An Exchange of Hijinx
Outside the thick door, Dax Blackwater stood waiting. As he came out of Luther's office, the young stallion got stars in his eyes, and his emotions radiated both eagerness and hope.
"Well... what did he have to say? How did it go? Did he agree? Did he NOT agree? Was it as easy as I said it would be?"
Dax's energy was ramped up, and he was chomping at the bit to hear what his friend had to say about how the meeting went.
It was hard to imagine Luther as such an energetic young powerhouse of happiness; it was just as difficult to imagine Dax becoming hard and cold like his father was.
Illiad's expresion brightened a bit at Dax's enthusiasm, but was still a bit more subdued than usual. "It happened pretty much exactly like you said it was, to the point where Silver and I half expected him to talk about jelly like you did. He seems inclined to the idea of backing Silver's patents."
He looked around to try and get an idea of the time. "It's about lunch time now isn't it? What do you think we should do for the rest of the day?"
Dax smiled warmly; he was so full of life, it was hard to see him as anything but adorable.
"Oh, there's LOTS of stuff we can do today! And lunch DOES sound good - hey, I've got an idea... have you ever had a straw dog? The lunch trailer serves 'em all day long, and they are pretty tasty. What do you say we go over there and get a few?"
Oh, boy...
Illiad gave a slight smirk, "I've had one before yes. That certainly sounds like a great idea, you know this place better than I do so you better lead the way."
He idly wondered if it would be a good idea to ask if they could invite Silver to join them, then decided against it. This time was for Dax, there would be more time for Silver later.
Dax walked along the path that led to the quarry yard seeming as chipper as usual; his mood, as always, matched his actions. There was something to be said about one whose emotions were so honest, unfettered by the usual restraints that life can put upon one. It was refreshing to see such a thing.
As they made their way into the quarry proper, Illiad immediately got a feeling that something was... off.
There were workers around them, yet they seemed to be in different levels of preoccupation - one was playing with a length of rope like it was a snake, while two more were... ballroom dancing? Another was sneaking around (though not very well), and yet another was skipping along while whistling a jaunty tune. How very strange...
Dax, of course, was oblivious to the proceedings around him; he was busy talking to his best friend.
"... and we could go to the gardens, though they're nowhere near as impressive as they were when my ancestor, Lotus Black, kept her horticulture experiments there - out of ALL of them, there's only ONE of her original flowers left, and that's in Father's office; have you noticed that reeeeeally old pot near the window? That's it!"
They reached the lunch trailer, and Dax made his way towards the window.
"Hiya, Grill Brick! I was wondering if... you... might..."
Dax's patter slowed to a stop as he saw what was inside the trailer itself - standing at the grill was the dour cook from yesterday... yet he wasn't dour at all. He had an ENORMOUS smile on his face, and a spatula in his mouth. There was food on the grill, but it wasn't burnt - because the grill itself wasn't on.
"Uhm... mister Grill Brick? Sir? Yoo hoo..."
Dax waved his hooves at Grill, but no response came. Dax turned back to face Illiad, worry writ large on his face and his emotions.
"... this can't be good."
Illiad had an expression to match, it was a situation completely unlike anything he had ever encountered before. He retrieved his diamond again and prepared it just in case something bad went down. "I think we should get out of here, this neither looks nor feels right."
The two of them backed off from the trailer, warily looking as Grill Brick continue to stand there watching the food not-burn.
Now that Dax got to looking around, he began to feel confused... and a tad scared, as he had no idea what was happening. He looked around at the other workers, all seemingly engaged in some of the strangest activities the two of them had ever seen the workers engage in: skipping, singing, dancing, playing like children...
Over close to the gem refinery, Illiad caught a surge of panic... and a bit of secretive movement from behind the large water tower. With all the weird activity going on in the open, the stealthy presence was certainly out-of-place here.
Illiad's eyes narrowed, it seemed he had found the source of all this weirdness. He would have to go after it, but first an Idea came to him.
He quickly drew out a thin line from his diamond and wrapped it once around Dax's head just above his eyes like a headband. "That should keep you protected from any magical and some chemical manipulation, if that is the cause of this I wouldn't want you getting caught up in it too."
That taken care of, he began to make his way over to where he had felt the panic. "Follow closely Dax, I think I may have found what is causing all of this."
