A Trouble of Two on Drowsy Street

by Vocal Sonder

Chapter one

~” A Trouble of Two on Drowsy Street Ch. 1 “~
Written by: Vocal Sonder

A warm spring day greeted the quietly meandering wheels of the trolley as it made its way along the many streets of upper Manehattan city. Pegasi flitted from floor to floor high above the red trusses of the car as it magically chugged up one bustling street after another with a steady purpose to its many starts and stops within the traffic. Taxi pullers wove to and fro mere inches in front of the chrome bumper as they vied for position amongst the unforgiving cacophony; yelling and hollering all the while and filling the air to brimming as irate customers and drivers alike found their way around the city.

The gold and red trimmed trolley sauntered quietly past all of it seemingly without a care. The drawn carriages parted before it like a wave before a ship as it sailed blissfully through the maelstrom of the busy day. Sitting in the front seat of the trolley's front car a duo of ponies quietly snickered to themselves as a particularly haughty and pompously dressed pony stumbled from a carriage onto the sidewalk. Her bangs and tail a ragged mess from what must have been a stressful morning, she walked up to a very amused door guard of a prim looking hotel. It was merely a moment later that the mare realized her suitcase had opened and a long line of stockings were trailing her all the way to the entryway.

The two had only a moment to see the blush begin to erupt to the mares cheeks and a scream of embarrassment touch her lips before the trolley lumbered onwards and she fell from sight behind the window’s frame. The blue coated stallion who was closest to the window turned a bit from his vantage and beamed at the thestral beside him. Her red’ish mane hung just over her eyes as she beamed back, two fangs glinting in the noonday sun that streamed in from outside. She quickly tucked her head behind a leathery wing and came back up with a camera and strap. Both clattered loudly as she brought it up to her eye level and snapped a picture.

“Hey, “A bemused Tesseract shielded his eyes as spots exploded into his vision, “warn me a bit next time will yah’ !?”

The stallion rubbed a blue fuzzed hoof over his eyes in an attempt to clear the spots from his vision. His own lock of navy bangs whipped back and forth as he shook his head in discomfort.

“Oops, sorry! I- I didn’t know the flash was on.”

The mare hurriedly snuck the camera back into her saddlebags and returned her attention to Tesseract who was still rubbing his eyes in a vein attempt to clear them. “I didn’t realize it was still on ‘cave mode’, ah heh-heh...”

Tesseract thankfully had been able to shake most of the flashing lights from his eyes. Only a few straying bits of starlight fuzzed his vision as he looked back at the cream colored mare in doubtful bemusement. She in turn gazed back, mouth drawn into a guilty scrunch so tight her lips could have turned blue.

“I thought you weren't supposed to even take that thing out from your parent’s attic,” he asked in turn.

The mare huffed back at him, “I need it so I can take reference pictures. I already told you that like five times Tess.”

“Well I’m sorry if I didn’t remember, Slumber,” He turned from her to stare back out the window, “you know I’m not really into getting my picture taken anyway.”

“Awwwww, come’on. You look great! I couldn't have picked a better friend to act as the statu’ ala’ dumont’ for my thesis art project!” She poked a hoof at his deep navy blue hoodie, the red inner layers contrasting nicely against his bluish grey eyes in the sunlight. “You’re a knockout hit for the piece!”

Tess sighed and continued to look out the window to the traffic beyond. A small, old lady was currently badgering a driver with a cane she carried. The device was crooked into her fore-hoof as she bonked it off his capped head and gesticulating about what must have been an upcoming turn. He wondered quietly to himself if he was about to see a fine member of society go postal.

“Tess..”

He turned from the view outside back to Slumber.

“What.”

“Did you have any plan for how you were going to find this book place? What if you cant find it?” she looked away from him to a hayburger advertisement on the nearby ceiling. “I’m kind of thinking lunch at this point either way.”

“No, not really I suppose. Eleos told me it was on ‘Drowsy Street’, wherever that is. We’ll just have to see.”

“What was it again that you wanted to look for?”

He looked up and away in thought before answering. “It was a book on thermatological dynamism. I heard is was a good read and a rare one at that. I figured I might as well try to get my hooves on a copy while it was on my mind.”

