//------------------------------// // 22. Pool of Annihilation // Story: The Trials of Shmarity: an Ogres and Oubliettes Story // by TheMessenger //------------------------------// 22. Pool of Annihilation Rarity couldn’t help but experience some of the excitement and giddiness she would usually reserve for trips to the local spa as she followed Gustford out of the room and down to the front lobby. Gustford made a quick note of the receptionist’s continued absence with an annoyed click of his tongue before they both stepped out and went through the busy and crowded square and up the road she had initially taken to find him. Rarity soon found herself back in the plaza with the dried up, defaced fountain that sat in the center of multiple branching paths. From there they then made their way to the other street Rarity had noted earlier, the one that seemed to the most heavily and universally used of the bunch, though with it being later in the day, now around mid to late afternoon, much of the traffic had subsided. As they walked, Gustford made sure to point out certain buildings and streets to Rarity. The street signs that hung from poles or attached to the sides of buildings had long since been worn away to becoming illegible, but as long as she could recognize a couple of landmarks and roads, particularly the road she was currently on and the one that led to the adventurers’ league, Gustford assured Rarity that she would be able to navigate the city without losing her way. This road, the griffon had explained, led to the middle city which housed most of Baldursgait’s populace along with much of the recreational and commercial activity. A majority of the more general stores could be found up there as well as what had been described as an informal open marketplace, which would explain the carts with farm produce that Rarity had seen going this way earlier today. The bathhouse they had decide upon was also located in this part of town. It wasn’t the most prestigious establishment, those belonged to the upper city and exclusively for the upper echelon, and didn’t even have a name, at least nothing official. There were several monikers given by the place’s patrons, but the most common one that could be used in polite company was the Decent Duchess because of an unsubstantiated rumor that the place was funded in part by a philanthropic noble. The concept of a kind and charitable member of Baldursgait’s aristocracy was laughable, as demonstrated by Gustford’s snorting when Rarity inquired, but there were few other reasonable explanations as to how the place could afford running hot water, a complete and equipped team of guards, and a pair of massage professionals for the relatively low price they charged, and besides, the name A Wizard Did It simply did not have the same level of appeal. Even if Gustford had the money for one of the higher end bathhouses and had excess to the upper city, they probably would have still gone to this one. Being a place where creatures of different social standings would inevitably mingle, there was next to no chance that any of the nobility would be there to recognize Rarity as Princess Shmarity. It was still a concern as she would have very few options to hide her features once she disrobed and any makeup she’d apply would just wash off in the bath, but based on what Rarity told of her experiences in Horshire and with that family of clock store keepers, they both figured that she could continue playing it off as just being a lookalike, and it wasn’t as if the average citizen would be able to tell otherwise. To Rarity, it was well worth the risk, and as she made her case to Gustford and convinced him that she would be fine, she tried not to think of how long it had been since she had a bath. A proper one, mind you, with actual warm water and real shampoo, not like the quick rinse with cold water she took before leaving Horshire, and she assured the former knight that having to share an area with those bellow her station wouldn’t bother her. Just to be on the safe side, however, and at Gustford’s insistence, Rarity kept her daggers close by, with the one from Gustford tucked away in her cloak’s inner pocket with the obsidian one. Rarity also had in there a small sack of coins, less than the size of her hoof, that Gustford had provided her with enough to pay for entry and give the massage therapist a decent tip should she so desire. There the purse would be safe from any would-be pickpockets, but having a large griffon carrying an even larger sword around was probably enough of a deterrent. “Here we are,” he announced, stopping before a wall with ivy vines growing over the carved image of a mare, her mane flowing down to her hooves as she climbed out of a seashell. A couple