Chapter 21 - The Ticking Clock
Trixie tossed and turned in bed, eyes forcefully shut after having a horrible, sleepless night. She’d been awake for what felt like an hour now and, as much as she may try, she couldn’t go back to sleep, nor did she want leave the dark, fabric shell of her blankets. She couldn’t seem to forget what happened last night and move on, for Magus' hurtful words remained. She couldn't tell how many hours she’d slept or what time it was, but it didn't matter as Magus would likely just send another one of those pesky lights after her when it was time. Trixie only wished she could go back to sleep until then.
As she flopped onto her side, the room began to creak and groan as if the wood was being considerably strained. It abruptly stopped for a moment only to return in force, sounding far louder than before. In her sleepless state she blearily wondered if it was only this room that was cursed with the ever growing noise. Perhaps the erratic Hex or his son was walking on the floor above. Trixie covered her head with her pillow in an attempt to muffle the irritating noise, to little relief.
Suddenly, Trixie felt something prodding at her side. Lightly sighing, Trixie could imagine what it was as she thought, ‘Here we go again.’ She could already see the annoying sprite now, poking her before turning the bed upside down to force her out of it. Any minute now, she'd be on the ground and dragged by the tail to the callous pony she was forced to call Master. The jabbing, however, did not stop as soon as she would’ve thought and instead only grew stronger. If she had to get up, she at least wanted to finally swat the little pest before it got the better of her.
As the provoking continued, Trixie violently pulled the covers down just enough to allow her foreleg to swipe at the sprite. It was strange how heavy the little creature felt as her hoof smacked it away, but the thought was quickly forgotten as she covered herself again with a smile. So long as it wasn't bothering her it didn't matter.
As quickly as the prodding ceased, a heavy, slender thing crossed over her stomach, stretching from one side of the bed to the other. Trixie opened her eyes in response and her senses were fully awakened by the sudden weight as, whatever it was, started to move like a snake, inching its way over her. Trixie feared the worst as serpents weren't among her favorite animals. Slowly, she removed the pillow and covers to investigate only to see clusters of green vines with purple and red striped leaves slithering and worming their way across the floor and up the walls before her. They infested almost every corner of the room, moving underneath the bed and even carrying the end table away. Finding it difficult to maintain her composure, Trixie looked to the foot of her bed to see a similar weed traveling over it.
She felt like screaming, but through her calm and bewildered panic she heard a loud, familiar creaking sound behind her. With a wide gaze, she glanced back to see an unexpected figure looking back at her.
Before her eyes were a set of pointy teeth attached to a large bulb-like head attached to a plant that bore a resemblance to a flytrap. The head was mostly green with red and dark purple stripes decorating the top, and two sets of purple half-circles on its coloration that gave it the appearance that it had eyes. A long, yellow tongue-like vine hung out of its mouth with purple saliva dripping from its tip. Below its massive head was the soil-filled pot she saw last night, but now the small sprout had changed to a burgundy colored bud that was almost as big as the carnivorous-looking plant that grew from it. Two large leaves, with a similar coloration to the head, sprouting from its thin stem gently bobbed up and down independently as it swayed back and forth.
Trixie's eyes bulged as the plant’s massive jaws opened wide and leaned back as if preparing to lunge. A pressure built in Trixie's chest while her eyes were unable to stray from the creature's mounting attack. The Shade she faced in Trottingham flashed before her eyes as, like before, her body froze, more by fear than some kind of black magic.
In a second, the plant attacked, jaws agape and a saliva drenched tongue dragging behind. Trixie jumped as she opened her mouth to shriek, but what happened next was…unexpected, to say the least.
“OH YEAH!” the living flytrap shouted in a deafening roar, carrying a tune in its voice. Trixie soared to the far wall and clung to it briefly before sliding to the floor, landing on her haunches; it was unclear to her whether it was her own reaction to flee or the sheer force of the plant’s voice that caused her brief flight. The flora began to shake its stem from side to side as it waved its leaves up and down, beginning to spontaneously and loudly sing, “I’m flying through the sky! Everypony’s havin’ a good, good time! Yeah, yeah! The sun is shining, my heart is breaking, my knees are quaking, but not so long as you’re mine, mine, mine! Aw, yeah! Birds singing…!” The sentient plant continued its song and dance as Trixie rubbed her sore head, gawking with a slack jaw at the sight before her, utterly at a loss for words. It didn't appear to be dangerous or very interested in her presence at all, ignoring her completely as it sang and danced.
