M'aiq The Liar.

by Enigmus


Drugs Are Bad, Mkay?

"Levitation is for fools. Why would we want to levitate? Once you are up high, there is nowhere to go but down." ~ M'aiq the Liar

The walk to the herbalist's house wasn't too much of a hassle, which was a relief since they had been walking for what seemed like forever. They had passed through a gate that, for some reason, separated one side of the town from the other. This side of town seemed to be less clean, and less welcoming. As Nephyr and M'aiq walked on, it was clear that they were now entering the slums. Ponies looked less and less wealthy, and poverty was starting to show its ugly face. Small ponies, no doubt children, were resorting to playing with tattered toys and even the dirt. Rats could be seen scurrying through the alley ways, and the homeless slowly began to rise in number as the two went further in. Nephyr looked at these unfortunate ponies with seemingly genuine sadness, which enforced M'aiq's assumption that the doctor was kind.

M'aiq hadn't realized that he had been frowning the entire time, "M'aiq is saddened by the poverty. Why is this allowed to take place?"

Nephyr sighed a bit and said, "It's the mayor. As friendly and kind as he might seem to you, he's a terrible pony. The rich get to live on one side, and the poor on the other. He focuses most of his attention on the rich side, and even had the entrance to the village moved to that side. This side of the village is surrounded by a wall, and a gate is the only way into this place. He's trying to slowly push them out and replace them with ponies that have more money. His overall goal is to turn this town into a bustling city. And he'll do anything to achieve his goal. When I said that we should get advice from him, I didn't mean we should trust him. I had to keep up appearances around the other rich ponies. It's considered a type of treason to side with the poor. Truth is, I'm sickened by all of this. It's not the way things should be done."

It was clear that most of these ponies were malnourished and sick. In almost every direction, there was some kind of coughing, and even the occasional sobbing. Nephyr led M'aiq to a small shop with a sign that read Cordellia's Home-Grown Herbs and Medicine. It was a strange-looking building to be sure. There was a door in front, and two large windows that dominated most of the wall on both sides of said door. A symbol of a half-closed eye with a purple iris and blackened outline could be seen on the door, and the windows. And now that M'aiq looked closer, it could also be seen on the sign as well. Nephyr approached the door and opened it, looking around the interior for a bit before going in.

The inside was much, much stranger than the outside. There were tables and shelves scattered along the wall in a seemingly orderly fashion, yet still possessing that messy vibe. Jars lined the shelves in the hundreds, all containing the strangest of things. Dead insects, dozens of tongues from frogs (according to the label on the jar), flowers with what looked like some kind of oil at the bottom, and so many other things. The tables had so many different things on them, ranging from medicine to deer antlers. And to boot, there were so many cats around the place that it looked like a zoo. M'aiq didn't dare try to count them all, as he knew that it'd be pointless. Quite a few of these cats took an interest in M'aiq, but that was to be expected. He was a type of cat after all.

A long counter separated the customer side from the owner's side, but the owner was nowhere to be seen. The shop was open, so the owner should be ready for customers. Then again, there was a small bell next to a... thing? It was big and bulky, and it most likely served a purpose. But what?

M'aiq decided to ask Nephyr about it, "Nephyr. What is that big thing on that counter? It frightens M'aiq by being unknown to him."

Nephyr gave M'aiq a weird look, "That's... a cash register. You know, where the owner keeps the money they make on a particular day, then take that money out to put it in a safe at the end of that day?" he then called out to the owner, "Cordelia, are you there? Hello! Is anyone there at all?"

Almost immediately, a voice rung out from the back, "I'll be there in a second, do not fear! I'm cleaning up back here!"

Nephyr looked at M'aiq, "Cordellia is a little strange, so try to be patient with her. She really knows her stuff, though. If anyone can help you, she can."

A pony... no not a pony... came out from an archway covered in beads of many different colors. This particular creature was shaped like a pony, but had black and white strips along her body. Her eyes were a sharp green that were filled with wisdom and grandmotherly kindness. Yet there was also something a bit off about her as well. M'aiq couldn't quite place what it was, though.

Cordellia spoke up with a deep womanly voice that sounded both motherly and ridiculous, "Ah, hello there! How do you fare? Wait a second," she stopped talking and eyed M'aiq for a bit before a huge smile dominated her muzzle, "this is really some else! A bipedal cat!"

Nephyr spoke up first, "My friend here is a little new to Berxley and he needed an alchemist to help him out. Don't worry, I'll pay for any of the expenses. M'aiq, meet Cordellia. Cordellia, meet M'aiq."

