• Published 23rd Dec 2021
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Chaotic Visage - Orderly Disassembly



sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurrrrt meeee... A comforting lie. Isn't it?

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Ch 6 - Fallout

Author's Note:

This was supposed to be out yesterday but I fell asleep. Plan on tryna get another one out today, but no promises.

I felt grains digging into my eyes as I rubbed them with bare knuckles.

My talons clicked and my hoof clopped as I trudged down the hallway.

I scanned the blank gray stone walls of the passage while I shifted to scraping at my other eye.

Miniscule lines were the only signs that the rock around me was a building rather than a tunnel, but the cracks widened and webbed out in certain areas as I went deeper.

Seconds became minutes and the minutes melted together, causing me to miss the passing of the hour.

What was I thinking?

I turned a corner as I felt a patch of skin fall off of my arm.

I sighed as I passed a hand over the wound to seal it before wiping my face.

Hours, hours wasted cleaning up that crap!

I shook my head as the corridors seemed to stretch out before me.

Each step making less progress than the previous.

With a snort, I hopped into the air but before I could move forward, I dropped like a rock.

I scowled as I got up and reattached the horn that fell off.

‘How bout I show off a little?’ He thought. ‘I’m a draconequus, I’m invincible, so I should be fine.’ He lied.

I growled as I finally swung open the door to my room.

Bare stone walls, a low bed with white sheets, and an empty desk with a wooden chair greeted me.

At least no one got hurt…

I winced at the memories of the screams and crying.

Unicorns were scattered all over the ground and the fields were torn up.

The grass was scoured from the ground, the few trees scattered around the testing areas were flattened, and the tower itself had cracked.

…permanently.

Fortunately, Healthy Needles was very good at his job and I was able to keep the tower up while Swirly patched up the load-bearing walls.

We’re both going to need to be there to fix up the foundation but everyone decided that it could wait till tomorrow.

I fell into my bed and lay there for a time before my mind began to drift.

“... theorem discussed the possibility of nigh-infinitesimally small particles that make up every other known thing in our small world. It is theorized that breaking apart said particles would result in an immense amount of energy being released. However, the conditions necessary for this to occur are not known, so further study has been determined futile. However, the particle…”

The unbidden knowledge meandered into my conscious thoughts as I began falling.

My eyes grew heavier and heavier while my mind remained active.

“The Civil Development Postulate is the leading counterpoint to the Crystalline Structuralism argument, and it hinges on the idea…”

My dreams were filled with cotton candy, chocolate milk, and fire.

I dipped in and out of lucidity, forcing myself to absorb more knowledge every time I managed to listen.

However, one thought dominated my mind, covering every other idea, and smothering any passing tendrils of laziness.

I can’t make the same mistake again.


My jaw flew open, as if of its own volition, and I stretched my limbs in every direction I could, feeling the joints pop as bones shifted in place.

I rolled out of bed and stood up but when I finally managed to pry my eyes open… nothing.

I blinked, then screwed them shut and pried them open again in case I got it wrong the first time.

A couple moments of deep thought revealed the issue at hand.

I shook my head as I snapped a lightbulb into existence. The electric light buzzed as I sent it to hover above my head with a wave.

Another moment passed before I decided to walk out into the hallway. Only to find that it was also pitch black.

Wasn’t this all lit yesterday?

With a raised eyebrow I floated along the hallway… for all of fifteen seconds before bumping into a wall that blinked into view inches from my face.

With a snort, I snapped my fingers and hissed as blazing sunlight stabbed my eyes with lances of pain.

When those spears of fire were about to reach my brain I heard Swirly call out from behind me.

“Finally up, are you? Well, welcome to the land of the living then.”

After rubbing the rest of the spots out of my eyes I shot a glare at Swirly.

“Well, I’m sorry but I didn’t exactly get a wake-up call.”

Swirly snorted.

