Through the Mist

by Misty Spell

Chapter 4. Clouds on the Horizon

"Woah, this place is huge!" Misty Spell exclaimed as she stepped out the door. She was in a square shaped building with several doors all around. In front of her was a railing from which she could look down what looked to be a good forty floors. "This place must be visible for miles!" she added, glancing back at Fire Flare who shrugged indifferently.

The red unicorn joined her at the railing and shook her head "nah, not really, it's actually just bigger on the inside. From outside it's just a single floor thatch roofed cottage," she said as if it were the most normal thing in the world. "The magic research guilds architects are the best in the business. Though it's really expensive, so it ain't like every blacksmith, baker, and candlestick maker's got it," she explained, nodding to Lyra who was waving up to them from all the way down on the first floor.

It was about this moment that how high up they were really dawned on Misty, who glanced around at the perfectly square floor they were on and noticed that none of the doors were marked for stairs, though there was one with an arrow pointing down. "So, are the stairs over there?" she asked, pointing a hoof at the door in question.

Fire Flare simply wagged her hoof back and forth in a 'sort of' motion. "Elevators actually, forty five floors is a lot of walking especially for our older members," she said, heading over towards the door. When she opened it up there was a translucent blue platform floating over what looked to be a large hole in the floor. The platform had a pole with a sphere in one of the back corners that Fire Flare zapped with magic. "C'mon, it'll start movin' without ya" she urged, gesturing with a hoof to hurry.

Taking the hint, Misty rushed forth to step onto the elevator platform. However, it had already started going down, so her hoof met air. She ended up falling forward, unable to stop herself in time and landed face first on the elevator platform. "Ow," was all she could say, sitting herself up and rubbing her muzzle. "Shouldn't we have closed the door?" she asked, looking up at where they'd come from, now a good eight or so floors away and growing.

The red unicorn blinked a bit, the words taking a moment to click before she nodded. "Ah, right! Thanks for reminding me!" she said, charging up her horn, the sound of a door slamming closed reaching down to them. "There, all done!" she declared proudly.

Misty Spell couldn't help but glance up, an envious look on her face. "Man, unicorns have it easy" she sighed, having often wished she'd had magic to make tedious tasks easier.

Fire Flare nodded "yep, that we do. Don't worry, you'll be able to do stuff like that in no time!" she said, clearly trying to cheer Misty up. She tilted her head curiously when Misty reached up and touched her horn again. "You forgot you were a unicorn for a second didn't ya?" she asked.

An embarrassed blush spread across Mistys face as she looked away. "N-no! I just...was stating the obvious, that's all!" she said, defensive tone obvious to any who could hear it. Though this only numbered one pony, Fire Flare, who only chuckled good naturedly. "So, ah, I'm really cured right? No more of that magical allergy stuff?" Misty asked hopefully.

Fire Flare shifted uncomfortably as they reached the ground floor, hurriedly stepping off. "No time for any of that, we gotta get ya into those lessons real qui-iiiick!" she drew up short as teeth closed down on her tail to prevent her from going anywhere.

"Fire Flaaaare," Misty said, walking around to the front of the red unicorn and looking her in the eye. "I am cured, right?" she demanded.

Fire Flare fidgeted a little more before sighing. "Alright, so we might have over exaggerated just a little. Less cured, more temporary remedy?" she said, growing more unsure by the word, and ending in a nervous squeak. Fire Flare may have been a lot of things. Strong, skilled, but when it came to social situations neither of those things were particularly useful.

Misty Spell sighed, feeling frustration taking her over, at least until she took a moment to breath in and out. Her next words came as forced and deliberate as she could make them. "Please. Explain," she insisted, eyes narrowed irately. It wasn't as though she was particularly short tempered, but with her life potentially on the line she couldn't very well afford not to know.

Sighing in defeat, Fire Flare nodded in assent. "Yeah, well, the actual cure is monumentally expensive. Like more than bankrupt the guild expensive, ya know? There's a spell that temporarily stops it though, so we cast that on ya" she said with a big grin spreading on her face. "I mean, ya could wear that eyepatch but it'd cut your magic power...in...half...you don't care do you?" she asked, grin falling to a frown as she saw the look on Mistys face.

Misty shook her head "no, I really, really don't. I'd rather wear the eyepatch," she insisted, looking around at the unicorns walking here and there. "So where's Sliver Tog?" she asked, not seeing the familiar face among them. She turned around when she heard some chuckling from Fire Flare. "Huh? Did I say something funny?" she asked curiously.

Fire Flare took a moment to get her chuckling under control, a big smile on her face from the amusement. "N-no, no! It's just...hah...her name's Silver Cog!" she said, breaking out into laughter, unaware that the gray pony in question had walked up behind her, casually sipping a styrofoam cup of coffee.

"Why yes, yes it is," Silver Cog said, watching as Fire Flare jumped high into the air from shock. Silver shook her head and took another sip of coffee. "Three...two...one...now," she counted down. Just as she said that final word Fire Flares hooves hit the ground and the bespectacled pony found the other unicorn in her face.

"Don't scare me like that!" Fire Flare complained, an accusatory look on her face, which only grew more so when Silver Cog took another sip from her coffee without responding.

After a moment of silence between the three of them Misty finally decided to speak up. "Soooo...when can I get the eye patch back?" she asked, fidgeting a bit from how awkward everything felt at the moment. Her eyes went from Fire Flare who gave a simple shrug to Silver Cog who guzzled down the rest of her coffee and teleported the cup to the nearest garbage can.

"After your introduction to the guild" Silver said, trotting alongside Misty and patting her on the withers. "Are you absolutely certain you wish to wear that eye patch?" she asked, receiving a nod from Misty. Nodding, Silver decided to change the subject to something a little more important at present. "Do you have any idea what you'll say at the introductory meeting?" she asked.