of further steps brought them to a wooden door with a small closed slot near the top and a flap like a dog door at the bottom. There was no outward handle, Rarity noticed as Gustford approached the door and knocked. The slot at the top slid open a moment later, revealing a set of squinting brown eyes. They stared at Gustford before looking to Rarity who stood behind him. “Two?” Rarity heard them say, their rough and curt voice seemingly belonging to a brutish female. Gustford shook his head. “Just for her,” he said. “One moment.” The eyes vanished, and there was a soft click on the other end. The eyes returned. “Fifteen silver pieces for one hour. Push them through the hatch when you’re ready.” Gustford frown. “It was just half that only a little while ago.” “Everywhere’s raising prices. You can take you complaints to someone else, I’m not paid to deal with them. Fifteen silvers.” Gustford sighed and turned to Rarity with an apologetic glance as she took out her new purse. Gustford dug out a single gold coin from his own pockets and added it to the five silver ones Rarity had already prepared. She pushed open the flap and withdrew her hoof once she had dropped the payment, the coins making soft sounds of impact as they bounced against the pavement. “Hm. Very good. Stand back,” the creature at the door said before the slot closed. Rarity turned to Gustford with a questioning look as more clicks and metal scraps and the slides of bars could be heard coming from the other side. “They, uh, run things pretty tightly here. Like I said, a full security detail. There might have been some previous incident or something.” Gustford shrugged. “If it would make you feel more comfortable, I could go with you. Uh, safer, I mean. For me to keep an eye out, I mean. Er, for trouble, not you, or, on you specifically, while you’re, um.“ The griffon scratched at the front of his neck as he cleared his throat and looked away, clearly not entirely comfortable with his own suggestion. Gruff though he was, Gustford could still demonstrate the chivalry one would expect from a knight. It was certainly miles different from their initial interactions. “I should be fine,” Rarity assured. “Don’t worry about me, I’ll stay careful.” There was one final click, and the door swung open and outward. Standing to the side was the doormare, looking as tough as her voice had indicated with her thick cap and barding and a heavy club attached to her belt. “Welcome,” she said in a dull tone and a bored gesture that certainly didn’t scream welcoming. “I’ll take care of selling what’s left of that dagger of yours and maybe see if I can find that innkeeper and get you your own living space,” Gustford said, stepping back. “I’ll pick you up in an hour.” “Alright then.” Rarity returned Gustford’s wave, and as he made his way back to the street, Rarity stepped inside. The door shut behind her, and immediately the mare started getting all the locks and latches back into place while Rarity took the time to take in her surroundings. She now stood in what appeared to be a vibrant garden with patches of green grass and bright blossoms lined against the paved walkways. Vines grew over the wall, covering both sides, and to side there were two statues of mares holding jugs over their shoulders. Water flowed out of the jugs and into shallow pools where creatures in bathrobes and towels, mostly ponies but there was also a number of griffons and hippogriffs, sat around soaking their feet and chatting away as they enjoyed the open air and the sunlight streaming through the roofless top. Additional guards in similar garb to the doormare stood along the wall at varying degrees of attention, with some staring down at a group of giggling mares with vigilance and other staring at them with barely disguised lechery. Rarity’s confusion must have shown because the mare at the door spoke up and asked, “First time?” “Er, yes.” The mare rolled her eyes and pointed to a set of red curtains on the wall to their left. “The baths are through there, massage rooms too,” she explained. “Entry fee covers the use of our towels, so you’re welcomed to them. We’re not responsible for what happens to any belongings, so keep an eye on your own stuff. Other than that, don’t cause any trouble. Got it?” “I see,” Rarity answered with a nod and a friendly smile. “Thank you.” The mare responded with a grunt and a folding of her front legs before her chest, which left Rarity to awkwardly excuse herself and make her way to the curtains she had been directed to. She pushed them aside, and when she stepped inside, she was met with a sudden wave of heat and a cloud of steam. The surprising humidity caused Rarity to nearly stumble as she continued through, and it took a couple of moments