Limestone wasn't sure if it was the insane cold or the crippling fear that was making her shake. She decided on both to save brain power. She was pretty sure that she would have broken down into a crying mess of a pony had her sister not been there with her, her sister who was more emotional and prone to break downs than her. And Limestone knew if she broke down, then Marble would break down. So Limestone forced herself to be strong, just as she always had.
"I think he went this way," Marble said to her sister, snapping Limestone back to reality. Marble pointed to an indent in the ground, where Limestone could just make out a pair of claw marks. Limestone and Marble both lifted their heads to see the next obstacle that they'd have to overcome, as they found themselves standing at the base of a massive mountain.
"Of course he would go this way. Of course he would live in the hardest place in the freaking forest to get to," Limestone grumbled to herself as she placed a hoof on then first rock and pulled herself up. Marble followed up after her sister, though she had the misfortune of not being as strong as the rest of her family, so Limestone would have to help pull her up on the rocks that were too large for her.
"So what kind of creature do you think this is?" Marble asked Limestone, who was busy pushing a boulder out of their path. With one last shove the boulder went tumbling down the side of the mountain, but Limestone kept her eyes towards the peak to make sure she didn't accidentally started an avalanche.
"What you do mean?" Limestone grunted in reply as she started to climb up the mountain again, Marble following close behind her.
"I mean, I'm no scholar like Maud, but I've heard of my fair share of monsters and creatures," Marble began. "But I've never seen or heard of anything like this creature. Did you see the way it cut through that ghost? It tore it apart with ease, even when unicorn magic had failed. I would love to learn more about him."
'Well if this goes as plan, you'll have a chance to get an up close look at him real soon,' Limestone thought with annoyance. On one hoof she wasn't ready to go face to face with a being that could strike down a ghost with ease. On the other, she was happy that her sister had seemed to perk up by talking about the creature. "Don't expect to learn too much. From what I heard from the ghost, the being wasn't interested in protecting us, it was just protecting its territory. Which makes me scared to think of what it will do to us."
"We'll be fine. The creature doesn't seem to have any interest in hurting us or it would have done so already," Marble replied as she grabbed hold of her sisters hoof and was yanked onto a small path. She glanced down to see more claw marks, ones that were fresh. "He went this way. These claw marks are fairly new. We should find him soon."
"And good thing to, I don't know how much longer I can keep going in this cold," Limestone muttered as her body shivered against her will. Marble pressed up against her sister to keep the both of them warm, getting Limestone to flash her sister a grateful smile. Then the chills returned as she felt the sensation of eyes watching them, eyes that weren't too friendly. 'At least that tells me we're on the right path.'
The two climbed on in silence, both of them trying not to think of their families or the other families that had been taken. The higher they climbed meant that the temperature plummeted faster and faster, until the point where ice was forming along their manes and they couldn't stop shivering with cold. Limestone continued to force herself along the rapidly vanishing path, ignoring the pleas from her body to stop and rest.
'Got to keep pushing. Every second we spend wasting is another second Faust knows what is happening to our families,' she thought to herself, though it was getting harder and harder to remain focused. She then glanced down and realized that the path that they had been following had vanished to the elements, leaving them with no direction to go. "Marble, I can't figure out where to go? Can you see any more of those claw marks? Marble?"
Limestone turned around to see a gray mare collapsed on the path a few yards back. Limestone's eyes went wide and she stumbled over to her sister, barely able to feel her own body at this point. She grabbed hold of her sister and rolled her over, eyes going wide when she saw that she wasn't moving.
"Marble! Marble, talk to me!" Limestone yelled at her sister, shaking her little sister in a desperate attempt to get her to wake up. When she didn't, Limestone stood up and placed her sister onto her back, silently hoping that their destination wasn't too far away. 'It is close. I'm going to make it and Marble is going to be okay. She has to be.'
Limestone pushed on alone in silence, ignoring the screaming of both her body and the wind as she pushed herself forward. The wind picked up and practically blew sideways, freezing Limestone down to her core. All that pushed her forward at the moment was her desire to see her sister safe, and even then her body was starting to lock up from exhaustion and cold. Yet she pushed on, forcing herself up the mountain one step at a time, until her hoof stepped down on a part that wasn't rock, but frozen snow.
The snow gave way and Limestone tumbled to the side, falling off of the side of the path along with Marble. Faster than she thought she could move, she grabbed her sister and placed herself between Marble and the ground, which she impacted against a moment later. The landing knocked all of the wind out of her lungs, and she had the misfortune of striking her head against an actual rock this time.
'No...can't...black out...here...' Limestone thought to herself as she tried to remain conscious, but the exhaustion and cold was taking over her senses. Her eyelids slowly began to close against her will, getting her to curse herself silently as sleep took over her. But the last thing she saw before she blacked out was her sister, who still wasn't moving.
