//------------------------------// // An Exchange of Recovery // Story: A Cultural Exchange // by Illiad_Easle //------------------------------// It was quiet for all of a moment. No pony spoke or stirred in the aftermath of Illiad's vanishing act. Until... "ILLIAD!" Dax rushed over to where the Trojan had once stood, then skidded to a stop and began frantically looking everywhere, as if the Empathic had simply stepped aside - though there was absolutely nowhere to go. "ILLIAD! WHERE ARE YOU!?" Luther, meanwhile, had already pointed to a number of the quarry workers. "Search! No stone unturned! EVERY CORNER!" He turned to the two who stepped up the fastest. "Chuck! The outer road!" Chuck List nodded as he spun on his hooves and took off for the front gates. I hope'ta C'lestya dat he's arrite; it'd KILL Daxie if he ain't... I swear, please PLEASE don'lemme find a corpsicle... Yet Chuck stowed his own worries for now - he had somepony to find, and it it wasn't over 'til that funny little stallion was safe. An' he don't even LIKE straw dogs; ain't dat somethin'? "Slapper! The quarry yard!" Knee turned to the others. "All right! You, you, you and you - hit the walls and make a circle; work your way in from the outside!" He gave them a mental push, making this the most urgent thing in their lives at this moment. They all nodded and scattered, with Knee making his way to the ruined Gem Refinery. Hold on, my friend; help is on the way. With duties doled out, Luther himself headed to the mines, the usual stern look on his face tempered by a small twitch of worry around his mouth and eyes. The Blackwater patriarch was well aware that he didn't like other ponies - he hadn't ever since the incident where the miners he'd toiled with beat him nearly to death. His sense of trust had been shattered, the shards of which had cut his soul clean to the bone. Aside from Vylia, whom he loved dearly, and his children, all three of them, Luther had wanted no other kind of connection to anypony. Over time, there had been Chuck... and Slapper... and even Silver, Taps and Ziggy had been acceptable; but he never really socialized with them. Then, there had been Illiad. Despite having every earmark of being a pony that would usually shoot a hard rod of distrust through Luther's barrel, he discovered something that he hadn't at all expected... He liked Illiad. As anti-social as he was, that didn't happen often, and he was smart enough to recognize the fact. Plus, as a complete surprise to Luther himself, he'd opened up to him about what had happened, all the way back then. Vylia had pieced it together through her little information network... and he had a sneaking suspicion that Chuck knew the truth by word of mouth. But he had told absolutely NOPONY what had happened that day. Except Illiad Easle. Luther wouldn't rest until they found him. Period. Vylia stepped up next to Dax, placing a concerned hoof on his trembling shoulder. He'd been so excited to have a friend like Illiad; Dax had been so much more there, so alive, these past few days. It had been her worry for her son that had influenced her to allow Dax to join the Cultural Exchange program in the first place. Since Illiad Easle's arrival, it almost seemed as if her entire family, herself included, had found something in the Trojan that had awakened something in them... and whatever that something was, she was now absolutely CERTAIN it was Illiad's doing, as she had never seen such a reaction from her middle child since little Oglevy had broken Dax's first hoofmade telescope. She also had to admit that she found him to be an astute and worthy individual. She'd not expected his understanding, nor his own particular charm. Romance-wise, he wasn't her type - but as a friend, he was quite a catch. She had thought the little courtship between him and Silver Studs was adorable, and secretly hoped they would end up in each others embrace. Now, she looked down at her worried and frantic son, the one whose heart was far too big for his body sometimes, and spoke gently to him in her best lullabye voice. "Dearie, we'll find him... don't you worry. After such a demonstration, I'm certain nopony here will stop until he's found-" "But he's HURT! What if he's hurt BADLY?" Now that she got a good look at him, he was beyond frantic; Dax was beginning to panic, and Vylia knew she had to try to calm him down, if she could. "He has GOT to be nearby; even Celestia herself couldn't teleport TOO far, and Illiad isn't an alicorn, the last I saw. Though, WHAT he was a few moments ago might be debat-" "Mother! We have GOT to find him!" It hurt her heart to see him in such pain... and the fact that she was worried about the Trojan as well wasn't helping matters. Still, she put