//------------------------------// // Chapter 7 // Story: Friendship is Scaleless // by Limescale //------------------------------// “So dear sister, what are your reservations about what I just gave my blessing to?” Celestia asked as she and Luna trotted back to the throne room of their Canterlot palace. “I…beg your pardon, Tia?” The moon princes queried. Passing by a window, Celestia nodded in the direction of where Twilight’s castle lay. “A thousand years apart is a long time, but not long enough for me to have forgotten the significance of that little look you gave when Twilight suggested becoming Seath’s apprentice. It’s the same look you gave me back when we first became Princesses, whenever you were faced with a decision that you could easily have made without my help, but didn’t because you had doubts about choosing the right option.” Celestia replied. Luna’s eyes shut tight and her head dipped as she realized it was time for her to confess what thoughts she had been sitting on since the two had returned from their night time visit to the lavender alicorn. “The character of this Seath…I don’t know what to think. He is indeed incredibly wise, and versed in many powers not even you or I were aware existed. He could teach Twilight much, perhaps more than you…” Luna froze in mid step upon realizing what she’d said. “Ermmm, no offense of course!” Celestia giggled and gestured with her hoof that it was all good. “But something about him still troubles you?” Luna cleared her throat and nodded. “The way he so eloquently described his Goddess of Sin, did it not strike you as alarmingly familiar? As if ‘sin’, however that concept may apply in his world, was something he treated as second nature?” Celestia mused on this as the two came to their respective seats of power. Seating herself in preparation for the day’s court, the solar diarch watched her counterpart pace the floor before her in concern. “What’s more, when I pressed the issue of his reasons for remaining here, rather than returning to his world, he became very irate…almost violently so. I caught tones of jealousy, envy, obsession, desperation and above all a very deep seated sense of anger at everything…it was almost like…” Luna’s voice died off as her face scrunched up in pain. Celestia nodded as she deduced the cause of her sibling’s distress. “It was almost exactly like what drove you to becoming Nightmare Moon. You fear that something is or has driven Seath down the same path of insanity as yourself?” The white alicorn queried. The terrible shudder her sister gave made her regret being so blunt, but she also knew Luna preferred not sugar coating issues when they discussed them privately. “I amassed tremendous power, and did terrible things with it. Seath’s powers are even greater, and could be potentially used for far worse. Not that I wish to be detrimental, but being able to pull the living essence out of a creature and use it like a potter would with clay is not a skill that should be wielded lightly.” Luna sighed and turned to face her sister. “I don’t know Tia, am I perhaps just being paranoid?” Celestia contemplated for a moment, then firmly shook her head. “Not in the least, your worry is perfectly understandable. However, we must consider all sides of this issue: Seath has the potential to give us a very vitally needed edge in the areas of magical knowledge and defense, something we could definitely use if relations with our neighbors should ever sour or we find ourselves facing another threat to Equestria. What’s more he seems willing to share that knowledge for no other reward than the promise that we make use of it and see that it is never forgotten. Such generosity is hard to come by in these troubled times.” Luna stared dubiously at her sibling. “Thirdly, he is with possibly the most kindred spirit there is. A spirit who shares all of his own interests, his enthusiasm and his brilliance, and who will also not hesitate to keep a constant watch on him and inform us immediately if he does anything suspicious.” Celestia continued before the other alicorn raised a hoof. “A spirit who has also been shown to be rather impressionable, and at times easily lead astray…” Luna cautioned. Again, to her surprise, Celestia just nodded. “I am aware of that risk, but Twilight has proven herself to be increasingly headstrong since becoming a princess. I believe she’ll be able to handle this on her own.” Celestia smiled at her sister. “Even if not, well, you said this echoed far too strongly of your own fall to darkness, and by the evidence before me that seemed to have had a pretty happy ending.” Luna fumed in internal debate. Silently she glanced out of the stained glass windows that lined the throne room and focused on a particular spot in the garden outside. It was the spot where Discord had once stood after being turned to stone, and following his own reformation