Chapter 5 – Song of the Irish
When G finally managed to wake up after being knocked out upon his arrival, his vision remained blurred for a few moments as he struggled to sit himself upright.
"Ugh… did anyone get that licence plate for that truck?" he said dizzily, the Jolly Roger in his right eye pulling a sick face just as he was.
Suddenly with a shake of his head, G quickly recovered his senses and looked over his surroundings. At the moment, he seemed to be sitting waist-deep in a small duck-pond leaning over the bank like he was in a hot tub, luckily no one was around so he was able to quickly climb up into the foliage of a nearby tree before anyone came walking by, after all he was in no condition to transform at the moment. As he observed his surroundings from the tree, G noticed that the inhabitants seemed to be human judging from looks alone, however since he didn't come here by choice G had to rely on the one sense he had that he never thought he would have to use.
"Smells like… Ireland?" he said, breathing in the air through his nostrils "1987 by the smell of it, I must be in one of the Tomm Moore stories."
As it turned out G's sense of smell was somewhat more miraculous than any common creature. To be more specific, due to his unique ability to jump through numerous creations, he developed a unique since that will allow him to tell what story he was in by smell alone. However the only time ever needed to use it was to try and find the location of the portal home, something of which he desperately needed to find right now since he needed to fix whatever damage was done ASAP. Thankfully the one he was looking for wasn't far, in fact it was the very base of the tree he was hiding in, quickly jumping down from his perch he quickly tried his usual technique of punching his way through the portal. However when he tried punching his way back, all he hit was the solide wood of the tree.
"What the…?" he gasped, trying again but getting the same result.
After several attempts of getting the portal, G soon found himself pulling at his air with frustration. Suddenly the realisation hit him.
"I'M LOCKED OUT!?" he screamed, almost blowing his cover as he quickly turned himself into a dog to avoid being spotted by a passing human. "Oh great, the damage must have been worse than I thought."
Indeed it was, he may not have had much experience in the matter but the sad truth is that the damage to the walls of creation were so bad, that any attempt to go back to his home realm was quite impossible. This is if he tried using only his OLD methods.
"Now what the heck is that supposed to mean!?" he asked the Author impatiently. "Come on Author, any ideas you can give me here?"
Sorry G but I'm afraid this is where your Fourth-wall breaking stops, this is YOUR story now.
"Wait, what!?" G gasped, not liking what he was here in the slightest. "Oh come on you can't leave me high and dry here!"
It's time to show some initiative G, I'm afraid that crack in Creation has already began to disperse your ability to talk to me, I only have enough time to give you one last piece of advice before you're cut off from me completely.
"Oh yeah?" G said stressfully. "And what exactly is that?"
Take care of who you encounter from here on out, those lost Creations out there need your help. Be sure to give it to them no matter the cost.
"…That's it?" G asked, clearly not liking the answer his creator gave him. Nothing else you can give me?
…
"Author?" G called out, receiving no answer. "Hello? Oh great!"
And with that G then proceeded to bang his head against the trunk of the tree in frustration, granted a couple of humans couldn't help but look curiously at the strange dog doing something weird, but luckily all of them merely shrugged and continued walking by. And as much as it pains me to see my character suffer so much, I'm afraid the best I can do now is chronicle his tale as he lives it.
"Well this is just PEACHY!" he moaned. "First I lose my home to pirates, and now I lose my…"
Suddenly G stopped banging his head against the tree, his mind suddenly turning to what the Author said.
"Lost characters?" he puzzled, raising an eyebrow as the message finally hit him. "The cracks in the walls! I remember now, everything was seeping into each other! Oh sweet Celestia, there's got to be thousands of characters all out of place across the plains of creation."
At that moment G knew exactly what he must do, sticking his nose high into the air, he tried picking up the scents of any unfortunate characters lost in this particular world.
"Okay, so far I'm picking up… two." he said to himself. "Equestrians by what I can gather, and they're close!"
With that, G then put his nose to the ground and started walking towards the scent, with his canine disguise he was able to pass through the crowd with ease as looked for the lost characters.