on a brave face and tried again. "We're making every attempt to, dearie; simply stay with me, and we can search the manor together. Now Daxter, come along with-" "NO! HE'S HERE SOMEWHERE!" Dax took off from Vylia, running toward the sheds and calling his friend's name again and again. Vylia, watching him go, sighed audibly. Though she had to fight her motherly instinct to go to him and comfort him; Illiad had been right that Daxter needed some room to grow up. Besides, she had Oglevy to watch over, too. As if summoned by mere thought alone, Oglevy Blackwater poked his head out from behind her tail. "Mother? Is Illiad going to be okay? He looked like he was in pain..." That was another thing; her youngest son had always made it a point to truly give a hard time to the scant few guests that the family had entertained during his little life, resulting in many ponies refusing to visit them. However, after a few shenanigans, Oglevy had seemed to just drop the brat act and had been following him, admiring him from afar like he was some sort of superhero, like Daring Do, his favorite storybook character. It touched Vylia to see her little colt showing concern for somepony else... and it gave her hope for the future. His future. The Blackwaters' future. She turned and put a gentle hoof on his shoulder. "He's made of sterner stuff than you'd think, my dear." Oglevy smirked. You have NO idea, Mother-Dear, he thought to himself, recalling the grand battle in the mines earlier that week. The colt had started the week determined to get Dax's lousy, no-good pal to vamoose by day 3; instead, he had discovered the Trojan to be an awesome force of power, fighting evil and saving lives like the Power Ponies, having an aura of mystery and power like Mare-Do-Well, and being wily and clever like his all-time favorite, Daring Do. He was the pony Oglevy wanted to be when he grew up... and now, he was missing and hurt. Empathy wasn't as alien an emotion as others tended to think from him, and right now he was hoping with all his little heart that Illiad Easle would be okay. As all of this went on, Taps took off the bowler and stuffed it carefully into her satchel. She surveyed the scene below with equal parts relief and weariness. Then, she turned her head to face the Pony Express office again, nodded to herself, and made her way there. Once inside, she opened the door to The Closet once again, and made her way downstairs, passing the usual antiquities, until she reached an area where the candles were glowing with a bright red hue. This was where the most dangerous and powerful relics ended up, and there was a massive shelf area with podiums flanking it. Taps walked up to one of the podiums and, carefully and slowly, she removed the Jinx Stone from her satchel, and emptied the bag onto the column. As soon as she did, a small magical glass bell materialized over it, sealing its' harmful magics away safely and disguising its' magical signature, preventing it from being found. As she stepped back from it, she cast her glance to the side, where the largest central pillar stood. Upon it was what Celestia had impressed upon a much younger and most impressionable Steel Wheels was the MOST important thing held here. It was a gem, but one whose beauty was unmatched among its' kin. An exquisite sapphire, perfection in all its' glory, sat carefully placed on a silk pillow that was covered in magical runes that were laced into the fabric. Within its' pure depths were dark, roiling stormclouds that moved, billowed and shifted within, an occasional arc of lightning jumping through. Acting as if it were a caged animal fighting to escape. The sight of it was magnificent. Wheels looked at it and sighed. If only you knew exactly HOW MUCH I knew, Trojan... She turned away, heading back up the stairs and back into the other world. Where she was simply a mailmare, nothing more important than such. Simply mute, because silence was preferable to lies. Simply Taps, because Steel Wheels loyally gave away her future to her princess. Over three hundred years ago. Illiad was roused from his dreamless sleep by Selena, who had drawn him in to a dream room while she did what she could to heal him. She didn't say anything, just looked at him with a sad expression. The room was dark, a clear indicator that she was low on energy to work with. "I'm afraid there's not much I can do to help you, I simply lack the resources. If someone doesn't find us soon... well, you should be fine. You're strong enough." Illiad turned, the memories of the battle playing through his mind and thus playing on the wall of the dark room. "Even with all that power, I couldn't even hurt him. Even with all my plotting ability, he was always just ahead of me. I