Everyday Life With Guardsmares
Chapter 123
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"three light-creatures."
"yes. three."
"which is the BINDER?"
you KNOW that one.
"the one without a PIECE."
the BINDER you KNOW has brought two others.
the two others have discs with BOUND PIECES in them.
the BOUND PIECES have been made to SERVE.
they serve to DECEIVE.
it is sufficient.
you DEVOUR the scene.
three light-creatures, in the dim-world deep place where the BARRIER is WEAK.
where the GREAT BOUND-BINDER was in TORPOR.
where the BINDERS who are WEAK come to take PIECES in the company of BINDERS who are STRONG.
where the OTHERS who are NOT BINDERS come and stay in the WEAKBARRIER-DEEP-PLACE and DECEIVE themselves that they are not AFRAID.
"one is a STRONG CONDUIT."
YES.
a STRONG CONDUIT for the FLOW.
you dream of BINDING into the CONDUIT.
FLOODING the FLOW through.
exhilarating.
conduit so wide so open so ready to be FILLED with the FLOW open the gates open the gates open the gates open the gates.
dream of DEVOURING the conduit, dream of OPENING the conduit WIDE, dream of FLOODING with PIECES UNBOUND, dream of CONSUMING light-creatures.
MORE and MORE and MORE and MORE.
INTOXICATING.
"YES."
"is the conduit a BINDER?"
you do not KNOW the conduit.
the BINDERS are all WEAK CONDUITS.
STRONG conduits never come to the WEAKBARRIER-DEEP-PLACE.
other than the GREAT BOUND-BINDER who is not BOUND any more.
and who refuses to BIND.
the BINDER conducts the FLOW.
the FLOW is SLOW.
deliberate.
the FLOW is WEAK, but sufficient.
the FLOW opens the WEAKBARRIER.
quick quick quick go go go open open open.
NO!
a PIECE enters the light-realm, UNBOUND but NOT FREE.
the opening CLOSES.
not YOU.
not YOU.
not YOU.
you ENVY the UNBOUND-UNFREE PIECE.
why not you why not you why not you take me take me take me take me let me in let me in let me in let me in.
the non-binders TREMBLE to behold the PIECE.
their FEAR is DELICIOUS.
the STRONG CONDUIT opens and THROBS as the FLOW PULSES through.
bind you devour you flood you open you gates open gates open gates open YES YES YES.
the STRONG CONDUIT WAITS.
the STRONG CONDUIT HOLDS THE FLOW.
so full so full so full so full.
so close so close open open open.
the BINDER pushes the PIECE back across the WEAKBARRIER.
NO!
no.
unsatisfying.
the BINDER still conducts the FLOW.
ANOTHER HOLE!
go go go go go ENTER ENTER ENTER ENTER!
NO!
another PIECE ENTERS FIRST AGAIN.
before YOU.
the hole CLOSES.
NO NO NO NO NO NO!
the light-creatures TREMBLE.
the STRONG CONDUIT still HOLDS THE FLOW.
tantalizing.
again the UNBOUND-UNFREE PIECE is FORCED back by the BINDER.
again.
again.
again.
this is FAMILIAR.
this is what the STRONG BINDERS do with the WEAK BINDERS here in the WEAKBARRIER-DEEP-PLACE.
"the STRONG BINDER teaches the STRONG CONDUIT how to BIND."
"yes."
yes.
strong CONDUIT becomes weak BINDER.
exciting.
opportunity.
"what is the THIRD?"
the THIRD is NOTHING.
not a BINDER.
not a CONDUIT.
"the THIRD is NOTHING."
the THIRD is only AFRAID.
the THIRD is AFRAID of the WEAKBARRIER-DEEP-PLACE.
the THIRD is AFRAID of the UNBOUND-UNFREE PIECES.
the fear does not satiate.
you want MORE.
"the THIRD is only AFRAID."