“Hmmm, ok,” she paused in thought, “did you have a plan for lunch at least?”

Tess looked at her a moment before levitating a watch from the pocket of his hoodie to his eye level. He gave it an overly exaggerated stare before looking back to the thestral.

“It’s 3pm”

A blush was rising to her fuzzy cheeks. “What?! I forgot to eat lunch ok!”

“ ‘We’ already ate lunch today, remember? We went to Big Bat Bowl.”

A blush was fully on her cheeks now. With a furtive curl she sunk to all fours on the seat and pulled her beanie and scarf over her face. A muffled voice emanated a moment later.

“That was at eleven thirty.”

Tess puffed out his cheeks in exasperation, staring down at the ball of maroon and taupe fluff. Finally he rolled his eyes.

“We can get a taco later if you want.”

With blazing speed the little bat was wringing the larger stallions neck in a hug so tight it nearly bugged the eyes out from his head.

“Oh, thankyouthankyouthankyo-”

He managed to wedge a hoof between the two of them and pry the ecstatic mare from his neck. She sat back down on her side of the bench and quietly began to eeee’ to herself.

He looked at the eeee’ing mare and smiled, amused. “You know you gotta stop doing that or ponies will start to think were dating. And I’d rather they don't get any ideas to be honest.”

She stopped her eeee’ing and turned her face towards Tess. Her tongue poking out from her mouth in a dismissive raspberry. He returned the gesture in kind before continuing.

“You have to remember that time I brought you to my parents for breakfast and my mom-” he started.

“Yeah, yeah, I remember, “she said dismissively as her attention turned to the window, “she made me some scrambled eggs and they were delicious.”

“...And I had to convince her we’re just friends, remember? It took me two hours. Alone.”

“Well, they were really good scrambled eggs annn- oh! Here it is!”

Tesseract turned to look out the window and follow Slumbers line of sight. A bright green sign labeled ‘DROWSEY STREET’ poked out from a nearby light pole. The paint chipped and a bit worn from the lettering belied a vintage that was a bit uncommon for the metropolitan city.

*Ding* “Drowsey Street, last stop”

Slumber hopped down from the plush bench and marched her way down the isle towards the front doors before Tesseract could even react. He could faintly hear the hiss of the trolleys brakes finally make a complete halt at the intersection before a bang sounded as the doors loudly opened.

It was only a quick jaunt and a hop later before the two of them stood on the grimy manehattan sidewalk facing an altogether gloomy sight. Tucked between two immensely tall skyscrapers a thin street lined with small bungalow-like shops huddled in the shadow and gloom. Tesseract could have been seeing things, but he could’ve sworn he saw a pair of yellow eyes flutter past an awning on the closest building. He gulped.

“Um, I- I don’t know about this so much anymore Slumber,” he intoned into the unnatural quiet, “this place literally looks like a haunted house extravaganza.”

The little mare cocked her head to one side and sniffed the air. Her face scrunched up as the musky smell of moldy timber hit her nostrils full force. She gave a little sneeze.

“Are you sure this is where Eleos told you to go Tess?”

He mildly shook his head but grunted in the affirmative; never taking his eyes from the street ahead. A mangy looking rat the size of a small dog crawled from a far off sewer drain and drug a nearby bag of trash back to its hovel.

Slumber looked from the rat back to Tesseract. “You sure she wasn’t horrifically, in a not-so-funny kind of terrifyingly-incorrect way mistaken?”

Tesseract pulled a slip of paper from the nook of his sweatshirts hood. A simple yet feminine scrawl clearly spelled out the letters- Drowsey Street. He checked the sign again before pocketing the scrap of paper once more.

“It does seem right,” he winced, “even if it doesn't look like it should.”

“Hmmm. Well it’s time for tea then.” And with that said the thestral was off; already walking in a beeline for the nearest shop.

The building it was housed in was a great monument to old pony architecture. Swirling fascia boards of europonian design were crowded by detailed molding. Pillars and bosses gave the whole thing a depth unlike the cold and calculated concrete skyscrapers above. The roof was nearly a carpet of moss at this point and looked ready to sag inwards at a moments notice. A big sign reading “Tea & Brews’ hung limply from one of the eves; a cauldron ensconced on the hammered wood with wispy filigree. It swung from rusted chains lazily in the city breeze as he watched Slumber trot towards the front door of the shop.