couldn't stop him, he pushed aside all my attacks like it was nothing." He sat down, a tear or two running down his face, "Is this my lot in life? To clean up others' messes? To take the hits for those that caused the problems? When he attacked my abilities, he nearly killed me, he would have driven the whole quarry insane. Is that what I am? A time bomb just waiting to go off and destroy all that I care about?" He turned to where Selena had been, but she was gone. The replay of the battle too had stopped, leaving him once again in a dark room. Is this how Luna felt back then? Powerless to change anything? Weak in the face of adversity? Perhaps... His consciousness faded again as he drifted back into a dreamless state, waiting for someone to rescue him from where he lay on the tarp that once covered the massive Cloud Diamond. Illiad. It was the softest of whispers, the merest breath upon the surface of the mind. It felt as if the word had come from a grand distance, crossing light-years to reach him. Illiad. There it was again. Strangely enough, this siren song was being uttered by a familiar mental voice... Illiad. Someone was trying to contact him, but with all that had happened to the Trojan, there was no way to know if Illiad could answer or not... and further still, Illiad may not have felt safe answering. Illiad, where ARE you? Then, among the emotional miasma surrounding him, Illiad COULD feel something... something close-by... it was worry, dread, fear... and a large chunk of hope. Dax Blackwater was outside the Vault, looking for Illiad. The amount of concern and hope coming from the young stallion was somewhat astonishing; the Trojan was left with little doubt that Dax cared about him... however, there were a fair number of other spikes of concern bubbling up from around him... He felt a hard, thick line of concern... a soft, careful worry... a child's fear and hope... By Luna, it was the Blackwaters... the entire family! There was no telling how it happened, but Illiad could feel concern, in various manners, coming from each one of the gathered family here. It was unmistakable; Dax's especially. He may have had to nearly kill himself for the sake of doing the right thing... but perhaps, if it had made him friends - not just one, but FOUR - like these, then perhaps it wasn't as much of a loss and waste that he first thought it would be? Not only that, but MORE strings and ribbons of concern, aimed DIRECTLY at Illiad, were coming through as well... a chunky, yet stable worry from the direction of the front gates... a direct interest in locating the Trojan from roughly the same direction as the ruined Gem Refinery... two more from the manor, both almost a match for each other... another, moving haphazardly around the walls and the barracks, seeming to follow a zig-zag pattern... even a sleepy, dream-like sort of concern was manifesting from nearby... It was simply stunning; ALL of these ponies were concerned about ILLIAD EASLE... and nothing else. And anyone who has that many friends worried about him must not be as powerless and weak as he had originally surmised. Illiad was woken by the emotions, the stones still amplifying his powers by laying near him. He rose, weakly, from the floor, still utterly drained emotionally, physically, and magically. It would take some time for him to recover. He looked around the darkness of the vault, he couldn't even manage enough magic for a light spell, so he began to feel his way blindly around the room, trying to find his way out. I almost killed them all, do I deserve them as friends? The innumerable cuts and burns on his body ached as he moved, he could feel that his robe was in tatters from the fight. HE almost killed them all, you were just the weapon he tried to use. He could feel, as the tattered cloth shifted in his movements, places that had lost fur as well as a few new spots that would be scared. If I had been stronger, smarter, I could have stopped him sooner. A lance of pain shot through him as the cloth brushed an open wound, he nearly collapsed, but he found a wall to support him. If SHE had done her job properly, this never would have been an issue for YOU to clean up. He began to follow the wall, looking for an exit to the room. Who, Taps or Celestia? An exit revealed itself and he followed it, hopefully not deeper into the vault. Either, Both, Does it matter? It's not the first time Celestia's apathy has caused you pain. He kept moving, despite the pain. He had to make it out, to his friends. They had healing, food, and warmth. He tried to call out, but was too weak to make much noise, he couldn't make a beacon or warp himself out, Selena was restricting his magic to keep his wounds from worsening, she had grabbed