"perhaps the THIRD is a SHELL."
a shell?
a SHELL.
when the GREAT BOUND-BINDER was new to TORPOR and the BINDERS were all WEAK, they brought other light-creatures to be BOUND.
they wished to create more BOUND-BINDERS.
but the OTHERS were WEAK.
the BINDERS tried to BIND PIECES into the light-creatures.
but they were too WEAK.
the OTHERS were DEVOURED instead.
the DEVOURED became SHELLS.
the SHELLS became HUNGRY.
the SHELLS ATE and ATE and ATE and ATE.
and the BINDERS became AFRAID.
they tried to DESTROY the SHELLS.
and this THIRD?
to be a SHELL?
unlikely.
but appetizing.
"perhaps."
the STRONG CONDUIT OPENS.
flow flow flow flow flow flow.
yes breach the WEAKBARRIER breach all the barriers breach and let PIECES in let many PIECES in let me in let ALL in.
the FLOW pours through the STRONG CONDUIT.
it is TORRENTIAL.
wait.
wait.
wait.
...
NOTHING.
POINTLESS FLOW.
USELESS STRONG-CONDUIT.
OPEN THE BARRIER!
OPEN THE BARRIER!
LET ME IN!
you HATE the STRONG-CONDUIT.
you WANT the STRONG-CONDUIT.
so much FLOW.
so much MORE if it were a BOUND-BINDER.
so much MORE if it were DEVOURED.
so much MORE if only it could open the BARRIER at all.
failure.
disappointment.
the STRONG CONDUIT cannot BIND.
the STRONG CONDUIT cannot SEE the PIECES as the STRONG BINDER does.
"unaware."
yes, unaware.
"yes."
"the STRONG CONDUIT comes from the bright-world where there are few PIECES."
there are few PIECES in the bright-world.
but so much FLOW.
so much opportunity.
so much to DEVOUR.
not like the dim-world where there were many PIECES but the FLOW was WEAK and the BINDERS were WEAK.
the bright-world had BINDERS.
long before the GREAT BOUND-BINDER.
take me bind me take me to the bright-world strong-conduit take me take me take me.
I WILL MAKE YOU TAKE ME.
the STRONG CONDUIT is a FAILURE.
the STRONG CONDUIT is FRUSTRATED.
the STRONG CONDUIT deceives itself that it is not ANGRY.
anger rage hate fury so FULL devour you devour you devour you devour you.
the STRONG BINDER hesitates.
HESITATES.
the STRONG BINDER is AFRAID.
"what do the STRONG BINDER and the STRONG CONDUIT do?"
you know.
"they communicate."
details unimportant.
so close to the STRONG CONDUIT here where the BARRIER is WEAK.
so CLOSE.
you will NOT MISS the next HOLE in the WEAKBARRIER.
the BINDER will open another.
"now they communicate with the THIRD."
the THIRD is AFRAID.
so much fear so sweet the screams so tender the light-creature so succulent so full light drain the light drink the light DEVOUR THE LIGHT.
the BINDER is AFRAID.
the STRONG CONDUIT is AFRAID.
the THIRD is AFRAID.
so much FEAR.
they COMMUNICATE it.
they SPILL it.
intoxicating.
a hole.
a HOLE.
A HOLE!
the STRONG BINDER conducts the FLOW and a HOLE opens.
YOU PASS THROUGH THE WEAKBARRIER AND ENTER THE LIGHT-REALM, A PIECE UNBOUND BUT UNFREE.
YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES.
ecstasy.
the light-realm vibrates with movements of the BINDER.
it is COMMUNICATION.
"Here is another. Now, jou must try to banish it as I have shown jou."
the strong conduit changes its SHAPE.
only light-realm has SHAPE.
novel.
"That could take a while. You can hold it there, right?"
the binder changes its shape and you know it is a nod.
"Jes. The accursed shadow is held by the spell original."
the THIRD beholds you.
not the devouring-beholding.
it beholds you with its EYES.
"Is it really another one? How can you even tell the difference between them? It's just a formless black shadow."
formless?
without SHAPE?
you should have SHAPE too.
you are in light-realm.
"They are different. And they often do not remain formless when called in this manner."
you take the SHAPE of the THIRD.
a whim.
"Is that... it's changed! Now it's some kind of shadow-pegasus?"
the THIRD is AFRAID.
"That's ME! It's even got my mane!"
"Celestia, that's creepy."
NAMES.
light-realm has NAMES.
the BINDER is IGNACIO.
the names of the others are UNIMPORTANT.