Oh please let Silver be okay.
When he made his way over to the movement, he discovered a white tail and a shapely mare's blue rump sticking out of a bush. Slung over her flank was a ratty satchel, with a small hole in the corner of it.
Dax blinked a few times, then spoke up. "Taps?"
Sure enough, it was Taps who whipped around from out of the bush faster than greased lightning. The look on her face was deadly serious, and Illiad felt her emotional state go to high-tension-alert. He could almost swear she was ready for a fight... then she realized who it was, and her mood shifted from alert to wary as her face lightened.
"Taps, what are you doing? Do YOU have any idea what's going on?"
She lifted an eyebrow in question, but her mood didn't match her reaction - she may have questioned them visually, but her feelings weren't curious at all. Not one bit.
She gave a weak smile, then shrugged.
The Trojan could feel Dax becoming a bit suspicious... but he showed absolutely no outward signs of it. Clever Dax.
Illiad on the other hoof, went for the open approach, looking visibly suspicious. "I think you definitely know more than you're letting on Taps. Given Dax's reaction I would guess that this hasn't happened before. At least, he doesn't remember it having happened before. But you are the only other one we've found who's acting like they're in control, and even you are acting uncharacteristically secretive."
He sighed as he shook his head, "Will the weirdness I encounter here never cease?"
Taps eyeballed Illiad as he spoke. He could feel her emotions warring between fight and flight, but she kept an excellent poker face. Looking at her, she was sleek and wiry; if she DID fight, she'd be terribly fast - Illiad would have to take her down quickly, or she could overwhelm him physically.
Her eyes slid over to look at Dax, and her emotions went soft - she apparently had a kind place in her mysterious heart for the Blackwater stallion, so nothing threatening there. However, as for Illiad...
There was a measure of wary caution bubbling just under the surface, and then - as if remembering something important, her eyes widened as they firmly locked back on the Trojan... and her emotional state suddenly went almost completely blank, save for what felt like a miasma of nonchalance.
She knew.
Illiad had no idea how... but she apparently KNEW the unicorn was an Empathic.
"Taps... what are you doing?"
Taps again gave a small, sheepish grin and shrugged... but now, she was beginning to step slowly backwards, towards the corner of the gem refinery.
Illiad's eyes narrowed, Tap's actions all but confirmed his thoughts. She knew what was going on here, and she didn't want to tell.
Well, she's certainly not getting away before I try to stop her.
In a somewhat fluid motion, Illiad's gem became a shining sword similar in length and shape to a broadsword. He held it in his magic with the point to the opposite side of him as Dax. Similar to if he were holding it in his mouth.
"Taps, you don't want to run from this one. I know you have some idea of what's going on here. Tell us."
Taps' eyes narrowed to slits as she stared back at the Trojan and his blade. She took one step back, then spread her stance to adopt a fighting style. The poker face she'd been wearing fell away to reveal a hard glare to rival Luther Blackwater's.
"Sorry - that's classified, Empathic."
Dax's mouth fell open and his eyes went saucer-sized. "YOU CAN TALK!?"
Taps simply focused on the apparent enemy across from her, waiting for the first move to be made.
Illiad raised an eyebrow at Tap's speaking. "You say empathic with such intensity, like you hate the thought. Or perhaps you wanted to make the reveal of your knowledge more dramatic. It's so much harder to tell when you're smothering yourself."
Illiad moved slowly, putting himself between Taps and Dax. "All is not as it seems with you is it? I'll admit, I had my suspicions of you when Mrs. Blackwater said she didn't trust you with some of her letters. And the fact that you seem rather young to have been the pony express operator for so long that no one remembers anyone else. But what really stuck with me was Silver's letter, the fact that Cloudsdale never seemed to have gotten her letter. You are one of few, if not the only one that could have stopped that letter. The question then is why. Why would you want Cloudsdale to not hear about the weather situation here?"
He moved the sword so it went across the front of his body, the hilt by his right shoulder, and the tip in front of his left shoulder, but closer to Taps than the hilt. "That mystery can be solved later now that I know the Who of the situation. What matters now is what's going on with the workers. And I know you know the answer to that. The question then: Will you tell me? Or will I have to force it out of you?"