the stones to help her. All he could manage was a quiet statement. "I'm here." Inside the darkness of the Vault, Illiad suddenly felt that he wasn't alone. The presence hadn't been felt by the wounded Empathic, but the sound of soft hoofsteps echoed through the pitch black vault. "Easle." The voice came from his left. "You're a mess." A soft chuckle, then she spoke again. "Well, if you'd wish to come with me, I can heal your body... however, I don't think I can do a lot else more for you; much of The Closet has harmful or powerful magics, yet there's still a few healing magics housed within. Won't even send you a doctor's bill." It was quiet for a single heartbeat. "That is... IF you feel that you can trust me enough to lay your life in my hooves; can't say I would blame you if you simply told me to buzz off, to be frank. And I will... if that's what you wish." There was a muffled sound from outside, and Taps spoke again. "Sounds like Dax has found you - doesn't surprise me. That stallion thinks the world of you... I hope the feeling's mutual. You could always go with him... but there's no telling HOW long it would take for Zinger to get you back on your hooves - and you have an Exchange to complete, don't you? It would break Dax's heart if you had to return prematurely and alone to Troy to heal..." She sighed. "But I'm simply offering my help... since you so kindly gave me yours in finding and regaining control of the Jinx Stone. Fair is fair." Another sigh. "Tell you what; come with me, and I'll explain whatever you want me to... clearance be damned. Go with Dax, and I swear to you that as long as you keep my secret, I'll never bother you again. Honest." She waited in the darkness for his reply, bracing herself for the rejection, yet hoping for the unicorn's company; he'd be her first non-magical, non-artifact, non-alicorn, non-spiritual, non-work-related, REAL 'guest' in over two centuries... IF he didn't hate her guts, that was. Illiad paused, then sighed deeply. "Taps... your mistake has hurt me in ways you couldn't possibly understand. But as much as I want to I can't fault you for it." He didn't look in her direction, but rather in the direction of the muffled sound. "If Dax thinks he's found me, then he better. It wouldn't be good for him for me to not be here when he gets here. My own well being can come second to that. And if I must be taken back to Troy for better healing, then Dax will just have to come with me won't he?" He sighed again, clearly frustrated by the decision. "As much as there is I want explained by you, it'll have to wait. I get the feeling I'll be back here again, and when that day comes we'll have a lot to talk about. But until then I will tell no one of what you've shown me." He started moving again, in the direction the noise had come from. "To be honest, I don't fully trust you. But I don't hate you. We're both lonely in the burdens we carry, but perhaps we may eventually trust each other enough to offer support to each other. Until then I guess." "... wait." There was a shuffling sound, and a noise like liquid sloshing around in a cup. Then a sigh. "I'm not going to let you suffer like this for what was essentially my mistake... here." The splash of water that dashed across Illiad's face felt unnaturally cold, yet a great deal of the itching, burning and aching stopped within seconds. The sound of a cork being stoppered, then what sounded like a sad chuckle. "Fitting that it would be Luna's Tears that would save your life. They would have far more effect if you ingested them... but a splash will suffice to get you close enough to make it. You might still need a day or two, but the Tears never fail." With that, there was a sharp, tinny >clink!< from the floor, and the sound of small wheels rolling away from the unicorn. "But I am a mare of my word; I'll keep my distance. Fare thee well, Trojan." After a slight scraping sound, all was silent again. Then, more muffled sound from just in front of him - and Illiad laid his hoof on what felt like steel instead of rock. He had found the door... now, how to exit the place? It was a strange effect that the liquid had, a numbing sensation he supposed. He stood a little straighter from it as he thought about what he should do. I wonder how much she'll make them forget. Can they even forget something this big? Forget that I saved their lives? He turned his attention to the door before him and sighed, when you find a door, you knock. So he did just that. *knock* *knock* *knock* His hoof returned to the floor as he sat down, he would wait a bit to see if the door opened before he would examine the door further for another way out. I'm here. Dax heard it, but not out loud... the voice had come from what felt