it had purposefully been dug up and turned into a flower bed filled with the dracoequus’ choice of plants. While the collection of devil’s foot, poison joke, loop-de-root and gnarled claw made for a rather questionable contrast against the rest of the flora, the symbolic meaning remained clear: Discord, like Luna, had made the effort to change his ways for the better, and succeeded thanks to the help of the ponies. “These are fair points you make, Tia, however, your tone suggests they aren’t the only reasons you had for granting Twilight’s request. There’s more to this than you’re letting on.” Luna narrowed her eyes at her sister, who merely sighed and smiled back. “I fear there is, Lulu, however, now is not the time to be discussing it. I must conduct the court hearings for the day, and you really need some sleep.” Luna opened her mouth to protest, but betrayed the fatigue she’d been holding back by letting out a yawn. “Go and get some rest. I promise I’ll reveal all to you soon enough.” Celestia vowed. Nodding her acceptance, Luna left the throne room. “I just hope you’re doing the right thing here.” The dark alicorn said as the doors swung shut behind her. In the brief moment she had before her subjects began pouring in, Celestia permitted herself to drop her normal authoritative pose and stare gloomily at the carpeted floor. “Me too, dear sister. Me too.” *** Meanwhile, back in Twilight’s castle, the morning was being met with a very bright reception indeed. Usually Spike was the first to rise so he could wash up and get breakfast going, having long since assumed the duty of making sure Twilight ate regularly and got a decent meal in her before they began their daily tasks. Today, however, the little dragon woke to the sounds of excited chatter and absorbed mumblings, and upon descending from his room he found Twilight and Seath were already getting stuck into their new venture as teacher and student. Both were frantically pacing about the library, hunting for books focused on the topics they wished to cover and organizing them into neat piles that could be immediately referenced when needed. Every so often the pair would break to jot down a note or make an amendment to the lesson schedule they were putting together, then it’d be back to their mutual quest for knowledge. Spike briefly thought to interrupt the conversation and query if the two had any preferences for breakfast, then decided against it. Distracting Twilight when she was in her zone for learning tended to never turn out well, and he had no desire to see what Seath might do if likewise pulled from his focus. Instead the dragon just went with his own gut instinct and headed to the kitchen to begin assembling a buffet of various morning staples. Coffee, wholegrain waffles, eggs, hay bacon, cereal, orange juice, muffins, and other goods were set out on the table, along with a few items from the castle’s small supply of meat since Spike figured Seath was likely to be of the carnivorous type. With everything ready and presented nicely, Spike put together a plate for himself then walked up to notify his friends that breakfast was ready. That done, he ate quickly, washed, and set about with his own chores. He cleaned the rooms of the castle that had been assigned a role, checked the supplies, noted what needed to be ordered, then headed out to do a little grocery shopping for later. Later came and went, and Celestia’s sun slowly made its way across the sky. Eventually Spike returned with his arms piled high with fresh fruits and produce to find Seath and Twilight were still where he’d left them, and upon returning to the kitchen he found the breakfast he’d so lovingly made for them still sitting pretty on the table, having now gone cold and remained undisturbed by even the light gust upon the air. “Hooo boy, here we go again.” The little dragon groaned as he put everything away and walked back to the library. He managed to get as far as pushing the door open before he found himself having to immediately hit the floor to avoid getting sideswiped by a swarm of floating books. “Now if I supply the spell with more magic I can increase the field and thereby levitate more books. Naturally the added weight and mass demands greater amounts so I need to be careful that I don’t tire myself out, though I’ve gotten better at self-control over the years.” Twilight narrated. Seath nodded as he carefully observed the floating books, analyzing them like a judge would study a contest entry for its quality. “Then thou standeth in the perfect position to learn sorcery, for thine art is similar.” The white dragon cupped his hands and a small orb of golden light formed above them. “To merely draw upon thine primal energy is fit for the cruder skills, but to draw upon the soul, to manipulate it and craft from its truest potential; that is how one excels as a sorcerer.” Twilight