Before she had a chance to turn her baffled thoughts into a question, the door to the room swung open and the blind mare, Loa, stepped through, carrying a unique-looking watering can in her mouth. Casually, she strolled over the vines towards the dancing flower, which ceased its singing as she approached, and watered its base, both her and the plant taking no notice of each other’s existence.
Setting the can down, Loa looked to Trixie, with her sightless eyes, and said, “Nice to see you’re finally up. Did you have a restful night?”
Trixie looked at her and then back at the plant before getting to her hooves. “Wha—what is that thing?” she said, eyeing the strange performer further.
“Boko,” she answered, looking up at the jolly plant.
“Excuse me?” Trixie replied, inching her way towards her, while constantly glancing at the flower.
“Him,” she said, motioning to the flora. “Or at least that’s what I call him. I did create him after all,” Loa said, standing tall with a smile gracing her face as she admired her work, gently petting one of the overgrown leaves. “He's a unique hybrid between a Dionaea muscipula and a Mandragora officinarum. But what I'm most proud of is his unique ability to sing in the mornings. Usually, you can only get that from Singing Tulips.”
Trixie arrived next to her with no problem as she blankly stared at Boko, before asking, “And why is he in the guest room?”
“The atrium was full, and besides, he’d disturb the other plants,” she replied, examining his leaves. “He’s not carnivorous, if that’s what you’re so concerned about. Boko is a vegetarian although he does have a tendency to eat insects and small birds from time to time. I’ve been trying to wean him off, but he seems to like things that fly.”
When she had finished her examination, Loa said, “Oh, and by the way, you slept in, it's well past noon.”
“What!?” she said, turning to her with a pained face. “I thought you said he sings in the mornings?”
“He does, he just doesn’t do it all the time,” she said, looking back at the still ecstatic Boko. “I haven't managed to get his internal clock right yet”
Trixie's heart raced as she darted around the room, making short, jerky movements, frantically searching for her hat and cape. “Oh no, no, no. I'm late, I'm late, I'm so late! Come on, where are they?”
As Trixie searched under her bed, Loa chimed in, saying, “You realize if Magus really wanted to see you, don’t you think you'd know it by now?”
Trixie stopped and got back up, looking to the mare with a grimace and said in an uncertain tone, “You mean…he's not looking for me?”
Loa laughed before turning to her and explaining, “Looking for you? I don't believe he's taken his eyes off the front door since my husband left this morning. I’d be surprise if he even realizes what time it is.”
“Oh. I see,” Trixie said as she sat down with a slack expression and turned away. “So, he really doesn't care then. I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised.”
“Don't fret,” Loa said. “He does this kind of thing often. If you haven't already noticed, you'll find that organizing priorities isn't his strong suit.” Loa walked over to her, with a noticeable smirk on her face. “Besides,” she said, lifting her head up to meet her clouded gaze. “He doesn't have a choice, remember?” Setting her hoof back down, she motioned for Trixie to follow before heading to the door.
Trixie watched her go for a moment before taking a step in her direction and said, “But what makes you think he’ll be any different now?”
Loa stopped and glanced back at her, still with a smile, she said, “Give him time, he'll come around, eventually. Now, come along, I’ve prepared a space for you to practice.” She passed through the open door before beckoning Trixie to follow. Taking a deep breath, Trixie went ahead, but as she neared the door, she noticed the distinct purple color of her hat and cape poking out from under the other bed. Stopping for just a moment, she stared at her enchanted clothing with a frown before marching forward, leaving them there as she closed the door with a glow from her horn.
Trixie and Loa traveled side-by-side down the sunlit hall which was strange due to the fact that there were no windows to be seen. They passed countless doors down the curving corridor with many being made of glass or were nothing more than iron gates barring the entrances into shadowy voids or vibrant outdoor areas full of lush, colorful vegetation.