like the front of his brain. But that self-same voice was unmistakable; Dax would know it even if it were spoken underwater. He turned instinctively for the Blackwater Vault, and he began to breathe harder. "Illiad..? The Vault!" He made a mad dash towards the massive vault doors, intent on finding his best friend. Muffled sounds, frantic worry standing side-by-side with a tempered and patient concern, and then the doors began to glow, then opened inward. Standing there were both Dax and Luther Blackwater, the latter with some sort of ethereal-looking key in his possession. Dax ran to Illiad. "Illiad, oh Illiad, you're ALIVE!" About ten paces from the unicorn, a bolt of horror rolled through Dax... and then, he stopped. He closed his eyes and caught his breath; the panic and worry that had been blasting from Dax's every pore slowly, yet noticeably, reined itself in to a more normal range. He'd remembered that Illiad was an Empathic, and was calming himself before engaging his friend. As Dax did this, Luther strolled in, stowing the key away inside his vest as he looked at his son for a moment. Turning to Illiad, he fixed his piercing gaze on him, examining his every wound, burn and tatter with the precision of a microscope. Then, locking eyes with the Trojan, he nodded; with that nod, Luther's concern became satisfaction and planning - the elder Blackwater was already gauging the expense needed to ensure Illiad's full recovery. Dax opened his emerald green eyes and sighed softly. Then he turned to the Empathic and grew somewhat worried as he also took note of Illiad's wounds... in a manner that was eerily similar to his father's; Dax's eyes snapped to each little mark on his friend, and he seemed to be making mental notes. Though, unlike usual, Dax kept himself calm - and not straining to do so, so that it was more natural and a LOT less grating on the Empathic's raw emotional nerves. "Illiad... you look awful! But you're standing and awake, so that's a good sign. Here, let me help you out..." Dax made his way over to his friend's side and gently put a hoof round his shoulders, standing straight and supporting his right side. As soon as the two were up, however, Luther reached over and took up Illiad's right side; between the two of them, they were now carefully carrying him between them. Dax and Luther exchanged a look, and it was the elder Blackwater who spoke to him. "No complaints. No demands to walk yourself. Rest - we will carry you." Luther and Dax both refused to put Illiad down. As they made their way down the row of sheds, they passed #7 - Silver's shed - and Illiad could feel waves of exhaustion rolling off of the presence inside. She had to have been asleep, but it was a troubled one - she was putting out a small ribbon of fear as well. However, the two stallions carrying him didn't stop. As they passed into the quarry yard proper, the entire gathering of ponies there simply stopped whatever they were doing and stared at the Trojan as he was carried among them. The emotion Illiad was getting from them was not fear or disgust... it was awe, mixed in with some concern and a touch of admiration. It was possibly the largest gathering of ponies that ever accepted him all in one place; the reserves that had been so forcibly emptied earlier were now being slowly refilled with some kind and wonderful emotions... and come to think of it, did those metaphysical tanks feel... bigger, somehow? Perhaps; he'd have to wait until he fully recovered to test the theory. Knee Slapper moved up next to the two of them and wordlessly stepped into place next to Dax. From the gates came Chuck List, who fell into step with Luther, tipping Illiad a wink (and an inner sigh of relief at seeing the Trojan alive). Vylia and Oglevy moved up and joined them; the blue colt flew right over Illiad's head, while Vylia moved in right behind Illiad himself and lifted his tail out of the dirt, carrying it along. The Doc was zooming directly at them, but Luther called out to her first. "Go to the manor! Prep the front foyer! Get Beck and Call to help you! HURRY!" Doc Zinger stopped short, then saluted smartly and took off for the Blackwater Manor, flying in her odd, zig-zagging flight path. Other ponies fell in step with the rest, all of them projecting thoughts of concern and goodwill upon the drained unicorn who had risked everything for them. They weren't just alive - they were grateful. And Illiad, who so long ago had been the victim of a personal attack and bore the scars of social rejection upon his back, was now feeling the warmth of social acceptance at last. Every last worker here at the Blackwater Quarry knew who had saved their lives that day... And not a single one was afraid to show it. They