quickly jotted this down, stealing quick glances at the light hovering like a tiny sun in Seath’s hands. “I suppose then the most vital question I have is how is manipulating a soul different from just using normal magic?” She asked. Seath extinguished the light and stroked his chin in thought. “For that I charge thee with a riddle: what is the soul to thou? Is it the fire that maketh life? The blessing bestowed by the gods? Or the material for crafting all that exists in the world?” Twilight paused in her writing and looked up at the great white dragon. Noticing that he now had his arms folded and was staring at her as if expecting an immediate answer she quickly grabbed for her notes to read through them again. Seath grumbled in disappointment and slammed a tentacle down on top of the scroll to stop her. “Do not hope to find thine answer in thine writings just yet. Tell me from thine own intuition.” He stoically ordered. Pulling back her shaking hoof, Twilight knitted her eyebrows and thought about the question, playing it over again in her head. “Well, from what I saw last night, it seemed to be all three. Snuggly’s soul literally looked like a ball of fire, but you said that crows were in servitude to a goddess so, if I’m to go by your own lore, it could also be a blessing from her…except then you used it to turn the bonfire outside into a sort of well of perpetual energy so that’s kind of like crafting…errrmmm….” She nervously looked up to the dragon again. “How does that sound?” Seath narrowed his eyes and fluttered his wings gently. Twilight silently hoped that at least one of those two motions indicated he was pleased with her response. “A fair attempt, young equine. The soul is everything, yet it is also nothing. The life it gives to one, and what one does with that life determines what the soul can henceforth be used for. From this were born the three arts that are now taught throughout Lordran.” “Three arts?” Twilight looked to her notes, but Seath’s tentacle remained firmly on top of them, preventing her from writing anything else down. “Pyromancy, Miracles, and Sorcery, to these three are ascribed the soul’s greatest applications. For they that value strength over all else, only the primordial fires of their being shalt be revealed. To they that placeth faith in the gods rather than themselves, the blessings of their living essence shalt be gifted. And to the highest minds of the world, they who hath drunk deep from the pool of knowledge and honed the worth in their skill, the highest magical powers shalt become possible.” Seeing Seath was too wrapped up in his lecture to move, Twilight reached for a fresh scroll and resumed with her jotting. “I see, so it’s similar to how there exist three different tribes of ponies: Earth, Pegasus and Unicorn, each of which are attuned to specific specialties based upon what their bodies permit them to do.” Twilight perked her ears in intrigue. “Hmmm…does that mean you can multi-class in your arts too?” “Multi-class?” Seath arched an eye ridge to show he wasn’t familiar with the term. “Well, I, like the other princesses, am what’s known as an ‘alicorn’, a pony that embodies the best of all three tribes. Would it be possible for me to learn how miracles and pyromancy work in addition to sorcery?” Seath scoffed. “While I hath never doubted the complete lack of possibility in any matter, such undertaking would require a soul of exceptional power and discipline. To date hath I seen only two who accomplished such mastery, and of the gods they both were.” He solemnly stared down at Twilight, expecting her to look crestfallen or disappointed at his words. Instead she seemed to be more along the lines of uncomfortable, as if debating on whether or not to inform the dragon of a new revelation. “Well, as an alicorn and a princess of Equestria, there are many who see me as a goddess. I mean, Celestia and Luna are both considered to be deities so I’m at least near to their league.” She said while idly rubbing her foreleg. Parchment rustled loudly as Seath whipped his tentacles back in surprise. The many tendrils flowing from his head swayed restlessly as he now regarded the lavender pony with a mix of disbelief, and horror. “Pray, woulds’t thou permit me a closer look at thee?” He half asked, and half begged. Twilight cocked her head in confusion. “Uhhh…sure?” The dragon’s massive hands were around her head in an instant, his ruby red eyes peering intently into hers from behind his glasses, as if he were trying to see into the very core of her being. Considering what they’d just been talking about, he could very well have been doing just that. “The fire indeed burns brightly within thee, equine. Never have I seen such brilliance since….since…” With the same abruptness, Seath released his student, leaving her to comically tumble onto the floor from the lack of support. Hugging his torso