//------------------------------// // 34. Change of Address // Story: The Trials of Shmarity: an Ogres and Oubliettes Story // by TheMessenger //------------------------------// 34. Change of Address One would think that coming to terms with the deaths of close friends along with a plan to pervert the sacred order of life and death would have taken more than a few hours. Rarity certainly thought so, and so it was very much to her surprise when she lifted her head out of the pillow she had been screaming her grievances and frustrations into, right up until she finally exhausted herself and fell asleep, feeling refreshed and far better about her situation. She still went cold whenever she thought about a lifeless Spike, but the warmth that came with the hopeful possibility that his current grave wasn’t to be a permanent one balanced it out and left her content. Even the profane act of bringing the dead back to life, if that’s what it took to save Spike and Discord, was bothering her less. After all, if Elkraps Thigliwt didn’t seem all that perturbed by the concept, why should she? It was an odd feeling and even a bit worrying, this sudden acceptance. Rarity was reminded of how disturbingly quick she had gotten over taking lethal action and looting bodies, and like with those previous times, her unease was starting to fade even as she was recognizing it. How long had Rarity been away from home? It was a couple of months now at least, blurring by before Rarity had even realized that they were gone. Had she simply acclimated to this strange and dangerous environment during all that time or was this more of Princess Shmarity’s influence? Well whatever the reason, perhaps it was just as well. Rarity couldn’t even begin to imagine what would be required of her once Elkraps had gotten hold of their necromancy expert or how she’d be able to help, but she doubted that being distracted by such questions on the rights and wrongs would have helped matters, and there would be plenty of time to reflect once everyone was back in Equestria, safe and sound. For now, Rarity’s most pressing matter was getting herself something to eat, the last of the scone she had had for breakfast having been spent in her coping hysterics. She checked her appearance in the window and did what she could to make herself presentable before heading downstairs where she was greeted by the gray maned receptionist and her many cats. Finding the dining room too crowded for her liking, Rarity left the inn and wandered the streets until she settled on a small cafe that still had some open tables, and there she had a garden salad. After lunch and with nothing else planned for today, Rarity decided to explore and see what else the city had to offer. More of those illusionary maps she had first encountered with Tariq and Alharir and the rest of their group could be found on nearly every other street side, so Rarity was free to walk around aimlessly without any fear of being unable to find her way back to the Hag’s Haven. She let her eyes roam the windows of the stores and let her curiosity take her to any place that had managed to drawn a crowd. Her coin purse saw little action, however, as Rarity had no need for the crystal shards or rods or any of the other items she saw being sold, but that was fine. It was just a nice way to unwind after everything she had gone through to get to this point, to do something as inconsequential as window shopping without having to worry about making any travel preparations, and when she tired of walking, Rarity took a break to watch the locals go about their business instead, watching in wonder as pegasi and earth ponies, some caped, others robed, all bearded, floated their belongings around as easily as any unicorn could have. The day eventually came to an end, and Rarity returned to the inn in time for dinner, which was a rich, creamy cheese and broccoli casserole that she enjoyed outside on the veranda. The nocturnal songs of woodlands serenaded her as she ate despite them being in the middle of a large city, and when she had finished her meal, Rarity stayed to enjoying the fresh evening air for a little while longer before going back inside to turn in early. And as always, Mr. Whispers was there waiting to guide her back to her room after Rarity had informed the receptionist that there would be no need for a second early wake up call. She awoke the next morning to an annoyingly high pitched buzz coming from her saddlebags. The noise was coming from the stone Elkraps had lended her, the painted face face pulsing with a red glow, and the moment Rarity’s hoof brushed against it, she heard the unicorn’s familiar voice speak out to her. To Princess Shmarity. Good morning. Nothing new to report. Will be unavailable for any in-person meetings today. Let me know if there is anything urgent. The message ended, but the stone continued to buzz as it waited for Rarity’s reply. Good morning, Dean