Misty Spell was about to say something when the front door to the guild was burst open. The silhouette of a pony backed by several stage lights shining into the building could be seen standing there in a bold pose. "BEHOLD!" boomed the voice of the pony in question, definitely a mare. She stepped into the building proper and closed the door behind her revealing herself. "I, the leader of the Entertainment Guild and greatest unicorn to ever live have heard that this meager guild has a new guild master" she said. The pony glanced around before seeing a pony she hadn't seen before. Stomping over to her, the pony spoke again. "I, the GREAT and POWERFUL Trixie challenge you to a magic duel!" the pony named Trixie said, pointing a challenging hoof.

After clearing her throat, Misty decided to speak up. "Umm, I'm over here" she said, raising a hoof.

Trixie looked over at Misty, then back to the purple and pink unicorn she'd been challenging, then finally back to Misty Spell. "Right...Trixie knew that, she was merely...testing you! yes, a test!" Trixie said, marching over to Misty, ignoring the previous unicorn who ran off as soon as Trixie had turned away. "Accept Trixies Great and Powerful challenge or face disgrace and shame!" Trixie demanded, shooting out a hoof to the side, causing a wizards hat to appear in her hoof. She then put it on and smirked cockily.

Misty Spell glanced back at Silver Cog and Fire Flare and they just shook their heads like Trixie was a nuisance, with Fire Flare even circling her ear with a hoof.

"Hay! I am not crazy!" Trixie shot back at Fire Flare, who was now giggling to herself at Trixies expense.

"Umm, lady, I don't even know you, and even if I did I don't know any magic" Misty said, trying to interrupt what she felt could easily have broken into a fight. Misty then recoiled as the glare that Trixie shot her was filled with absolute contempt. Stepping backwards, Misty glanced around for a way out.

"Hah! What kind of magic guild employs a unicorn that can't even cast spells?! Clearly Trixie is the superior unicorn, and Trixie shall prove it to everypony here! Meet me at the park in one week" Trixie grinned wickedly, adjusting her hat on her head. Trixie then began to walk towards the door, snapping her tail at Misty as she passed. "Show up then or be denounced as a coward before your entire 'guild' of pathetic peons, hmph!" Trixie then left the building, slamming the door behind her and leaving an entire building of gawkers staring in awe at the gall of the stage magician.

Misty took a deep breath, thought after thought rushing through her mind in rapid succession. If she were to be honest, she wouldn't have been able to say what emotion she was feeling. Confusion, ire, nerves. Eventually having made up her mind she decided she was annoyed. Turning back to her two companions she pointed at the door. "What. The. HAY was that?!" she asked, exasperation clear in her voice.

"That was the most amazing, most talented, and certainly the most beautiful pony in all of Equestria. The GREAT AND POWERFUL TRRRRRRIXIE!" Fire Flare yelled boldly in her best imitation of Trixie, rearing up for effect as she ran through all of that. "Ooooor at least that's what she thinks of herself. She's actually the biggest braggart and master of the Ponyville Entertainment Guild," she said.

"That pony can lead something?" came Mistys sarcastic reply.

Nodding and adjusting her glasses, Silver Cog glanced over at a window next to the door. Misty followed her gaze and saw Trixie standing out there, making the universal 'watching you' gesture before slowly backing away. "She is a braggart and an idiot, but she can perform amazing stage magic if she really applies herself." Silver said, taking Mistys foreleg and tugging, guiding her to start walking.

Misty Spell and Fire Flare both followed their scientific friend as they were lead into a large room lined with shelves laden with very thick, important looking books. The place had a high ceiling, several chandeliers providing light down below. The air was fairly thick with dust, and only an elderly stallion could be seen occupying the place. "So is this where we'll be doing these remedial lessons?" Misty asked, glancing around the room a little. She then walked over to a small oak table and sat down next to it, Silver Cog and Fire Flare joining her.

Nodding, Fire Flare leaned on the table and grinned wide "gonna have to work hard though! We only got a week to get you ready for that duel!" the fiery unicorn said, a fire clearly in her belly as she said this. Though her confidence diminished a little at Mistys arched eyebrow.

"Why in the name of Cadance would I take her up on that stupid challenge?" Misty asked, clearly surprised that anypony would think to do so.

"Oh thank Celestia!" Silver Cog let out a sigh of relief "finally a guild master with common sense!" she said, a smile gracing her face as she glanced at her compatriots. "Remember, she may be an inept nag, but she has a life time of experience with magic that you lack. There is no way to prepare you in a single week," Silver explained, reaching out with her magic and pulling down a book entitled 'Teaching Foals: The Art of Magic.'

Fire Flare however wasn't relieved, she was a little peeved. "Why not?! She stormed in and mocked you, doesn't that upset you even a little?" she asked, looking Misty Spell in the eye.

Shrugging, Misty Spell took the book in her hooves and started examining the cover, which featured a picture of a young colt and filly both too young for their cutie marks struggling at and succeeding to lift toy blocks. "I don't care what she thinks about me, she's clearly a jer-hey!" she was interrupted by a balled piece of paper bouncing off the back of her head. Reaching down she scooped it up and set it on the table in front of her, unfurling it to reveal a crude crayon drawing of herself. The picture depicted her as a fat pony with stink lines coming from her and the word 'coward' pointing at her. Glancing back at where she assumed the paper had come from she saw Trixie slowly and dramatically backing away out of sight through the doorway. "This is going to be my life now isn't it?" she asked, receiving a nod from both ponies. She rubbed her head as she felt a headache coming on. "Alright, let's begin."

Author's Note:

Thoughts? Feelings? Positive? Negative? Feel free to say what you want!