts. It looked like the past.
A shake of the head, a few blinks, and Marcus focused back on the room. The split remained, but was joined with another across the vertical. The top right was darkened, smeared with the mutilated remains of the classroom foals. The bottom of the side was brighter, but in the place of shredded bodies were whole corpses. They were slumped over their desks, the thick crosses over their eyes the only indication that they were not asleep.
Marcus sighed and closed his eyes.
MALEVOLENCE! he bellowed in his mind.
Yessssssssss? Mal's thoughts dripped with acid.
Cut the crap please.
Okie Dokie Lokie
Marcus shook his head side to side slowly and opened his eyes. His vision had returned to normal. Feeling a hoof on his shoulder, he turned to find Fin looking worried.
"You ah, okay there Marcus?"
"Yeah. Just Mal messin with my vision again.”
The would be griffin looked around the room, his eyes glazed over. Stopping as the clock came into view, he sighed, and turned back to Unicorn friend.
He gestured at the class. "Have them go Fin. Class is over."
Fin turned around to look at the clock, his eyes widened slightly seeing the time. Turning towards his students and calling on his magic, he amplified his voice again. "Class dismissed."