Tikbalang went back to the fire and watched as it burned itself out until just the coals were left. She walked back upstairs and pulled off the summer dress she was wearing, hanging it back up in the wardrobe. She spent some time looking through her selection of clothes, both in the closet and the wardrobe. She pulled out a few winter ensembles, trying them on and looking at herself in the mirror. None of them hung well over her emaciated body, but they looked nice. A lot of them looked expensive. Her life must have been rich before she died.
She pulled out a garment and stopped as her eyes fell upon it. It was a uniform, of that she was certain. It was an elaborate outfit, and very fancy. Exotic even, if she had to label it as anything. With small chains and clasps, and tiny silver bells along the fringes.
Tikbalang pulled the outfit out of her closet, and looked underneath it. She found four shoes that she recognized somehow as matching the dress, and she brought those out as well. She slipped on the dress, the many clasps and drawstrings causing her some trouble, but she managed to tighten it enough that it didn’t drag, even on her hollow frame. She then put the shoes on, and fastened them tight. She looked at herself in the mirror and felt a spark of something in her memory.
A song started playing in her head, and she knew there was a set of steps that went along with it. She started slow, tapping her hooves in time to a silent beat, and then spun around, stamping hard on the floor. Her shoes made a loud CLACK on the floor, and she kept going, speeding up her steps as she hummed the song to herself. She didn’t remember the words if there were any, but the tune itself was clear as a spring pond.
Tikbalang danced.
It felt freeing, and time passed her by. The song went on and on, and she wasn’t sure if it began again, or if it never stopped, but she danced. Maybe it was even a different song sometimes, but she didn’t know, nor did she care. Her hooves stamped the ground in an angry cadence, then tapped feather-light as she reached a quiet portion of the song. She stepped away the cold winter nights, and passed the chill winter days, dancing without end.
By the time she stopped, her shoes, which had been pristine and new when she put them on, were scuffed and worn. They weren’t broken, but they had seen an entire winter’s worth of dancing all at once after a period of disuse. Her dress was still in good condition, it didn’t have a real body to rub against, and was instead just shaken a lot. A couple bells had fallen off, but that was due to age more than activity.
Spring had arrived, and with it, then snows had almost fully melted. She realized she had spent her entire winter in a trance, and had not actually practiced trying to put the glass back together! Tikbalang pulled the pieces of mirror out of her vanity and held them up in front of her. She didn’t want to disappoint Plum Pudding if she could avoid it. He had already replaced the windows once, he shouldn’t have to do it again.
She looked at the glass, then tried to rearrange them in the mirror where the pieces belonged. Some of the shards were very small, and she didn’t know if they should go somewhere specific, or if she could fudge it somehow. She didn’t even know where to begin trying to fuse them back together. Should she heat them? That seemed dangerous. Maybe just imagine they were back together and they would do it themselves?
Tikbalang fussed with the glass, then decided to just blast them with magic and order them to put themselves back together. That sounded like how a spell to repair something might work. You imagine it, then tell the thing to do it, and ZAP, it would do it. Like turning something into a teacup.
Tikbalang imagined the mirror repaired, then cast the spell as she imagined it would go. The shards would find their places on their own, and fuse back together. To her surprise, it worked! The shards floated to their respective places and fit together like a puzzle, and stuck themselves back together, giving her a clean reflection of herself.
Now that she could see herself in the full mirror, she had to admit, then outfit looked really fetching. Even moreso than she had imagined when she had put it on. The shoes were delightful, and very exotic. The whole thing looked like something out of a fairy tale. She couldn’t wait to show Plum.
With her newfound knowledge of how the spell worked, Tikbalang went to fetch the glass where she had stored it, and repaired each window in the house she had broken with her scream. One by one the shards of glass placed themselves in the frames, filling out the windows with new, and very clean, glass.
When she was done, she nodded at the last, pleased that her house was once again proofed against the elements. She stacked up the covers next to the front door, and went outside. The snow wasn’t quite off the ground yet, so she just decided to try and make up a new dance while she waited for Plum and Glory to come by for the first time in the new year. She wouldn’t mind showing off her dancing skills. Maybe she had even been a dancer in her previous life, before illness had taken her life. Maybe she had danced for important patrons or dignitaries, which would explain the money that she must have had.
Tikbalang heard the appreciative stamping of hooves after a spin, and stopped dancing to see Plum Pudding and Glory Seed applauding from down at the bottom of the hill. She wasn’t sure how much time had passed, but there they were, applauding her dancing.
“Very nice, Tikbalang! Where did you learn to dance?” Plum asked.
She trotted down the hill to meet them. “I don’t remember, but I was going through my closet and found this, and the memories of dancing came back to me all at once.”
Glory Seed laughed at the jingling of her dress and grabbed at the silver bells that decorated it. “I like your dress, Mummy. It’s noisy.”