Thigliwt, she spoke in silent thoughts with the stone pressed against her forehead, her best guess to how this item operated. It’s wonderful to hear from you. I can think of no pressing concerns at this time, but thank you. If there The stone became still and stopped glowing before the thought could be finished, and Rarity could only hope that her response made it to Elkraps. It was like that time at the desert oasis when she had received a similar mental message from Sir Gustford, and with that memory came a reminder of the promise Rarity had made to him just before the Merry Landing had left the port. She was supposed to contact the old griffon as soon as she made it to the schools safely. Understandably, there was a lot on Rarity’s mind when she first arrived, but now she really had no excuse. Well, better late than never, and at least it gave Rarity an object for today. The lobby was noticeably more lively this morning, most likely due to the later hour, with guests walking through or lounging about in on the provided furniture as their usual feline occupants glowered at them. At the front desk, the receptionist was chatting away with one of the guests, an old stallion with a back hunched with age, and Rarity waited for their conversation to finish before she approached. “Oh, ‘ello there, dearie,” said the mare as the stallion limped away, still chuckling from whatever they had been discussing. “Did you sleep alright? Anything I can do for you?” “I did, thank you, and yes, there is something I’d like your help with. Do you know of any place in town where I can send a message? I need to get in touch with an acquaintance back in Spiketopia. Oh, and um.” Rarity lowered her voice. “Would it be possible to get this cleaned here?” She tugged at the front of her traveler’s cloak. “Well, you can probably find a student at the main building who’d be willing to help for a low price,” the mare answered with a hum. “Sending is a pretty darn useful spell so there’s a good chance you’ll bump into someone there with it prepared. They might even be so desperate for the practice that they’ll do it for free. Of course, since they’re not going to know this acquaintance of yours, there’s no way of guaranteeing that your message will make it to ‘em. You’ll have a better chance at, uh, there’s this place that’s pretty much built for this kind of thing, sending messages. If you can describe your friend and where they are, they’ll have an easier time getting the sending through, the more details the better. It’s not perfect, and it’s pretty pricey, but if you really need to get that message out, that’ll probably be your best bet.” “And this is where in town?” “Hold on now, give me a sec,” the receptionist said with a sigh. “Haven’t had to go down there in a good while now.” She looked to the two ponies on the couch. “Hey fellows, where’s that one place with all the, uh, senders?” “Senders? You mean the messengers, yeah?” “No no, they’re called senders if they’re of the Fine Copper Company. The messengers are from BCWired. There’s two of them now,” the pony explained. “BCWired got started some years back by hiring mostly youngsters. Weren’t as reliable but a heck of a lot cheaper, least at first. These days though, there’s not a whole lot of difference between the two if you ask me.” “Thanks.” The receptionist turned back to Rarity. “Well, there you have it, dearie. I don’t know enough about ‘em to give you directions, I’m afraid, but those maps you probably seen around the city can guide you better than I could.” Rarity nodded. “Thank you miss. And to you as well,” she added toward the ponies on the couch before turning back to the mare at the front desk. “And what about, ah, this?” she asked with a motion to her cloak. The mare leaned forward and, much to Rarity’s chagrin, sniffed at the cloth. “Well again, there’s bound to be someone around the main campus building who’d love to make a little bit of pocket money. Now if you actually want it washed, you know, with actual soap and water, you can just leave it folded up at the base of your bed tonight with a silver coin on top, and it’ll be ready by the time you wake up. Be a shame, though,” she added with another sniff. “That smell gives it character. I’d hate to wash out all that history, but it’s your choice.” Rarity thanked the receptionist once more and left the inn. It did not take her long to find a map, and from there it was the simple matter of repeating the names of the businesses and deciding on the one that was most convenient. Minutes later, Rarity found herself in front of the building the map had shown her. The place was a simple structure with nothing that made it stand out from its neighbors other than its sign, which depicted scrolls with shiny bronze wings. Seeing that the place was open for business, Rarity went inside. In the back of the room there was a counter being operated by a trio of ponies, two unicorns and a blonde pegasus, in