Swift Light and the Chaos Conundrum

by Jest

Endless Roads

Viciz stood just within the overhand of the temple’s exit, her body cast in shadow. The changeling didn't bother with a disguise at the moment, allowing her to enjoy the freedom that came with existing in her natural form. It was a pleasant experience and one that gave her time to look herself over, careful to ensure that nothing was amiss.

She didn't see anything amiss on her sleek exoskeleton, save for the holes that were always there. Her long, flowing mane of soft violet was also undamaged, as was her identical colored tail. Her cutie mark had a bit of sand on it though, but a quick brush returned it to its former glory. The green flame beneath the unfurled scroll was a pleasant reminder of her purpose though she didn't stare at it for long.

“Gotta make sure I have everything,” she thought aloud.

The changeling was about to check her bags to ensure she had her supplies when she heard the clop of hooves. The unique sound of three clops, along with a soft pad told the changeling exactly who was coming. This was confirmed by the worry she could feel emanating from the tunnel behind her.

“Still talking to yourself?” Swift Light asked.

Viciz rolled her soft blue eyes and glanced back to Swift Light, noticing immediately that she seemed a little off. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, as her armor was polished, her sword sheathed, and her equipment stowed with care yet. The guard mare’s white fur and long two-toned auburn mane were also undamaged save for the small scuffs gained during the fight.

The new cat paw that replaced one of her forelegs also seemed unhurt, though Swift Light clearly didn't favor it. From body language alone Viciz could tell that her companion detested the new appendage, and didn't know how to deal with it. That wasn't the source of Swift Light’s irritation though, rather it came from her jaw, which she rubbed occasionally, grimacing when she did so.

“What's up with your mouth? Still getting used to the new chompers?” Viciz inquired.

Swift Light winced. “I don't know what's worse. The fact that they keep crowding my mouth, or that I keep almost biting my tongue off.”

“Crowding your mouth?” Viciz echoed curiously. “What do you mean?”

“Just that. It feels like I’m getting a new tooth in, only I haven't lost any nor do any of them feel loose,” Swift Light retorted, prodding one of the sharp, shark-like teeth that had replaced her flat pony molars.

“May I see? Maybe it's like when a changeling gets their first adult fangs. It hurts, but don't feel loose until all of a sudden they just fall out all at once,” Viciz offered.

“I don't think so, but at this point, I’m willing to try anything so go ahead,” Swift Light offered.

The guard mare then opened her rather large jaws, revealing the row of incredibly sharp, saw-like teeth that she now sported. Though a bit strange to see on a pony, Viciz was not quite so easily unnerved and leaned in as close as she dared.

“I don't see anything wrong…” Viciz’s eyes narrowed. “Wait a second… did you always have two rows of teeth?”

“Two rows of what?” Swift Light muttered, taking a step back and closing her mouth. “Well I’l be damned, I can feel the little nubs starting to poke through.”

“Let me see again. I should be able to tell if you have a big enough mouth to support so many new chompers,” Viciz declared.

Swift Light rolled her eyes, and opened her jaws once more, allowing her companion to peer inside. The changeling barely managed to sneak a peek when a sudden stabbing pain caused Swift Light to slam her mouth shut. Her dagger-sharp teeth whizzed past the tip of Viciz’s muzzle, nearly taking off the tip of the changeling’s nose.

“What the heck Swift Light? You nearly bit me!” Viciz complained.

“Something’s wrong. Hurts,” Swift Light muttered before doubling over and clutching at her jaw.

The bones that made up her face shifted beneath her hooves, snapping and reforming into a larger shape. The increased density and size were nearly unnoticeable to Viciz but to Swift Light, it felt like her jaw had grown twice as large in an instant. The pain didn't extend any further, but it didn't stop there, for as soon as she felt her bones finish knitting themselves back together, her gums began gushing blood.

An entire new row of teeth pushed their way up through the soft flesh, growing to their full size in mere moments. The feeling was not unlike having two dozen knives stabbed into her mouth at the same time, only for the weapons to remain lodged in her face. Her cry of anguish turned to a gurgled shriek that sent blood across the floor and all over Viciz’s forehooves.

“Oh my gosh, are you okay? Oh no. You better not be bleeding out. I don't think I can give you a transfusion,” Viciz murmured.

Swift Light held up a hoof, silently urging her companion to calm down. The guard was barely keeping it together as is, and if Viciz panicked chances are Swift Light would soon join her. Thankfully the changes stopped, and the healing had begun, her muscle growing back after being cut up a moment earlier. Sure enough, it wasn't long before no more blood flowed from her maw, and the pain turned into a dull ache.

“Water,” Swift Light commanded, extending a hoof.

Viciz handed over the magically enchanted waterskin without a word.

Swift Light uncorked it and immediately filled her mouth with the cool, refreshing liquid. Once her cheeks bulged, Swift Light swirled the bloody mixture around for a few seconds before spitting it back out. She then took a moment to run her surprisingly leathery tongue across the inside of her mouth in search of any more of that delicious, copper taste. Brushing aside the fact that her mouth watered at the mere thought of consuming blood, Swift Light focused on her task.