(]o[)
With a start focus returned to Limestone and she sat up from where she lay, instantly on alert for anything that might be trying to hurt her. But the moment of panic and flight faded away when she looked around her, realizing that she was no long out in the wind and snow, but was now inside of a large, icy cavern.
The cavern's ceiling was far above her head and was devoid of any icicles, something that was a small comfort to Limestone. She looked to her side to see a fire blazing in a pit, with her sister laying right next to the side of it. Besides where Marble lay was a pile of berries, which made Limestone's stomach grumble the moment she laid eyes on them. But then her eyes rested on a corner of the room where a bed of leaves and hay rested, telling her that they were living in something's home.
She was on her hooves the moment she figured this out and raced over to her sister side, placing a hoof on her to check her temperature. Limestone sighed with relief as Marble felt warm and when she looked at her sisters face she could see her breathing softly.
"She's just asleep," Limestone said, practically crying with relief over the safety of her sister. But the tears were forced back as her brain reminded her that they weren't safe yet. She turned towards the exit to the cavern to see how high up they were, only to be stopped cold by the being that stood there.
It was the same being with white fur that had driven off the ghosts, only this time it was covered in a lot more snow. Strung across its back was a small sack with numerous berries inside that were all the same color, yellowish with little circles on them. The being walked into the room and right up to Limestone, who had to do everything in her power to not shrink under the cold gaze of the being.
"Here," the being said as it reached into the sack and pulled out one of the berries, which it then offered to Limestone. Limestone looked at the berry for a few seconds before looking at the being, making sure that the suspicion was clearly on her face. "You and your sister came close to freezing to death out there. This is an Aspear berry. It will help with the frostbite."
"You must be crazy if you think I'm going to take something from a total stranger," Limestone mustered the courage to say, forcing her fear back down with her sadness. She couldn't afford to show any emotion, especially not in front of such an unknown force. The being shrug before placing the berry at her hooves. He then walked over to where Marble was laying. "You lay a hoof...claw on her and I'll throw you down this mountain!"
The being ignored Limestone as it pulled out another berry and took off a small chuck, before he gently opened Marble's mouth and placed the piece inside of it. As he did this, Marble opened her eyes and glanced up at the being.
"Chew then swallow. This will help," the being told her before walking over to the berry pile, placing the remaining three berries in his pack with the rest. The being shed the pack and placed it next to the bed, before it walked onto the bed and laid down. Limestone waited a moment to make sure the being wasn't up to anything before she walked over to her sister, who was eating the bit of berry she had been given.
"Are you sure you should be eating that? You have no idea what it is?" Limestone whispered to her sister.
"This is my second one. I was practically dead when he brought us here," Marble said in a much stronger voice than her sister predicted and she was even able to stand on her own a moment later. "The first he gave me was a...Sitrus berry, that was it. I felt a lot better after eating that, like I got some of my strength back. You should try one."
"Yeah, eat the food of a total stranger, that's a good idea," Limestone muttered, but another growl of her stomach made her reconsider. With a grumble about what a bad idea this was, she walked over to the pile and grabbed an Aspear berry from the top and down it in three bites. Instantly she felt the frost burn heal across her body and she felt her strength slowly beginning to return to her. She glanced down at her body with surprise before casting a glance at her sister.
"That's what I thought at first. These berries have some strange powers, don't they?" Marble said with a smile.
"But why have we never heard of them before? If these berries are capable of healing frostbite, then they would be way more well known," Limestone said with a glance at the being, but he didn't show any indication that he heard her. "Hey, that question was directed at you incase you couldn't figure it out! What's up with these berries? And why did you bring us here?!"
The being lifted his head off of his paws and glanced over at the two of them, an expression on his face that they couldn't read. He rose off of the bed and slowly began to walk over to the both of them, taking each step slowly and deliberately as if to intimidate them. Limestone stood her ground as the being walked up right to her, narrowing her eyes as the being glared into her eyes.
"That is not the tone you should take with someone that saved both you and your sisters life," the being said in a calm tone to Limestone, who felt herself get angry at the way he talked to her. She opened her mouth to reply, but before she could Marble placed herself between her sister and the being.
"So you're the one that saved us when we were freezing to death? Thank you so much, stranger. We owe you our lives," Marble said in a kind and soft tone, before she gave the being a smile. The being grunted in reply to her words before he turned and walked to the berry pile, picking out a red one and eating it himself.
"Once the two of you have your strength back, I ask that you leave my mountain. I do not take well to visitors, as you saw with those ghosts," the being told them without casting a glance in their direction. "Sooner would be preferred."