Taps may have been hiding her emotions, but the smirk that crept across her muzzle spoke worlds of confidence.
"Oh, I have nothing against Empathics... but I might have a slight issue with those who side AGAINST our Royal Highness - Her Majesty Princess Celestia, in case you've forgotten, Trojan."
She slowly brought out her wings, then flicked them back quickly with a snap. There was a >SHING!< as blade tips appeared at the tips of her feathers, and her smile grew wider.
"Of course, it's easy to see you could forget - after all, I'm well aware of how Troy feels about her; it wouldn't be much of a stretch to say you'd willingly forget everything she has done for the ponies of Equestria. Trojans have always been ungrateful to her - ever since the separation. Not even so much as a 'thanks for everything up to this point'... just a slap in the muzzle, and a holier-than-Equestria attitude."
She leaned forward. "One I will be SO happy to correct in you, Illiad Easle."
Illiad smirked back, "So it's going to be like that eh? We owe everything to Luna and Luna alone. She designed our form of government, She guided us when we started out, and She has illuminated our night with her moon these many long years. Celestia stands in opposition to our way of life. She tried to overthrow our government, She did everything she could to prevent is from succeeding, She caused the negative view of Empathics, Griffons, and all non-pony races. She banished our princess without trial, taking for herself sole ruler-ship of Equestria. We would not be ruled by a tyrant."
Illiad adopted a relaxed stance, one that could move to strike or defend easily. "Will you strike me Taps? I don't think you could even if you wanted to, though I'm sure you want to. You propaganda zealots always were the aggressive type."
Illiad really hoped Dax had the sense to move to a safe place. He had to know what was causing this and how to stop it. If he had to fight Taps to do it then so be it.
"I always wondered why I never heard back from Luna, I suppose I know now why. Was this all a setup then? Did you plan this so you could fight me?"
Taps didn't rise to the jibe; apparently, she was smarter than that.
"So you'd spite the one who gave up her own Sister to protect Equestria? Or would you rather Nightmare Moon have run rampant, shrouding everything in eternal night? Perhaps you don't even care to consider HER feelings on the matter? Have you ever ASKED her, Easle?"
Now, a trickle of anger peeked out from the STILL nonchalant attitude - but it was like she wanted Illiad to see it - well controlled, indeed.
"I have. She told me of how every cheer for her bravery, every gift she kindly rejected for saving a pony, every Summer Sun Celebration was a bitter reminder of what SHE had to give up to save ALL of us! You call her cruel? You claim her to be unfair in returning Princess Luna to full power? You would presume to hand the pony who burned you a cup of hot tea without flinching?"
Though a braggart might have smiled at such a stab, Taps only grew more firm in her stance, more determined in her gaze.
"You call me a Propaganda Zealot, yet I'm not the one who started going on and on to Dax Blackwater about Her Majesty Princess Luna, am I? No, I chose to allow Dax to find his OWN truth, should he have sought it - and as intelligent as he is, I have faith that he WOULD seek it for himself. All YOU have done is browbeat the poor guy with how EVIL Her Highness Princess Celestia is; WHO is the one pushing propaganda here?"
"The Trojans are a group of ponies who were feeling slighted because they weren't asked if it was okay to save Equestria - perhaps this entire WORLD - from what would have been TRUE tyranny under Nightmare Moon's rule."
She pushed out her lower lip mockingly. "Boo. Hoo. Hoo."
"The Trojans were powerless to stop her threat, and believe that Her Highness Princess Celestia saved them all out of SPITE. They feel that trying to force Her Majesty Princess Luna to resume her mantle so soon after so much has happened is the right thing to do, when it's nothing more than chomping at the bit for bragging rights to the front of the 'I-Told-You-So' line - unwarranted as it is."
"As for the reputations of other races - the thanks for THAT goes to all the false courtiers and officials who lie in their corrupt castles, sleeping soundly on bags of bits they pried from the hands of ne'er-do-wells with big ambitions and deep pockets. You presume to know persecution because of Her Majesty Princess Celestia, yet SHE is the one who espoused the idea of friendship being magic in the first place - which the Trojans are ALWAYS loathe to admit."