made their way up the hill, a swarm of ponies all moving as a river of equine kindness. Reaching the front doors, Beck and Call both were standing aside them, bowing and opening them before the Trojan as he and his bearers made their way inside, the rest remaining behind to give them room and privacy. Their presence had to be the biggest 'Get Well Soon card' Illiad had ever gotten, each caring soul another signature to treasure. As the Blackwaters brought Illiad inside, Doc Zinger was there with her kit, bottles and instruments and bandages and... lollipops? Yes, as they laid him down upon a rich and soft blanket stretched on the floor, Ziggy reached over, grabbed a lollipop (a red one), and popped it right into Illiad's mouth! "Your wounds look bad, but have no fear; the quarry's bestest doctor is here! The damage looks extensive, although... on second thought, it's not quite so. It seems as if there should be more, but the actual hurt is merely sore - it's good to know you aren't too bad; your rapid recovery shall make everypony... uhm... heh heh..." Ziggy lifted a hoof and scratched at the back of her mane, blushing a bit. "... glad to know you'll be okay, I mean to say. Urk!" Her blush darkened, and she covered her smiling mouth with both hooves - however, Illiad could see the truth; Ziggy was only being silly like this because she had seen that his wounds were MUCH less than they appeared to be... and they truly were. Places where Illiad had been SURE he had gotten burnt, cut or otherwise bled from were all closed up; shiny scars left to immortalize the event, but that was all. Luna's Tears, Taps had called the strange elixir he'd been splashed with; he might have to ask around about that. "You hear that? You're gonna be okay... thank Luna!" Vylia smiled. "Yes... thank Luna." "Thank Luna." Luther spoke deeply, yet softly; like a distant roll of faded thunder. "Yeah, thank Luna!" Oglevy chimed in. At that moment, Illiad could even feel the reverence and care coming from Beck and Call as they fussed over the blanket he was settled on, and they kept bringing him pillows. One of them (Beck, no mistake) brought Illiad a glass of cool, crisp ice water... complete with a straw for sipping. "Compliments of the house, Sir Easle," he spoke smoothly as he carefully held the tray out to the Trojan while Call (it was natural to Illiad by now) continued to fluff his pillows. They all cared so much for him - had HE fostered all this in them? Had this TRULY been his doing? Illiad just took a moment, then another, to really take it all in. To put it simply, he felt tired. He was thoroughly exhausted magically, emotionally, and physically, to the point where he didn't think he would be moving again any time soon. Despite this, there was one, no two last things he needed to take care of. He carefully removed the candy from his mouth, grateful for it, so he could speak. "How's Redd? And while you're at it, someone ought to check up on Silver. Of the whole quarry I think she was the only one who wasn't directly affected by what just happened. Thanks for all this by the way." He wasn't speaking to anyone in particular and to be honest he was hardly coherent at this point. The added emotional energy would certainly boost his recovery by giving Selena more to work with, though what she could fix was limited to magic as she didn't have much experience in repairing physical wounds. They had Zinger for that anyway. Selena stretched out to trace his magical conduits as she had done the first time, encompassing his horn to ensure that his rest would not be disturbed by a buildup of emotional energy from those outside. His magic at least would be back to normal by the time he woke up again. "Sorry about leaving so suddenly, I hope I didn't scare you guys too badly." Dax smiled. "Hey... just another day in the quarry, right? We're just glad you're okay..." He did a double-take when he realized Illiad asked about Redd. "Redd... we haven't found him yet. We were kinda hoping you'd know where he was..." The Blackwaters all got grave looks on their muzzles (Luther was already wearing one perpetually). Vylia looked at each of the others gathered, then turned to Illiad. "Dearie... you're saying you have no idea what has happened to poor Redd? That cannot be a good sign..." She turned to Beck and Call. "You two, spread the word around the quarry; our search isn't over yet. And one of you two check on Silver Studs... spit-spot, now!" They both nodded, and took off out the door. Ziggy looked doubly worried, but she continued to bandage up the Trojan. "A little twist, a bandage here; no more worry, no more fear." As she kept working, the other Blackwaters continued to wait, assist, and generally be around Illiad as