tightly, the dragon crossed to the balcony, staring out at Celestia’s sun. His wings flapped frantically as he seemed suddenly overcome with grief. “Seath? Is..Are you okay?” Twilight asked. The dragon clawed at his arms, a maelstrom of sinister intent and unpleasant memories racking his mind. Not only an eager scholar, not merely an immortal, but a goddess in training as well? This was too similar for him to handle, too much like… Like her? Thine former and greatest student? Seath bit down on his tongue at the thought, tearing at himself for daring to drudge it up from the depths of his subconscious. “Seath?” Twilight asked with increasing worry. The white dragon leaned against the balcony door, his tentacles now feeling too feeble to bear his weight. History was threatening to repeat itself here, with all the horror and heartache that entailed! Unless he did something to stop it, tell Twilight that this was too dangerous a venture to pursue… …or he took note of last time and made sure that he didn’t make the same mistakes as before. Silently, Seath turned and looked down at the now very scared pony. The will was there, the potential was there, the power was there! With this equine as his tool and his clay, he could accomplish so much! “I fare well enough! Concern thyself not with mine wellbeing.” He exclaimed, hauling himself to a proper standing position again. “The hour grows long, a momentary fatigue cannot be avoided.” “Yes it can, well it could be if you both weren’t running on empty…” Both pony and dragon turned to see Spike leaning against the chamber door. “While I gather you’re probably uncovering some great mysteries of the universe together, don’t you think it’s high time for a break?” He asked while drumming his fingers against the wall. Hearing her stomach gurgle, Twilight giggled. “Uh...maybe? Just give us a few more minutes and we’ll be down for breakfast, Spike.” She said, much to the purple dragon’s irritation. “Breakfast? Twilight, at this point we might as well skip straight to dinner with how late it is!” He said. Twilight blinked in confusion, though a quick glance at the clock ticking quietly away in the corner had her slapping a hoof to her face in shame. “Ohhhh ponyfeathers…I’m doing it again. Sorry Seath, we’d better stop there and get some food in us.” She said with an embarrassed grin. “Food?” Seath gave another eyeridge cock of confusion. “Yeah, you know chow? Munchies? The stuff that goes in your mouth and your tummy so you don’t keel over from hunger?” Spike queried. “They do eat in Lordran don’t they?” Seath’s head tendrils rose in recognition, then promptly wilted again as he glanced to the glowing estus flask sitting on Twilight’s desk. Both the alicorn and her assistant gaped in disbelief. “You can’t possibly mean everyone subsists entirely on that!” Twilight exclaimed. Her jaw hit the ground again when Seath merely nodded and shrugged. “Tis the very essence that fuels life. There is nothing better to sustain one’s flesh.” Seath replied with a glum air. “Even if t’were not, there exist few alternatives. Any form of consumable livestock in Lordran died off centuries ago when the flames began to fade.” “How terrible.” Twilight mused. “Well, we can certainly amend that. Spike why don’t you whip us up one of your specialties so we can show Seath what good a proper meal can do?” “Be my pleasure.” Spike replied while hurrying back down to the kitchen. *** “There, now don’t you feel better, having a full stomach?” Twilight queried as Spike set down another steaming plate of food in front of Seath. The dragon had already polished off five servings beforehand and tore into his sixth with no sign of tiring. Even if the practice of eating was vaguely familiar to him, he’d long since forgotten what it was like to feel hunger, or the mere satisfaction of having some other form of sustenance besides his Lord Soul to keep him going. Now that he was being subjected to the wonders that were the purple dragon’s cooking, those sensations were suddenly upon him again with a dreadful vengeance. “More than better…this is, astounding. The time before I became undead, I can almost recall how it felt now.” Seath lamented as he attacked his meal with all the ferocity expected of a beast who had been starving for longer than anyone could or would want to fathom. To think that he’d been surviving this long only on what amounted to nothing more than liquid fire, which had managed to simultaneously keep him alive and apparently also numb him to any sense of need for other forms of nourishment…Twilight found the concept as fascinating as it was horrifying. “Well, glad we’re able to make your stay with us comfortable. You looked like you need it.” Spike commented as Seath set the plate aside and rubbed over his now brightly glowing midsection. He felt strangely reinvigorated, his body burning with new energy. It wasn’t