#
Meanwhile the characters G was looking for continued to hide in their makeshift vehicle, searching desperately for a safe place to hide so they could figure out a plan of action. As Goggles continued to drive through the streets and in between alleys to avoid being detected by any passing humans, Nyx couldn't help but star in awe at the strange creature, as such her mind began to burn with questions. How is it that she never heard of a Gizmonk before? Were they a species located in a different part of Equestria? If Nyx was going to be partnering up with this inventive monkey then she needed some more info.
"So Goggles," she said nervously. "Do you have anyone back home?"
At those words Goggles couldn't help but smirk, he always did find the curiosity of the young somewhat intriguing, after all it always meant that he was able to pass down at least a small fraction of his knowledge.
"Sure do," he said. "Got myself a lab and a family of country folk waiting for me. One day, a large crack of light appeared in the wall of my lab while I was working and I was sucked up into it, after that I woke up and found myself on someone's roof a few blocks from here."
"That sounds horrible," Nyx said sympathetically, knowing exactly what Goggles had gone through. "I'm sure your family misses you terribly."
Goggles gave the filly a gentle look upon hearing that.
"And I'm sure your mother misses you," he said, sharing Nyx's sympathy. "Don't worry kiddo, we'll find a way back, I guarantee it."
"How can you be so sure?" Nyx asked, confused by Goggles' confidence.
"Because I learnt a long time ago that no matter how much a situation seems dire, there will always be a sliver of hope for those who need it," Goggles explained. "If that fact weren't true, I probably wouldn't even be alive today."
Nyx couldn't help but feel intrigued by that, just what did happen to the Gizmonk to make him feel so inspired? She must remember to ask him at some point. However right now there was a more pressing issue.
"Uh… Goggles?" she said fearfully. "What does that flashing light mean?"
At those words Goggles looked at the part of the dashboard where Nyx was pointing, Needless to say he too was nervous at the flashing red lightbulb.
"Um, well it means that something's up with the breaks," he said nervously.
"And that would be what exactly?" Nyx asked, her fear ever growing.
Goggles then gulped and answered.
"We no longer have any,"
Hearing this Nyx obtained a fit of pure panic, she didn't need to know much about inventing to know that no breaks always meant disaster.
"What do we do now!?" she demanded.
"Okay there's no need to panic," Goggles said, trying desperately to remain calm as he turned his head towards the filly. "We're on a flat surface and we aren't going that fast, all we have to do is wait it out until we coast to a stop.
However Nyx's expression of fear didn't change in the slightest, in fact it only became worse when she saw what was ahead of them.
"Uh… Goggles?" she said, nervously pointing towards the pavement.
When Goggles once again placed his eyes on the road, they too turned wide with fear, of all the things they could have encountered at this point, a steep hill had to have been the worst.
"Oh Scrap-bunnies," Goggles gulped.
Those were the last words uttered before the garbage can and the two individuals inside came speeding down the steep hill. Screaming their heads off, both Nyx and Goggles clung to each other for dear life as they flailed about helplessly inside the garbage can, which at this point had rolled onto its side after one of the wheels had broken off half way down the hill. Finally after a sickening ride for the two, the Garbage can finally made it to the bottom of the hill and rolled across the road, into the grassy island in the centre of a roundabout. Luckily neither one of them suffered any injuries apart from some minor bruising and a lot of nausea.
"Ugh… Goggles?" Nyx said, staggering out of the can and trying desperately not to puke. "Are you okay?"
"I… I think so," Goggles said, his eyes still spinning in his head. "Guess that's what I get for making something out of garbage, eh?"
However Nyx couldn't even let a word out for she felt too sick to even move, in fact after wobbling about for a few seconds she collapsed under her own hoofs and laid down on the grass for a minute to ease her stomach. Finally, after a few minutes of rest Nyx finally stood up and looked at her surroundings, specifically the now destroyed garbage can.
"Now what do we do? She asked woefully.
"I don't know, but this thing sure isn't going anywhere," Goggles answered shamefully, aggravatingly giving the can a kick. "Even I'm not that good of a miracle worker."