he was healed. "So... what happened? I mean, we only saw a bunch of stuff happening, but we couldn't hear a lot of it - what did the nasty old draconequus do? It WAS a draconequus, right? I've only ever heard of Discord - are ALL draconequus' like that, or are they more like Discord? You whipped his butt MOST satisfactorily! Was it really hard, or did you just MAKE it look easy? How did you mke all those duplicates? Can you do it again? WOULD you do it again? Did it hurt when his head exploded?" ... and Oglevy was full of questions, just like he was for Luna... because BOTH were his heroes now. Illiad sighed, but didn't attempt to move from his current position. "Hope for the best but prepare for the worst, Havoc sent him somewhere, but I was too focused on keeping Havoc here to track where he sent Redd. He's probably still in the Quarry, but not necessarily." He shifted his position a bit to look over at Oglevy, "Havoc was the entity trapped within the artifact known as the Jinx stone, on contact it would amplify the smallest part of your personality until it was many times greater than your strongest trait. When I confronted Redd, Havoc broke free to fight me personally. I would think he was a draconequus as well, though I have no idea if there are any other draconequui let alone if they have a similar disposition. The battle was extremely taxing, definitely not something I would like to do again. I made all the duplicates with the cloud diamond that I, um, borrowed… from the vault. I'd be happy to help gather it back up when I can if necessary." The last sentence was directed at Mr. Blackwater, he turned his attention back to Oglevy. "I could do the duplicates again, though likely not with the same level of success and definitely not until I've had a good deal of time to recover. And yes, it hurt when his head exploded, though the pain was mostly delayed until the fight was over." He gave a long yawn, exhaustion deeply etched in his face, but he was determined to stay awake until he heard back on Silver's condition. Luther nodded at Illiad's explanation, fully trusting that the unicorn would keep true to his word. It was a few minutes, being cared for by Doc Zinger while Oglevy asked a million questions, before Call came back. "Master... Madam? We are spreading the word as we go - the quarry is on high alert for Redd Handid. As for Miss Studs," he glanced over to Illiad, "I found her fast asleep in her shed... but..." He gave a bit of a hesitant cough, then reached into his tail-coat pocket and pulled out some leaves of parchment. "... well, she was absolutely SURROUNDED with papers. Papers like these." He presented the papers for Luther to see, yet held them low enough for Illiad to also observe... and what he saw was certainly NOT what he'd expected. On the first piece of paper, there were designs for what looked like a high-pressure, portable water cannon. On the second, there was a diagram of some sort of harness that not only had armored plating, but forked tines in front of it... and it did not look like farming equipment. The last of the three papers had what appeared to be plans for some sort of large contraption, covered in spikes and blades. These were diagrams for WAR MACHINES... and they had come from what appeared to be the deepest recesses of Silver's mind. The more Illiad looked at them, the more dangerous and potentially destructive the devices seemed. Apparently, the Jinx Stone had tapped into the mare's dark side... and what a doozy it was! Call stuffed the papers back into his pocket. "Miss Studs was asleep in the midst of an enormous PILE of similar papers. Shall I wake her and inform her of current standings?" Luther shook his head. "No. Let her sleep; leave a note giving Easle's location. Continue searching." Call bowed and left. Luther looked over to Ziggy. "Status?" The pegazebra smiled as she worked. "From it here it will not take so long, and if my findings are not wrong it shall be soon that he arises - and healing will be the best of... uhm..." Ziggy shut her mouth with a snap. "Doing well." She muttered after a moment. Dax stayed close to Illiad, his concern obvious on his muzzle. "We were all really worried." Illiad's face contorted into one of worry and slight dread at the discovery. I thought she would be safe, thought she was fine. I... failed her. He managed to lift himself a bit, the seriousness of his expression plain to those gathered. "Silver... she might still be affected" He quickly looked around the room and was slightly worried to see that the circlets had dispersed, but he shook his head to clear it. His horn sputtered before it lit as a new circlet was drawn from the diamond running along his body. It looked a bit different from the