Won't Drown

by The Red Parade

King of Thieves

Meadowbrook knew these halls intimately, but she had never once considered them as foreboding. But today, they seemed to cast judgement across her mind. She sighed, scuffing a hoof against the tiled flooring.

Her mind was weighted heavily with thoughts, as if it were a wet cloth soaked in water. Meadowbrook felt as if she was floating, suspended in the air, like an ingredient in someone else’s concoction.

She sighed, raising a hoof to her chest to steady it. Meadowbrook wanted nothing more than to crawl into her bed and wrap herself in Somnambula’s embrace, and to drift off into the realm of dreaming and leave her earthly worries behind.

Flash’s words seemed to ring in her ears, and wherever she turned she felt Starswirl’s accusatory gaze glaring down her back.

Meadowbrook’s body betrayed her and she shuddered, casting a glance behind her to see if the wizard himself was standing there. Nothing but an empty space stared back at her.

A crash of thunder sounded from beyond the windows, making her flinch. Rain poured out from the clouds like tears, slamming into the ground stronger than any force Starswirl could dream of.

A chill ran down her spine as she gently shut the door to her room.

“Ho there, Meadowbrook!”

She gasped at the shout, whirling about and nearly toppling over. A hoof shot out to steady her and gently shove her backwards, allowing Meadowbrook to regain her balance. When she finally reoriented herself, she found Rockhoof staring right back at her.

“Easy there, lass,” Rockhoof rumbled. “Can’t go around havin’ our healer hurt herself now!”

“I do apologize,” Meadowbrook stuttered. “You did give me quite a scare.”

“Meadowbrook! Have you discovered any intrusion like the rest of us have?” called Flash, coming from behind Rockhoof’s frame.

Meadowbrook nodded, glancing behind her at the shut door. “It would seem that my mask is missing.”

Rockhoof and Flash exchanged a glance. “Then your worries are true,” Rockhoof declared.

“Indeed,” growled Flash. “There is a scoundrel among us. We must warn Starswirl at once.” Flash turned to Meadowbrook, pointing a wing down the hall. “Assemble the others, Meadowbrook! This is a crisis that must be answered!”

Meadowbrook nodded, and the three dispersed. “Meadowbrook.”

Her ear twitched as a voice soft as silk whispered her name. A door on her left creaked open, and Somnambula appeared from within. “So what Flash says is true?”

“It would appear so,” Meadowbrook replied with a sigh. “They want us to all meet in the war room.”

Somnambula nodded, opening her door completely. “Meadow, my love, are you afraid?”

“Of Starswirl?” asked Meadowbrook. “...yes. I fear for us, Somnambula. Of what Starswirl may say, should he raise a hoof against us.”

Somnambula gently lay a hoof against her shoulder. “Do not be afraid. I will by your side, no matter what happens. But I am afraid that we can not avoid confrontation for much longer. I think it is time that we confront Starswirl.”

“No!” Meadowbrook flinched at how harsh her own voice was. Somnambula recoiled, withdrawing her hoof in time to the beating rain outside. “Please,” she begged, “I… I don’t think I’m ready yet. I just… I want to know for sure.”

Somnambula arched her eyebrow inquisitively. “What for? Surely it makes no difference.”

“Because we could be getting our tails twisted for nothing! If he doesn’t suspect a thing, then why do we have to bring it to light?” Meadowbrook asked, taking Somnambula’s hooves and staring into her eyes. “Why must we risk destroying ourselves if the world doesn’t ask it of us?”

“Because I believe Flash Magnus is right, my love,” Somnambula whispered. “Starswirl eclipses us in his intelligence. It is foolish to think we can keep ourselves hidden from him forever. But if we approach him it will be on our terms, not his.”

“But it would still be a fight that we will be doomed to lose,” Meadowbrook protested. “Please, Somnambula. I don’t want to confront him. Not yet.”

The rain outside must have phased through the roof, for Meadowbrook felt streaks of water falling down her cheeks.

Somnambula sighed and began to wipe away Meadowbrook’s tears. “Do not cry, my love. I do think it is best that we slay a beast before it grows, but if it is not what you wish then I will respect it. But whenever you are ready, we will face him. Together.”

Meadowbrook willed a smile upon her face, and pulled Somnambula into a hug. “Thank you,” she whispered.

“A little rain won’t drown us out,” Somnambula affirmed as they pulled away. “Come. Let us join the others.”