Nyx sighed at that.
"Where are we anyway?" she asked.
"We seem to be in the centre of some kind of human road," Goggles replied, gazing at the road just beyond the foliage they were standing in. "And without any suitable materials I doubt I can make anything that'll get us over there in one piece, much less being seen."
At those words Nyx felt like she was about to cry for the bad news just seems to be coming and coming, however Goggles wasn't willing to give up yet.
"Come on!" he said, walking deeper into the shrubbery. "There's got to be something we can use, a tree-trunk maybe."
As much as Nyx admired Goggles enthusiasm, she still couldn't help but sigh in despair even after following the Gizmonk in his endeavour. Luckily neither of them had to walk very far for them to find something interesting.
"Hey, check this out!" Goggles called, ushering Nyx closer to him.
Upon seeing what was ahead Nyx's eyes grew wide, before them was a small round door at the end of a large stone piping leading to who knows where and surrounded by several small stone statues of elderly humans, whoever lives in this place one thing was for sure, they had to be quite small in order to fit, perhaps only a foot or two taller than Nyx. However while the door itself was interesting enough, it was the words written on it that caught Goggles' attention.
"What's this?" he pondered, soon reading the writing aloud. "KEEP OUT, FEIC OFF, NO HUMANS."
Upon hearing this Nyx couldn't help but feel slightly more nervous, whoever lived here obviously didn't want any visitors. Goggles on the other hand simply shrugged with contentment.
"Well then, good thing we're not human," he said with a light smile as he reached for the doorknob.
Needless to say, Nyx was shocked by this action.
"Are you crazy!?" she gasped. "You can't just barge into someone's home!"
"You got any better ideas?" Goggles retorted, opening the door. "Besides, if the message says no humans then maybe the creatures that DO live inside might be able to help us."
Goggles did have a point, whoever did live here couldn't have been human, the size of the door and the message upon it were proof of that. Still, was it possible that whoever does live here could help? It'll be a real shame if it were true and they didn't try, maybe whoever it is might just be like them, lost in a world that's no their own. Sighing in defeat, the Alicorn filly then followed the Gizmonk inside, closing the door behind her.
"It's spooky in here," she said nervously as the darkness enveloped her.
"Hang on," she heard Goggles say amongst the darkness.
Suddenly the tunnel Nyx and Goggles were in was filled with a dim light, a light which emanated from the orb at the end of Goggles' tail.
"How did you do that?" Nyx asked, her jaw dropping with awe.
"Oh this? Just a little trick we Gizmonks can do," Goggles answered proudly. "Normally this thing only lights up whenever I get an idea, but I can use it a flashlight whenever I…"
However Goggles didn't get to finish his sentence, all of a sudden something grabbed him from behind, hidden amongst the shadows where his tail didn't give any light. Within moments Goggles had disappeared from Nyx's sight, once again leaving her alone in darkness.
"GOGGLES!" she screamed fearfully.
However Nyx received no answer, instead she too found herself being swept off her hooves and being pulled to who knows where.
#
The sudden shock of what had happened must have made Nyx faint, if only for a few moments. Once she awoke, she found herself sprawled against the centre of a stone floor, around her were several more of the stone statues covered in ivy, along with many entrances to more tunnels. Sitting next to her was Goggles, who had only just awoken himself, however it was the trio of new individuals talking amongst themselves that drew both their attentions. They may have appeared like elderly humans but they all had greyish skin and as Nyx and Goggles had suspected earlier, these three were way smaller, perhaps only three foot tall, two in the shortest one's case. The first one, the tallest and skinniest of the three, had a balding head with only a ring of pure white hair to match his moustache and goatee and wore a green tunic with an orange cloak. The second individual was a little shorter but also much wider and had a full beard of darker grey hair, he also wore a maroon cloak over a bright red tunic. The last and shortest of the three, was the only one without facial hair, thus allowing all to see the wrinkles around his mouth, and he wore a yellow tunic with an emerald green cloak. Upon seeing them neither Nyx nor Goggles had any idea of what to do next, luckily they didn't have to do anything once their involuntary hosts noticed their presence.
