Chapter 08: (Not) Interesting Gemstone Feng-Shui.
Time, Fire, Lightning, Ice, Barrier. Now that I'm using them, the names of the individual gems are coming back, at least. I didn't actually test Time again when putting on a 'show' for the 'Great and Powerful' Trixie, but these are the ones I could get to trigger effects. Luckily for my new companion, I tested the 'Ice' gem on a nearby tree and not the river, so we didn't end up freezing it, merely creating a rather shiny, blue tree that's now slowly melting in the setting sun instead.
Right now I have the gems laid out on the grass, counting them again. Seven green, four blue, three yellow, two red. The greens are separated into two groups - Time, Fire, Lightning, Ice, Barrier, as well as the remaining two I couldn't get to cast. Not due to a lack of trying - any attempt at it simply hit me with an overwhelming sense of tiredness, as if they were pulling on some kind of nonexistent energy reserve to try and do whatever they do. The blues are also separated into two groups - the two I know the effects of, and the two I don't. The two I do know seem to do the same thing - that is, they cause the 'paired' green gem to cast multiple times simultaneously. The two I don't, well... I'm beginning to reconsider the premonition I had about them requiring a weapon similar to my bangle. While my mind is telling me they would be better in a weapon, they might not be useless after all.
At that thought, I remove the bangle, turning it over in my hands and finally giving it a good look over. Now that I'm giving it a scrutinizing look, it's actually quite ornate, with eight 'slots' where the gems fit in. The slots seem to be paired off - into two groups of four, each pair connected with some kind of ornate engraving. So, I could fit four 'pairs', eight individual gems, or some combination thereof. Just the right amount of pairings possible, looking at my gem stock. Behind me, I can hear the splash of water and clatter of hooves indicating that my current companion's finished her third attempt at trying to wash the grime of the 'rock farm' off herself.
My brain still can't process the phrase 'rock farm', but I'm finding not understanding this place to be more and more common the longer I'm here, so I don't dwell on that thought much. Returning to the laid out gems, I scoop up the one, 'Time', and set it in the bangle, and pair it with one of the two blue gems that I know the function of. This area seems relatively safe, but that's no reason not to be prepared, and this combination seems to be one of the strongest in a fight of the ones I know. Next, I inlay the 'Lightning' gem and pair it with the second blue gem. Trixie had a much more surprised reaction at the ability to control lightning than fire, claiming it as something 'only pegasus ponies can usually do', so this combination seems more useful than 'Fire' pairing I was using earlier - if only for intimidation purposes.
"Trixie must ask, now that she feels like a hundred bits, where did you get those?" I hear the voice ask from over my shoulder as the hoof-falls close in. "If you cannot sell them, Trixie could easily buy some of her own!"
Not giving up that angle, huh? "They're a... family heirloom."
"And... they must be set in that bracelet to work?" She asks, and I turn to look at her, seeing the raised eyebrow and pointing hoof.
That's... actually a good question. I pick up the gem 'Ice' into my free hand and concentrate for a moment, seeing if I can feel out whatever it is that allows me to cast spells with them. After a moment, I feel the distinctive sensation of the magic swelling up and see the gem glow, pointing it to the tree I froze earlier in the day and covering it with a second, thicker sheet of ice. "Looks like I don't." I finally reply. "Though using it like that was definitely more work."
"Aha! So Trixie could use them!" Her eyes glint with a hint of greed for a moment before a quizzical look replaces it. "Wait a Celestia-damned minute. They're a family heirloom... and you barely know what they do or how they work?"
Yeah, I think the 'family heirloom' cover was a terrible idea. I can feel the the entire thing sinking already. "I just received them recently."
Her eyes narrow. "...Right. Your story is about as believable as the time Trixie prevented an entire pride of manticores from attacking Las Pegasus and running off with all the showmares in the city."
"I don't see what's so unbelievable about that." I smirk as I set the 'Fire' gem into the bracelet alongside one of the unknown blue gems, hoping it does something useful if I need it.
"Your sarcasm does not go unnoticed by The Gracious and Perceptive Trixie, but," I see her shadow move, and the sound of hooves moving toward where she set aside her cape and hat, "it shall go unpunished... for now."