like he’d chugged down an estus flask, but rather like he’d just gorged himself on humanity and was enjoying the effects of having the flames within him blaze with the fresh fuel. Indeed, this was something he needed, and badly at that. Though that then brought up the question of if he needed it, why had he not tried to satisfy that need before? Granted he had proven that being undead tended to paralyze one’s body so it no longer required daily allotments of things like sleep, food, or other such trivialities…but at the same time, this didn’t strike him as being all that unpleasant. It felt good to be hungry, and even better to be full…yet he’d denied himself both even during the time when food was still plentiful and he could have consumed his share without a problem. Had his pursuit for knowledge and obsession for immortality really blinded him that much to even the smallest pleasures of life? Seath again pushed such terrible thoughts to the back of his mind. He had new motivation to continue his studies, and from the way she was staring intently at him with her hooves resting on the table, it seemed his student had the same inclination. “So I think we got a bit off topic from my original question: how is manipulating one’s soul different from using magic? How will I know the difference when it seems like they’re almost the same thing?” Twilight asked. Seath propped his muzzle on his hands, staring at her with a fresh sense of wonder. She was so perfect for his needs, and had already proven herself as apt a learner as the other gifted few he’d been lucky enough to mentor. It seemed so wrong for him to be presented with a second chance like this, especially with his recent track record…but then again who was he to turn down a sudden twist of favor? “Thou shalt know in due course, when thine mind is as focused as it is strong. Thou wilt also require a catalyst to practice. We must make haste on that part.” He replied. “A catalyst?” Twilight asked. “The means by which a sorcerer focuses the power of his soul. All three arts require an empowered casting tool with which to project the force of their spells, a means to ensure one does not, as thou put it, tire themselves out. For pyromancy it is a living flame summoned into the palm of the hand. For miracles it is a talisman, crafted from some divine mantle or the hair of a god. For sorcery it is a catalyst, a staff forged for casting spells.” Seath reached across the table and lightly tapped Twilight’s horn. “I observe that thou uses this as a similar substitute, but as it is part of thine being it cannot regulate the usage of thine energy, nor can it focus it well enough to allow for proper crafting of sorcery.” With a flash from said horn, Twilight’s scroll was spread across the table and she was hastily writing all this down. Seath had to smile at her enthusiasm. “Okay so how can we make a catalyst then? Can we use normal materials?” She asked. “There are many ways. One may use enchanted wood, or metal. Tin was proven surprisingly worthy, if thou hast such in these lands.” The white dragon’s sighed as his wings and tendrils wilted again. “Crystal is naturally the optimum material. Possessed I a most magnificent work of art back at the archives, the finest union I could ever form of crystal and gold.” “Could you make another one maybe?” Spike queried. Seath nodded slowly. “Had I the same raw resources to work with.” The little dragon paused in his clearing away of the dishes. He then snapped his fingers as an idea struck. “Give me one moment then.” Spike dashed out of the kitchen, then returned carrying an armload of splintered wood and two very familiar hunks of rock crystal. “I managed to recover these while attempting to repair the damage caused to the lawn when you were…um…’unceremoniously delivered’ to us, Seath…also to fix my flower bed, which you still owe me for, Twi.” Twilight rolled her eyes, then looked away. “They’re made from wood taken from the Everfree Forest, and the crystals came from the Royal Archives. Twilight hoped they could help her study the supposed existence of ley lines but since they got pretty smashed up when you fell on them, maybe you could fashion something new? I can get you some gold from the jewellery shop tomorrow.” Spike said as Seath picked up one of the crystals. It was a fairly standard piece of work, nothing particularly fancy, or useful…but if he were to combine it with his own crystal breath, then put it in a properly enchanted mounting…yes, it could do the job of focusing magical spells. “A very plain offering from the earth this is, but suffice it shall.” Seath turned to Spike with a ponderous air. “Thine resourcefulness is rather impressive, hatchling.” “Well, honestly this is making me curious. Dragons aren’t really known for their mastery as mages on Equestria.” He said, keeping his tone measured as he jabbed a finger at his