The Curse of A Well-Read Man

by LeoneHaxor

Chapter 8 - Lessons Learned, Stories Told

Lee broke down in hysterical laughter as Silias stared at him. Twilight raised an eyebrow. “Are you okay, Lee? You look a little out of it.”

Wiping a tear from his eye, Lee did his best to compose himself. “Why wouldn’t I be fine?”

“You have been in there for six hours.”

Silias turned to The Beast wide-eyed. “Uh, we only waited for six minutes for Lee to come out,” he pointed out.

The Beast casually fanned the air with his hand. “No, time works differently there – a minute here apparently translates to an hour there.”

Silias stared at him for a moment, and then started checking Lee. The latter laughed as was poked and prodded in various places, but he slowly became more serious as this sunk in. “Hang on *ehehehe* was it really that long?”

“So it would seem.”

Lee furrowed his brow in thought. “Maybe I’d better go over what I remember …”

---

Back in his mindscape, Setton looked around in confusion. "If we're in my mind, then how come I don't know why Dearly Beloved keeps playing in here?"

A chuckle resounded around him. "Sorry - that would be my doing."

He whirled around, trying to locate the source of this statement.

"Over here."

Setton jumped back in surprise as he suddenly found himself face to face with the speaker.

Correction: face to mask with the speaker, as the latter wore a Guy Fawkes mask. He was garbed in an outfit looking fresh out of a renaissance fair, but what caught his eye were the various shades of red.

"My sincerest apologies, friend. I did not mean to startle you," he said smoothly, holding his hands up in a gesture of goodwill.

Setton considered his outfit carefully before he noticed a lute strapped to the man’s back. He had a pretty good idea who he was dealing with. "You're The Red Bard, aren't you?"

The Red Bard bowed. "Indeed I am. A pleasure to make your acquaintance, Setton."

“How are you in my mind?"

The Red Bard straightened up as he responded. "I’d rather prefer it if you figure that out in your own time. But enough puzzling for now; I'd rather spend this time productively, while we still have amble amounts of it."

Setton narrowed his eyes. "And do you intend to do here?"

“I don’t blame you for your wariness, but you need not worry about me. I merely wish to train you."

---

Twilight’s eyes went wide. “WHAT?!?”

“It wasn’t that bad, honestly, even though it was the strangest date I’d been on.” Lee shrugged. “Unless something important happened in those last few hours.”

Silias grinned widely, the image in his mind causing him to laugh. “You seriously don’t remember what happened after you had dinner. Lee, I will only ask you this once: did you smash, though?”

Twilight looked at him blankly, the significance of his statement making a nice whooshing as it passed over her head.

Lee looked at Silias as if he was insane, but said nothing.

Silias pointed a finger at him accusingly. “Answer the question!”

"I honestly have no idea what happened," he said slowly. Lee shook his head. “But I think she showed me…” Lee’s eyes lost focus for a second “…the things she could do with frosting.” He realized the double entendre and hastily covered his tracks. “Erm, that is to say, her recipes! For buttercream frosting!”

Silias raised an eyebrow. “Who makes buttercream frosting from scratch anymore?”

Lee gave him a glare that said Shut up.

Twilight raised an eyebrow at this display, not sure what to make of it. “Well, that certainly sounds like Pinkie…”

Rainbow Dash (the one not dozing on The Beast’s back) looked at Lee cautiously. “You didn’t eat any cupcakes while you were there, did you?”

Lee was about to respond when a thought hit him.

Nah, I probably just passed out drunk – I doubt Pinkie would have…

He paused, pulled up his shirt, staring at his abdomen carefully. There was something off about the coloration…

“Twilight?”

The mare snapped to attention, tearing her eyes from the Silvertongue’s abs in a panic. “I-I wasn’t staring!”

Silence. The two conscious pegasi looked at her in confusion while Silias did his best to keep a straight face. The Beast simply resisted the urge to facepalm. That was as subtle as a train wreck, he thought silently.

