True Magic

by CodeMonkey

Chapter 6 - Trottingham

Chapter 6 - Trottingham

Trixie’s vision returned to normal as the foyer reappeared around her with the large tome, still floating in front of her, flipping through the last few pages. When it reached the final sheet the book closed shut before vanishing in a puff of smoke.

She rubbed her eyes, feeling like it had been ages since she’d last blinked, before looking around the room. Everything was the same as before, including the stern unicorn eying her from the chair next to hers.

Magus drank down the last of his tea before setting the empty cup down and getting out of his chair. “Finish your tea and follow me. You should see this,” he said as he walked off toward the far side of the room.

Trixie had forgotten the tea cup she left sitting on the table, still filled with the sweetened beverage. Steam no longer rose from the drink’s surface, causing her to wonder how long she had been sitting here. Raising her nose at the drink, she got out of the chair and quickly caught up to Magus as he approached a darkened window, similar to the one she’d seen in the dining room last night.

“I suppose I can assume that you looked out your window today?” Magus said, staring into the darkness of the window.

Trixie scoffed at his question. “Oh, yeah, and I just happened to notice the ground only a few feet from my second story window,” she replied bitterly, reminded of his arrogance.

Calmly, Magus glanced over at her for a brief moment before returning his attention to the glass. “All the windows you see here are called gazing windows. They allow one to look out of any window on the outside of the caravan from any window here.”

Magus looked over at Trixie who gave him a blank, confused stare. He rolled his eyes with a sigh. “Observe,” Magus said in discontent before waving his hoof in front of the window. As he did, the black, swirling darkness transformed into a bright light for a moment, before a blurry image appeared behind the glass.

He opened the window, revealing the sight of timber framed buildings lined up along a bustling cobblestone street. Posh ponies walked up and down the street, classically dressed in top hats and monocles.

“Welcome to Trottingham,” said Magus.

In her travels, Trixie had only been to Trottingham a few times, but it didn’t look like it had changed much with its loud, noisy streets and cold atmosphere. It was certainly different from her visit to Ponyville.

After a few moments of looking out at the town as it passed by, Magus shut the window and returned it to its original, darkened state. “Now, when we depart, I expect you to stay close, understood?” Magus asked, making his way to the front door with Trixie by his side.

“I’m not a foal. I can find my way around,” Trixie said in an annoyed tone. “I’m not going to--”

“Two of my rules dictated,” Magus sternly interrupted, “that you were to follow my orders, and that you would stay by my side at all times while we are outside the caravan. Which of those are presenting you with difficulty?”

Trixie let out an aggravated groan. “All I’m saying is that you don’t have to treat me like I’m a baby. I am a grown mare and I’m not going get lost in a city that I happen to have visited before,” she replied in a similar stern tone just as they stopped before the door.

Without turning away from the door, his eyes locked onto hers. “You losing your way is the least of my concerns. This is a world of powerful magic you have stepped into, and with it, are a number of unknown dangers. So, for your own safety, I expect you to stay close. Is that clear?”

Trixie said nothing for a moment, looking at him, displeased by the circumstances. “Fine,” she finally said with a huff.

Satisfied, Magus opened the door and led the way out of the caravan as he stepped onto the rickety porch. When Trixie walked outside, she could smell the aroma of freshly baked apple pies as they passed a small bakery. She could feel the caravan lightly bumping up and down on the cobblestone road. She could feel the bumps of the cobblestone road they'd traversed earlier, and assumed the delay was another part of the strange realm she now inhabited. Looking at the sky, it appeared to be sometime in the late afternoon.

The rocking of the caravan eventually stopped as they drove off the street and into a large grassy field. The busy city streets drew further and further away as they passed a few trees and entered into a dense thicket. The now distant noise of the town could barely be heard over the sound of various birds that sung in the trees above. Soon, Trottingham was almost completely obscured by the brush and trees as the caravan rolled to a stop in the middle of a small glade.