As she admired the changing doorways, Loa asked, “Did Magus ever come to bed last night?”
Trixie glanced over to her and paused for a moment, thinking back to the night before. “No, he didn't,” she meekly answered.
“Well I guess that's not surprising and it does explain a lot.”
“Huh?”
“This morning my husband and I found him in the front room, wide-awake with a packed saddlebag, like he was planning on going somewhere. He was practically on his knees begging to go with my husband into the graveyard, until I reminded him of our agreement,” Loa explained as Trixie listened intently, feeling even worse about her presence.
With ears pinned back, Trixie thought long and hard about what had been stabbing at her since the first night she met Magus. She searched the ground for an answer before asking, “Does Magus hate me?”
Loa instantly stopped as she stretched a foreleg in front of Trixie, baring her path. Staring in her general direction, the blind zebra said, “Do not allow what he said last night to deter you. You’re not at fault for anything that has happened. If anything, he’s a fool for wanting to get rid of you.”
Trixie looked away as she said, “Oh, you heard all that?”
“The whole house heard you two. Thank the Fates my husband was talking so loudly that Jabari didn’t notice.”
“I guess, I always figured he felt that way. But I never thought he'd actually say it and in such a…manner.”
“Did you? And has Magus always been so harsh and unforgiving? You can’t think of a single moment where he showed any form of compassion? Even if it was a spontaneous one? Don’t lie.”
“Well, he did promise to protect me after I was attacked by a Shade in Trottingham. And then—”
“And after all that, do you really think he meant what he said last night?”
“I…” Trixie looked back to the ground, contemplating the mare’s wisdom before looking back at her.
“Magus is like most stallions, he acts like he knows everything and that his insight spans the centuries, but he's as clueless as any other most the time. If you want my advice, which you should, be persistent, be independent, be resourceful. Don't let him scare you away or bring you down with his insults. So long as you keep moving on and give him no other choice but to tolerate you, he'll soften up. And that's coming from a zebra with many, many years of experience.” Loa gave Trixie a reassuring smile. “He doesn’t want to admit it, but he needs a companion and I can tell the he enjoys your company a lot more than he lets on.”
Despite the zebra’s poor eyesight, Trixie returned the favor in the form of a small smile. With their discussion at an end, they moved on down the hall, Trixie feeling her worries beginning disappear as she walked.
In moments, the hallway ended and opened up into a fairly large, well-lit room. The area was split into two levels, looking like a bowl with an upper floor overlooking a square depression in the middle with a wide staircase before them, leading down to it. A number of tall candlesticks were placed around the room, standing in the corners on the upper and lower floors as an iron chandelier hung above in the vaulted ceiling. At the bottom of the stairs, Jabari could be seen running from one end to the next with a feather duster clenched in his mouth.
The black and white striped colt took one look at the two before rushing up the steps towards them as Loa said, “I’m afraid you’ve missed lunch, but it’ll be dinner time soon enough.” Just as she finished, Jabari slid to a stop before them, dropping the feather duster at Loa's hooves. “I cleaned the room like you asked, mommy,” Jabari said, looking up at his mother with a wide smile on his face. “Can I go now?”
“Thank you Jabari,” Loa said, smiling down at him. “But, I told you to clean your room, not the practice hall.”
“You did? Ohhh…” he drawled, lightly bouncing on the tips of his hooves as he tried to hide a smile by tilting his head down. “Well, this room is soooo much bigger and I already cleaned it, so do I still have to clean my room?”
Loa chuckled before replying, “Yes you do, little one. Nice try though.” Jabari lowered his ears as his smile disappeared, realizing that the act was up. Loa nuzzled his face until he was on his back giggling. “Run along now. The sooner you get it done, the sooner you can go play with daddy,” she said as the young colt got back on his hooves and picked up the duster. Loa gave him a nudge on the flank, directing him to the exit behind her. “Go on.”
“Okay,” Jabari softly muttered with the feather duster in his mouth before running off.
Loa turned and watched him leave as she shouted, “And dusting doesn't count as cleaning!” She and Trixie watched him run down the hall before disappearing around the corner. “Do you have any children Trixie?”