Lee broke the silence. “I was just going to ask you to give them a better look.” Twilight’s ears perked up. “I want you to see if anything’s missing with a spell of yours.” Her ears drooped in disappointment.

Her horn was enveloped in a magenta light as she moved towards him, and an arcane beam slowly scanned his abdominal area. Lee felt something odd, and snapped at her. “Oy! ABOVE the belt!”

“S-sorry!” Celestiadammit! She thought, blushing all the while.

This made it that much harder for Silias, trying his best not to laugh.

She aimed the beam at his exposed midsection and turned the skin transparent, prompting Scootaloo to gag at the sight of his organs.

Silias noticed what was wrong immediately. “Back when we adventured together, didn’t you say you still had your appendix?”

Lee nodded slowly, afraid of where this was going. “That I did…”

“Well, I don’t see it in there, and I’ve seen enough organs to know that it isn’t there.”

The penny dropped. “Son of a bitch, that pink shyster stole my appendix!” Lee cried in shock.

Silias gave the straightest face he could manage. “Hey, she actually did you a favor – at least your word count went down!” He couldn’t take it anymore, and promptly fell over laughing. Twilight also giggled hysterically as she understood the joke, but the meaning sailed spectacularly over Rainbow’s head.

If glares were bullets, every slug in America would have found their mark in Silias.

The Beast turned to Scootaloo, who at to this point was looking at Setton's limp form. “What are you staring at?”

The filly’s eyes shifted back to Setton. “He saved my life back in the Factory.”

Silias sobered up and followed her gaze, considering the passed out man on the ground. “Really? How did that happen?”

Twilight sighed. “I guess it’s my turn to explain…”

---

Setton looked at him curiously. "Train me in what?"

"Your new abilities, of course. Or did you not remember what happened with the Rainbow Factory?" The Red Bard began to circle him. "Your skill is rather uncommon to say the least: your power resides in music. Your being able to travel to another part of the multiverse in this manner was but a small taste of your potential, Setton."

"And I did that on my own?"

The Red Bard cocked his head and chuckled. "No, that was my doing - I merely gave you a boost with my own power until you could tap freely into your own. Hence why you heard that second voice earlier."

Setton stared at him. "But that was in Rainbow Dash's voice. How did you -?”

"Manage to pull that off?” he finished. “When you have a mastery over sound, a simple voice pattern is child's play."

"How the hell did I get that power?"

"I’ll give you a hint: the foals were onto something when they mentioned the Spectra."

Setton mulled this over. "Because of the Spectra running through my veins, I can manipulate music? Then how come you said you boosted my own power?"

"Spectra is pure magic concentrated from all spectrums, hence the name. Contrary to what the original story of the Factory claims, it exists in ALL living creatures, not just ponies. You already had a higher concentration running through you than most humans, regardless. “Magic” relies on using emotions and life force as a source of power, and that is the main reason why rage and magic are a dangerous combination: Anger makes vital energy violent and unpredictable, let alone the psychological effects on its wielder.”

Setton slowly began to understand. "So the more powerful the emotions, the more powerful my abilities…Then music’s used because it’s the most powerful emotional outlet?"

The Red Bard actually bounced in place, bombastically leveling a finger at Setton as he landed. "Precisely!" A fanfare resounded from nowhere, and confetti rained down on them both.

In the storm of colorful paper, Setton noticed the pegasi were missing. "Where did Aurora and Orion go?"

The Red Bard waved his hand dismissively. "I sent them off for now so I could prevent any damage to them. They’ll be fine, but your friends may be in for a bit of a shock."

---

“…and then I had to levitate Setton and Bass up to the Door before teleporting out of there. That’s when I caught up with you guys.” Twilight finished.

Rainbow Dash was staring viciously at the ignorant Factory Dash as The Beast’s branches continued to support her. All other eyes were on Setton’s form: Lee and Silias just stared wide-eyed in shock (and a little bit of envy), as The Beast pondered silently to himself, while Scootaloo looked on in a mix of gratitude and sorrow.