“Of course you didn’t, your alarm clock got cut off just like all of the other amenities in there.”

I frowned while scanning my friend.

His mane and beard were ruffled with locks of hair branching out in every direction like some messed-up tree.

His cloak was wrinkled all over and I could definitely make out a new crease in his hat.

“Are you alright, Swirly?”

The bags under his eyes seemed to evolve into mattresses at my comment.

“My name’s not ‘Swirly,’ and no Typhon, I am not ’alright.’”

He sighed as his hoof rubbed circles into his forehead before continuing.

“The foundation is cracked, the ward work for the yard got shredded, the structural integrity enchantments at the base of the tower are loose…”

He continued for a couple of minutes, trailing issues that ranged from “needs new batteries” to “basically unable to function anymore” in severity.

I cringed at a few related to the plumbing and bit my lip at the bits about walls needing repairing.

“... and finally, the main crystal is out of alignment. It will take weeks to get it back in line with the leylines.”

Leylines? I know I heard about that in the lectures.

It took a few moments of chin scratching but my face lit up when I found the answer.

“Oh, that’s right! Leylines are central conduits for thaumaturgical power, right?”

Swirly scowled at me.

“Yes, thank you, it’s not as if unicorns learn that as foals.”

I continued on as if he hadn’t opened his mouth.

“And you power your tower with it right?”

Swirly growled in frustration.

“Yes, you idiot, and I’ve been telling you that for the past ten minutes!”

I rolled my eyes before finishing my idea.

“So why not plug me in for a bit? I mean all the crystal is doing is funneling the leyline's power into whatever magical circuit you have going on. It shouldn’t be too hard to stand in for that overpriced rock for a moment.”

My wide, toothy grin was faced by one of the grimmest, stormy scowls that I’d ever seen.

Thankfully, I resisted the urge to hang a pair of rain clouds above his head to complete the look.

But some lightning would really add to the drama…

I shook the thought away as Swirly finally responded.

“That ‘overpriced rock,’ as you called it, has kept our tower running since I founded our organization. It has more than paid dividends with what it has done for us.”

He poked my chest with a hoof.

“And I dare say, that if you had not shown up, then none of this would have happened!”

His scowl had descended into a snarl.

My eyes stung but I knew he was right, so I kept myself together.

I blinked back before letting my expression go flat.

“Why do you think I helped you when the tower almost fell over? Why do you think I’m willing to continue to do so?”

I rose into the air further to hover over the irate archmage.

“It’s definitely not for your hospitality, Starswirl.”

I let my face contort into a frown.

“It’s also not for the food.”

I began to circle him in the air.

“And I really have no further use for your library.”

I landed on all fours in front of Starswirl, still towering head and shoulders above him.

“The only reason I’m still here is because I’m the one who caused this mess.”

I gestured at the churned fields of rock.

And because Clover’s my friend.

I left the last thought unspoken as I glared into Starswirl’s grim face and leaned forward to speak in a tone barely above a whisper.

“I don’t need you, Starswirl. I don’t need your tower. I don’t need any of you ponies. I just so happen to have a conscience.”

With that, I hopped into the air and snapped.

A wave of power covered the field in a glowing white sheen.

The landscape melted from jagged spikes and uneven turf into a flat plain full of swaying grass.

Another snap preceded several pieces of land vibrating until it was reduced to loose dirt.

Yet another snap ground those circles of dirt into sand.

I turned my attention to the tower.

Hundreds of cracks ran from the top to the bottom, spider webbing all over the hexagonal structure.

Chunks of rock were missing from the sides, windows were shattered, and the top had crumpled in on itself.

The gem that hovered over the top was tilted and slightly off-centered as well.

A snap made lost chunks of the tower float from their new resting places to fill in the holes they’d left on departure, cracks pulled closed, and like a broken tent being pulled into its proper state, the top of the structure unfolded.

I stared at the huge glowing gem for a moment, but shook my head instead of snapping again.