“What?!” she said, recoiling as she stared wide eyed at her. “No, of course not! What makes you think that I would?” In all her life, Trixie had never been asked such a question. Anyone with eyes could see that she was too young to be thinking of children. Then again, she was speaking to a blind zebra.
The zebra laughed as she said, “You're right, I'm sorry. By the sound of your voice, I wouldn't imagine you'd have foals yet. Just ignore that. It was minor, motherly chit chat.” Loa turned back to the room and down the stairs with Trixie following behind. “Anyway,” Loa began, “this place should accommodate your every spell casting need. Like the one I'm sure you've seen back at Magus’ caravan, this place will give you anything you may need, so long as it’s within reason.”
Trixie looked around the room, taking in every detail and noted that it was quite different from the one she was used to. Even the layout of the caravan was very different, making her wonder. “Do all Circle caravans have training rooms?”
“Most, yes. But it depends on the mage,” Loa answered. “The Shadow Realm draws from a mages power and, depending on the strength and desire of said mage, the dimension will adapt itself to their needs. This place used to be a dead-end in the hall, now it’s a training room because we needed one for you.”
“Amazing,” Trixie muttered to herself until she noted that there was one thing missing from the room that couldn't be ignored. “So, where's Magus?” Trixie asked as she reached the bottom of the steps. “You sure he's going to be here?”
“There's not a doubt in my mind,” she replied. “He's just dragging his hooves, pouting, no doubt about this morning. He'll be here, don't worry.”
As Trixie continued to look around the room, Loa asked, “Trixie, how much has Magus taught you, exactly, about magic?”
“Not a whole lot,” she answered. “All he’s actually shown me is how to focus my power and a magic word. He's been gone the rest of the time.”
“I see…And he hasn't said anything about forms, techniques, or the flow of magic yet?”
“Well, there was something about magical flow, but it was very vague. Why?” she said, looking back at her.
Loa stopped when they arrived in the center of the room and turned to her. As Loa opened her mouth to answer, a familiar voice resonated into the room. “Alright, I'm here,” Magus sternly chimed in, standing atop the steps and staring down at them. “Are you satisfied Loa?”
Loa glared up at him and impassively said, “That remains to be seen.”
Magus hastily proceeded down the steps and, as he reached the bottom, glanced at Trixie before looking to the zebra again. “I pray you’ll honor your word after this is over?”
“So long as you honor yours,” Loa replied.
“Come now. My word is my bond, you know that.”
“We'll see,” Loa said before turning her attention to Trixie. “I wish you the best of luck Trixie. You're going to need it.” She glared back at Magus once more before passing him and proceeding up the steps, disappearing out of the room.
Magus scowled at Trixie's frowning face before looking away and sighing. He walked to the side as he said, “Let's get this over with.” Standing off to the side, Magus eyed her and said, “Cast a spell for me.”
“I can't, you know that,” Trixie said.
“You never know if you don't try,” Magus replied. “Take up position and show me the Vexius spell.”
“But—”
“Show me!”
After expressing her discomfort with a growl and taking a moment to clear her head, Trixie approached the center of the floor and prepared herself as she shook any tenseness from her body. Closing her eyes, she entered into a state of peacefulness and could now feel the world around her as she calmly breathed. When she opened her eyes, a target, similar to the one before, hovered a few feet ahead. Taking one last breath, she focused her power and with as much force as she could muster, shouted, “Vexius!”…And just as she’d thought, nothing.
Trixie continued to look for any sign of magic, but to no avail. With a heavy sigh she started to slump before collapsing onto her haunches. Looking to Magus, she waited and hoped for a worthwhile response.
With half lidded eyes, Magus stared as he said, “It needs work.”
Trixie scoffed and said, “Thanks for stating the obvious. Now can you give me some real help?”
Magus lay down before he said, “I just did. Try focusing your energy and release it at the moment you cast the spell.”
“I know that!” Trixie said. “But, each time I try that, the magic slips away faster than I can focus it. May I have a suggestion on that?”
Magus’ horn glowed as he pulled a small book from his robe and opened it up onto the floor in front of him. “Practice makes perfect, so I recommend you get to practicing if you ever want to see results that don't end up inadvertently destroying my property.”