They all paused, however, when Bass began pumping out a rendition of Dearly Beloved.

One voice broke the silence. “What’s going on?”

All those conscious didn’t care who said this, because a change came over Setton’s form. Spectra began to flow freely from him, moving and shifting much like a particular model of Terminator until it split into two rivers. Colors swirled brilliantly as the rivers began to solidify, as if being poured into an invisible mold. The music reached a crescendo as the forms finalized and settled.

“That’s…not possible,” Twilight whispered in awe.

The two foals had barely enough time to open their eyes before being tackled by a tearful Scootaloo.

---

The Red Bard’s tone was level. "I'll be discussing the various elements of your gift, so that you don't have to rely on Biblio and Bass whenever you wish to use it." He drew the lute from his back, holding it in his arms. "I wouldn't want those two foals to get damaged by this session, because you're a beginner with exceptional potential. So I diverted a small dose of your energy into separating your mind from theirs. You and I are the only ones occupying your mind for now, but they’ll return when we are done."

Setton's thoughts drifted to the knowledge of Twilight's magic examination, and shuddered. "Would this training really have been that dangerous to them?"

The Red Bard tuned his lute absently. "These circumstances are…unique. Physical attacks would do nothing to them, but I'll be teaching you a mimetic attack form. In other words, if you lash out with a certain frequency, you might destroy what is left of them. You were wondering why I made Dearly Beloved begin to play, yes? If you recall, you had let Scootaloo out of the Factory around seven minutes ago. Since then, Twilight has taken your physical form out of the Door, where she is now recounting what had happened to you two while you were on your own. Since Orion’s feelings for Scootaloo were strong, I used his feelings for her as the conduit, hence the song choice."

"Now, to begin with, let's talk about a more subtle aspect of being a Bard - controlling the emotions of those you face in combat. Emotions are a powerful motivator, but if you pluck the right strings, you can make or break a combatant."

A Royal Guard appeared in the mindscape, sword drawn in its magic. "Watch how I goad this opponent into attacking by using his emotions against him, and pay close attention."

The Red Bard began to pluck at his lute, and began to sing.

"There once was a maiden from Stoneberry Hollow~"

The Guard looked at him in confusion.

"~She didn't talk much but boy did she swallow~"

A subtle red aura began to manifest around The Red Bard.

"~I have a nice lance which she sat upon~"

A red aura also began to manifest around the guard.

"~The maiden from Stonebury who was also your mom."

The red aura became a blinding crimson as the Guard charged at The Red Bard. The latter sidestepped every one of the guard's attacks, which were clumsy and looked more natural to a brawler than a soldier. The Red Bard placed his lute on his back and drew his own blade. Continuing to avoid the erratic swinging, he swiftly sent the guard flying with a well-placed swing. Turning to Setton, he smiled broadly. "That song is to incite rage in one's opponent, and while it increases their physical strength, their finesse and intelligence goes sailing out the window. As such, you can dispatch what would be a tiresome opponent with ease."

Setton gaped at the display, but his gaze shifted to the blade he wielded. "Is that...a Keyblade?"

The Red Bard looked idly between Setton and his blade. "Yes, yes it is. But that is not important. Now it’s your turn." Another guard appeared in the mindscape, sword at the ready. Setton went wide-eyed. "Wait! I don't have a weapon!"

The Red Bard sighed. "This is your mind: summon whatever weapon you want."

Setton facepalmed. "...I keep forgetting that..." Setton thought for a moment, and had an idea. “Could I use music to create a weapon for myself? One that could work outside of my mind?”

The Red Bard’s tone was unreadable. “Depends on the song you choose.”

A familiar song began to play, and flames erupted around Setton’s hands. Two red and black chakrams materialized, settling effortlessly into his grip. The Red Bard observed this display with amusement. A strange choice, indeed. After all, a weapons master worth his salt knows that chakrams are, by nature, defensive weapons. “Not bad, Setton, not bad. Now weaken his composure with the song!”

Setton heard the track change for a second as The Red Bard’s lute began to play the tune.