He could have sworn he heard a wolf howl in the distance.

“Hey waitup!” he shouted as he hurried to join her as she entered the front door.

---

A doorbell tinkled as the duo entered the shop, its ring sounding off the numerous glass and ceramic jars that lined the walls from floor to ceiling. Dark green molding accentuated itself against an even darker green plaster wall. Streaks of misapplied paint flecked everything from the ceiling to the floor in a macabre display of artistic malfeasance.

There was an almost visible haze permeating the gloom that filled the shop, so thick that it almost drowned out the sparse sunlight that tried to meekly enter from the front windows. A heavy odor of herb and dried medicinals nearly crushed the two as they moved forwards to a low counter at the far end of the room. A half burnt candle sat idly flickering on the counter-top. Beside it, a low hallway ran off into the innards of the shop. It so pitch black that even Slumber had a hard time squinting inside to see.

“Um, hello?” she intoned into the darkness, “do you guys have scones?”

“My young dear.” said a craggely voice from behind.

The both of them screamed and jumped at the same time. Tesseract landed in Slumbers arms as they faced the sudden newcomer.

A small grey and gold mare many years senior to either of them stood crookedly on her bent legs. Her face bore a wicked smile and her steel blue eyes sparkled with delighted amusement. She let loose a spine chilling cackle seemingly at their expense before returning to stare at them knowingly.

“Wh-who the hay are you!?” Tesseract managed to yell before Slumber unceremoniously dropped him from her arms.

She cackled again, this time quietly to herself. “I my young dear stallion, am Solanaceae.” she waved a hoof is a sweeping motion to the rafters above, “the curator of the shop.”

From the floor he smiled weakly, “glad to meet you ma-am.”

Seemingly satisfied, the old mare creaked around the two and saddled herself behind her counter. She settled in and looked expectantly at the two before speaking.

“Well, what do you want.”

“Tea! And a scone if you have it please!” cried out an excited Slumber.

The old mare looked at her as if she was but the dumbest of wallflowers. She cackled again as her expression began to change. It morphed from a pleasant and business-like visage to one more sinister and predatory. A glint lit her in her eyes that troubled both of thee ponies on the other side of the counter.

“Um, so no scone than?”

“Nooooo, no scones.” her voice now smooth as silk. A chill went up Tess’s spine. “No scones but deeefinitly tea.” She drew out the word with purposed grace and turned to levitate a jar from the adjacent wall. He hadn’t realized her blunt horn until just then. It sparkled with raw energy from beneath her bangs as a plume of black smoke arose from the jar when she lifted the lid. A small lump of powder, black as coal, levitated to a cup of boiling water that had materialized from under the counter. It sizzled as it was pushed over the worn boards to Slumber.

“10 bits.”

“Ten bits!?” gasped Slumber before she pointedly jabbed a hoof at the owner, “what kinda racket you runnin’ here lady!”

The old mare shrugged. “Take it or leave it fangs, not my problem if you refuse to pay. I have my ways.”

“FANGS?! Why I oughta!”

Tesseract had to hold the thestral back as she attempted to retrieve the camera and its harassing flash.

Calm and collected the old mare stared at the two as they struggled over one another before breaking out in a litany of cackles. Each reverberating over the last. Slowly and without pause the old crone began to levitate multiple jars and vials to surround her. Each one popping open to be added to a growing blot of hovering, boiling liquid that had flown itself from the previously offered cup.

Both of the friends by this point had stopped their squabbles on the floor and were staring aghast up at the now levitating old mare. Capsules of varying colors whipped about her in a swirl of magenta magic. Two of the whirling capsules suddenly stopped, empty, and pointed directly at the two figures prone on the floor.

“Ok, time to leave!” shouted Tesseract.

“Eeeeeeeeeeee!” Slumber eee’d.

“Muahahahahahahahahah, fresh souls for the pot!!” cried out the triumphant old mare.

“Not this time you witch!”

Gasping, Tesseract whirled from his upwards stumble to come face to face with a bronze set of rimmed goggles. An energized cannon sparking with lightning was pointed directly at his face.