No, I don’t want to mess things up any more than I already have.

With a sigh, I turned back to Starswirl and raised an eyebrow.

“See?”

He gulped before nodding, and I took that as my cue to leave. A flash accompanied my departure, but Starswirl's last words followed me to my destination.

“Maybe that principle was right…”

What?

I shook my head before looking around.

There were groups of unicorns running between piles of equipment, some holding papers, and others tools.

As I watched I saw several structures rise from piles of scrap and witnessed smoke begin to rise from a couple with chimneys.

I tilted my head at the new buildings but smiled when I saw a particular unicorn leaning against a cart full of books.

What if she’s scared?

Suddenly, my smile lost a lot of its strength.

I mean, I couldn’t blame her. I did essentially flatten the landscape.

I considered just leaving her be but a few seconds of thought had me deciding to just get it over with.

I tried to make my grin seem genuine as I strolled over to a drooping Clover.

Though I suspect one could easily see through the lie.

“Hey Clove-”

Her glare cut me off.

“Do you realize?”

She sucked in air through her nose before letting it out in a long, slow breath.

“How much work.”

I could almost feel the weight of mountains just looking at her eyelids.

“You made for me.”

My eyes flicked to and fro as my smile strained against her mood.

“Uh, huh, well.”

I scratched the back of my neck before continuing.

“You did say ‘I can handle myself’ so…”

A quick glance revealed her twitching eye before I squeaked out.

“No hard feelings?”

She snorted.

“If you could make it so that I had two more hours of sleep last night-”

I cut off any further comment with a snap that brought a cup of steaming brown liquid in front of Clover.

My grin gained more confidence as, with a flourish, cream, milk, and a spoon of sugar all fell in.

“It may not be quite as good as sleep, but coffee can still do wonders for mornings!”

My ears flattened against my head for a moment.

“But do mind the taste, the stuff is more bitter than a teacher grading late work!”

Clover eyed me as she grabbed the cup with her magic.

Her glare turned on the liquid before she took a sip.

One second passed.

She licked her lips.

“Not too bad.”

Another second.

She looked at the cup with a half-faced smile.

And on the death of the third second Clover brightened up.

The bags under her eyes vanished, and her grayish coat filled in with color as she straightened up with a smile.

“Wow, this stuff is stronger than that fancy Saddle Arabian tea they serve in the cafeteria!”

I nodded with a smile.

“Well, that’s good to hear.”

She took another sip as she turned around to walk away.

“Sorry Typhon, but I gotta go. I wasn’t joking about the work. See ya later!”

I waved a few times as she left.

Well, she seemed… as spirited as ever. I suppose that’s a good thing.

With a smile, I turned to go find something else to do while I waited for Starswirl to get over himself and just ask for help with the crystal.

I scratched my chin as I scanned my surroundings again.

Several groups of unicorns had huddled together in groups that reminded me of classical color wheels.

I grinned as I floated up to one of the circles of ponies, but my ears flattened when I heard what they were talking about.

“Weeks Sapphire! Weeks of work down the drain because of that idiot! Why I oughta-”

His friend shushed him as she looked around. Unfortunately for her, I had already ripped a cloak of invisibility over myself.

“He could be anywhere, it’s best to just not talk about him.”

The rest of the pony troupe nodded in agreement before moving on to other topics.

Oh…

I floated to another group next to what appeared to be a make-shift bakery.

I think I can remember some recipes from home… But do they have vanilla extract?

I shook my head while smiling as I drew near.

Or better yet, how well do they handle salt…

I frowned for a moment but shook it away as the ponies’ voices bled into audibility

I really should ask about it.

“Please tell me he’s just passing by us!”

The yellow mare was hiding under a table within the tent that covered the temporary oven.

I puzzled at the mare’s distress as I walked in. I jumped when something smacked against a board with a loud crack.

I spun to see a unicorn mare that was as tall as me when walking on all fours.