white counterpart. “Though let’s get one thing straight here: I’m not a hatchling! I’m just….a slow grower. Just cause I’m smaller than you doesn’t mean I’m infantile!” Seath’s expression turned scornful. “Thine respect for elders is…lacking, however.” He seethed. “Hey, all I’m asking is to be recognized for my merits, just like I did for you. At the very least you could use my name when you address me.” Spike stated, again keeping his voice calm though his anger was rising at how Seath kept giving him the brush off. “I have recognized thine merits well enough, whelp. T’were thou any other dragon I’d have fed thee to the Man-Eater Clams and rid myself of thine bother long ago!” Seath muttered, paying no care to Spike’s shock and outrage. “I AM NOT A WHELP!” The little dragon cried, glaring at his counterpart. The fact that Seath outclassed him in pretty much every field didn’t seem to register, nor did the fact that the white dragon was now glaring back with wisps of white crystalline breath flowing from his muzzle, pondering if indeed it’d be better for him to just do as he threatened. Fortunately a blast of magical energy helped snap both drakes out of their ire. “That’s enough!” Twilight commanded. “Seath, I understand things may be different back in Lordran, but while you’re here I will NOT stand for you picking fights with everyone who says just the slightest wrong word to you. You will show Spike the proper respect as my assistant and will address everyone you meet by their names. That is my order as a princess!” Seath turned and growled menacingly at the alicorn, who just rose from her seat and growled back with as much venom. “Thank you, Twilight. Nice to know I’ve got you backing me…up?” Spike’s voice faltered as his friend turned her anger to him, without toning it down at all. “And Spike, for Celestia’s sake, I’m trying to work for a peaceful union with a visiting emissary here. Can you try to not antagonize him?” Spike cocked his head in bewilderment. “But I was just…” “Spike, that’s also an order! Now make up you two!” Twilight sat back down, keeping her expression steeled. Sighing in defeat, Spike extended a hand. “She’s right, I shouldn’t have lost my temper there. Sorry, my height, or lack thereof, is a bit of a sensitive topic.” He said. Seath looked at the offered hand, and again contemplated how easy it’d be to crush Spike like a bug. None of his fellow gods would stand for such impudence from a mere servant, let alone admit their own fault to such lower life forms! He had every right to punish the little nuisance! Except…if he did then he’d risk alienating Twilight, and he needed her more than anyone else for his own ends. “I abide by thine authority, Princess Twilight, and regret my transgression.” He pinched Spike’s hand between his fingers and gingerly shook it, trying not to think of how demeaning the act felt. “Alright, well I’m going up to my room now. If you do need that gold, I’ll grab it when I head out tomorrow, Seath.” Spike said as a means of a peace offering. “That would be appreciated, young Spike.” Seath coolly replied. He watched his counterpart smile and head for the door, seemingly having already forgotten about their altercation. However, just before he disappeared up the stairs, Spike did let loose one very quiet thought, something Twilight failed to pick up on, but Seath heard all too clearly. “All the damn prestige and grand reputation, and he’s still just as bad as every other dragon!” Seath slammed his fist onto the table, forcing Twilight to dash for cover as the sturdy wooden furniture and all the crockery on it were reduced to matchsticks and dust under his mighty blow. “A subordinate as petulant as he, a mongrel unfit for even the lowliest commoner, and thou woulds’t, as a princess, still speak in his defense!?” He roared. Twilight covered her ears and grit her teeth as she carefully stepped out from behind the stove. “Considering I hatched him and cared for him his whole life, you bucking bet I would! Seriously Seath, what is your problem? Do you treat all those who try to help you this way?” Seath looked to be on the verge of bursting in rage. Only the reminder of Twilight’s importance to him kept him from completely losing it. He glowered at the tiny equine, how dare she stand there mocking him with her position? With her power? With her possibility? With her resemblance? Seath’s rage was momentarily interrupted as yet more memories invaded his thoughts. As bad as every other dragon. As bad as the dragons who cast thee out for no reason aside from thine difference. She careth for the little drake as her own child. Didst thou show the same care when thou had one in the same position? Didst thou show any care to anyone? To thine Channelers? To thine fellow gods? To her? Seath ripped off his glasses and covered his eyes, praying that the darkness and his own blindness would