beige uniforms that made her think of the mail ponies back in Ponyville, and behind them was a wall of racks that held coils of copper wire. A couple of benches with small notepads and pens was in the room’s center at which some customers were busy writing. Others stood in the line that extended from the counter, and Rarity observed that there were a few who carried slips of paper. Rarity got in line, and after an incredibly long wait for how few many creatures stood in front of her, it was her turn to approach the counter. “Welcome to the Fine Copper Company,” greeted her pegasus attendant. Her bright and bubbly smile faltered a bit. “Um, ma’am? Is something the matter?” “O-oh! No, it’s nothing, nothing at all.” The strange sense of familiarity was gone. Rarity cleared her throat. “Ahem, yes. I would like to send a message to a friend up in Spiketopia.” “Um, okay then. Yes, I can help with that,” the pegasus said, nodding her head eagerly. “So, to Spiketopia, that’s still in the material plane so, um, that’s going to be fifty gold. But if we can’t reach your friend, we’ll give you back half of that. But, but don’t worry, we almost never fail.” Rarity frowned. She had been warned that going to the professionals were going to be pricier than finding some random magic novice off the street, but after hearing that not so reassuring assurance Rarity wondered if the supposed reliability was worth it. She pulled out her purse and took a quick count. Well, fifty gold wasn’t an insignificant amount of money, but she would still have plenty left afterwards. She wondered, could the other business give her a better deal? Probably not, that pony did say the two were about the same. “Ma’am?” “Oh, er, sorry.” Rarity set required coins on the counter and waited for the pegasus to finish counting them. “Okay, great!” The pegasus took out a square of paper. “Now what can you tell about the creature we’re sending this message to? Name, appearance, where they live and what they do? Anything will help, but we’ll have an easier time making contact the more information you can give us.” “He is a griffon named Gustford who last I knew of resided in Baldursgait.” Rarity paused to think. “His full name is Sir Gustford the Gilded Claw of the Stormslayers, a knight of Spiketopia, but he is currently working as an adventurer. As for his appearance, he has several scars and burns on his face.” She swallowed and forced herself to continue, pushing past her discomfort. The more details the better. “He, he is missing his wings,” she said softly. The mare continued to ask questions pertaining to Gustford’s appearance and history, some of which Rarity struggled to answer even with all of Princess Shmarity’s memories at her disposal. At least now she understood why she had to wait for so long, if this was what everyone had to go through before their messages could be sent. “So that’s Sir Gustford the Gilded Claw of the Stormslayers from Baldursgait, that’s a city, right?” the attendant finally said. “And it’s in Spiketopia, where he’s a knight and now an adventurer. A griffon without wings. Does all that sound right to you?” “Yes.” “Okay.” The pegasus put down her pen and got two new clean sheets of paper, then went over to the wall of wires and grabbed a piece. “Now do you have your message already written down?” she asked when she returned to the counter. “It’s okay if you don’t. You can just tell me what you want to him to know, and we’ll make sure he knows.” “First, make sure he knows that it’s from Princess Shmarity. Then, let him know that I am safe at the schools of magic and have met somepony who I believe will be able to help me find a way to save the heroes.” Rarity took a second to think of anything else that needed to be added. “And that will be all.” “Princess Shmarity, safe at schools of magic. Made connections that’ll help save heroes,” the pegasus mare read slowly. “Okay, so if that’s everything, let’s get started.” She picked up the piece of wire and placed it against her forehead. As she started to mutter, the wire’s tip stood up and started to spark. She nodded, and with pen in mouth, she began to write something down. “Okay, so Sir Gustford got you message, and this is his response.” The pegasus slid the paper slip in front of Rarity. “He felt happy that you were safe but was also worried about something.” Good to hear, the paper read in some surprisingly neat writing. Stay vigilant. The mage I hired to contact you last time disappeared. Might be coincidence, might have been a spy. Be careful. “Is that all of it?” Rarity asked. She flip the slip over to check its back only to find it blank. “Yep! I heard that the school of evocation was trying to improve the spell so that it could fit fifty words instead of twenty five, but that was a while ago, so I guess they got bored with that.” The pegasus giggled and shrugged. “So, is there anything the Fine Copper Company can do for you, maybe