before the warm water vapors dispersed and allowed her a proper view of her new setting. She now stood at the very edge of a large chamber, around the size of a lecture hall. The floor beneath Rarity’s hooves was of hard, chalky limestone, and the walls around her were layered with sleek porcelain titles, giving the room a brilliant white color that was nearly blinding and took a little time to adjust to. In each corner and in the room’s very center there stood a statue of a mare, similar to the ones outside, but while those were of earth ponies in modest gowns, the five inside were alicorns wearing little more than carved sheets of linen that clung tightly over their perfect marble figures, leaving little to the imagination. The four corner alicorns also had jugs of flowing water that cascaded into four great pools that put together took up a majority of the space. Steam pillowed from the two pools farthest from Rarity, and beyond them she could spot two openings in the wall that led further into the building. The pools were all heavily populated by a mix of ponies, griffons, hippogriffs, and even a few zebras and a buck with towels draped over his antlers. Creatures of all appearances, genders, and ages soaked together, with mothers of differing races gossiping while their children swam and splashed each other only to be scolded by stallions with skin wrinkled and weathered by age and water exposure. An older mare kneeling at the entrance bowed to Rarity and offered her a towel as she passed. Rarity accepted it with a grateful nod and turned to the closest, least crowded pool. She rolled up her sleeve and gingerly stuck her hoof in to test the water, only for her to pull back with a gasp, much to the amused laughter of a nearby group of bearded hippogriffs in their seapony form. The crystal clear water, while not ice cold and frigid, was much cooler than Rarity had expected or would’ve liked. It didn’t seem like any of the creatures in the pool minded the temperature much, and she supposed that the cooler water could feel nice and refreshing on a hot day, but it wasn’t what Rarity needed right now, so she moved on to one of the pools in the back. A quick dip of her hoof confirmed what the steam suggested. Satisfied with the water’s warmth, Rarity looked around the room then turned to the closest female, a lone pale blue mare leaning against the edge of the pool with her mane wrapped up in a towel. “Hello, excuse me,” Rarity greeted, getting the mare’s attention. “Huh?” She leaned back to looked up at her. “What?” “I was just wondering, is that where the changing rooms are? I don’t see any signs, and I would hate to cause a scene by walking into the wrong one.” The mare followed Rarity’s pointed hoof to the openings in the back wall and raised an eyebrow. “That’s where the massages happen.” “Ah. Then, could you point me to the dressing rooms?” “Nothing like that here,” the mare replied. She shrugged and turned away. “Not much point if you think about it. Eventually, we’re all going to see everything anyways.” Something about her grin made Rarity squirm. She followed the mare’s gaze to a impressively built specimen of a stallion rising out of the water, his toned flanks still glistening with bath water before their eyes as he slowly climbed out and shook his backside dry. Rarity swallowed and quickly looked away before her blush got any brighter. “Ah. Yes. I see.” “Darn right you do,” the mare said, chuckling as she let herself sink deeper into the pool and waved Rarity away. “Now, do you mind? I’m trying to get my money’s worth.” “Er, of course.” And with a polite nod, Rarity stepped away from the pool’s edge and walked over to what she hoped was the side of the room with the fewest wandering eyes. The very thought of exposing her bare body before all these strangers was, in her mind, completely and utterly absurd. It didn’t matter that ponies didn’t usually wear clothes to begin with and that even she had very few qualms with walking around naked whilst in public. No, the acts of dressing and undressing were to be considered intimate and private and if done in the presence of others, it was before a trusted few and very, very rarely before a member of the opposite sex. A proper lady should, would, and could never disrobe before an audience, especially not one made up of so many males and their lewd, violating gazes, and Rarity was a proper, classy lady. A proper, classy lady with a dire need of a wash. It took a few moments for Rarity to recognize that she was being hysterical, and after a couple of breaths, she forced herself to calm down. She looked around and saw that no one was watching her in particular and especially not with any of the vulgar intent she had gotten all excited over. The