“If he ain’t then you’ll bake the pieces ah’ll leave behind!”

I blinked a few times before deciding that dealing with a madmare as big as a small wagon wasn’t a very fun idea.

I tiptoed out of that striped pavilion as fast as my feet would let me.

After I was out, I hopped into the air and zipped to another group, hoping to find someone somewhere that needed some help.

I touched down near a slapdash forge.

The bricks making up the forge itself were loose in their sockets and passing examination revealed that there wasn’t even any mortar holding the blocks together.

Some of the pieces were cracked and others were beginning to slide out of place.

Even if the weight from their fellows kept the loose bricks in place at the moment, it was obvious to me that it wouldn’t be long before a serious accident could occur.

I shrugged before snapping and loose bricks slotted back into place while cracks pulled themselves closed.

A whiny, high-pitched stallion called out.

“What was that?”

“Nothing important, boy. Now get those bars in order, we have a job to do.

I stuck my head around a corner of the forge.

Several posts held up a square, red and white striped cloth above a pair of unicorns that stood next to a stone table holding bars of silvery metal.

The hunks of metal called to me, pulling my gaze from the ponies for a moment, but I shook off the weird feeling so that I could refocus on the conversation.

“I don’t know why you’re insisting on this. I mean come on, the tower just rebuilt itself a couple minutes ago and even the ground got fixed!”

The smaller blue unicorn was pleading to a gray stallion that was almost as big as the crazy baker.

The big guy shook his head before his deep voice rumbled back.

“The tower still isn’t whole, Steel Ring. The power’s still out and Hexane needs all of those extra plates for some fancy project.”

The teenager groaned.

“She made that order like a minute ago! Couldn’t it wait until we get back into the tower?”

The big guy shook his head before turning from Steel Ring to pick up a couple of the bars.

“No, for all we know the top mages might need these plates to realign the central crystal.”

Steel Ring sighed.

“Fine, but does it really have to be runic steel? That stuff is a pain to work with!”

The massive smith glared back at the apprentice.

“Look boy, I’ve been patient because I agree with most of what you’re saying.”

He stepped towards Steel Ring, towering over the now sweating teenager.

“But we got a job to do. You will learn this now, the easy way, or you’re going to find out later the hard way.”

He leaned down, glare still at full strength.

“In this world, if you don’t work, you don’t eat, and if those in charge don’t think you’re good enough, they’ll replace you.”

The big smith sighed before straightening.

He looked towards the forge before flinging a couple of bars into the now roaring flames.

For a moment, I began sweating as his eyes passed over me, but he didn’t even pause to look at me.

Oh, invisible, right.

I grinned nervously as the smith looked back to Steel Ring.

“I want those bars prepped for shaping by the end of the hour, now get to work.”

The smith turned towards another table, this one covered in various hammers and chisels, while Steel Ring rushed to the forge with a glowing horn.

I stepped forward, ready to lend a hand, but before I could drop my veil, I heard the giant unicorn muttering.

“If I ever see that moronic noodle again, I’ll use his head to hammer myself a new anvil.”

With that lovely promise, I decided that the big guy had things under control and skipped out to go find someone less… murderous.

So I flew onto the next tent.

Only to find a similar situation.

It was the same in the next group.

And in the next one.

And the next one…

Eventually, I took the hint and floated towards the wood’s edge, and with one last look at the tower, I dove in.

I’ll be back, they just need some… time.

With that thought, I settled onto a tree branch to watch the local wildlife.

A couple birds swooped through the air with the noisy beat of flapping wings.

Squirrels scampered through the trees with soft pitter-patters marking their passage.

Rabbits bounced by on nervous feet that thumped against the earth.

… At least, that’s the hope.

Nature seemed… undisturbed by me.

It was nice.

I smiled as I let the muscles in my back relax and closed my eyes while listening to the wind whistling a tuneless melody.