She began to slowly circle to the left, trying to circle outside of strike range far enough to have to make the unicorn move to continue to face her... and her wings began to s-l-o-w-l-y tilt backwards, as if either folding them in... or preparing to strike. Her emotional state was now like stone; she was completely unreadable, as if she wasn't even there.
"You actually happen to be someone I do NOT wish to cross, Easle; I know about the Cloud Diamond deposit, I know about Knee Slapper, I know about your rather short visit home with Madam Blackwater... and I know about YOU. You do not scare me... but you have skill and talent, and a good heart - even if your head is up your flank."
She now gave a snarky half-grin, and her mismatched eyes sparkled.
"It would be a veritable shame to have to put you down, Trojan Dog."
Illiad shook his head slightly as he gave a slight laugh, still keeping his eyes on Taps he responded to each of her points in turn.
"If that is what you know to be true than your head is full of lies. I know the true story of Nightmare Moon, she told it to me herself. If Celestia weren't such the hog for attention she was than Nightmare moon would never have happened. If Celestia weren't afraid to let her little ponies grow up, experience hardship, live without her then the world would frankly be a better place. Celestia wouldn't let Luna do what she needed to do to keep the world in balance, so she had to resort to extreme measures to prevent the end of the world. Celestia nearly ruined everything because she was too coddling towards you, even now she lulls you into a false sense of security while tensions flare across the horizon. I care not what Celestia thought on the matter, for she cared naught about her own sister until it was too late."
"I speak the truth, I talk of how things actually happened from a perspective few will ever obtain. The fact is that Celestia has done many horrible things in the name of securing her place on the throne of Equestria, eliminating all threats to her power and rule. It's not propaganda if it’s true Taps."
"We left because Celestia tried to overthrow our government, abolish our democratic councils and replace them with her own appointed governors like the rest of her little ponies. She tried to take the power away from us and put it squarely in her corner, and we would not allow it."
"Luna has been qualified to retain her rights to the throne from the moment the elements repaired the split she inflicted in her own soul, Celestia refusing her the powers of government is evidence that she does not consider her to be her equal."
"The only corrupt castle I’ve seen is the one that sits so high on its mountain, daring nature itself to tear it down. The other nations prosper yet you Equestrians are tought that they are wholly depraved and struggling to maintain even the barest sense of civility. We alone have far surpassed Equestria in science and technology as well as foreign relations to become the global trade power Equestria once was. Ever wonder why Equestria isn't exporting as much and the cost of imports is ever increasing? You claim she espouses friendship but she has done nothing but ruin her relations with the other nations of the world. Only her puppet state of the crystal empire would really come to her aid if she called."
Illiad moved as well, backwards but to the same direction around the center-point as Taps. The sword began to shift in shape until it somewhat resembled a crossbow, only without the bow that formed the cross, so it more accurately resembled a blunt stick, with the end pointed at her.
"You certainly know quite a bit about me, but hardly anyone knows much about you. Can they really be considered friends when you don't even speak to them? Though I suppose your right to have kept quiet, Wouldn't want it to get out how much of a hate spewing zealot you are. If you're all about friendship where is it now? Where is your kindness and honesty? You're certainly fast, and it was clear to me that you cared about the ponies here."
"I'd hate to have to clip your wings you air-headed Equestrian sheep."
It was hard to match her phrase to phrase, it seemed she had this ready in advance and he was second guessing his words. But no matter, he had yet to lose this sort of conflict.
Given the scientific advancement of Troy he had experience with some forms of weaponry that would put the Equestrian military to shame. The things you come up with when you battle giant stone crabs every week, and speedy sand scorpions every day on the dunes. Tap's would hardly know what hit her if it came down to it.
"STOP IT! STOP, DARNIT, STOP! ENOUGH!"
Dax charged right into the closing space between the two, his eyes full of tears but his jaw clenched in anger.
"What are you DOING!? You're ARGUING over who's the better princess while THIS is happening!?!?"
He motioned to the quarry yard just below, where it was now filled with workers of all kinds doing strange and unusual things; one was even sitting peacefully on the high roof of the Gem Refinery - an Earth Pony, at that - with no visible way up available by hoof. Two were bonking their heads together; one was walking stiffly on his hind legs and making 'choo-chooooo' sounds; one was trotting backwards without looking and knocking things over...
Then, out came sturdy, hard-working Chuck List.