millions of eyes Rarity had felt upon her had just been her panicked imagination as every creature here had their own things that required their attention. And why would they be paying attention to her anyways? As far as any of them knew, Rarity was just another mare taking a bath, just one of the dozen or so they’ve already seen today. That realization didn’t exactly make her entirely comfortable with taking all her clothes off in such a setting, but after a few more calming breaths, Rarity managed to quickly remove her cloak before tossing her towel over her back in an attempt to retain a small amount of modesty. She started to take off her pendant but stopped and decided that getting the silver a little wet was far better than to risk losing or getting the powerful artifact stolen again. She folded the cloak into a neat bundle and searched for a safe place to store it, where Rarity would be able to keep an eye on it. Against one of the walls or around the center statue seemed to be where everyone else was keeping their belongings, with those areas already crowded with clothes and accessories and even covered weapons, and Rarity couldn’t find anywhere better. She found some floor space beneath the alicorn’s outstretched wing and carefully set her cloak down as to avoid disturbing the possessions of her fellow patrons. She noted that many of the bundles of clothes had small items seated on them, like a sheathed sword or a rope belt or a cap, a way to distinguish one drab and dreary outfit from another perhaps. Rarity did the same, pulling out her new dagger and placing it on top of her cloak before returning to the pool of warm water. The creatures at the bath’s border and in Rarity’s way reluctantly made the minimum amount of room she needed to get in, and she hadn’t even finished her happy sigh as she entered the water before they hurried back to their spots, closing the gap they had created. Their rudeness and inconsideration didn’t bother Rarity, though she didn’t think anything could have at this particular moment. The water was a little hotter than Rarity was used to but not painfully so, and once she had acclimated to the temperature, which didn’t take long, she entered a state of absolute bliss, with the foamy water caressing her stiff and tired body and washing away the dirt and dust and exhaustion that had accumulated over the past troublesome weeks. Her body felt as light as air as it floated, the weights of her all troubles seemingly being carried away with the flow. A nearby splash ruined the serenity and rocked Rarity back to reality. Remembering that her time was limited to a paltry hour, she sighed and immediately got to scrubbing the length of her forelimbs and her sides and wherever else she could reach. What she wouldn’t have traded for a bar of soap and a bottle of conditioner, though Rarity did notice that something had been added to the water that caused suds to form when she applied enough force. Once she had reached a degree of satisfaction, Rarity leaned back and let the water rinse away lather and engulf her entire mane. She then let her hair soak for a few moments before combing through it with her hooves. As much as she wanted to simply sit there in the bath’s warm and comforting embrace until she either passed out or was forced out, Rarity had other matters to attend to. Perhaps if any time was left after her massage, she could return, but for the time being she would have to leave. Again, those at the very edge parted to allow her space to climb out. Pulling herself out of the bath took a bit of doing, her body weighed down by water and reluctance, and Rarity quickly replaced her sopping wet towel with a new one and got started on drying herself. Then, with her mane wrapped up high with a third complimentary towel, she grabbed her belongings and made sure everything was there before she headed to the passageways in the back, where the massages were according to that one mare. Both openings lead to the same fork, Rarity soon learned once she entered, with neither way having any features to distinguish them from the other or any hint of what was at their ends. Basing her decision on whichever path was closest, Rarity went left and followed the path to a small, dimly lit room. Rows of jugs with lightly scented perfumes and a number of fragrant candles were against the walls, and in the center was a pegasus sprawled over a low table, his wings stretched to the fullness of their span. Pounding away at his back was a lavender earth pony mare with the image of three candles floating in a bowl on her flanks who glanced up at the sound of Rarity’s approach. “Sorry miss,” the mare said as she leaned forward and dug an elbow into the pegasus’ back, inciting a low, throaty