“Get down!”

Tess ducked, barely dragging Slumber down in time for a lance of electrically charged plasma to arc from the cannon and strike at the hovering crone. A shriek thundered through the floorboards and walls as she was sent hurtling backwards into the nearest set of shelving; glass and broken pottery fountaining from the impact. A great mass of pulverized herbs and reagents plumed forth and covered that side of the room in a dark haze. Errant crackles of discarded energy ran thought the fine mist as the store was silent once more.

“Hurry, get up before she gets back!” grunted the newcomer, his gruff voice belying his age.

“Huh- hurry up!?” panted Tesseract from the floor. He had his arms wrapped around the fuzzy ball that was Slumber as she vibrated in terror. “I think you got her!”

“Not yet!” He launched a bronze laden hoof down to Tess’s eye level. “I’ve seen her take worse believe you me!”

Tesseract took the proffered hoof and was launched to his hooves is one swift pull. Steel and steam hissed as the stallion leveraged both the younger stallion and the frightened thestral to their hooves all in one go.

“Now then, we’ve got to-” he froze, eyes locked on something behind the two of them.

A monstrous creature, more ligament than pony, levitated from the still settling plume of smoke to stare at the trio with a beady set of black eyes.

“Now Howard. How rude of you to TAKE MY PRECIOUS AWAY !!!!!!!”

“RUN!!” screamed the bronze and steel-clad stallion before ripping another bolt of energy from his cannon. The bolt lanced up to hit the being as it floated mere meters away.

Tesseract and Slumber bolted for the open door but as they did, both could see their reflection in the stained glass and of the battle that was behind them. The bolt of lightning bounced from the figure to tear into the wall adjacent. Great swathes of plaster ripped away from the timber like bark from a tree as the blast was deflected. The old stallion Howard yelled something but neither of them could make it out as their pell-mell sprint brought them to the way outside.

A surge of power tickled the base of Tess’s horn. And soon, everything around him was blasted out into the street as a great wave of energy was released inside the close confines of the shop. A moment later, and everything was blackness.

---

“Tess… Tess!”

*groan*

“Tess wake up!“

Opening his eyes, he was met with a terrified looking Slumber. Tall skyscrapers bled into the haze of afternoon sunlight above. He tried to sit up but wooziness overcame his vision and he was forced to lay back down once again.

“How’s he doing?”

“He’s awake,” she looked at him with worry still knitted onto her brow, “is he going to be alright?

“He’ll be fine in a moment; unicorns can’t take to thermatological fields like you or I can. Just give him a bit of air, and he’ll perk right up.”

It didn’t take long but Tesseract was on his hooves once again in a minute or two. Head still swimming and wooziness threatening to overtake him once again, he sat on the cool concrete of a sidewalk.

“I-I’m up,” huffed a bedraggled looking Tesseract.

“Well. Good that you are,” huffed an equally bedraggled looking stallion.

Now, out from the gloom of the shop, Tess was appropriately able to see the stallion who had saved them from certain annihilation. Nearly a head shorter than he, the old stallion quietly sat within his bronze and steel carapace. Goggles now on his forehead he looked much less formidable than when they had first been introduced. Dark circles ran underneath his eyes and deep wrinkles marred were the only thing to mar his otherwise youthful demeanor and spirit. His eyes, deep set and intelligent, blazed with life and vigor uncommon of a stallion his age.

“I... I don’t know how to thank you.”

“No need.” the stallion looked seriously at the unicorn, “she and I have been at it for quite a while now.” He gestured to the shop which was only a few dozen meters away. Tesseract gasped but settled once the old stallion gave him a dismissive wave.

“She cannot leave, and she cannot pull us back. It is her curse.”

Tess gulped, “and so, that means we’re safe?” he asked, the tone of his voice not really matching the candor which the old buck was giving.

“Yes, unless you’d rather go back inside and see if she’s in a better mood?”

“Uh, no thanks.”

“Thought as much.” he grunted and shouldered his great bronze contraption. Quiet now it no longer crackled with its previous raw energy. The pistons and valves in his legs hissed with the effort.

It was Slumbers turn to ask the stallion a question as they followed him back up the street to the corner where they had arrived.