A flash of lightning lit up the room, but it seemed that not even the wrath of a storm could bring light to Starswirl’s face. He sat stoic and still at the head of the table, chin resting on his clasped hooves. “So.” A single word escaped his lips and it hit Meadowbrook like a hail of arrows.

But Starswirl wasn’t looking at her, as she fidgeted in her seat nervously. “Flash Magnus, Rockhoof, if what you are telling me is true, then it would appear the safety of our home is once again endangered.”

Rockhoof slammed a hoof against the table. “Aye,” he remarked in a voice dripping with venom. “Whoever thinks they can pull a fast one on us, well they have another thing coming their way.”

The others nodded in agreement, and Starswirl stood. A pale white light began to glow from the tip of his horn. “It goes deeper than that. We are dealing with someone very close to our hearts, I’m afraid.”

There was a ripple of movement as if he had thrown a rock into a lake. “My friend, what are you suggesting?” rasped Mistmane.

“Come now. We don’t simply let anyone into our private quarters,” Starswirl harrumphed. He paused, eyes carefully gliding across the table. To Meadowbrook’s horror, they paused on her. “Well, in theory we shouldn’t. But I believe that every theory has its exceptions,” he said.

A strange silence fell upon the others like a net. Invisible rainwater crashed through the rafters, pouring and rushing through the room and drowning Meadowbrook, crushing her beneath their pressure.

“Are we still talking about the matter at hoof, Starswirl?” cut in Somnambula.

Starswirl stroked his beard but didn’t take his eyes off of Meadowbrook. “No matter,” he huffed dismissively. “I will cast a locator spell. Then, we will confront this… rat who dares to betray our trust.”

He finally turned away and Meadowbrook could breathe again. Somnambule shot her a fleeting glance from across the table, but Meadowbrook couldn’t bring herself to meet her gaze.

A faint white wisp shot out from Starswirl’s horn. It shot off through the window and into the night. The wizard closed his eyes before continuing. “To answer your question, every rule seems to have its exception. Even those that all have agreed on.”

Meadowbrook shrunk a bit farther in her seat. Starswirl wasn’t facing her, but it felt like he had eyes on the back of his head boring into her soul.

“Starswirl,” warned Somnambula. “Is there something else that you are insinuating?”

“I do not know, Somnambula, is there anything you would like to tell me?” he gave the question a pregnant pause before continuing. “Or anyone else for that matter?”

The world held its breath, and Meadowbrook held hers with it. She studied the blue of her hooves carefully, not daring to answer the silent accusation.

“Starswirl,” ventured Flash. “Are you suggesting that there is more than one traitor in our midsts?”

“Not by the definition you may give them,” Starswirl replied briskly. His eyes snapped open and he whirled about. “I have a location on the missing items,” he declared. “Prepare yourselves. We set off at once. I have hope we can catch this thief in the act.”

The others exchanged glances and nodded. As the other ponies began to file from the room, Meadowbrook took a shaky breath and tried to persuade herself that they weren’t shooting her odd glances.

Starswirl paused behind her seat. He turned his head to face her and held her captive in his gaze. Meadowbrook hoped she remained stoic, but it was impossible to tell beneath the drum of her own heartbeat.

But her eyes still couldn’t pierce his mask. He stared on, judging her carefully. After centuries had passed, he flicked his tail and left the room, leaving behind the sound of rain against the window.

“Meadowbrook.” Another voice broke the frozen silence and Meadowbrook inhaled sharply. Somnambula’s usual touch didn’t warm her shoulder like it usually did. “Meadow, my love,” Somnambula whispered. “I think he knows.”

Meadowbrook was pulled into a tight hug and she felt tears stream down her face.

“We must do something,” Somnambula urged.

“I can’t!” cried Meadowbrook. “I’m afraid! I am nothing more but a coward, Somnambula! You are a fool to love me!”

She began to weep in Somnambula’s wing, as a rushing ocean that only she could see swarmed around to greet her.

A quiet voice began to chant in her mind, a quiet mantra through the storm.

I won’t drown. I won’t drown. I won’t drown.

Comments

[Nailah]

The symbolism you are evoking in this piece is quite brilliant. It captures the mood, and the severity of it all, and what it might mean for them. This is a solid chapter. Keep up the good work.

[applezombi]

I love how tense this got. The subtext is quite fun.