“I think that's it,” she muttered, mostly to herself.

“Well I sure hope so because that was a lot of wasted water,” Viciz remarked.

Swift Light rolled her eyes and opened her mouth. “Do you see anymore?”

Viciz narrowed her eyes but didn't lean forward. “Sure looks like it. Also, wow that second row really came in strong. Plus your jaw looks really solid now.”

“I’m sure that will be helpful,” Swift Light deadpanned. “Come on, as much as I hate the desert sun we did promise to leave at first light.”

“Right,” Viciz replied. “So, the next one is further south right? Near the zebra plains?”

“Yes,” Swift Light paused, and glanced curiously at her companion. “I thought you weren't going to stick around for that though. You got your herbs and whatever.”

“I didn't initially plan on sticking around,” Viciz admitted. “But there are a few more interesting ingredients down there and your condition is rather fascinating, I must say.”

Swift Light sighed. “Glad to know I’m a worthy lab rat if nothing else.”

“Hey, your an amazing guard, quite the investigator, and an excellent adventurer,” Viciz proclaimed. “You just also happen to have a strangely stable chaos curse placed on you.”

Swift Light smiled. “Thank you Viciz, I think. Now come on, we really must get going. Plus, if we get lucky maybe someone in town will know where we can hire an airship or tag along with a caravan.”

“Good thinking. I’m really starting to hate sand,” Viciz muttered.

“Me too,” Swift Light agreed.

---

Viciz stepped out of her hut, bags now no longer overloaded with ingredients and rare plants. The changeling barely cast a shadow, as the sun loomed almost directly overhead, marking the time as noon. Their travels through the desert hadn't taken long or cost them much in the way of supplies thankfully.

“So, what's the word?” Swift Light asked.

“What do you want first? The good news, the bad news, or the annoying news?” Viciz replied.

“The annoying news?” Swift Light muttered.

“It took all the money you had in bribes to get what we wanted,” Viciz answered.

“That could have been worse, and the rest?” Swift Light pressed.

“The good news is that I was able to get ahold of a band of smugglers willing to get us into zebra territory but we are going to have to move fast if we want to get there in time,” Viciz explained.

“How fast are we talking here?” Swift Light inquired.

“Like, we should probably get running. They are stopping at an old pyramid south of here and they won't wait for long,” Viciz finished.

“Are you sure you want to come with me? This sounds like it's going to be much more dangerous,” Swift Light exclaimed.

“It's fine,” Viciz declared. “You still need a guide getting to the pyramid. After that, I think I’ll catch a ride back to Equestria and move somewhere less crazy.”

“Are you sure?” Swift Light pressed.

“I am. This whole adventure has been fun, but I think I’m ready to go somewhere a bit more relaxed ya know? Plus I heard there's this place called Ponyville that has like, super cheap houses. Why they're practically giving them away,” Viciz stated confidently.

“Well that's good,” Swift Light murmured. “So, shall we continue on?”

“Absolutely, follow me,” Viciz stated.

---

“Just, wait a second,” Viciz muttered between bouts of panting. “I need a moment.”

Swift Light paused beneath the shade of a small tree growing from the top of a sand dune. Though the shade it granted was minimal, that didn't really matter as by then it was nearly twilight and the sun was far less powerful. The low light was still enough for Swift Light to gaze out over their surroundings, her critical eye scanning the area closely.

All around them lay dunes, save for the southwest, where a jungle brushed up against the desert sand. It was a strange contrast, but then again magic pulsed through the land in such quantities that even a non-earth pony like Swift Light could feel it. She also noticed that there was indeed a road nearby, though there were no visible travelers on it at the moment.

None of that concerned Swift Light nearly as much as the strange pyramid that lay less than a kilometer away. Unlike the others Swift Light had seen, this one had smooth sides that lead to a flat top that sported several squat wooden structures. Laying in the middle of a shallow sandstone valley, it was as difficult to miss as it was impressive.

“Tell me more about this place,” Swift Light inquired, glancing back at her companion.

Viciz wiped the sweat from her brow and stood back up. “If the rumors are to be believed, it was originally a temple to a sun god, but during the reign of the golden sphinxes, it was converted into a research facility of some kind.”

“A shame. I bet it looked stunning before then,” Swift Light offered.

“The paintings certainly looked stunning, but that's not important,” Viciz exclaimed. “What is important is that they were apparently trying to find some way to make their pharaoh truly immortal.”

“That never goes well. I assume that's why the top half was blown off?” Swift Light asked, gesturing to how the top third of the pyramid was gone and had been partially rebuilt with wooden support beams.

“Pretty much,” Viciz answered. “Noone knows what happened, but one day it went boom, and now no one goes in there unless they are smuggling something into zebra territory.”

“Because despite its out-of-the-way location it's a good mooring point, and very close to the trade winds,” Swift Light finished. “Smart, though I have a feeling that there are still creepy crawlies making a home in that old lab.”