"What do ye suppose we…? Oh hush-buckets, they're awake!" The tallest one gasped.
The second the three men turned towards Nyx and Goggles, both of them froze with fear, neither one of them knowing what to do now. After a few minutes of awkward silence, only Goggles seemed to gain some form of courage to speak.
"Uh… hi?" he said nervously.
With the ice finally broken, the shortest out of the three smiled and walked closer towards Goggles and Nyx with a light smile.
"Well hello there, little ones," he said gently. "I say now, what manner of creatures are ye?"
"Whisht Spud!" the tallest stranger snapped, pulling the short one, now known as Spud back. "They could be dangerous."
The bearded one rolled his eyes at that.
"Aw Lug, don't be such an idiot," he said sceptically. "Any fool can tell these wee creatures are no threat, I mean look at them.
"You too Mossy?" Lug said astonishingly.
As the three elderlies argued amongst themselves about the situation, Goggles couldn't help but feel somewhat insulted, granted he may have been smaller than Nyx in terms of height but he still didn't like being underestimated because of it.
"You know I AM standing right here!" He growled.
At those words Lug, Mossy and Spud once again turned their attention towards the Gizmonk.
"Oh and what exactly are ye?" Lug asked defensively. "Cause I have never seen anything you before,"
"Likewise buddy," Goggles retorted. "But that doesn't give you the right to make fun of my size!"
"I didn't say anything of the sort!" Lug snapped.
They would have argued further but another voice stepped in before either Lug or Goggles could say another word.
"STOP IT!" Nyx screamed.
Instantly turning their heads, Lug and Goggles were taken aback to see tears welling up in Nyx's eyes. At this point Goggles couldn't help but feel terrible, obliviously everything about the past 24 hours had been a terrible ordeal for the poor filly, and now here she was listening to a pair of creatures she didn't know argue. What made it worse was the fact that Nyx continued to yell at them.
"I can't take it anymore!" she snapped tearfully. "First I get taken away from my mom, spend last night in the rain, and then I crash after taking a joyride in the garbage, and now I'm listening to you lot arguing!"
Now both Goggles, and the three elderly creatures with them really felt guilty, they could see the clear signs of stress from the poor Alicorn with every tear that streamed down her face. In Goggles opinion, he was actually impressed that she managed to hold it together for this long before she snapped. However despite that he still felt horrible about letting her stay in this situation and making it worse by causing her stress.
"Please," Nyx pleaded, hanging her head in despair. "I… I just want to go home."
With that Goggles let out a heavy sigh, if there was one thing he hated it was to see a little girl cry.
"We've…had a rough day." He told the three elderlies before walking over to Nyx to try and comfort her.
Seeing the two creatures in the state they were in, Lug, Mossy and Spud felt incredibly stupid, none more so than Lug. After so many years of hiding from humans, the paranoia must have developed so much that they saw anything as a threat. Granted Nyx and Goggles may have snuck into their home, but obviously they were no threat, they were only a pair of lost souls with nowhere else to go, and it wouldn't be right for any Daoine Sidhe to turn away such desperation.
"Nice going Lug," Mossy grumbled, feeling the need to blame someone but no less feeling just as bad himself.
"Aye," Lug sighed, not even bothering to argue. "Now I really do feel like some idiot."
After a few moments of awkward silence, Lug's face suddenly perked up as an idea appeared in his head.
"Hey lads," he said, ushering Spud and Mossy into a small huddle. "A thought just popped into my head here, how's about we cheer up our guests with a few of our lovely melodies, eh?"
Spud and Mossy smiled at that.
"Good idea Lug," Mossy said.
"Aye, no one could resist one of our tunes," Spud said in agreement.
Nodding their heads in agreement, Mossy, Lug and Spud then pulled out their instruments from within their cloaks, Spud pulled out a Banjo, Mossy a Bodhrán Drum and Lug, a Fiddle. Gathering themselves up into their stance, Lug cleared his throat and drew in Goggles and Nyx's attention.