dull the clarity of his awful realizations. No sooner dost thou swear to not repeat thine mistakes then thou chargeth down the same path as before with nary a care. “I….I….no.” He stumbled back from the now puzzled alicorn, grasping for purchase along the kitchen wall. “Thou speaketh true again, mine acts against Spike were in error.” “No kidding.” Twilight said as she walked over to the cowering drake. “But honestly, have you never had anyone try to help you?” “Not without demand of a most heavy price be paid in return.” Seath groaned as the memories receded. “My dukedom, my Lord Soul fragment, even my status as Grandfather of Sorcery, a steep sacrifice was I made to give for each in turn. And in the end, was I recognized for what I did give? Did any come to aid in my time of greatest need? Nay.” Twilight’s anger slowly abated as she watched Seath crumple under the weight of his previous suffering. She’d have to teach him a few things about controlling his temper, but at least she could forgive him for being so hostile given the kind of life it sounded like he’d had. “Well rest assured, I’m not going to demand that sort of return from you for my help. Nor will any other pony while you’re here. We want to help because that’s what friends do, and because I truly DO want to learn from you.” Seath looked at the swirling blob of lavender that rested in the center of his foggy vision. Feeling brave enough, he slipped his glasses back on and Twilight came back into sharp focus. “Thou swears to thine words?” He asked. Twilight smiled. “Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye! That’s what we call a ‘Pinkie Promise’, the most sincere form of promise there is. You never break a Pinkie Promise unless you wish to lose a friend forever.” “FORRRRREEEEVERRRR” Pinkie Pie called from the cooking pot she’d popped out of. Seath gave her a bewildered stare as she slowly sank back out of sight. “Anyway, it’s getting late. I’m going to go study the stars for a bit before bed if that’s alright.” Twilight replied. Seath nodded and rose from his slumped over state. “Find something else from thine literature shalt I…to clear my mind of fog.” *** Elsewhere… “Loathsome scallywags! Really, what use would any sorcerer have for a bunch of walking appetizers bumbling about the place?” Siegmeyer pondered as yet another Man-Eating Clam scuttled towards him. Effortlessly he dodged its attempt to ram him off his feet, and then stabbed it in its maw with his zweihander. “Resources can come from the most unlikely of places. If the latest reports from Vinheim were true; that Seath was working on a new form of curse sorcery, he would require a reliable supply of material for purging stones in case any unfortunate accidents occurred while refining the spells. Obviously a creature that eats humans and holds their souls like a reservoir would be invaluable for such a task.” Griggs replied while rubbing his head. “While we’re on the subject, could you possibly try killing those things a little more quietly? I find it hard to concentrate with all the racket you’re making over there.” Siegmeyer tsked and drove his sword through the Clam’s gullet again. The monstrosity groaned weakly as it toppled over from the blow, human skulls spilling plentifully from its maw as it finally perished from its wounds. “Invaluable, pah! This is nothing short of abominable.” The knight spat in disgust. “Anyway, I think that’ll give them reason to think twice before trying to ambush us again. How’s the search for your patron dragon going?” Griggs sat down on the floor of the crystal cavern, head bowed and his catalyst staff held high. “There is so much to suspect here, yet so little to be certain of. This place is rife with magical energy, yet it’s all jumbled together like a puzzle where none of the pieces fit together. Seath must have been making a myriad of wonderful discoveries within these walls. Oh what treasures of knowledge could be waiting for one willing to trace the residue back to its source…” Siegmeyer looked around the cavern while his accomplice continued to search with unseen hands. While he knew the world held a different appearance for those with a flair for magical insight, to him there was just rock and crystal to see. The place was pretty, there was no doubt about that, but it bore all the signs of having a psychotic decorator, what with the invisible walkways they’d had to cross to reach the inner sanctum (he shuddered to think what might have happened if they hadn’t stocked up on prism stones on the way to the archives) those bizarre giant butterflies that were sitting on every surface, and the legion of animated golems that pointlessly ambled about everywhere. “Yes well, there’ll be time for tracing soon enough. What can you determine about why the landlord of this fine establishment is nowhere to be found?” He asked. Griggs’ catalyst glowed softly, his