“You are pretty good at this whole adventuring thing,” Viciz commented.

Swift Light grinned. “I read a lot of books.”

“Ha, called it. Anyway, yeah you’re pretty much right,” Viciz answered. “Experiments got loose, dessert monsters looking for somewhere cool and away from the sun moved in, and now it's pretty dangerous. The smugglers apparently have a route mapped out that's safe but you never know what's calling that place home.”

“I don't suppose you could fly me up there, eh?” Swift Light inquired.

“I can barely fly myself up there,” Viciz answered. “I’m still not the strongest flyer.”

“Well, no sense putting us both in unnecessary danger. When we get close I want you to take my supplies and I’ll go in alone,” Swift Light stated.

Viciz breathed a sigh of relief. “I was hoping you’d say that. My nerves are still fried from that last ancient building we dove into.”

“You were so gung ho last time,” Swift Light pointed out.

“I’ve had time to think and really process just how close I came to dying,” Viciz replied.

Swift Light chuckled. “Fair, now come on. I wanna be on top of that pyramid by the time our ride is here.”

“Sounds like a plan, Stan,” Viciz proclaimed.

“Don't call me that again,” Swift Light retorted.

“Right, sorry,” Viciz muttered.

---

Swift Light watched as her companion took wing, and ascended to the top of the pyramid-like structure. Standing only a few feet away from the sloping, but smooth wall of the former temple, Swift Light waited. A few minutes later Viciz reappeared and waved down to Swift Light before pumping a hoof in the air, signaling that it was all clear.

“Alright then,” Swift Light muttered, releasing a breath she hadn't known she had been holding. “Let's find our way up.”

Trotting up to the entrance, Swift Light passed under the stone archway and into the dark interior. There she stood patiently, waiting for her eyes to adjust before she looked around once more, scanning her surroundings. Nothing jumped out, or seemed out of the ordinary, at least so far anyway.

Straight ahead lay a wide open hallway, that ended abruptly about thirty feet in. Along this hall, there were two sets of doors on either side or at least there had been at one point as only the destroyed remnants remained. Two other hallways extended from her current position, one right, one left, both curving gently until they could no longer be seen.

“Right, there should be a marker around here somewhere,” Swift Light murmured.

Lighting her horn, she cast a simple spell that once completed, caused a mote of magic to drift forwards. There it bulged, shining brightly for a moment before dulling to about the glow of a torch. It took a moment for Swift Light to see normally once more, but when she did, she immediately found what she was looking for.

A simple, but quite noticeable, arrow had been carved into the wall nearby, one that pointed left. Just to be certain, Swift Light made sure to check around the area in search of another such indicator. After finding none, she unsheathed her sword, and slowly trotted forward, blade hovering in her magic only a foot away.

Creeping through the strange temple, Swift Light sniffed the air, inhaling the potent scent of dust and rot. Though there was the faint aroma of meat that had gone bad, the more prevalent smell was wood that had succumbed to time. Timber used to hold up certain sections of the roof, or serve as decorative flourishes were crumbling away.

It was not pleasant, though thankfully Swift Light couldn't hear anything save for the distant whistle of the wind. That was until Swift Light heard something skittering nearby, prompting her to spin around, sword pointed back the way she came. There she saw not her changeling companion, or some threat but rather a single beetle sitting in the middle of the passageway.

“Oh hey, little guy. You scared the shit out of me,” Swift Light murmured.

The beetle just sat there, its head raised slightly as if inspecting the pony from a distance.

“Your pretty unique, aren't you?” Swift Light muttered to herself. “Kinda shiny.”

Peering a little closer revealed that the beetle sported a rigid head adorned with a half dozen spikes. Its segmented body was also covered with a surprisingly thick-looking shell that reflected the light, creating a myriad of colors. Every part of the rainbow seemed represented in that shiny shell in some capacity or another, though Swift Light couldn't be certain as it swiftly scurried away. Vanishing into a crack in the wall leading deeper into the temple, Swift Light was once more alone with her thoughts and the glowing ball of light.

“Well, onwards and upwards,” she whispered.

Turning back around, Swift Light crept onward, sword hovering close, and illumination a few paces in front of her. After a few seconds, the pony noticed that the hallway continued to arch, leading her in a wide semi-circle. It was only at the halfway point that she noticed something different, namely a set of stairs waiting for her against one wall.

“Seems simple enough,” Swift Light murmured.

Climbing slowly up the stairs, Swift Light peered out onto the second floor, careful to locate any movement. She saw none among the three more hallways waiting for her. These were much like the last ones, with one going left, another right, and both turning gently while the last one went straight back into the center, ending abruptly.

After another second to confirm that no one was around, Swift Light stepped up onto the first floor and searched for another arrow. When she couldn't find one, she considered for a moment just picking a random direction but something stopped her.

Author's Note:

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Comments

[Courage Fire]

Woo! Another Chapter!