Magus stepped off the porch and, when he was on the ground, signaled for Trixie to follow. She hopped down, skipping the unsound steps, and followed, as he walked around to the front of the caravan.

“Trottingham Park,” Magus said, as he continued to walk, “is located in the center of Trottingham, and is the most suitable location for us to make camp, due to its seclusion from prying eyes. Not to mention its distance from our destination.”

“Which is?”

“You’ll see,” he replied as they neared the front. “But first…” He stopped as they rounded the corner.

There, standing a few feet away, was an oddly shaped, pony-like figure in front of the caravan. The pony stood perfectly still, wearing a harness over its black cloak.

“Is that the…” Trixie slowly began before looking to Magus, who responded by tilting his head toward the figure, as if telling her to look. Not knowing what to expect, she took a deep breath and cautiously approached the figure.

As she approached, the air grew colder, white steam rising from each panted breath. The pony’s hood obscured much of its face, save a thin white snout and what looked like bared teeth. A strange feeling overcame her, getting stronger the closer she got.

Trixie was now only inches away, her hair standing on end as she leaned over to get a peek at its face. When she glimpsed it, Trixie jumped back in shock and held a hoof over her mouth, trying to contain a loud gasp. She could hardly believe what she saw! The creature's face was nothing but a hollow skull! No eyes, no skin, no hair, it was a seemingly lifeless being of the undead. Magic was one thing, but a real walking zombie? It was like something out of a horror story!

She took a step back, bumping into something. Quickly spinning around, still in shock, she was relieved to see Magus standing before her, watching with an observant gaze.

“Calm yourself,” he said, walking past her toward the creature. “It’s not going to hurt you.”

In a fluster, Trixie responded, almost shouting, “Not going to hurt me? It’s a zombie! An undead, brain eating, pony chomping…”

“You’ve read too many fanciful novels, and it’s a familiar, not a zombie.” Magus removed the hood from the creature, revealing the featureless white pony skull. “A familiar is able to take on the form of its masters choosing. The form I’ve chosen is that of a pony.”

“But, why--”

“I required something to pull my caravan as I traveled. Something that wouldn’t attract too much attention.”

“Well, what about--”

“A basic familiar, such as this, takes on a skeletal appearance of the chosen form.”

It was annoying how he was able to read her mind like that. Magus looked at her from the corner of his eye, awaiting further questions. Trixie waited a moment, giving him an irritated look, expecting him to answer her question before she had a chance to vocalize it. “Why didn’t the ponies in town, you know, panic when we passed by? It was like they couldn’t see it.”

“Very good Trixie,” Magus said in an almost proud tone. “It’s good to see that your observational skills outweigh your ability to be patient.” Trixie glared at him again as he continued. “A familiar has an illusion spell around it. Only those within the Circle are able to see them for what they truly are. All others, in this case, see merely a pony wearing a cloak and pulling a caravan. It’s nothing too out of the ordinary.”

Magus cleared his throat before turning to face Trixie, “Now, if that is all, we should be going.” He waved his hoof at the creature, causing black flames to momentarily engulf the familiar before both disappeared without a trace. “Come Trixie,” he said, walking away as he pulled the crimson hood of his robe over his head. “We have much to do and I’d like to finish shopping before it gets too late.”

“Shopping?” Trixie asked, partially to herself and to Magus, following behind him. Magus didn’t answer as he headed back the way they’d come, to the streets of Trottingham.

The streets were still as crowded as ever when they arrived once more. Trixie followed as close as she could to Magus, having to shove her way through the mass of ponies that either did not seem to notice her or did not care. She tried to stay behind Magus as much as possible as he strolled through them without any trouble whatsoever. Seeing what he could do, she would probably get out of his way as well, but, then again, nopony here knew what he was capable of. It was probably the angry expression that never seemed to leave his face that intimidated everypony to get out of his way.