"Listen up you, I didn't climb up the side of a mountain and nearly freeze to death just to be told to go back down!" Limestone snarled as she started to walk towards the being, who cast her a cold glare in reply. "We're here because of those ghosts and you-"
Before she could say anymore Marble wrapped a hoof around her sisters mouth and pulled her back, giving the being a smile before she looked up at her sister. "Limestone, please remember that not only are we his guests, but he also saved our lives. We should be kind to him and not threaten him with acts of violence."
"But every second we spend here making nice with him is another second those ghosts drag our families off to wherever their being taken!" Limestone growled in reply as she tried to push back Marble, but with the strength of a Pie Marble held her sister back.
"I know, but being nice will get us a lot further than threats and force. Especially against a being that can strike down a ghost faster than we can see," Marble told her sister, who let out a bitter sigh in resignation. "So just try to be nice and smile. I'll do the talking."
"You'll do the talking? Are you sure some of that ice didn't get into your brain?" Limestone asked.
"Please sister, trust me."
"Ugh, fine. Let's be nice."
The sisters walked back over to the fire and sat down on the opposite side of it from the being, who gave the both a look before eating another berry. For a long moment the two groups stared at each other, with the being giving the sisters a look they couldn't read. Marble smiled at the being while Limestone did her best not to glare.
"Thank you again for saving us," Marble said after a moment of silence, getting the being to nod before he went back to eating. "From both the ghosts and from freezing to death. Thank you especially for saving my sister. I know she can be...confrontational."
The being nodded once more, but gave no reply. Limestone and Marble shared a look before Marble smiled once more. "Um, if you don't mind me asking, you don't seem very...well, why did you save the both of us if you want us gone? Wouldn't it have been easier to..."
"The ghosts have been bothering me for a while, ever since they showed up," the being replied curtly. "As for why I saved you two...old habits die hard, I guess."
"Oh, I see," Marble replied, but Limestone could easily see that she was confused as to the being's answer. "Um, again we are so thankful for what you did, but...we don't know who you are? Do you...have a name?"
The being thought about her words for a long time, long enough that the two sisters cast a glance at each other with concern. "Call me Absol. The disaster Pokémon," he replied with a bit of a smirk.
"Pokémon? What's that?" Limestone asked in a genuinely curious way.
"It's what my species is called, mostly. I'm not the only Absol out there, but I'm the only one in this world. Or I think I am," Absol replied.
"Why the disaster Pokémon? Why call yourself that?" Marble asked. The moment she did so she was afraid that she had offended Absol, because he an expression of anger crossed his face. But after a moment the anger was replaced by a bitter smirk and he took another bite of his berry.
"Because the world hates me. So it has dubbed me a bringer of disaster."
Marble and Limestone shared another glance, both deciding to change the topic. "So how did you manage to defeat those ghosts so easily?" Limestone asked, getting Absol to turn his gaze towards her. "We had some of our ponies hit them with their strongest magic and the ghosts got back up. You slash them with your...horn and it blows up into a pile of darkness. How did you do that, and more importantly, could you do it again?"
"How did I beat them so easily? Type advantage, I suppose," Absol replied with a thin smile, one that caught both Limestone and Marble off guard. Then his face became more guarded and he cast Limestone a wary look. "And what do you mean by "do it again"."
"I ask because those ghosts took our families and we don't have the power to fight them," Limestone began, not noticing Absol's face steel up. "But you do. You can crush them with ease. So we'll need your help if we're going to beat these things and get our families-"
"No," Absol cut her off.
"What the heck do you mean "no"?" Limestone asked with some rage, but before she could continue Absol rose to his feet.
"No. I am not helping you. I am done helping others. I was fine with helping out those on my territory. I'm done helping the world," Absol stated before he started to walk towards the exit, where a massive blizzard raged. "You are welcome to stay here until the blizzard passes, but then you must leave. Without me."
"But please, Mr. Absol, we can't hope to beat those ghosts without you," Marble pleaded.
"Then you have no hope of beating them," Absol replied coldly before he leapt off into the storm, leaving the two sisters there to stare at where he had vanished.
"Well that went well," Limestone grumbled before looking at her sister. "I thought you said to leave the talking to you. What happened?"
"There's a story behind those words," Marble said with a sad shake of her head. "He want's to help, but it's like he knows what will happen if he does. I don't know what to do with somepony like that. I wish Pinkie were here. She'd know what to do."
'Yeah, she would. Because getting others to open up is one of her greatest skills. But she's not here right now. I am,' Limestone thought before she rose to her hooves. "Fine then. I'll get him to join us."
"But Limestone, how? He won't listen to my words and with your temperament I'm certain that-"
"Who said anything about words? I'm going to get him to join us my way," Limestone said before glaring out into the blizzard. "Whether he wants to or not."