another message you want to send somewhere?” Rarity started to refuse, her business here having been concluded, but stopped herself as an idea slowly took form. “How far can you send a message?” “Oh, anywhere really,” was the pegasus’s answer. “The only problem is getting the message to the right person. Um, and making contact with anyone in the inner and outer planes is a little more difficult and expensive, so there is that. Otherwise, it’ll be another fifty gold.” The gold promptly made its way across the counter. “I need you to send a message to Twilight Sparkle of Equestria. She’s the princess of friendship, a purple alicorn—“ “Uh, a purple ali-what now?” “An unicorn with wings like a pegasus. A little taller than myself. She has a violet mane with strips of magenta that she could do so much with if she bothered styling it. Her tail is similar, same color, same simple style, all straight, neat, and tidy.” Rarity sighed. “It’s all very much her, but honestly, sometimes I wish she’d put a little more effort into her appearance.” Her portrayal of Twilight continued on unprompted, and pretty soon Rarity was caught up in a storm of nostalgic reminiscing as she supplemented her description with increasingly specific examples. “O-oh, um, okay,” the pegasus at the counter eventually interjected. “Um, and where did you say she was from again?” “Equestria, in the town of Ponyville. At least, that’s where she lives. Will there be an issue if she isn’t there when we send the message?” “Well, it’ll make it more difficult to get the message to her, but I think I’ve got a pretty good idea of what I’m looking for. A purple unicorn with wings named Twilight Sparkle, princess of friendship.” The pegasus readied her pen. “Othay, whaff fe meffade?” “Let her know that it’s Rarity and that I’m well but confused as to how I ended in some foreign land called Spiketopia. Currently, I’m at a place called the schools of magic, which hopefully she or Starlight have come across before in their studies. Anyways, tell her that I’m currently in the process of saving Spike and Discord, and we will be returning home as soon as Discord is back with us. Until then, we’d appreciate it if she were to also look into a way of bring us back or anything else that could help. And could you please let my family know how I’m doing, but do try not to worry them, and make sure somepony else besides Sweetie Belle is feeding Opalescence. The last time I left that to her, Opal ended up twice her original weight. Oh, and if you could talk to my managers in Manehattan and Sassy about how my stores are doing in my absence—“ “Whoa, wait, wait,” interjected the pegasus. “Um, I’m not going to be able to fit all that in one message. Can you, maybe, shorten it down to the most important parts please?” Rarity sharply drew in a breath. “Alright,” she finally said after several moments of careful consideration. “Make sure Twilight knows that it’s from Rarity, that I’m in the schools of magic south of Spiketopia, that I’m trying to save Spike and Discord, and that I’d like her to let my parents and sister know that I’m safe.” “Okay, I can work with that.” The wire went back against the pegasus’s forehead. “Here we go,” she said before her eyes shut and she began to chant. As the seconds passed, Rarity watched the blonde mare’s forehead furrow and her smile turn to a confused frown. Her eyelids pressed tighter against each other, and her incantation slowed to a stop then started back up again. More time went by, and still the copper stayed limp and dull. The pegasus let the wire drop with a sad, tired sigh. She opened her eyes, and for a brief moment, they were pointed in different direction, but a quick shake of her head soon fixed that. “Um, yeah, sorry. The spell wouldn’t go through, like, at all.” She frowned. “Are you sure you this Twilight Sparkle actually exists? I mean, I’ve never heard anything about an Equestria before, and unicorns with wings? A princess of friendship? That’s the sort of stuff you only find in stories told to children.” Rarity’s lips pressed firmly together, but she managed to contain her annoyance and just responded with a stiff, “I see. Well, thank you for your time and your service.” “Oh, no problem.” Half of Rarity’s most recent transaction made its way back into her purse. “Sorry about your last message, but if you ever want to try again or maybe send a new one to someone else, we’ll be happy to help here at the Fine Copper Company!” Rarity nodded her thanks and, out of politeness, did her best to match the pegasus’ smile before leaving. She wasn’t sure what to make of the whole experience or what she had accomplished besides lightening her purse. She reread the short reply she had gotten from Gustford before tucking the paper into the inner pocket of her cloak, right underneath Elder Woods’s dagger. Hopefully she had at least put the griffon’s worries to rest now that he knew she had safely reached her