"... merrily merrily merrily merrily down the road I goo-ooo, skipping to and froo-ooo, merrily merrily all the livelong day!"
He was skipping like a schoolfilly, singing a ridiculous song in a high falsetto voice with a big, toothy smile on his haggard face; it was almost a rictus of pain, it was so extreme.
Dax pointed directly at Chuck.
"Does he deserve that? As hard as he works, as much as he's done, and with everypony who owes their livelihoods to his careful direction, does he DESERVE that lack of dignity!? DOES HE!?"
The sight would have been highly comical, had it not been for Dax's purely incredulous mood and disposition towards it.
"Now, that is ENOUGH! BOTH of you, act your age, not your horseshoe size!"
He huffed and puffed for a moment... and felt HORRIBLE for what he'd said to his friends... but he was more concerned for everypony else, so he was sucking it up and being brave... and scared to death he would lose them both for it.
Taps watched as Dax spoke. Slowly, she began to leak a little stream of shame and embarrassment, being somewhat humbled by the young Blackwater's words - though she kept herself focused on Illiad; she did step back, and took a looser, more defensive stance. Her wingblades remained in sight, however.
She took a split second to shoot a glance at Dax... then she took a deep, cautious breath.
[color=#000ff]"He has a point; this is rather foolish of us both... fine. I could use the help, anyway - but ONLY with the understanding that you keep your..." The Trojan felt her emotional shield ripple for a second, then solidify again. "... ideas... to yourself, and I will follow suit. Is this agreed?"
Though still very alert and wary, Taps seemed genuine - the tense spring of her muscles slowly wound down as she looked at the unicorn in front of her.
The gem item swirled as he restored it to its usual shape, but he still kept the full diamond in front of him. He was slightly embarrassed for having been chastized by Dax of all ponies.
"You think I would just influence creatures all willy-nilly? I am not presently inclined to influence you one way or the other Taps, if that is what you're referring to. My initial statement still stands: You know what's going on here, tell us."
I should really have taken Luna up on that badge of office thing, that may have made this encounter much easier.
She gave him a glare, but gave a sigh and said, "Fine. I'll keep it short."
"I am a... 'keeper', of sorts. I am responsible for a gathering of magical artifacts, and my latest acquisition has slipped through an unfortunate hole my bag."
She brought her satchel around, slowly... and showed them the hole Illiad had noticed earlier.
"Unfortunately, it happens to be a rather disconcerting artifact to have lost; The Jinx Stone."
She took on a grave look as she spoke.
"It's an artifact that takes a single, remotely distant quality in any individual it affects and amplifies it completely out of proportion, making it the sole dominating trait. It can lead to the strangeness you see here... and far, far worse."
She looked past them at the quarry yard with a shade of regret evident in her voice.
"It was secure; my satchel wasn't - and I claim full responsibility for that mistake. Now, I have to locate it to end its' effect on the quarry."
She leveled a glance at the unicorn. "And yes, that IS the short version."
Dax also looked the Trojan's way.
"That's... kinda scary. It sounds like it's serious; we've gotta help Taps."
"C'mon, Illiad - she has always been nice to me, and it's not like this is happening on purpose. She's owned up to it, and she's STILL asking for help, even WITH your differences... that should say something about her, regardless of who she really is."
Illiad looked skeptical, but shrugged. It was plausible enough. "Alright then, why weren't we affected then? All of us seem fine. Furthermore, how do you think we should go about finding it? You should certainly know about this sort of thing."
He turned towards Dax, still wary of Taps. "It is serious and I fully intend to help. It's working wonders already for the local state of the quarry, with this and the cave the quarry shouldn't be due for another bad event for a decade or so. I could say what I think of Taps now, but I won't as we have bigger problems for now."
He turned back towards Taps, "I don't trust you explicitly, but I'll follow you here. Don't make me regret it."
She watched Illiad like a hawk as he spoke, but nodded when he was finished, and folded away the wingblades quietly.
"It looks like an amber teardrop with a multi-colored band of metal around it, but it's small enough to fit in a single hoof. The reason you haven't been affected is simple enough - neither of you have touched it. That's how it triggers its' spell."
She looked around the ground again and sighed.