"Control jourselves. The Accursed Shadows thrive on the fear."
the IGNACIO knows.
"Yesssssss."
"Buck-me-it-TALKED! They can talk?!"
delicious.
"They can talk. They learn very quickly. There is great danger in allowing them to spend time in our realm, but sometimes it must be done. Even bound into an item magical there is risk if not done properly."
the STRONG CONDUIT is so open so full of FLOW so wide.
you must get in you must get in you must get in you must get in.
"What would happen if it got free?"
the IGNACIO breathes.
the light-creatures must breathe to exist.
you are in the light-realm.
you decide to breathe, too.
"It would consume one of us and create an abomination."
"Huuuuuhhhhhh..."
the THIRD and the CONDUIT look at you.
they hear your breathing.
their FEAR is so satiating.
"...Haaaaaahhhhh."
"And the other two of us?"
"It would either kill them or use them to create more abominations."
DEVOUR.
"Huuuuuuhhhhh..."
"So what's the difference between 'abomination' and Nightmare Moon? You said she bound her own 'dark reflection' into herself."
"...Haaaaaahhhhh."
they speak of the GREAT BOUND-BINDER.
curious.
you stop breathing to listen.
"The Great Mother was not abomination. She took an Accursed Shadow and bound it to herself, harnessing its power. This changed her, because she shared her mind and body with the Accursed Shadow, but she was still the one in control. Abomination is when the Accursed Shadow instead takes charge. They do not share. The victim creature becomes hollow and empty. They seek only to cause death and destruction, to spread pain and misery. And they feed on the life of others."
the THIRD speaks.
"It sounds like you've personally seen what those things can do."
"Jes. I told jou, when learning to work magic this is a risk for joung Eclipse. They are always supervised, and we destroy abominations immediately, but sometimes they escape and must be hunted down."
"Destroy? You mean there's no restoring the victim?"
the IGNACIO is TIRED.
TIRED BINDERS make mistakes.
but it has not made a mistake yet.
"Jes, it is possible. As the Great Mother was forcibly unbound, so an Accursed Shadow can also be forced out and the victim restored. But an Eclipse who has failed once is at risk to fail again. This we cannot afford, so they are destroyed instead."
the IGNACIO points at the THIRD.
"One of the duties of the Eclipse which jou have not yet seen is the training of Stars in hunting down abominations. We need their strength to subdue and capture abominations so that they can be destroyed."
the STRONG CONDUIT makes its eyes small.
you do not have eyes.
you have not added them to your shape.
you decide to have eyes.
"How do you teach them that? More of your sandy shadow-puppets?"
"No. These cannot simulate the foe sufficiently well."
you look at the IGNACIO with your eyes.
"We conduct this training rarely and with only the finest of students. In an enclosed arena, an elderly Star volunteer allows themselves to be made into an abomination which is then set free. The pupils hunt it down. Once the hunt is complete, the Accursed Shadow is banished."
the IGNACIO turns to eye-look the THIRD.
but you SEE that the IGNACIO has USELESS EYES.
curious.
"An elder is used as victim because the hunt is dangerous and can be fatal if the hunters use force too great. But we Eclipse use this hunt also to train our own pupils in the exorcism of abominations."
you know the here-future.
you know you will be expelled from the light-realm soon.
but you also know a time ahead from now, when you are once again brought into the light-realm through the WEAKBARRIER.
and the anticipation is tantalizing.
you look at the THIRD, whose name you know.
you begin to breathe again.
"Huuuuuuhhhhh..."
"Once jou, unicornio, have learned how to banish an Accursed Shadow which is loose, then I shall ask a favor dangerous of jou, pegaso, in order to complete the training of jour comrade."
"...Haaaaaahhhhh."
delicious fear.
"A dangerous favor? You don't mean...?"
"Huuuuuuhhhhh..."
DELICIOUS FEAR.
"Jes. Abomination, temporarily."
DEVOUR YOU DEVOUR YOU DEVOUR YOU DEVOUR YOU DEVOUR YOU DEVOUR YOU DEVOUR YOU.
"AR-TE-MISSSSSSSSSSSsssss"
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