head twitched involuntarily. “He is gone, taken to a place far from Lordran. There is….no, there was a great disturbance here…as if the very fabric of reality were ripped open, and he forcibly pulled from what we know as the world around us, into the darkness beyond…” The sorcerer sounded terribly troubled by his finds. Siegmeyer could understand why. “Well, that’s a damn shame. Frampt will be most disappointed to know one of the founding fathers of Lordran is now in a place that even he won’t be able to reach.” The knight wistfully mused. “Ahhh, and I’d so hoped to emerge from here with another tale to tell my little Sieglinde…when I find her of course.” Griggs lowered his staff and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Don’t be so quick to give up, Siegmeyer. For every riddle there is an answer, and for those with the intelligence and mental fortitude to pursue, that answer will be known eventually. If I can isolate what remains of the disturbance, I may be able to determine where it originated. Just give me more time to concentrate.” Siegmeyer looked to the numerous corpses of monsters that had followed them in while Griggs was busy investigating the cavern, then listened to the scrapes and clicks of other horrors still on their way to join their brethren. “Alright then, just give a scream if you need me. I’m going back topside to see if that gold colored golem that chased you through the courtyard is still lurking about. A rarity such as that should make for a nice trophy, if I can take it down.” He cheerfully intoned before heading for the sanctum’s entrance and checking if the coast was still clear. Behind him, Griggs rubbed his temples as he tried to look deeper, beyond the mere fabric of the everyday world and into the void that surrounded it. “If only I knew where Master Logan had disappeared to. His help would really be welcome here.” As if on cure, Seigmeyer leapt out of the way of a Crystal Butterfly that had seemingly decided to make its own attempt at ending his life. In an instant his sword was out and his arm poised to strike a blow, before he noticed the massive insect wasn’t getting up from where it had landed. Indeed, it seemed to be just lying there, still and lifeless as a statue. Daring to approach it, the knight noticed a spear made of crystal, and enrobed in a ghostly essence, had impaled the creature through its mid-section. “Ahhh, I knew I’d finally gotten it just right. Another spell to add to the Archives, oh if only I could have completed it sooner!” Siegmeyer turned to see a figure approaching him, dressed in the same manner of sorcery attire as Griggs, but with a giant black wizard’s hat hiding his head from view. “Old Big Hat! So, Griggs speaks of thee and you appear looking as fit as ever. I always did ponder if you were secretly a demon in some form!” Siegmeyer enthusiastically extended a hand to welcome the new arrival. The second sorcerer merely groaned and weakly returned the greeting as he limped into the sanctum. “I fear you will soon be facing demons in many forms if what I have discovered is true.” He said as Griggs turned and promptly shot to his feet. “Master Logan! Oh praise the sun you’re okay! When I could find no trace of you in the Archives I feared the worst!” He exclaimed, then gasped as his friend in arms lifted the brim of his hat to reveal a face that had suffered the ravages of both age, and a terrible shock. “I was forced to break from my studies when I sensed what happened down here. On instinct I made my way to the halls that contain all knowledge and theories on other worlds, and the ability to traverse between them. I fear that is what happened here, and what happened down in the catacombs below Firelink Shrine when the Chosen Undead sought out Gravelord Nito.” Griggs looked both elated at having been proven right, and horrified that this strange occurrence had already happened more than once. “Then we must work together to discover who is trying to invade Lordran. If Seath is being held prisoner out there we must find him immediately.” He declared. “Indeed. Good to see you recognize the brilliance of that wonderful scaleless beast and bear him no antipathy. He must be returned to these lands immediately so he may be slain as was intended.” Master Logan said while leaning heavily on his staff. Siegmeyer quietly waited for one of the two sorcerers to realize the hypocrisy of their words, and was quite taken aback when neither of them did. “However we cannot hope to find the answers here. What I read in the Archives gave me a most magnificent insight into how I might predict when we shall be invaded again, and I fear that time is now upon us.” Grabbing both of his companions, Master Logan forced them to turn around and follow him out of the cavern. “We must make haste for the Lost City of Izalith! The Chosen Undead is walking straight into a trap!”