"Please, accept this little song as a token of our deepest apologises for our rudeness and a gesture of our Irish hospitality for the wandering travellers," Lug said, much to both their bewilderment. "Right lads, who'll get us started?"
"Here Lug, I'll sing," Spud said excitedly.
Lug rolled his eyes at that.
"No Spud, we want to bring the mood up for our guests," he said before turning his head towards Nyx. "Isn't that right lassie?"
However before Nyx could even respond, Spud once again spoke and cut her off.
"I'll do my best, I promise," he pleaded.
At those words, Lug merely sighed
"Give Mossy a go first, will ye?" he said finally.
And with that, Lug proceeded to play his fiddle, quickly followed by the other two playing their own instruments. It may have been a sudden and unexpected turn of events but both Nyx and Goggles had to admit that the melody the three were playing was somewhat nice to listen to. Soon enough, Mossy began the first verse of the song:
MOSSY:
The selkie song is bright
To waken all who follow.
Manannan will lead
and Tír na nÓg will follow.
LUG, MOSSY + SPUD:
Dúlamán na binne buí,
Dúlamán Gaelach.
Dúlamán na farraige,
B'fhearr a bhí in Éirinn.
As they both listened to the song, Nyx and Goggles couldn't help but feel intrigued, granted they had no idea what kind of language they were speaking for the chorus, but still it was invigorating, so much so that they couldn't help but smile.
"Lovely job, Mossy," Lug said excitedly. "Right, who's next?"
Spud grinned at that.
"Here Lug, here, I'll sing." He said excitedly.
"Ugh, go on so," Lug finally sighed in defeat.
At those words, Spud then walked up to Nyx and Goggles and spoke
"Tell us your names my friends," he said "So we could sing this song for you properly.
At first, neither Nyx nor Goggles could find their voice upon the sudden question, however after a few brief moments they brought up their courage and answered.
"M.. my name is Nyx," the filly answered. "And this is Goggles."
Satisfied with the answer, Spud then proceeded to sing the next verse, completely made up on the spot.
SPUD:
Goggles and Nyxie
Their tears will wash away.
The Daoine Sídhe who befriends them
Shall sing and save the day.
LUG, MOSSY + SPUD:
Dúlamán na binne buí,
Dúlamán Gaelach.
Dúlamán na farraige,
B'fhearr a bhí in Éirinn.
At this point, Nyx couldn't help but giggle, it was the first time Goggles saw the filly give a genuine smile all day, whatever these three guys were doing it seemed to be working. Suddenly Goggles' face as well as his tail lit up, meaning that he had an idea.
"Hey, mind if I take a verse?" he asked, much to Lug's surprise
After a few brief moments of silence, Lug smiled and asnwered.
"I don't see why not," he said.
"Aye, go on so," Spud added with his own grin.
With Mossy nodding in agreement, Goggles' smile widened and he once again turned towards Nyx, who at this point looked at him with confusion as he too made up the next verse on the spot.
Long, have I prayed
to meet some folks like you.
You're every shape and size,
And like me, you're bonkers too.
With that one verse, Nyx couldn't help but burst out laughing, especially since Goggles added his own little dance into the mix for the filly's enjoyment. Seeing that the filly was finally enjoying herself, Lug cheered at Goggles' involvement.
"Aha!" he cried. "A natural-born artist! Keep the crack going, lads!"
And with that, Lug and his two friends played the final chorus of the song, only this time Goggles and Nyx decided to join in too.
ALL:
Dúlamán na binne buí,
Dúlamán Gaelach.
Dúlamán na farraige,
B'fhearr a bhí in Éirinn.
With the final words sung and the last chord of fiddle strings echoing in the air, the atmosphere finally managed to calm and Nyx finally felt relieved, mainly due to the fact that she now had some decent friends to help her out in this strange world.
#
Author's Notes:
The Featured Song were inspired by "Dulaman" from - All credit belongs to the original composer(s).
watch?v=SXhfbAG49No
The Character Nyx Belongs to Pen Stroke / :iconPenstrokepony: