Fools and Drunks

by Jordan179

Chapter 8: Mitta Gift

For a moment, Glittershell was almost astonished at the idea that Ruby had a mother, and that she was meeting her in an ordinary social fashion. But then, Ruby had always referred to the other ghosts as her 'kin,' so Ruby very clearly counted all of them as some sorts of relatives.

The social reflexes taught her by Cheerilee and Rarity took over.

"I am honored to meet you, Mrs. Gift," Glittershell said, curtseying as best she could without dropping Snips. "I am Glittershell Glisten Carrot, also known as Snailsquirm or Snails."

Mitta Gift blinked at her, tiliting her head to one side and regarding Glittershell very closely.

After a moment, Ruby spoke up. "Mother, this is Mistress Glittershell, who is sometimes Master Snailsquirm, who is then commonly called Snails."

Enlightenment visibly dawned on Mitta. "Oh," she said. "Oh! Forgive my amazement, MIstress Glittershell -- I have heard of this in tales, but never met one like unto thee before in plain truth."

"It's okay," Glittershell said, smiling at her. "I know I'm sort of unusual."

"Thou'rt not in truth amongst normal Ponies in any case," replied Mitta. "One sort of legend hath met another."

Glittershell was not entirely sure how to take that, but she decided that Mitta meant it amiably.

"And your friend?" Mitta asked.

Glittershell was briefly confused, then recollected that the burden on his back was that of a living Pony.

"This is Snipsy Snap Fields," she replied. "Generally called Snips. My best friend in all the world." She leaned in toward Mitta and loudly whispered "He's had a bit too much moonshine."

Mitta blinked in surprise.

Ruby looked at Glittershell oddly, then pointed out "Glittershell, he is on thine own back."

Glittershell pulled back, stared at her in incomprehension.

"He could hear every thing thou didst say," said Ruby, "were he not full well sotted."

"Oh!" said Glittershell, suddenly getting it. Then she realized something else.

"Ladies," she said, leaning in and whispering again, "Snips doesn't know about me being a mare inside. So when he wakes up, please just call me 'Snails,' okay?"

Mitta smiled.

Ruby giggled, and pointed out "He is still upon thy back. And still doth slumber."

Glittershell flushed in shame.

"Oh, never mind it," said Mitta consolingly. "Thou'rt mortal, thou'rt weary, thou dost err. We remember what 'twas like, and we err in like wise when we sink too deep into the death-dream. Come, place thy friend upon this bed," she pointed her nose at the closer one. "I have changed the sheets, expecting thy company."

Feeling better at Mitta's kind words, Glittershell carefully and tenderly laid Snips upon the bed. Dust puffed up from the mattress, but that was a small matter, considering the chamber in which they had taken shelter -- the lair of uncanny beings from beyond the grave! The uncanniness was somewhat spoiled by the style of the aforementioned sheets, which had cheerful yellow flowers printed all over them, and the pink plushie pig still by one pillow. Glittershell rather suspected that this was normally the bed ... um, unholy resting place ... of Ruby herself, as the style seemed rather more like that which would be favored by a filly rather than a mare.

"Ye can share my bed," commented Ruby, confirming Glittershell's suspicions. "I can rest in my mother's this morn."

"Morn?" asked Glittershell "Uh, morning? Shouldn't we leave at dawn? Won't the other ghosts be weakest then?"

"'Twould be true anywhere but this close to Sunney Towne," explained Mitta. "Here, though, the mists gather by day and the Sun does not cast her rays direct upon this land. The seeming daylight that thou might behold in the village itself is naught but illusion, and hath no power against us. Indeed, it makes it harder for visitors to peer through our Life Aspects to glimpse what lies beneath."

"Still, for the most part they sleep by day," said Ruby. "I oft choose to venture forth when the day has advanced, but I am strange in this. I have learned how to shelter in shadows and beneath clouds, and hide in objects when the Sun peeps out. Mother hath learned the same tricks. Most of our kin, though -- they have not the will to break ouf of their pattern." She sighed. "That is why they remain trapped still in the toils of the Curse -- from force of habit."

"Oh," said Glittershell. "Still, why waste time?"

Mitta chuckled. "We have all the time in the world," she pointed out, "though ye do not. But remember this -- right now, they are all searching for you, like a beehive vexed to wrath by a pitched clod. In time their efforts shall flag, and by noon-time most will be resting. Then in the after-noon hours, mine own former husband must prepare the Party."

"Party?" asked Glittershell. "You mean --?"

"There is but one in Sunney Towne," said Ruby sadly. "But mine own presence is needful at the climax alone. When it first happened, I was trying my Talent in the forest, delighting in my new-found ability. None witnessed me, so mine own acts at that point are not bound by the Curse. I will have hours to get ye to safety, and the circle of the Curse be not more than a few miles. Thus I shall waft ye away from the grasp of mine own father, and still make it back to receive my birthday-present on time."

"You -- you shouldn't have to ..." said Glittershell, feeling troubled by the knowledge that his new friend would casually trot off to her ritual murder.

"'Tis true," Ruby said. "I should not have to, as thou dost say. But still I must, an any chance be won for my kin. So I shall. And thou, Glittershell, must return to thy own life, and fate, whatever that wyrd shall be. And the same be true for thine own dear friend -- or however thou doth regard him -- Master Snips."

At that Glittershell blushed again, though for an entirely different cause. She had been very drunk when she had kissed Snips, and she was at least half sober again now, and she remembered that Ruby had witnessed the whole thing.

"How Mistress Glittershell regards Master Snips is surely their concern and theirs alone," said Mitta somewhat sharply, "as thou shouldst well remember, child of mine!" She gave Ruby a Look, which Ruby met with one of her own, and the confrontation was perhaps spoilt when the two began smiling at each other, then giggling both like little fillies.

"Snips is my friend," Glittershell insisted. "He's been my friend long before I knew I was anypony but Snails. Even if I were just Snails -- I'd do anything to keep him alive. He'd do the same for me, any day!"

Mitta smiled warmly at Glittershell. "Be thee mare or stallion," the red-headed ghost mare said, "Snips is lucky to have something so rich and rare as a friendship such as thine. Now come -- thou may enjoy what thou wilst of our friendship, though I confess that we have but little to offer thee but shelter from our kin." She motioned to the table, upon which was laid but a silver pitcher and two cups. "I would give thee guest-feast, but we have no food -- nothing from which thou might draw thy sustenance, in any case. I can offer thee no dinner, even if thou didst trust it. Simple cool and fresh water, from our stream, is the most I have to share with thee."

Glittershell suddenly realized that her throat was parched, both from the effort of carrying Snips all this way, and perhaps from some other cause. She wasn't sure just why she was so thirsty, since she had certainly drunk enough moonshine by the forest road. But thirsty she was, and she sat at the table, poured herself a cup of water, and greedily gulped it down.

"There is no bread," explained Mitta, "but I do have salt -- though I wager you will not want salt right now."

"Oh no, thank you," said Glittershell. "I don't want to get any more drunk. Or thirsty."

"We shall both consider the bread broken and the bread and salt shared, for the sake of all our honors, and this to encompass thy friend Snips as well," continued Mitta. "Since to do this in fact would be impossible. Dost thou agree to this?"

"Sure!" said Glittershell, then wondered what Mitta had meant by her statement.

Ruby saw Glilttershell's confusion.

"Mother," she said to Mitta, "he does not ken. Customs have changed, without the girdle of the Curse." Ruby turned to Glittershell. "To us, to break bread and share salt with thee makes us thine host, and thou our guest. The sacred law of hospitality then holdeth sway -- we must give shelter unto thee, thou respect unto us, and neither may harm the other, upon pain of a dreadful curse." Her mouth quirked. "In truth, we are already under a dreadful curse, but I suppose that we would then be under yet another dreadful curse. Which would be two dreadful curses too many."

"Oh," said Glittershell. Suddenly it all made sense, as did some parts of some old stories whose significance he had never quite grasped. "Did Ponies fight a lot then?"

"Sometimes," Mitta said. "And bad Ponies were more common in our Equestria, I ween. Not because we were more evil than are ye, but because life was harder and Ponies more often driven to desperation. We feared betrayal, more than do ye now in your Equestria. Robbers would pretend to be harmless wayfarers, and attack their hosts at night, sometimes. Or greedy innkeepers ally with robber bands, and tell them of rich travelers, or even murder them in their beds. Threats might come to those who imagined themselves safe."

"That sounds very frightening," said Glittershell.

"'Twas just so," agreed Ruby. "My mother and I were set upon by outlaws once, when we both yet drew breath. Had not Grey Hoof happened along ..." she shuddered, and said no more.

Mitta put a comforting foreleg around her daughter.

"So we had the Law of Sacred Hospitality," Mitta said, "to remind us of how good folk should be, one to the other. And -- for the most part -- only those truly forsaken to all goodness dared flout this Law."

"We are forsaken both to Life and Death," said Ruby. "but even so -- we still try to be good Ponies."

"Well," Glittershell said, sitting down on the bed, next to the slumbering Snips. "You've really been good to me and my friend. You're really good Ponies. Thank you." Cheerilee had taught her to always thank others when they went out of their way to do one a favor, which Ruby certainly had done for them.

"Thou'rt most welcome," replied Ruby gracefully, nodding slightly.

"And I am really pleased to meet you, Mrs. Gift," Glittershell said, addressing Mitta. "You have a very nice daughter." Rarity had told her that compliments were generally welcome gifts, and also the most inexpensive ones imaginable.

Once again, the advice of Rarity proved golden. For Mitta smiled, visibly dimpled, and said:

"Oh yes, Ruby is my greatest treasure. She is good and kind -- more so than thou canst possibly imagine." She leaned in toward Glittershell confidentially. "She is a saint. She only does remain here that --"

"Mother!" Ruby's cheeks were now flaming crimson. Literally -- at that moment, Glittershell realized that, if she desired, a ghost could far outblush the living. "Thou dost over-praise me!"

"'Tis but the truth," replied Mitta, smiling at Ruby. "Now," she continued, looking back at Glittershell, "As I said I have no food to offer ye. Fruits do grow wild around Sunney Towne, some the long-distant progeny of our own gardens from our breathing days, but of course we are beyond such sustenance. Mortals may freely eat of them -- ye need not fear that such a meal would trap ye in our Land of the Dead, as the pomegranate did the Maiden in the old tale. But I did not gather any, and if I did now, I fear the others might spy me and know my purpose, to a bad end for ye both. I hope thou art not famished?"

Glittershell knew nothing of what Mitta spoke, though she understood that Mitta was offering to get her food at some danger to the lives of the two young mortals. While Glittershell was indeed hungry, after running about bearing Snips on her back, she was not hungry enough to risk discovery by the hostile ghosts. So she shook her head and replied: "Oh, no thank you, Mrs. Gift, we'll be fine!" Then, remembering to be polite, she added "And you?"

"Ah," said Mitta, looking rather uncomfortable, "as I said, we are long since beyond mortal sustenance, Ruby and I."

Ruby perked her ears forward.

Glittershell's curiosity was aroused. "What do you eat, then?" she asked.

"Why, we do drain energy from our environment, as do the other ghosts," Mitta explained, leaning forward with an odd expression on her face. "Heat, all the time, which is why we do seem to thee to give off coolth like a fire gives off warmth. Life, when we feed, which we do upon the plants and small life of the forest." She frowned. "'These be thin meals, and do but in part sate our hunger."

Mitta sniffed toward Glittershell and Snips, a long and drawn-out snuffling. She licked her lips.

For some reason she could not explain, Glitterhsell felt frightened. She moved slightly and -- without even thinking about it -- placed herself between Mitta and Snips.

Ruby fidgeted and looked uneasily at Mitta. "Mother," she said. "This is a bad path to take. You risk --"

"I but speak the truth," said Mitta, a strange thickness in her voice, her eyes beginning to glow faintly red. "When has Truth ever been vice? I hunger, you hunger, we both hunger for more than the lives of plants and squirrels. The greater beasts know and fear our forests, 'tis rare that they venture in. And their life is simple, tasteless ..." She did not take her eyes off Glittershell at any point, and a sickly-sweet smell began to build in the cavern. "The higher the life, the greater the sustenance." Her voice was thicker now, turning almost into a bestial growl. Her eyes flared brightly-red. "We are both weak with hunger, and..."

Glittershell tensed. There was something wrong here, something dangerous that she did not understand. Mitta had been friendly; now she seemed almost like some wild beast that might turn on and devour them. Flight was impossible, here in this crypt of death within a labyrinth of stone, and she knew not how she might fight if it came to it, but she would not leave Snips.

"Mother!" snapped Ruby, stepping forward and whirling around so that she was physically between Mitta and the two living Ponies. "You lose yourself!" A golden radiance emanated from the ghost filly. For a moment, there was a hint of the beautiful shape like lines of golden light, with the fluttering winged thing within. And the light seemed to rise and grow, until it was greater than Mitta, despite Ruby's originally smaller size.

Before that golden light, Mitta quailed, backing away from her daughter. The red glow in her eyes faded, leaving only her normal maroon orbs. Suddenly, she looked ashamed. "I -- I --" she said, looking from Ruby to Glittershell. "I pray ye pardon. I -- I did nearly succumb."

The golden light faded, and there was only Ruby Gift. She nuzzled and bumped her mother. "I prithee pardon too, for raising my hoof against thee," Ruby told Mitta. "Thou wert falling into the Curse ..."

"I know," admitted Mitta sadly, her head and ears and tail all drooping. "I am in truth a monster, a thing long-dead, one who should not still walk the Earth. I am little better than Grey Hoof ..."

"No, Mother," said Ruby, rubbing her length against Mitta's side. "Thou dost not mean harm. It is but the Curse that seeks to compel you to follow its design. The evil that claimed Princess Luna seeks to claim thee as well." A fierce look came into Ruby's golden eyes. "But I shall not let it do so. I shall ward thee from the Curse, as I have done for more than a thousand years. I shall ward thee, and I shall redeem the others as well, all our kin. Neither thee nor those two mortals shall come to harm."

Glittershell did not fully understand what she had just witnessed, but she knew that it was awesome, and that it was a form of Love. And she was now certain that she could trust Ruby.

"I ... I should go," Mitta said. "I fear that if I remain here I will turn upon our guests, and bring dishonor on us both." She looked at Glittershell, meeting her gaze only with difficulty. "I beg forgiveness for my churlish conduct, Mistress Glittershell. Thou'rt a good mare, and a friend of mine own daughter, and thou deserved better behavior from me."

"Nopony's perfect," said Glittershell. "Why, I sometimes say stupid things!"

Mitta and Ruby both laughed, and after a moment, Glittershell laughed along with them.

"I shall depart by the back door," Mitta said, "I do not think that any know that exit, though Grey Hoof may suspect the waterfall." She looked at Glittershell, her eyes and face now reassuringly normal, the only odors in the cave beyond mustiness the normal ones of mare and filly. "Do not worry, Mistress Glittershell. I shall not betray your presence here, neither of thyself nor thine friend Master Snips. Not even to Grey Hoof; I was his wife once, and he has no mastery over me. And still less the others. Three Leaf, I think, is actually on our side, though I would not get close to her -- she is deeper under the Curse than am I, let alone dear Ruby, and might lose herself if too sorely tempted." Mitta looked at her daughter. "I do not think she will pursue, though. 'Twas ever her way to heal rather than harm. The Curse has not changed that in her."

Ruby nodded. "We saw her on the way to the waterfall," the ghost filly said. "I think she sensed Glittershell -- she could scarcely have missed her life glowing in the woods! -- but she did not approach, and changed her course so as to not stand between us and this sanctum."

"I am sorry we could not have become better friends," Mitta said to Glittershell, "sorry that my self-mastery slipped so badly. Mayhaps another time, we may meet on better terms. Trust my daughter! -- Ruby truly is a saint, and will not harm thee. Simply do not kiss her."

"Mother!" scolded Ruby, but there was merriment in her voice now. "'Twas but that one time! And that was over half a thousand years ago!" She thought a moment. "And Chiller was a stallion."

"Glittershell is sometimes a stallion, you told me," pointed out Mitta.

"I promise not to kiss your daughter," interjected Glittershell. "You have my word of honor on it."

"There, you see!" said Ruby. "He swears by his honor not to kiss me. Is that not enough for thee?"

"Never enough for any mother!" laughed Mitta. "But I shall accept it for my liking of Glittershell. And Snailsquirm, though I have never properly met him." She thought for a moment. "Does it work like that?"

"Not exactly," said Glittershell. "I'm also Snails -- he's not really separate from me, he's more just a different side of me. Like I was wearing diffferent socks."

"Thou wearest no socks at all," observed Mitta.

"Um, they're kind of imaginary socks," replied Glittershell. "It's complicated."

"Mayhaps on a better time," Mitta said. "I am glad to have met thee, Mistress Glittershell."

"And I'm glad to have met you, Mrs. Gift." said Glittershell. "Even though it got scary at one point -- I think you're all right. You're still a good Pony."

"Oh!" said Mitta. Her lip quivered. "Thankee." She turned away, reached out to what seemed a wood-paneled section of cave wall, and opened one of the panels by releasing a catch with her mane and pushing in one of the panels. She stepped into the dark square vacancy thus revealed, then turned again. "And thou'rt a good Pony as well, Glittershell. Kinder to me than I deserved."