moan. “We just started here, so it could be a while. Try the other side. My colleague might be free.” “Ah. Thank you,” Rarity said, making her retreat as the pegasus let out another moan. She returned to the junction and continued onto the other path where a griffon walking in the opposite direction greeted her with a nod as he rolled his shoulders forward and back and made his way to the baths. The room on this end was nearly identical, the sole difference being that the table in the center was empty and there being a slender unicorn wiping at its surface with a piece of cloth. Their Cutie Mark was that of falling rose petals. “Oh, hello hello!” they exclaimed when Rarity approached. Their words were buoyant with an odd accent Rarity couldn’t quite identify, like if you exaggerated Canterlot snootiness and slowed it down with country drawl and Manehattan slurring. “Welcome. Are you here for ah massage?” “That I am,” Rarity answered. “Are you available?” “But uh course!” The unicorn swept the cloth off the table and patted it. “Come, come, and we’ll get started right away. You can leave those wherever you’d like,” they said, gesturing to the bundle Rarity was carrying. She placed her belongings in a corner away from any of the little flames and set herself onto the table, belly down. The towel draped over her back was removed, and Rarity shivered from the sudden exposure. “Uh dear,” the unicorn tutted. “My, you’ve been through quite a bit, haven’t you?” Something cold poured over Rarity’s back before she could respond. The scent of flowers filled the room. “This oil will help you relax,” the unicorn explained before they returned to kneading around Rarity’s shoulders. Their initial touch was gentle, but the force behind it gradually picked up until the muscles around Rarity’s neck and shoulders became nice and loose. She couldn’t help but whimper as the unicorn pushed and prodded away the stiffness. “Now, how does that feel?” Rarity murmured out something, she herself wasn’t entirely sure what. The sentiment was at least clear, and the unicorn chuckled at the response and continued down Rarity’s body to start working on her lower back. Her eyes rolled beneath closed lids as the unicorn pressed down and around her spine, inflicting small bouts of pain and discomfort that were swiftly replaced with relief. It might not have been her usual treatment at the Ponyville spa, and she really could have used some friendly company to share this with, but after everything Rarity had been through in the past week or so, her experience here had been divine. It was nothing short of miraculous, finding such a wonderful place and such talented, magical even, hooves in this strange and dangerous land, and part of Rarity feared that if she dared open her eyes, she would wake up to discover that her time at the Decent Duchess had just been a dream. “Ah, hello hello! I’m in the middle uh ah session right now, sir. Perhaps see if my colleague is free on the other side. Sir, please, I’ll with you in one moment. Excuse me. Sir, please.” The unicorn’s amazing touch had left her. Frowning, Rarity forced her eyes open and looked up to find a yak, big and scruffy as typical for their race, marching into the room with no apparent care. Rarity immediately sat up and pulled a towel over herself, but the yak ignored both her and the unicorn trying to berate him. When the unicorn tried to block his passage, the yak simply pushed past them on his way to the back wall. Jugs of oil were smashed and trampled as he closely examined the wall, tapping at it with his horns and hooves while Rarity watched. She wasn’t sure what to make of the yak’s rude behavior, but she kept an eye on the large two headed axe he had strapped to his back as she slowly inched off the table. The yak hadn’t done anything with the weapon yet, but Rarity knew better than to stick around to see if that would change. Which was closer, she wondered, the exit or the daggers hidden in her cloak? “Guards!” the unicorn cried out. “Guards, I need—“ A section of the wall suddenly slid open before Rarity’s wide eyes, revealing a stairway leading downward into darkness on the other side. An unpleasant stench wafted into the room and struggled against the perfume and aromatic candles. Rarity heard a choking sound come from the unicorn, and she turned and saw that they had gone pale. “Yak,” the yak announces with a sniff and started down the stairway. Rarity released her held breath as the unicorn ducked behind the massage table. When they stepped back up they had in their magic grasp a curved and jagged dagger with something slick and green coating the blade. With their face twisted in a silent growl, the unicorn leapt over the table and lunged at the yak’s turned back.