“Just. Just who are you? I mean really?”

The stallion turned a grizzled cheek to the two as they cantered behind.

“The names Howard. Howard Hairbrain. Good to meet the two of you, though I wish it were under better circumstances.”

They had made it to an adjacent storefront before Tess could ask his next question. Howard turned away from the two and trotted to unlock the shop door they had arrived at. It swooshed inwards on well oiled hinges and let out a pleasant little chime as it did so. All three walked in, after which the door quietly wooshed back to a close.

The inside of the shop was nothing short of miraculous. Bits and bobs lined every shelf. Bronze, brass, steel, and aluminum glittered from every angle. Humms and whistles, blasts and bawlks and miniature booms could be heard all along the walls as the tiny machines whirred away at their own pace to their own mysterious purpose. Oiled lamps glowed like golden casks from every wall, making even the air itself glitter. A long oaken desk sat at the far end of the room, nearly all available space taken up by knickknacks of every kind.

The old stallion had made his way over to the desk by the time Tess was able to take everything in. He un-shouldered the cannon and used its thick leather strap to hang it from a nearby rack. After it was hung the old stallion turned towards them and gave an appraising look.

“Feel free to sit,” he motioned to two dark oaken chairs laden with papers, “sorry that you will need to clean before you do, but just leave them on the floor. I don’t know if I will ever get around to them anyways.”

“Um, thank you.” said Tess before levitating the papers into a neat pile on the floor.

The stallion looked over at the neat pile and grunted before he began to strip off his bronze and steel garments one by one. It was a long process but soon the grizzled old stallion stood abreast the pile of armor, once more just a pony.

“You came here for a reason, what was it.” Howard asked bluntly as he swept a foreleg across the table in front of him. “Not only to be an idiot I hope.”

Tess was a bit taken aback, “Uh, no. No not really. We were here to just to look for a library, not a daemon pony. That- that was what it was wasn’t it?”

It’s called a heriometh, a spawn of tartarus that steals the souls of the living to collect for whatever malevolent purpose it may have. Which today neither of which are yours. Now, why did you come here.”

“We came..” he intoned, “ ‘I’ came to find a book on thermatological dynamism. A friend of mine said she had tracked one down to this district of Manehattan.”

The stallion looked un-enthused as he waited for him to continue. When Tess he didn’t, Howard merely huffed and walked over to a nearby shelf and picked a book from amongst the many dusty tomes. He tossed it across the room to the unicorn who fumbled to catch it in his levitating grip.

“There, now you have it.”

Tess bemusedly looked at the ancient tome, gold lettering embossed upon the leathers showed the title to be the same as the one Eleos had copied down for him.

Disbelief bled into his voice when he spoke next.

“I can just have it?”

The stallion looked annoyed at him in response, “yes, that’s just what just I said. Are your ears somehow worse than mine or something?”

“N-no I just,” he looked down towards the tome in his hooves, “I had been expecting to rent, not acquire per say.”

“Well it’s either going to be you or the apprentice that will never arrive, so I think you’ve got the leg up on this one,” he looked askance from his work, “-per say”

“Well I- .”

Slumber piped up suddenly. “You need an apprentice?”

She turned towards Tesseract with a fantastical grin on her face. “Hey, YOU could be his apprentice!”

Tesseract choked on air while Howard bemusedly looked in his direction.

“Him?” asked a slightly confused Howard

“Yeah, he loves science-y stuff! He’s always talking about how he wants to learn all kinds of new stuff! Aaaaand, he does kind of need to repay you for saving our hay back there so-mmrmpf!”

It was by this time that Tesseract had managed to regain his composure enough to clamp a hoof over Slumbers muzzle to silence her. He looked at the old stallion in a mixture of apprehension and smiling apology.

Howard was looking at Tess in a new light, one that was a bit to close to appraisal for his liking. But before he could voice any protest the booming voice of the stallion rung out through the shop.

“Deal! I would love to teach you. You can be back here on Sunday morning, early.”

Tesseract let out a low groan but after a look at Slumbers ecstatic face nodded in acceptance, nonetheless.

She jumped up and down in excitement. “See! Now you can read the book AND get taught some cool stuff too! This was such an awesome trip after all!”