“Thank you, sweetie, I like it too,” Tikbalang said. “Plum, I managed to fix the windows, so they won’t be a problem. How was your winter?”
“Cold and snowy, as usual. The trains that pass by had an accident with one of their plows at one point, and we had to help dig them out, but it was uneventful with the exception of that scream in the middle of it. They still talk about that, by the way,” Plum said.
“You didn’t tell them what caused it?”
“Oh, Celestia no. Then they’d be all over your house and you, and who knows what that would lead to.”
“But don’t they already know you come out here to fix my house?”
“Yes, but they think it’s a pet project of mine. They don’t know there’s a spirit living in it.”
“Well I appreciate that,” Tikbalang stopped as she considered the implications of what he’d said. “Wait. Do they assume you’re going to live here when you’re done the repairs?”
“My family does, yes. But I’m not going to impose on you.”
“Oh…” Tikbalang thought for a moment. “I wouldn’t mind if you did.”
“I appreciate that, Tikbalang, but let’s wait until we’re done before we start making more promises. I have learned many lessons about making promises over the years. This last one has taken up a good portion of my life,” Plum said.
“Hah!” Tikbalang laughed. “That’s very true. Since before little glory here was born.” Tikbalang reached out and rubbed Glory Seed on the head.
They climbed up the hill and Plum Pudding got out his tools and supplies. He went inside to start working on the upstairs portion while Tikbalang and Glory Seed played. The day went by, they stopped for lunch, then worked and played some more, until the sun was beginning to set. Glory Seed and Plum Pudding went home, and Tikbalang waited.
She changed her clothes as the spring passed by, wearing different outfits every day when Plum Pudding and Glory Seed came to visit. Some were normal, some were exotic. Some were not fitting for the season. It just felt good to change clothes. When summer arrived, Plum had finished a large portion of the upstairs area.
“I have learned a lot about construction over these years, and since this is somewhat of a hobby, I suppose I’ve gotten faster at it,” Plum said.
Tikbalang looked at the upstairs rooms, and marveled at how clean and efficient his work was. “You’ve certainly gotten better at it. That much is obvious.”
“I think I should have the interior complete by the end of summer! If I can make sure the well is functional, Glory and I would be able to move in come fall,” Plum Pudding said.
“You mean it?” Tikbalang tried to sound a little less excited than she felt.
“If, and only if, all our amenities are met. I’d need the well to provide water, and I’d need to find a place to build an outhouse, since the place doesn’t have any facilities I was able to locate,” Plum said.
“Oh, of course. I… haven’t ever needed that kind of thing like this,” Tikbalang said.
“Well, just a little more time, then. We’re making good progress!” Plum smiled at Tikbalang.
She’d be lying if she said her heart wouldn’t have fluttered a little bit if she had one. He’d been nothing but kind to her since they first met, and although a lot of that had come from his misconception that she was a spirit of bad and good fortune, his learning that she wasn’t hadn’t changed his attitude that much. He was still kind to her, he still wanted to rebuild her house, and he even wanted to move in with her. It all seemed to be a little too much too fast sometimes.
Tikbalang watched Glory Seed over the weeks as Plum worked on the house. She’d watched him grow from a tiny foal to the strong young colt that he was now. He was nearing six years of age, and he’d have to go to school soon. She could imagine him running down the hill off to school in town, and she felt a little surge of happiness at the though. It would almost be like they were a family.
Summer days passed and Plum Pudding was right. He finished his work on the interior with several weeks to spare before harvest. He left her room alone because she had preserved it well enough with her magic that nothing needed replaced.
“It even came fully furnished!” He laughed. “I’ll touch up the exterior slowly, but it’s still insulating well enough, and the plants and vines growing up the side haven’t breached anything. I’ll need to watch them over the years, but it’s in good shape! We just need to dig a spot for an outhouse, and clear off that well to test the water.” He looked down the hill at the brambles that covered the stone well. “I’ll bring a machete next time, and some rope and a bucket. Probably a lantern, too, so we can see what’s down there.”
“Great! You need to make sure the outhouse doesn’t seep into the water supply, though,” Tikbalang said.
“Yeah, can probably get a unicorn to prevent that if necessary. But that hinges on what I find when I dig next time we come by. No shovel and no machete right now, and it’s late in the day,” Plum said.
“Alright. I’ll see you next week Plum.” Tikbalang bent down to ruffle Glory’s mane. “And you too, little stallion.”
“Yup. See you Tikbalang,” Plum said.
“See you next week Mummy,” Glory said.
The two ponies left, leaving Tikbalang in her fully repaired home. There was minimal furniture, and no decorations, but the floors were swept and solid, the walls were painted, the windows functional. The stairs didn’t creak, the banister was polished, and when hooves besides hers tapped on the floor, they tapped on solid hardwood. It was beautiful.