"I was merely hoping that it had been stumbled across, but I fear it may have been picked up by someone here - and if they didn't drop it, and more workers are being affected, then it makes it all the more imperative to find it that much faster."
"As to why I am not affected, it's because I have certain... safeguards... in place to protect me from different effects. Including emotional influence, in case you're interested, Easle."
She stepped over to the edge of the refinery, looking down into the quarry yard.
Illiad gave a sarcastic look when Taps mentioned emotional protection, "Oh really? I hadn't noticed."
"This is my fault - and I am determined to fix it. But this is too dangerous for me to waste time looking for it alone."
Taps looked back over her flank at them both.
"I've already searched the rest of the quarry; the refinery was the last place on my list. We'll have to search for a pony who is running around touching workers who then go all strange afterward."
Illiad quickly regained his more serious expression, "I guess then we'd just need to find a group that isn't affected and watch them, see where the gem hasn't been and wait for it to get there. We could also think of possible culprits, who would want to do this sort of thing. Oglevy comes to mind, though it is also the sort of thing Knee might do." He shook his head, "No wait, they'd have to touch the gem too, so the one who is spreading this would have to be the least likely one we would think to do this."
He turned to Dax, "You know anyone here like that? Redd maybe?"
Dax tappad a hoof against his chin.
"It might BE Redd... but it could just as easily be ANY of the others, couldn't it?"
Taps nodded.
"As I stated, it takes a single trait in the subject's psyche and over-inflates it. Now if, perhaps, there were someone here who had been affected in such a manner by the stone and had taken it upon themselves to cause this kind of issue, then it would be imperative to locate it before whomever it is manages to leave the quarry."
At that, here eyes flicked toward the front gates.
"Speaking of which, the quarry gates need to be locked down; unless another pegasus took hold of the Jinx Stone, the gates will provide an excellent deterrent to anyone who might want to leave; I can get the gates - the two of you keep an eye out while I set the locks."
With that, Taps flexed her powerful wings and took off, headed for the control tower above the front gates, where the mechanisms were housed. Dax watched her leave.
"I can't believe it - she can TALK... and rather fluently, I might add."
He faced his friend. "So, we're looking for this Jinx Stone, aren't we?"
Illiad maintianed his skeptical expression until Taps was well out of sight, then he sighed as he turned back to Dax. "Of course, hoping that it is the real cause of all this and that Taps didn't just give us the slip to leave us to solve her problem."
He rubbed his forehead before shaking his head again. "I'll bet she didn't even send my letter to Luna, that or she kept Luna's letter to me. I see now why your mother doesn't trust her."
He started walking, "Never mind that now, let''s get looking, and hopefully not touched by it. The sooner this is all cleared up the better."
Dax gave Illiad a look.
"She really got your goat, didn't she? Well, I don't think she means any harm - she's been here for years; if she wanted to do anything like that, she'd have done so already, wouldn't she? I think you're just upset that she doesn't see your point of view... but..."
The Blackwater stallion looked toward the gates, where Taps had flown to 'lock them down', as she had stated. He caught a glimpse of her zipping into an open window.
"... I gotta admit; THIS Taps is pretty serious. But searching... I mean, if somepone is doing this on purpose, how are we gonna be able to find them? Maybe they're just as much a victim as everyone else is?"
... maybe?
"She wouldn't exactly have the opportunity to do much here, I am likely the first non-equestrian to show up here in a long time. And while I fully support Luna, I think she only cares that I care little for Celestia. Mostly I'm upset to encounter another Equestrian who sees their princess as infallible and all other nations as woefully inferior in every way."
He turned back towards Dax, "I did say earlier that perhaps the one least likely to spread it around would be the one to have found it, thus making them spread it around, which is why I asked if someone would seem very likely to not spread it around. Anyway, if this is being spread about on purpose, we should find those that haven't been touched and wait to see if someone tries to touch them with it."
Dax thought for a bit.
"Well... I don't know about the miners in general, but the ones I do know would be a place to start - naturally, we can rule Taps out, as well as Chuck. That would leave Knee Slapper, Silver Studs, Doc Zinger and Redd Handid - not to mention the Ons, though I don't think they'd have had time to do this. Nor inclination, honestly."
He looked back over at his best friend.