"There once was a maiden from Stoneberry Hollow~"

The guard stared at Setton in bewilderment.

"~She didn't talk much but boy did she swallow~"

A subtle red aura began to manifest around Setton. The Red Bard paid close attention to both of them.

"~I have a nice lance which she sat upon~"

A similar red aura also began to manifest around the guard.

"~The maiden from Stonebury who was also your mom."

Just like the last time, the guard charged, blinded by his fury. The 13th Struggle filled the mindscape once more as Setton dodged and parried the guard’s blows.

The guard would go for an overhandhoofed strike with his blade, and Setton would intercept with a sideways blow that took the blade with it. A thrust would be met with a sidestep and a whirl of steel.

This violent dance went on for about a minute, a whirling hell of nothing but steel. Suddenly, the music intensified, and his chakrams began to blaze. Leaping back, and taking a leap of faith in the process, Setton threw his weapons at the guard.

They shot far to the sides of the guard in wide arcs, not coming close to his figure at all.

Blinking, the guard paused, and then charged at the now weaponless young man. Setton simply let him come, not moving an inch from where he stood.

*SCHING* *SCHURK*

The guard barely had the time to let his eyes widen as the chakrams sped back to their wielder as his body fell into pieces, dissolving into flames before he hit the ‘ground’.

The Red Bard clapped his hands in approval as Setton panted, one hand on his knee, the other supported by a chakram driven into the ground. “I’m impressed with how fast you’re learning. Now, the next lesson, which you are quite proficient in given the circumstances.”

“And…what, pray tell…is that?”

“Musical Drives.”

Setton looked at him with a weary grin. “So what does that do? With this skill?”

The Red Bard looked at him steadily from behind his mask. “That skill was one you performed with the assistance of Biblio – the one where you both manipulated the Spectra like it was an extra set of limbs. In fact, you performed admirably just now when you used Axel’s weaponry as your own. While Musical Drives are an invaluable combat tools, they can also be used to affect others around you in *non*violent ways.”

“Like that one Pokemon short with the rod and the dancing.”

“It can be used to various degrees, but that can be one of its uses. Think of yourself as a walking musical – with enough emotion and passion in your song, others can be compelled to join in, thus adding to its power. However, I think that with your current understanding, you should be able to develop that skill at your own pace.”

“What was the most impressive thing you ever did with that skill?” Setton was curious about what the extent of this could be.

The Red Bard thought for a moment, resting his hand on his chin. “Once, I used my power to obfuscate a 1:1 performance of Les Miserables. Quite a lot of emotions in that piece, though, so I suppose that doesn’t count as my biggest and best work…”

Setton was interested now. “What do you mean by ‘1:1 performance’?”

“Like the version with Hugh Jackman as Jean Valjean, but only a hair’s breadth away from tangibility.”

He blanched. “That sounds pretty damn amazing.”

“Thank you. Perhaps you’d like to give it a go one day.”

The Red Bard raised his hand, in which he held a small conducting baton. “You can also gain knowledge of one’s true self through using their own soul to provide music. For instance, finding love in a person’s heart may cause a song like Dearly Beloved to occur. Reach out with your soul and try to look into my own heart. I won’t bite.”

Setton focused on The Red Bard, raising his hands as if conducting a symphony. A short while passed before he heard it. Something began to resound in his mind as The Red Bard’s form began to flicker. He looked around idly as the scene began to change before his eyes. He recognized what it was shaping itself into, and he turned to Setton in alarm. Setton seemed too preoccupied with the music itself to notice the change in scenery.

He’s more powerful than I anticipated if he can tap into my memories so easily –

“Join the light!”

The Red Bard winced behind his mask. A little too good, it seems. He’s even managed to populate the area with those from my memories.

He shattered the stream before Setton dug too deep, and the mindscape quickly returned to its previous state. Setton looked at him curiously. “What was that all about?”