destination. Roaming around like she had yesterday didn’t have the same appeal, so instead Rarity returned to the cathedral in the city’s center to give the library another visit. Her research into necromancy might have been a bust, but there was so much more she had to look into. Her horn was still missing, for instance, something that had admittedly slipped her mind in the midst of her looking into the art of raising the dead as a means of saving her friends, and while the books she found on unicorn anatomy and horn maintenance were informative, they didn’t have anything on what to do if you were to wake up one morning with your horn gone. It was just another thing to discuss with Dean Elkraps the next chance she had, but right now Rarity had her piqued curiosity to deal with as her studies into unicorn horns naturally led to unicorn magic, and from there it went to ideas on how magic in general worked. It wasn’t a topic that normally kept Rarity’s interest so strongly, that sort of thing was really more in Twilight’s lane, but seeing all these creatures do what Rarity thought exclusive to unicorns left her wondering and wanting for an explanation. Soon she found herself tumbling uncontrollably down a rabbit hole of confusing and sometimes conflicting texts and overly complex language that she struggled to grasp any understanding out of. The best Rarity could interpret from the most accepted theory was that reality consisted of countless invisible strands, and it was the manipulation of these strands that formed magical spells. A fascinating concept this string theory, and there was something she as a seamstress found almost romantic in the idea of the world just being one big woven sweater, but as to how one would go about shaping this Weave as some of her readings had gone about calling it, Rarity could find no clear answer. It was apparently something some of the authors here had spent their entire lives trying to figure out, and Rarity eventually lost interest after her eyes skimmed over yet another circle of shapes and runes she couldn’t make heads or tails of. From the Weave to the Fey who were so connected to it to the fairytales and fantasies that they inspired, Rarity spent the rest of her day at the library, breaking for lunch and to rest her eyes and stretch her legs. On occasion she would engage in light conversation with a student who didn’t look so busy, usually just about how their day was and what they were working on or looking to read, but nothing really came of it, no rumors or gossip or anything. The lanterns hanging from the ceiling and on the shelves lit up as the sky seen though the glass above started to darkened, and Rarity made her return to the Hag’s Haven just as the sun finished setting. The next morning came, and Rarity awoke to find her cloak stainless. The silver coin she had left on top of it just as the receptionist had instructed her was gone as was the stink of sweat which had been replaced by the faintest flowery fragrance. It looked, well, as good as a set of clothes meant for rigorous travel could have looked. Having the cloak on most of the time out of necessity and caution and the scarcity in mirrors meant that its appearance was usually out of her sight and out of her mind, but as Rarity now held the cloak out for inspection, she was met with the depressing realization that this drab, unappealing layer of coarse fabric made up her entire current wardrobe. Her thoughts longingly went to the casual dress and bonnet ensemble she had gotten at Baldursgait. She would have to find something, anything, better to wear for her next meeting with Elkraps. Speaking of which, the stone the unicorn had given Rarity was buzzing. The message she received was more of the same from yesterday, just a mention that work was being done and an inquiry to how she was doing which Rarity responded with a word of thanks and an assurance of adequacy. The lack of notable progress was disappoint but hearing Twilight’s voice, even if it didn’t belong to the right mare, did help brighten Rarity’s mood, and she got ready for yet another day. The plan was to spend some more time at the library to try and get a bit more research done, but she was sure there would be time to browse a few boutiques first so that she’d be more presentable at tomorrow’s meeting with Alharir, Tariq, and the rest of their group. That’s right. Today would be her third day at the schools, and it didn’t seem like Rarity would be ready to leave anytime soon. She would need to come up with another way of getting through the desert if the others were to decide to leave without her, but there was little use in worrying about that now when so much was still so uncertain. For the time being, Rarity was better off focusing on concerns she could address, like picking out some clothes that didn’t make her look like a total vagabond. It took her nearly the whole morning before she finally found something