Trixie growled as Magus began reading his book, ignoring her sneering expression entirely. Turning back to the target, she frantically shook her head, trying her best to suppress Magus’ borderline insults and clear her mind for another attempt. Readying herself once again, she took Magus’ vague advice, at least as much as she could, as she focused her power into her horn. But, just as before, the power was hard to contain with most of it slipping away to nothingness or being redirected away.
“Vexius!” she shouted again only to encounter the same result.
“You're doing fine,” Magus said, not bothering to look up from his tome. “Failure is a part of learning. Keep your eyes on the target and your mind empty. Remember to speak loudly and clearly.” His interest in her studies was clear as he didn't bother to notice anything else besides the words on the page.
An hour of repeating the same word and then having to listen to his empty words of confidence every now and again was beginning to bring her patience to the brink.
“Remember to breath and keep your stance wide—”
“Isn’t there something you can do?!” Trixie demanded, stomping her hoof in his direction. “Regardless of whether you want me here or not, you still have to teach me. Wasn’t that part of your agreement? You actually behaving like a real teacher?”
Magus sighed before he said, “Initiate stage magic is not supposed to be easy. Besides, not all who demonstrate the power actually become mages, after all.”
“So, what, if I'm unable to use the spell, then what? You expect me to go back to Haven and open a little shop or something? Because that’s not an option here!”
For the first time since they started, Magus looked up at her with his emotionless eyes. Silently, he stood up and walked over to her with a solemn face. Standing before her he looked her in the eye and without a hint of compassion, said, “If you prove unable to control the Circle’s magic, you won't just cease to learn under me, but you'll never remember any of this at all.”
Trixie’s ears stood straight up as she looked at him with a grimace. “What? How could I not remember this?”
“Any who are unable to control their power are not fit within our ranks and are a danger to themselves and all those around them. Your magic may grow to become chaotic and unstable, and even if that doesn't occur, your knowledge of our realm, our secrets, and our very existence threatens all those within our order. For the greater good, if you’re unable to master this skill, your memory will be modified and you will be left behind. It will be as if none of this ever happened.” His words were cold and emotionless, and pierced Trixie’s heart like ice.
With another solemn stare from his red eyes, he started back to his corner, leaving Trixie stunned. She didn’t want to believe him, but could sense that he was telling the truth. “You’re lying. You—you can't do that,” Trixie objected. “After all this, you can't just leave me on the side of the road somewhere with false memories while you carry on like I never existed!”
“Of course I can,” he said, briefly stopping to glance back. “You'll be alive and well with your old life returned to you and I'll be on my way. Everything will be as it should.”
“I don't want my old life! I want to stay and learn magic,” she said, taking a step toward him.
Continuing on his way, he said, “That’s not your decision to make. If you want to stay, then I suggest you get back to practicing before it’s too late.”
Trixie could hardly believe what she was hearing, her stomach clenching up and her head becoming light. She stood in place, lost for words as she watched him lie back down on the floor to continue his book. ‘That can't be right,’ she thought as her mind scrambled to understand. “How—how much time do I have left?” she asked, retracting her hoof as her complexion grew pale.
Glancing back up at her, Magus said, “You have until the next full moon.”
“But that's…When were you going to tell me this? Why did you wait until now?”
He returned to his book as he said, “Does it really matter? I am to teach you sorcery, that’s all. There's no law or rule requiring that I tell you about this. If you had any kind of natural skill with this, then you wouldn’t need to know about the time limit at all.”
Trixie stood, staring wide-eyed at him as she slowly shook her head and said, “You unbelievable, heartless monst—!”
“You realize that this time could be well spent practicing,” Magus said, turning away from his book once more, making immediate eye contact. “You are on the clock after all.”
“I—” Trixie stopped and considered her position. The next full moon was only a few days away, and she hadn’t even come close to casting the spell correctly. If she really wanted to stay in this enchanted realm, she’d have to earn it, and every moment counted. Blinking back tears of frustration, she grit her teeth.
Facing the bull’s-eye, she tried again and again and again, determined to get it right no matter how many times she failed. She was going to show him. To show them all that she belonged here! Trixie wouldn’t be called a failure again!