Glittershell felt choked by emotion. But, before Glittershell could speak a word, Mitta closed the panel, and was gone.

Leaving Glittershell and the slumbering Snips alone in her hidden sanctum with Ruby Gift.

Author's Note:

such a meal would trap ye in our Land of the Dead, as the pomegranate did the Maiden in the old tale.

Mitta, who was well-educated for her antique day and who has continued to read after her death, speaks of course of the Pony version of the legend of Persephone, and states that fruit found around Sunney Towne does not have any special curse upon it. Glittershell doesn't know the legend, though both his teachers (Cheerilee and Rarity) would. But they're not there.

Thank you, J. R. R. Tolkien, for the Nazgul. Anyone who has read Lord of the Rings or seen the movies will know the specific scene (still in the Shire, yet!) that here inspired me, and in what wise. Tolkien's portrayal of his undead monsters is in general underrated, especially because the scene with the Barrow-Wight was cut from the Jackson movie, and his ghosts and vampires never made it out of the Silmarillion and were never done into detailed form. Had Tolkien written more short to mid-length fiction, he might have rivalled Lovecraft as a writer of horror.

The socks metaphor, here referenced comically, originates and is seriously described in this part of Coming out of your shell. It actually means a lot to Glittershell, but this isn't the best time or place for her to go into it in detail.

Glittershell meant what he said to Mitta Gift, too. Glitter's a pretty nice Pony, and not all that easily frightened either. Keep in mind she's in a situation here that would send a typical Lovecraft protagonist into gibbering madness.

Comments

[Jordan179]

7120561

To some extent, yes, though those skills will also help Glittershell in her future career as the Yellow Dancer to Sweetie Belle's Lynn Minmei of the Shadow Wars Story Verse. And yes, I know that they were from two different Macross series, but I'm only being nspired by Macross here, not literally rewriting it.

[Kryptchild]

Holy smokes this is an eyefull, thanks for messaging me about this Jordan.

I'd love to read this now but con season is rolling up on my toes and it's crunch time. I'll download this to read in the car on my way to KC later in the month. Thank you in advance for including my weird little Snails headcannon in your story; I'll drop a more substantial comment once I've actually read it.

[Jordan179]

7175810

Cool -- I hope you like how I handle the character. Snails/Glittershell is a challenge to balance between his/her goofy silliness and deep and real emotions. Especially in a horror situation, where she's struggling to survive -- and still cares enough to make sure that Snips does, too.

[FanOfMostEverything]

One sort of legend hath met another.

And now I'm wondering what sort of legends people would tell of the transgendered...
Well, there's Tiresias, but that's stretching it.

I quite like Ruby's in-Curse flexibility. No one observed her for much of that fateful day, so her actions are indeterminate. A sort of quantum narrative effect.

Ruby defending Glittershell was fascinating and eerily beautiful. She's a literal beacon of sanity, and apparently a winged one at that.

Looking forward to more. I just hope Snips doesn't stick his hoof too far down his throat when he finally wakes up. Ruby may be a saint, but he could test the patience of one.

[howard035]

Poor Mitta, I hope once (if) Snips and Snails get free, they can get the Princesses to address this horrible curse. One thing I always hated about Sunnytown, that this story fixes, is the idea that the Regal Sisters would ever actually curse a town full of ponies to such a horrific fate, no matter their crimes. I'm glad that here it's Nightmare Moon that did it.

7120561 There's a problem with all that diplomacy though: it's leaving out the Snips factor. Right now Snips is unconscious, which is probably his best way to make a good impression. But by the time Snips and Snails make ready to leave, Snips is going to be awake, and then how much good diplomatic work from Snails will be undone by Snips? Will he tell Mitta he's not afraid of Wraiths? (maybe). Will he try to hit on Ruby? (probably). I can't wait to find out!

[TitaniumTao]

To bad guest rights don't work on Wrath's like they would for Fae or some other supernatural creatures. That would be an interesting way out of the situation Snips and Snails find themselves in. This chapter does however answer a question I had, namely why Mitta hasn't moved on. It seems that she's somewhat still tided into the curse and she is doesn't want to leave her child alone. It's kinda surprising that Ruby and the other Sunny Town residents haven't learned how to talk in more modern language just from the victims that pass though.