that suited her. The stores she visited were limited to the robes and capes she had seen being worn by many of the locals, and Rarity struggled to find something that didn’t either make her look like she was getting ready for bed or bath or give her the appearance of an overly flashy stage performer. And then there was the matter of cost. The first couple of shops Rarity had stepped into sold their wares at prices that made her Canterlot Carousel seem like a bargain bin by comparison, but then, she had never advertised her dresses as being able to protect against intense fires or weapons of war or grant the wearer the ability to become incorporeal. In the end, she settled on something a little more mundane, a set of sleek navy blue robes that opened up at the front to reveal a lavender vest, and despite her budget, Rarity couldn’t help but complete the outfit with the purchase of a silky sky blue shawl to drape over her shoulders. Now there was satisfaction to be felt when heads turned as she passed, and at the library of the main campus there were suddenly a lot more beings willing to allow disruptions to their studies for sake of small talk. Much of it was still trivial, but in addition to the complaints about certain professors and subjects, bad exams and worse dates, some shared their notes with her and a few even patiently tried to walk Rarity through a few arcane tricks, which sadly went nowhere. And though she got no closer to finding a way of rescuing her friends, she did hear of some ancient ruins just outside the city’s magical borders, filled with the whispers of treasures yet to be discovered. An option, and a truly desperate one, if she were to ever run low on funds and couldn’t find any other form of employment other than tomb raiding. Well, another day at the schools came and went with Rarity taking another leisurely stroll through the streets as the sun started to set. Hopefully headway on Elkraps’s end would be made soon. Rarity was quickly becoming bored and restless as her means of distraction were starting to grow monotonous. The absence of any message from the unicorn the next morning, however, was less than promising as the painted stone remained still and silent no matter how long Rarity stared at it. She briefly considered contacting Elkraps herself with it but then remembered the mare’s request to avoid doing so unless absolutely necessary, so she put the stone away. She might simply be running a little late or in the middle of something important, there was no need for panic just yet. In any case, Rarity had other things to attend to today, and it was already getting late. She dressed herself in her fine new robes, found pockets for her purse, her visitor’s pass, the magic message stone, and, after some deliberation over being properly prepared versus acting paranoid, her dagger, and once her scarf was securely positioned, it was off downstairs to the inn’s lobby. “Ah, ‘ello there dearie,” came the receptionist’s usual salutation with her usual little smile. “Again, I have to say, I love your new look. You wear it so well.” The few others around nodded in agreement. Rarity said her thanks as she fended off the cat paws reaching for her scarf. “Yes, it reminds me of when I was a young lady. Ah, the ways I could make a heart dance.” The smile widened, causing the mare’s wrinkles to deepen and become more obvious. Rarity saw something dark and disquieting flashed in those eyes, but it disappeared as the mare attempted to bat her lashes which only incited snickers and jeers from the pair of elderly stallions sitting on the lobby couch. “Now, miss,” she said, turning back to Rarity, “tonight will be the last night that you’ve paid for. Will you be checking out in the morning morrow or are you planning on staying longer?” “I’ll be most likely extending my stay, but it is something I will need to confirm first,” Rarity answered. “Will that be a problem?” “No, of course not, as long as you let me know and get your payment to me sometime today. Until then, do have yourself a fine day, dearie.” Rarity bid the mare good one as well before leaving for the main campus building. There was still some several minutes before noon when she arrived at the grand cathedral’s walls, and Rarity was wondering what she should do to pass the time when she noticed somepony sitting at a nearby cafe table waving at her. At first, the pony appeared to be a stranger, and it wasn’t until Rarity got closer that she realized that she recognized the headscarf the waving mare was wearing. It was, however, her first time ever encountering the mare sitting besides Alharir. The newcomer was tall, slender, a member of the same equine tribe no doubt, and she too had her mane and much of her head covered by a long stretch of colorful silk. The color of her coat was a little darker than that Alharir’s, with some shades of gray mixed into blue. She was markedly younger than Alharir and maybe