"As for groups we can watch, all I know is that when we left the manor, nopony there was affected... by... any... ILLIAD! If the rest of the whole quarry's affected, THEY'LL BE GOING AFTER MY FAMILY!!!"
Dax turned and dashed back up the path, headed for the Blackwater family home at breakneck speed.
Illiad looked a bit confused at Dax's logic, after all those with the least inclination to do so would be the most likely to do so if they were touched by it.
Illiad rushed to keep up with Dax as he ran, but he was woefully out of practice with running. Maybe he should have taken Swift up on his offer to go running in the evenings?
Nevertheless, Dax was getting away from him. They both knew the way to the house, hopefully they would both arrive there safely. Illiad only hoped that his robe would offer at least some protection against being touched.
Dax simply knocked the front doors open with his shoulder and charged into the manor. Illiad was still cresting the hill when there was a BRIGHT flash of light from inside the manor's front hall. That bright flash came with an accompanying set of sounds. A yell from Dax... and a deep, rich laugh that sounded wicked and cruel.
Dashing inside, Illiad was greeted to quite a sight in the front hall.
"... 58623.550388 divided by 38964224.0000006200000..."
Near the front doors themselves, Oglevy Blackwater was sitting on the marble floor with a length of chalk in his mouth, furiously scribbling all sorts of numbers, integers, calculations, and all sorts of other mathematics that, despite his schooling, Illiad couldn't comprehend; chances are, it may have been nonsense anyway.
"La la la laaaa-laaaaa... la la la laaaa-laaaaaa..."
Vylia Blackwater was traipsing up and down the left hand side of the large staircase, skipping and prancing over the steps, ascending and descending again and again, dancing like a ballerina the entire time and humming a strangely familiar tune as she did.
In the middle of the upper-loft balcony stood Luther Blackwater, looking as proud and regal as ever... yet when he saw Illiad, he reached down next to him and grabbed one of what looked like close to a hundred small sacks and tossed it over the railing; when it hit the ground, it burst open. Bits flew in every direction.
"Easle! You need things! GO BUY THEM!"
And underneath Luther, in the middle of the hall was none other than Redd Handid, the forepony who had been easily suspect all along. At his hooves on the floor was Daxter, lying down and facing away from the front doors; the Trojan couldn't see his friend's face - he couldn't SEE if he was alive, but he could feel the tangle of emotions coming off him: confusion, fear, concern, worry... and helplessness?
Meanwhile, there stood Redd... actually, he wasn't standing; he was hovering in place, the amber glow from his horn surrounding him. The look on his muzzle was one of haughty victory, and on a loop of yarn around his neck was what could only have been The Jinx Stone.
Taps' description had been cursory; the gem itself was both incredible AND hideous to behold. The delicate strand of silver that encircled the jewel looked like it had been poured onto the stone itself, they were so smooth and polished - and the intricate filigree almost glistened with magical energy. But the gem itself...
Illiad's mind could conceive of the idea that it WAS a gem, but that was where the ability to comprehend came to an end. The 'facets' of the gem were so chaotic that they reached into other dimensions; it was like staring at sun, but it bypassed the eyes and went directly to the brain. It HURT to look at it... yet it was so very beautiful in its terrible existence.
"Illiad Easle."
The look on Redd's face was one of the cruelest smiles the Trojan had ever seen on a pony; only Sombra himself held such a terrifying visage. Strangely enough though, the emotion coming from the red unicorn was... panic? Fear? Regret and worry? There was not a single drop of it on his muzzle... but the squirming panic beneath the surface told Illiad something.
Whatever Redd was doing was the effect of the gem; the poor pony was trapped inside his own mind, watching in horror as things unfolded in front of them both. Worse yet, Illiad could now feel the writhing sensations of the other Blackwaters in their own shells, struggling against impossible bonds. The gem had made their bodies into prisons - prisons they had no chance of escaping on their own.
"Yeeeeeeeesssssssss..."
THAT couldn't be good.
Illiad did not know initially how to react to this situation, he stood still just taking it all in for what must have been a few seconds before his training on surprise situations kicked in.
Self- His diamond became a light sort of bubble around himself that would prevent the gem from touching him.
Others- The other Blackwaters wouldn't pose much of a threat to him and didn't seem to be a threat to themselves. The circle of diamond was still on Dax, so it may be enough to counter the stone, but it would take time to tell for sure. Clearly Redd was the threat here, or rather the stone controlling Redd was the threat.