She went into her room and looked at the freshly dusted and swept surfaces. Her clothes had been aired out so they no longer smelled like musty mothballs, and her shoes had been polished to a fine sheen. Glory helped with those. There was even lighting in every room. Plum had brought some lanterns and lamps to place around the house, so even at night they could see. Not that she needed it, but the other two ponies did.
Tikbalang had nothing to do for a week, so she waited in her room, trying on different outfits. That only lasted her a single day, so she idled about the house, sitting in one room, then another, for hours on end, imagining what kind of furniture she might like in each one. She even looked at the kitchen, which Plum had lovingly re-tiled and scrubbed down. She wasn’t sure she knew how to cook, and wouldn’t know how the food would taste anyway, but it was fun to imagine.
The next week, Plum and Glory arrived early in the day, spade, shovel, machete, rope, and bucket among other things were piled in the cart. She went to meet them outside and all three went to the backyard to investigate the well.
Plum hacked and slashed through the thick vines until the entire thing was cleaned for a few feet around it. Glory and Tikbalang moved the vines and brambles as he worked, piling them off to the side to be burned later. Once the well was clear, Plum put the machete down and grabbed the bucket and rope.
“Okay Glory, I need you to be careful. This is a very deep well, and we have no idea what’s down there, so you can’t get too close without one of us holding you, alright?” Plum said.
“Okay Daddy,” Glory responded.
Satisfied, Plum grabbed at the lid and hefted it with all his might. Tikbalang used her magic to help, but she was quite rusty at telekinesis, and the lid weighed a considerable amount. With much effort, they shifted the lid up. Insects scurried out of the now exposed cracks, and they dropped it to the side of the stone well with a heavy thud.
Plum lifted Glory to look down the well with them, and all three stared down into the darkness. There appeared to be a slight reflection coming from below, but the pit was very dark. Tikbalang lit her horn and cast her light downward, illuminating a reflective surface far below.
“Looks like there’s still water. That’s good.” Plum put down Glory, grabbed his bucket and rope, wrapped one end around his hoof, and tossed the bucket down into the well.
The bucket hit with a splash that echoed upward, and he started hefting it back up, hoof over hoof. When the bucket arrived at the top it was full of good, clean water. Plum sniffed it, dipped a hoof in and licked it, then tilted it to have a drink.
“Oh, that’s delicious!” Plum said.
“Let me try, let me try!” Glory hopped up and down.
Plum lowered the bucket for Glory and he slurped some of the water out of it.
“Mmmm! That’s delicious!” Glory mimicked his father.
“Would you like to try Tik… ah.” Plum pulled the bucket back and looked away, scratching his beard.
Tikbalang grinned at the error. “Did you just try to offer a ghost water?”
“Ah… yes?” Plum shrugged.
“Well I do believe I would love a drink of water!” Tikbalang said
She used her magic to pull the bucket from Plum’s hooves, then tilted her head up and opened her skeletal jaws. She poured the water out, and it, of course, passed right through her, soaking her clothes and splashing on the ground beneath her.
Glory laughed almost immediately. Plum stared in confusion for a moment, then he started laughing.
“Mmmm. Delicious!” Tikbalang said.
The bucket was emptied soon enough, and Plum Pudding placed it next to the well with the roped coiled up beneath it.
“We have our water, and the latrine would have to be deeper than it to avoid poisoning the water supply, but I’m not sure I want to dig a latrine that deep,” Plum said. “I’ll probably put it on the opposite side of the backyard, and get a unicorn to enchant it. It’ll be cheaper and safer that way in case anypony falls in.”
“Ewwww, doody swim,” Glory said.
“Yes, you certainly don’t want to do that,” Plum said.
“Wonderful. Will you be moving in then?” Tikbalang asked.
“I think we will. My sisters have all been married, and one of them can take over the house with their husband while Glory and Myself move out here. I’ll start moving in furniture soon, though I think I’ll need some help. How would you feel about other ponies coming to visit?” Plum said.
Tikbalang didn’t know how to respond to that. “I… I don’t know. Nopony knows about me, but I suppose they’ll need to find out soon enough.”
“It won’t happen immediately, but my mother will want to see the house now that it is finished. I don’t have to bring anypony other than her,” Plum said.
“Let’s keep it to one or two ponies at first. I’m not exactly somepony you’d bring home to mother,” Tikbalang said.
“Ahhh, I suppose you’re right. I’ll get the house furnished first, and invite her after that, okay?” Plum asked.
Tikbalang nodded. Plum spent the next few days moving furniture, building the outhouse, and getting things set up. He brought a unicorn to enchant the latrine, but he never came inside, and Tikbalang never went outside to see him. He was only there for a brief moment. The house soon enough looked like a place a pony could live, with furniture, amenities, beds, dishes, and pots and pans. It was an old-style house, and so running water wasn’t available, but Plum intended to fix that over time. For now, it was good enough.