Punished, huh? I decide to just let it go, and set 'Ice' and 'Barrier' into the remaining two slots on the bangle. I don't know what that fourth blue gem does, but I'd rather have the full option set than risk trying to test both blues out at once when it's possible they might do nothing at all. Still not exactly trusting my new clearing-mate, I sweep the remainder of the gems back into my pockets, having the sudden premonition that I've had these stolen from me. A lot.
Rolling onto my back and resting my hands on my head again, I watch the sky enter its twilight hours. Suddenly, I realize I don't have much of an idea where I'm going. I suppose I could follow the river... though with my luck it'll empty out into an ocean and force me to turn around.
"Hey!" Trixie's voice snaps me out of my thoughts after a few moments, and I roll my head over in her direction. She's stacking random branches and sticks from the nearby trees with her magic. "Light this! Trixie gets cold at night!"
I let out a small sigh. "That's not a very nice way to ask for people to do something for you."
"Do you not also get cold at night?" She asks as I hear her stoop next to her bundle of kindle.
"I'm used to it." I reply, rolling my head to look back up at the sky.
"...So is Trixie." The reply is low enough that I can barely hear it, and I hear the ruffling of her cape as she tries to hide under it like a blanket.
After a few moments I begin to curse my conscience, rolling slightly and using the magic from the 'Fire' gem to light the wood. It's not like I mind a bit of warmth, anyway. I turn and look back up to to the sky, thinking again, sorting around the bits of fragmented thoughts in my head. For a moment, I think she's fallen asleep before she finally speaks again.
"You know, Trixie could keep you around. Your abilities are... useful." Not the 'thank you' most people would give, but I can't say I expected it.
"I'm not a pet just because I'm not a pony, you know."
"Yes, but The Great and Powerful Trixie could use a slightly less Great and Powerful Assistant," she shifts a bit, I assume getting closer to the fire, "especially one whose skills keep her warm at night like this."
"Not interested." A go-to answer for all red-flag situations.
"Ah, that's... too bad." Did she expect me to say yes or something? I imagine that if her situation is as bad as she's described it being that her situation is lonely and not so easy, but right now I have my own problems to deal with.
The coming night sky in Equestria is quite a sight, at least. I can recall from my... conversation with Celestia and Twilight that the former's sister, Luna, 'raises the moon and stars' or something like that. Does that mean she hand-crafts each night sky, or is there some kind of template they use? Or maybe, it's a total load of bullshit meant to keep the peasants in line. I can't help but crack a smile at that one. It's not like I see a pair of alicorns up there, micromanaging the shift from day to night.
I turn over, putting my back to the fire and putting the thoughts from my mind. It's not particularly important, anyway. I begin trying to push my memory over the threshold, so to speak. I have all these little fragments, such as 'SOLDIER', and these gems, and those flashes of memory from yesterday night, and they all seem connected in some important way... but it's like one key part is missing.
"Hey." Trixie's voice snaps me out of my brooding again.
I roll onto my back again, turning my head to face her. "What is it?"
"Trixie was just thinking..." That's an activity that never ends well for anyone. "And, well... she never got your name."
I turn back up to the sky. "What's in a name, anyway?"
"What, did your family not give you that heirloom yet?" I bite my lip to stifle the laugh but can't, and soon I'm laughing out loud. The muffled sounds next to me indicate she's having about as much luck with it as I am, though she's trying to cover the sound by laughing into her hooves or something.
After we calm down a bit, I turn back up to the sky, thinking. "Dusk." I finally reply after a moment. That's a name that seems pretty in-line with the naming conventions of this place.
"Dusk?" She answers as I turn my head to face her again. "Dusk...?"
"Just Dusk."
This time, it's her turn to look up at the sky. "Okay then, 'Dusk' it is." Well, shit. I guess with my track record, I better avoid politics and real-estate when I get out of this place. "It's been... nice, 'Dusk', but Trixie supposes we go our own ways tomorrow."
"I suppose so." I reply, closing my eyes. I hear a small nestling sound in her direction and a satisfied 'mm', after a few moments, so I assume she's done the same. Good timing, too, since it feels like sleep is coming soon. Hopefully this time, I can get more sleep than last night.