The Red Bard was silent for a moment. “You should note that if you begin to sing, it will have an effect on the world around you. If you sing exclusively of a place, then you are likely to appear there. In your case, you just tapped into my own memories – and we were only kept here because of our noncorporeal condition. Truly I tell you, you don’t want to find yourself there even through the buffer of memories. Nevertheless, such songs usually reflect aspects of those around you, unless it holds significance in a certain way: be careful when you use this.”

"May I ask another question?"

"Go on."

"Stephen R. Donaldson’s The Killing Stroke. Why did you mention it earlier in your note?"

The Red Bard's shoulders sagged as if he had aged with that inquiry. "…I was hoping you wouldn’t ask. Very well, if you really wish to know, I played the role of the Necromancer in that metaphor."

Setton looked at him in shock. "You’re telling me that Lee…"

"Yes. My power was enough to ensure his return with most of him and Silias intact. Their bodies and souls returned fully, but the memories leading up to it were…damaged. Two month’s worth were shattered beyond my skills, but the chain of memories linking the others merely need a trigger."

The Red Bard shook his head. “I apologize, but that is all I will say on the matter.”

There was silence for a moment before he broke it once more. “Onto the final part of our lesson, and the reason I wanted the pegasi’s constructs as far away as possible. This relies on panic and sensory overload – specifically, auditory. Have you ever heard of the Elements of Insanity?”

“Isn’t it that crossover series where various ponies get mixed with G-mod memes?”

"I would imagine that those are the same. This next attack may be familiar to you, as it is the weapon of choice of one “Fluttershout”. I’ve made a few adjustments through our connection, so you should be able to perceive the frequency without it wreaking havoc on your mind."

“Pay close attention. I’m channeling every emotion in my body, raising it to a fever pitch in my soul.” An aura consisting of all colors enveloped his form as he drew his breath.

What was released is utterly unprintable, as there are no words one could use to describe it accurately. The sheer volume put the Royal Canterlot Voice to shame, and the emotional tsunami crashed over them was staggering. Suffice it to say, the guard was clutching his ears as his eyes shut tightly, before the sound won out. Limply, he fell to the ground, senseless.

Setton’s ears were still ringing as he struggled to his feet. “I thought you said it wouldn’t wreak havoc on my mind?”

“I apologize, but considering your mindscape held, I did my job successfully. Stronger willed opponents would be able to weather the emotional overload to a degree, simply scrambling their thoughts. However, this one was not one of those trained to do so, and as such his mind shut down to preserve his sanity.” Another guard appeared in the mindscape, looking no different from the first. “Now you try.”

Setton’s ‘ears’ were restored, but to his surprise he found himself completely calm. “I take it that the emotions were dulled for me?”

The Red Bard nodded. “Exactly. You only took the auditory assault, and for that I commend you for withstanding.” His voice became more forceful as he continued to speak. “Now take a deep breath, think about as many things as fast as you can! Make them as random and clashing as they can possibly be, then release that chaos into your shout! Let your heart go into overdrive!”

Setton considered how to do this for a moment before it hit him. Setton concentrated until his thoughts became extremely epileptic. He roared to the heavens, his thoughts becoming a torrent of noise and passion as the guard immediately collapsed and dissolved into mimetic dust.

The Red Bard instinctively drove his Keyblade into the ground in front of him as the mindscape shook, but his foothold on Setton’s consciousness began to shatter under the strain. “That is all I can teach you for now, Setton!” he shouted above the din. “But we shall meet again!”

With this, Setton found the mindscape crumbling around him.

---

While the others were talking to the ‘new arrivals’, The Beast’s mind was elsewhere.

I could have sworn I felt his presence again. But why –?

Setton bolted upright. He looked around, taking in his surroundings, before he spoke up. “I had the strangest dream. And you were there,” he said pointing to Orion, “and you were there,” now pointing to Aurora, “and you were...there,” he said intending to point at Rainbow Dash. He paused with a frown, realizing that there were two Rainbow Dashes.

“Anyone mind telling me what’s going on?”

Author's Note:

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[LeoneHaxor]

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