Cordellia studied M'aiq for what seemed like an eternity, one of her eyes slowly shifting off to the side as if it had a mind of its own, "Do not worry yourself, I would not dream of gaining profit from a cat for myself. Now what do you want this humble herbalist to do for you today? Perhaps a massage?"

M'aiq took out one of the bottles of skooma he had, "M'aiq would like for you to analyze this potion, get the recipe, and make at least ten copies. M'aiq hopes that this is not an inconvenience for you."

Cordellia took the bottle of skooma, eyeing it with curiosity whilst her lazy eye was still looking up at M'aiq, "If I may ask, what does this do?"

M'aiq looked at Nephyr nervously, then back at Cordellia, "M'aiq does not want to say what it is for. He just wants more of it. M'aiq will pay you if this is too huge of an order."

Cordellia opened the bottle without another word and took a swig of the skooma, "It has a peculiar taste. But so far, there are no noticeable effects. Perhaps-..."

M'aiq's eyes were wide with horror, knowing that his secret would soon be discovered. He had wanted to stop the herbalist, but he didn't know what to say without sounding suspicious. Cordellia's eyes twitched every few seconds, said eyes two times wider than M'aiq's. She simply stood there for three long minutes, not saying anything at all. She then looked around her with a scary amount of alertness about her. She seemed to be taking in her surroundings with a mixture of fear, surprise, and a million other unnameable emotions. She looked back at M'aiq, her entire body shaking as if it were being electrocuted.

Cordellia muttered quickly and softly, now looking down at a fly that had landed on her hoof, "Do you need lotion? Your skin is falling off. So is mine. I think we're dying. That elephant is sighing. Am I dead? That dog needs fed. The potion. It needs lotion. Lotion on its skin. Lotion, lotion, lotion... potion... we're dying... skin... dying puppies..."

Nephyr looked between a heavily drugged Cordellia and a horrified M'aiq, "What the hell was in that potion, M'aiq? Cordellia is weird and all, but she isn't ever this weird."

M'aiq simply said, "It is not a poison, so there is nothing to fear. It is... a type of happy drink. Yeah, let's just call it that. M'aiq claims no responsibility for what the herbalist might do in the next few seconds."

Cordellia stared at the ceiling with her mouth open, softly waving a hoof out in front of her, "Happy drink... yes... happy drink. Very happy. Something to do with fornicating griffons. Rubbing cats. Happy. Very happy..."

M'aiq took a feather from a quill that was sitting on the counter and used a blank piece of paper that was placed neatly on a shelf. He wrote on the paper, telling Cordellia to make her choice of whether or not she wanted to make copies of the potion. He also told her that they'd be back tomorrow. With the letter done, he placed it next to the strange-looking device called a cash register. Nephyr wanted to stay and make sure that Cordellia would be okay by herself, and M'aiq responded by locking the front door behind them. He had never seen anyone react to skooma that way before. Sure, the user was a bit loopy, but it never started that quickly and it sure as hell wasn't that potent. Truthfully, he just wanted to get out of there.

M'aiq looked at Nephyr, "M'aiq thinks that it would be best to return later when Cordellia has regained her senses. M'aiq knows what he is talking about. She'll be fine by herself."

Nephyr looked at the door nervously, "Well, if you say so... but if anything happens to her, you're going to be held accountable. Since you're comfortable with walking away like this, I'm going to assume that everything really is going to be fine. Don't disappoint me, M'aiq."

M'aiq started to walk away from the herbalist's shop, "M'aiq understands this and he assures you that no harm will befall the herbalist. M'aiq wishes to see where you live. You don't mind, do you?"

Nephyr sighed and started to walk with M'aiq, "Yeah, sure, why not? You're going to be staying there for a couple days anyway, so it's only natural that you'd want to see the apartment. By the way, I'm not stupid, M'aiq. That was obviously some kind of drug, and I want to know exactly what you brought into my town."

M'aiq frowned, feeling guilty for the first time in years. He had brought a thing like skooma into this world, and who knows what consequences would arise from it. He had only wanted to keep it for himself, but the herbalist had taken a drink of it before he could react. This might complicate his stay in Berxley. He faltered for a moment, wondering if he had remembered to put the skooma back into his bag. He shrugged off that doubt, deciding that he had remembered. Besides, he'd rather not see what effects skooma might have on a species he only came in contact with today.

M'aiq simply said, "The potion will wear off and she'll be just fine. Trust M'aiq on this one. He is no liar."