That taken care of Illiad turned his attention to the one that deserved it, Redd. "Why am I not surprised that it turned out to be you who would end up with the stone? Not to say I called it or anything, but I totally called it. So, how's this going to go? It's clear you have quite a bit of power in your corner, not that my own is lacking."
Illiad was comfortable talking a bit more casually given the state of the Blackwaters. In truth he had no idea what this gem was capable of and Taps had neglected to tell him how to reverse its effects. It seemed his only hope was to not get touched, hopefully the shield would be enough.
The red unicorn's magical aura began to form tendrils that waved in the air as he hung there.
"Power, my DEAREST Illiad, is in the eye of the beholder. Observe," he said as the magic beams shot out and connected with each Blackwater. As it did so, their eyes turned from whatever shade they currently were to a deep crimson color, and with this change each one of the Blackwaters slowly made their way to Redd's side...
Then there was Dax. When the beam struck him, he shuddered, then stood up. However, Illiad saw it clear as day on Dax's face; the Blackwater stallion was unaffected! He stood like the others, and began milling his way towards the unicorn, seeming for all the world like just another zombie.
"Dare you attempt to try any tricks upon me while I hold the Blackwaters as a meat shield? Then perhaps I could command them to do each other in... perhaps THAT would be more fitting?"
At this, Luther and Vylia turned to face each other, and each began to reach for the others' throat, their emotions screaming in panic as if they were the same pony. Dax, too, looked panicked at this development, but he was doing his utmost to stay 'in character'... which, strangely enough, seemed to be working.
"I want to watch you SUFFER for the humiliations I have had since you arrived! You shall RUE the day you crossed me!"
It was at this point that one of the upper hall windows smashed inward, and what looked to be a jar of jelly came flying into the center of the hall, right where Redd was hovering. When it connected with the wall next to him, it shattered - and instantly, a solid wall of fruit jam blinked into existence between himself and the others.
With that, Taps darted in through the open window and looked over at Illiad.
"The wall won't hold him; I don't think we can handle this without some help - meet me at the Express station!"
With that, she darted right back out, headed for her own Pony Express outpost.
Illiad decided some very decisive action was in order before he followed Taps. With a flash, similar rings to the one on Dax's head were on the heads of the other Blackwaters, it wouldn't counteract the affects of the Jinx Stone, but it would keep Redd from manipulating them further. Then a second, much brighter flash, and the Blackwaters were teleported away from the room, Selena guided their warps to ensure their safe arrival at somewhat random destinations within the quarry.
Illiad's stance and shield faltered, warping the four Blackwaters had taken quite a bit of energy from him. Enough so that he couldn't simply teleport himself away. He dropped the shield to save what magical energy remained and ran.
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*Reads story description*
*Follows link to prequel*
Wait... what? Why does the sequel have more chapters, way more than the original?
7441576
Well, The Blackwater Quarry is listed as the prequel because it comes chronologically before A Cultural Exchange and because I haven't written A Poniad Part 1 yet which is the true prequel.
Also, The Blackwater Quarry is written entirely by Randimaxis while this one is written by him and I.
In short this one is longer because it is more fun to write and can stand independent of the prequel.
... and I have trouble maintaining focus when I write.
The majority of the reason I'm able to help with this story is BECAUSE of Illiad's responses to me; on my own, I simply get washed away with whatever next project pours across my mental riverbed. The story's already in my mind - it's the transference to physical words that takes so long...
Anyway, so Taps is like a Transformer; more than meets the eye. More on her later, I promise... but for now, just keep in mind that EVERYONE at the Blackwater Quarry has a story behind them, and they're all more than they appear to be. The truth is coming, I assure you... can you handle the truth? *chuckle*
Chastized by Dax Blackwater - shame on you both, Taps and Illiad. Shame on you both.
7442912
As I was editing that chapter I realized so many other good points Illiad could have made, but it would be unfair to Taps for me to rewrite his dialogue to add them.
Maybe I'll blog post with a better response to all of Taps points against Troy.
... or maybe Taps should show up again sometime... and they should get round two.
After all, antagonistic allies can make for some interesting entertainment!