others he had made, a bit larger and it glowed a bit brighter. He held it up in the air, "Someone needs to put this on Silver's head, if she's still affected then it will cure her." He turned a bit to look over at Dax, a slightly chagrined expression on his face, "I'm sorry to have worried you, I just really needed to get out of there quickly else when I blew it would have had many poor consequences for all y'all." Dax looked at the circlet, then at Illiad; the debate went on for mere seconds before he decided that helping Illiad obtain peace of mind was more important than staying by his side. "I'LL do it, Illiad - don't worry, she'll be okay. I'm sure of it!" He was sure of nothing of the sort, but he wasn't about to let his best friend worry any more than he had to. Dax took the circlet gently, then turned on his hooves and left for Silver's shed. When he left, Vylia looked at Oglevy and sighed. "Young colt, you're a mess - you must go upstairs and wash, right now; you may return after you've cleaned up." Though she fully expected a fight, the Blackwater colt simply said, "awwwww..." then stood up. "I'll be right back - then you can tell me more about what it was like, okay?" With that, he took off out the door like greased lightning; when he grows up, he'd to be racing-fast... of that much, Illiad was certain. Vylia shook her pretty head. "Ah, the energy of youth - if only it could be bottled, hmmm? There's more fortune to be made there than in emeralds, I'd wager!" She graced Illiad's ears with her sparkling laughter for a moment. "But now, I do believe that you would require some rest, dearie... you certainly have earned it, no doubt. I shall take my leave now, and perhaps I can cut Oglevy off before he returns to tax your patience again." With another airy giggle, she stood up and sauntered over to Luther. Reaching him, she said, "Is he in YOUR hooves, love?" Luther nodded once... then reached over and nuzzled Vylia, right there in front of Illiad and Ziggy. She returned his affections warmly, and for a moment, the Trojan could swear Luther's mouth had gone into a straight line; the most he'd ever seen the dour stallion smile. Vylia tossed a light, "Ciao, dearie," over her shapely flank as she left the foyer. Now, it was only Ziggy, Luther and Illiad. Ziggy was still disinfecting and wrapping, so she had her attention elsewhere. Luther, on the other hoof, walked over and looked down at Illiad. "Easle. Glad you are well. You saved my quarry. I will NOT forget it." Luther looked (and felt) like he had more to say... but he didn't. He did, however, make his way over to Illiad and sat directly on the floor next to him. It was somewhat disconcerting, but the elder Blackwater was giving his approval by his actions. The circlet Illiad had built was larger and brighter because it contained the core of Illiad's diamond, and thus Selena. If Havoc was till in Silver's mind, he would have to deal with Selena directly. If not, then Silver would have someone to comfort her after her ordeal. Either way Illiad was out a companion for the night. He laid his head back down, struggling to keep his eyes open until Dax returned with tales of success. He was willing to suffer for Silver's benefit if necessary. He looked over at Mr. Blackwater, "You're welcome, and I appreciate the company. I couldn't exactly let my new friends come to harm now could I?" He yawned again, Just a few more minutes... I need to know that Silver is cared for. Luther looked at Illiad for a long moment. "Friends..." It almost sounded like he was tasting the word for the first time in a long time... and it wasn't as distasteful as he remembered it to be. "Yes. That will be fine." Luther sat up a little straighter, and the Empathic could feel the awkwardness in the stallion; he wasn't at all used to this kind of situation, but he did have a loyalty there that felt so much like Dax's that Illiad could tell they were certainly father and son. He cleared his throat quietly, then spoke again. "Vylia tells me you are a political pony in Troy, or you soon will be. If you need anything we can give you, ask; it will be yours. Gem Refinery will need work, but you saved our lives." He looked away then, toward the front foyer doors, his mind lost in thought. "You are always welcome in our home. Illiad." He nodded once, then settled into watching Ziggy finish up the bandaging process. Illiad felt the ping that Selena was in position and he gave a sigh of relief. He could sleep peacefully now that he knew someone would be watching over her. "I'll be sure to keep that in mind Mr. Bl.... Luther, thank you again for the hospitality." With that he settled in to another dreamless sleep to let his body and mind recover from their ordeals.