My eyes open slowly, and I rise up to my elbows, then a sitting position. My head is still heavy as I rub my eyes and begin looking around. Everything is... green. Pale green. Flowing like water...
I shoot up to my feet and begin looking around. This place feels familiar. So familiar... and empty. Shouldn't there be more people here than just me? I take one step forward, and then another, wading through the green river of... nothing, it feels like. Energy? It pools around and away from my hand like water when I try to touch it, but it seems to have no weight or resistance. No substance at all.
I can hear voices now, whispering. I can't tell what they're saying but they come from all around, almost as if they're coming from the green... stuff... itself. I reach my hands forward, as if to plunge them into the faux-liquid, and notice all the Materia in my bangle glowing, reacting to the green stuff, the... Lifestream. Materia? Lifestream? I close my eyes and think, trying to soak in the new information. Pieces are beginning to fall into place. If I can keep concentrating, maybe I can...
Movement. My eyes shoot open as I look around. There. A shade. I pull my arms back instinctively, reaching for the weapon that should be on my back, but isn't. The movement stops as it notices I've noticed it. I narrow my eyes at its form, nearly as tall as I am. I wait. I know what it is. I know who it is, even if I can't remember their name. The shade will walk towards me. I know it wi-
It lunges, and I roll to the side. I prepare myself, expecting it to attack me, but it merely keeps going, bouncing down into the Lifestream and disappearing. That's when my brain clicks. The shape of the shade was wrong - I had been expecting a man. A man with a long, wicked blade. Instead, the disappearing shade has the speed of a chocobo, but the body shape of a guard hound, or foulander, or...
My eyes shoot open. Sweat drips from my face despite the fact the fire's kindle is long gone. The sky indicates we're still in the dead of night as a crescent moon hangs overhead. I turn my head to the side to see that Trixie is still there, now huddling under her cape for warmth as she sleeps. Feeling I won't be getting any of my own any time soon I begin checking the trees nearest the clearing for any more good wood to burn. It doesn't take long to find, and soon I've gotten another fire going. I notice the sleeping unicorn slowly scoot herself toward the fire subconsciously and decide its good enough as I head back to where I was laying earlier. At least this time, I can remember the dream - or parts of it - specifically, those two words, 'Lifestream' and 'Materia', as well as that shade. A shade that doesn't quite match anything I've seen before. Well... everything except...
I dismiss the thoughts again. It's important to be remembering things, maybe, but in the end, it's just a dream, and I'm sure I'll have more. That's how the precedent seems to be going, even if this is the only one I can remember up to now. For how badly this day started, the rest has gone really well - no incidents traveling the forest, no incidents with the sleeping mare by the fire, no incidents with horrific eldritch abominations, and most importantly, no incidents with jubilant equine abominations. Other than the small wrinkle of the dream, the day has easily been the most relaxing since my arrival in Equestria, so I lay my head back, deciding to keep it that way, and head back to sleep, able to go undisturbed the rest of the night until the sun rises.
"I thought you weren't interested in being The Great and Powerful Trixie's slightly less Great and Powerful Assistant, hmm?" She asks me the next day, as we walk the path toward Appleloosa.
"I'm not." I'd taken some time earlier in the morning to consider my options, and while I want to keep a low profile, traveling with someone who actually knows where they're going seems like a better idea than just following the river and praying, at least for the time being. "We're just heading in the same direction." Smooth.
"To pick up another family heirloom?" She raises her head in the air and looks back at me over her shoulder, as if to say 'I'm onto you'.
"Yeah." Seems a good an answer as anything else I can come up with.
"Ohh, Trixie gets it!" I raise my eyebrow at her as she shakes her tail at me. "You don't want to admit it, but you've succumbed to The Gorgeous and Alluring Trixie's feminine charms!"
"Definitely not interested."
"Well! How rude!" She 'hmph's and turns her head fully up to the air, trotting a bit faster to pull some added distance between us. "For that, the Great and Powerful Trixie shall not allow you near the fire tonight!"
"...I make the fire."
"Whatever!" She exclaims, pulling even further ahead. Goddammit, 'whatever' is my line.