a few years short of Rarity, but there were a number of significant lines of stress running across her face and the beginnings of heavy sagging bags forming beneath her eyes. Despite her evident exhaustion, her smile was just as radiant as the one Alharir had on and her eyes glistened with youth, brilliance, and intelligence. “Rarity!” Alharir exclaimed, standing up and clasping her forelegs over Rarity’s own. “It has been too long. I hope you have been well. Come, come.” She pulled Rarity over to the table and gestured to the younger mare. “This is my dear Aibnatu. Oh, she has turned into such a fine adult.” Alharir’s voice shook with emotion. “She makes me so very proud.” “Mama, please,” the young mare mumbled as her face turned bright pink. She started to sigh and roll her eyes but caught herself and instead turned to bow toward Rarity. “Hello, Madam Rarity. As my mama has said, I am called Aibnatu.” She lifted her head up, and again she smiled. “She has told me much about her journey to the schools, and I thank you for you assistance in bringing her and my baba here safely.” “Oh no, it was no trouble at all,” Rarity said. “If anything, I should be thanking them letting me join their expedition. I don’t know how I could have found this place without your mother and father. Speaking of whom, is Mister Tariq not with you?” She looked around the cafe area and even turned her gaze toward the plaza just outside the cathedral, keeping his distinctive headdress in mind as she search, but the stallion was nowhere to be found. Alharir let out a long sigh. “He will be here later, once he has finished securing a deal for magical arrows.” She folded her front legs across her chest and frowned. “He spent most of yesterday haggling for potions. Honestly, that fool of a stallion does not know when to stop working, even when it comes to seeing his own daughter.” Aibnatu chuckled. “What was it that Baba alway used to say? ‘A trader only stops trading when he sleeps?’ It seems that that has not changed in the slightest. Mama, I keep telling you, I do not mind. It is good just to see the two of you here and well.“ The discussion gradually moved on as Rarity, with some prompting from Alharir, asked about the young mare’s studies, and she explained that her focus had been on imbuing items with magic to give them special properties. To demonstrate and at Alharir’s prodding, Aibnatu pulled out a small circle of gold attached to a necklace chain, and at her command, an intensely bright glow was emitted from the ring. She spoke again, and the light vanished. “It is really nothing special,” Aibnatu tried to cut in as her mother beamed on and continued to shower her with praises. “The light will only last for a minute before going out, so it is not all that useful, not to mention that it took me an entire day just to get just one working.” She fought back a yawn. “One day I hope to be able to supply our family business with items worth selling, but for now I still have much to learn.” “Oh hush, my dear. Enough of that talk. You are doing fine,” cooed Alharir as she embraced Aibnatu’s shoulders and held her tight. The mage apprentice groaned and struggled to escape her mother’s grasp but to no avail, and when she turned to Rarity and mouthed a silent cry for help, all Rarity could provide was a sad sympathetic smile. Ah, the pride of a parent. Rarity’s own mother had her first designs, from way back before she had her Cutie Mark or knew how to operate a sewing machine, stored and hidden away somewhere when if Rarity had had her way, those abominations would’ve been destroyed long ago. The embarrassing display of affection was only interrupted when a tray of drinks and puffy pastries floated to their table, and a menu along with a notepad to record her order arrived before Rarity only a few moments later. They continued to speak through their meal, moving on to Aibnatu’s daily struggles as a student to how she and Alharir had been spending their time together to what Rarity was up to these past few days and why she was at the schools of magic to begin with. Recalling Elkraps’s initial unease, Rarity simply explained that she needed guidance for a private matter and left it at that, without any mention of necromancy, and thankfully, both mares were polite enough to not pry. A little while later, Tariq joined them, looking miffed as he took a seat next to his wife. He contributed little to the conversation beyond the initial hellos, the polite inquiries to how Rarity had been, and some grumbled complaints about market values and supply chains when asked about how the deal had gone. That air of annoyance he was carrying was mostly maintained while the mares around him talked, but Rarity saw the smile on his face and the softening of his features as Aibnatu spoke of her latest academic accomplishments, the delight in his eye obvious even if the source of it was ignorant. The clocktowers rang out, signaling