As they ventured deeper into Trottingham, the street began to branch off, forming more roads that all lead to different parts of the city. Eventually, Magus turned off the main road and proceeded down a less busy street. It looked like they had entered a market district, the wooden framed homes being replaced by rows of stalls selling produce, and storefronts with large windows showing off the various items within. Ponies were spread out in every direction, viewing each of the store’s wares, and as long as they weren’t shoving their way past her, Trixie was happy.

Trixie saw many interesting shops selling parlor tricks, fireworks, and flashy clothing, all stores she would normally visit, but what store here could possibly interest a pony wielding otherworldly power?

It felt like they had been walking for hours, the sun had slowly fallen, coloring the sky with a yellowish-orange light. The farther they walked down the street, the more desolate the market became, the storefronts and buildings began to look rundown with their windows either broken or boarded up. Walls were cracked, rooftop shingles were in shambles, and even the road had seen better days. Questionable ponies, wearing bowler hats, curiously glanced at them from the dark alleyways and filthy street corners as they passed. Uneasy, Trixie followed closer to Magus as he headed down a smaller, more confined road.

The tops of the buildings seemed to bend and hang over them, casting a dark shadow over the path. Trixie noticed the amount of eyes watching them from the alleys slowly growing, glaring in the shadowy dark as they continued.

Trixie grew nervous as the glances turned into stares with their numbers steadily growing the deeper they went. Small pulses of energy could be felt, vibrating the air around her, causing her to tense up even more. She didn’t know what the feeling was, but she could swear she felt something like it before. The unicorn quickly trotted up next to Magus and said with unease, “I think we should get out of here.”

“Really?” Magus responded. “What makes you say that?”

Surprised at his response, Trixie thought, 'Is he blind? How does he not see all of them?'

Trixie leaned in closer and whispered more forcefully, “If you hadn’t noticed, we have more than a few admirers watching us.”

“So we do,” he said calmly, glancing around at the bowler hat ponies in the alleys.

She looked around again to see the number of ponies watching them had doubled, and they were beginning to get closer, stepping out of the dark and whispering amongst themselves while still keeping an eye on them. “Don’t you think you should do something?” The nervousness in her voice could clearly be heard.

“What do you recommend?”

“I don’t know, how about some of that fire magic? You know a few fireballs, a stream of flames, something? That might work,” Trixie said in a quiet panic.

“It’s a possibility.”

It boggled her mind why he was acting like this. 'What’s wrong with him?' Trixie thought as the street began to wind and bend in an almost zigzag fashion. She began to hear hoofsteps echoing off the stone street behind them, and dared not turn around. Magus appeared unconcerned by the danger that surrounded and even now followed them. He appeared, in a sense, normal as he’d always been. Hoping he had some sort of plan, Trixie followed his example and tried to remain as calm as possible.

Minutes later, the winding road opened up into a small plaza with desolate buildings all around them, except for a single storefront at the far side.

It was a small, one story building with a bright light shining through the front window and a large sign over the doorway with the name Looking Glass Antiques written in an elegant manner. The building, although a bit worn, appeared to be full of life compared to its surroundings.

“We’ve almost arrived,” Magus said, walking toward the store.

“Finally,” Trixie quietly said to herself, glancing behind her to see their pursuers had, mysteriously, disappeared. The dark alleyways, which were once filled with the unsightly brutes, were empty. The feeling of their wicked glares was gone, but the energy that pulsed through the air remained, and it felt stronger than ever as she faced the store.

Just as Trixie turned to follow, a large shadowy figure leaped out in front of her, seemingly appearing from thin air. In reaction, she quickly jumped back and fixed her gaze on the figure. The being loomed over her as it began to chuckle in a deep voice at the sight of her shaken disposition. “Well now, what do we ‘ave ‘ere?”

Comments

[Savant Sentral]

You are a pirate wielding soul edge (soul caliber) riding butt stallion( borderlands 2) wearing winterized t-51b power armor(fallout 3).