the end of the hour and the arrival of noon. They paid their bill and made their way to the entrance of the main campus building. There they found Biala Diyn waiting with one of older mares that they had saved from the slave pen, and then they had to wait a good several minutes before Steel Nerves made it to the agreed meeting spot. Once the greetings, introductions, admonishments, excuses, and half-hearted apologies were all exchanged, they went inside and found themselves a space that was less crowded. The blade strapped to Biala Diyn’s side and the large club dangling from Steel Nerves’s waist got a few odd glances, but other than that, they were largely left alone. “Now that we are all finally here,” Biala said, invoking an eye roll from Steel, “we can begin discussing when we are to leave here. Ser Tariq, Madam Alharir,” he addressed with a nod toward each of them. “As our employers, perhaps the both of you should have the first say in the matter.” “Well,” Tariq began, “our, immediate business has been taken care of, and so we will be ready to leave whenever. It is something we, that is, my wife, my daughter, and myself have already discussed a great deal.” At this, he glanced over at Alharir who frowned but limited the venting of her evident frustrations to a deep sigh. “Wait, I thought you wanted to spend more time with your kid,” Steel Nerves barged in, causing Rarity, Biala, and the rescued mare to bring their hooves to their foreheads and groan. The minotaur didn’t seem to notice nor did he appear to see Tariq close his eyes and wince or Alharir’s lips pursing tightly as he continued to speak. “Don’t get me wrong or whatever, the sooner we leave here, the better for me. You’d think a place called the schools of magic would have a lot to do or see, but everyone I’ve talked to here just wants to read books or listen to old folks talk and use big words. It’s just so, ugh, boring!” The last word echoed through the halls of the building, drawing glares from all directions, including from the rest of the group though Steel remained oblivious. “So yeah, if those four days were enough for you three, great. I don’t know, I’ve never had much of a family.” “It, was not an easy decision,” said Tariq, looking to his family after some seconds of silence, “but we all have our, obligations.” He cleared his throat as Alharir huffed loudly and Aibnatu comforted her with a pat on the leg. “Ahem, in any case, that is a personal matter between us, and, um, anyways, just know that we able to go when everyone else is ready.” “Well that is good news for us as well,” the mare next to Biala spoke up. She looked to Biala who motioned for her to continue. “Let me just say, we are all so very grateful for everything your group has done for us, but we have our own homes and lives to get back to. Many of us, especially those with young children or have been separated from their families, are becoming restless, and there is talk of setting of on our own.” She shook her head sternly. “They recognize how dangerous that would be, I am sure, but please understand, we are desperate to return to the lives we were stolen from.” “There is also an issue of money,” Biala Diyn added. “Even with the extra silver,” he said with a subtle glance at Rarity, “we do not have enough funds to keep everyone fed and housed for much longer. If we can leave any earlier, it would be for the best.” Both the mare and the minotaur nodded their agreement. “Then that just leaves Madam Rarity,” said Tariq, and slowly, every head turned toward her. “Have you concluded business with the schools concluded? Will you be able to depart soon?” “I’m sorry. I’m not finished here yet. There much I still need to get done.” Rarity could see the disappointment some were having over her answer. Steel Nerves was far more vocal with his. “Seriously?” the minotaur groaned. “Come on, what are you even doing anyways? It can’t be that important.” “It’s rather personal, but if you really must know,” Rarity said, her irritation lending a bite to her voice, “I am trying to save my friends from a horrible fate. So yes, it is something I find very important, and I don’t plan on leaving until I’m finished.” “Then do you know how quickly you will be able to resolve this matter of yours,” Biala asked, showing far more tact than Steel seemed capable of as the grumbling minotaur plopped down onto a bench nearby. “A day? Two? Is there anything we can do to help you finish this faster?” “I appreciate the offer, but I’m afraid there’s really nothing you can do for me at this point,” Rarity said. “It’s being taken care of, I just need a little time.” “So then how much time do you need?” Impatience shrouded over Biala’s expression, but the shadows quickly subsided leaving him appearing sad, sorry, and almost regretful. “I believe I speak for our entire group when I say that I do not wish to leave you behind, but we will if we must. So please, how much longer must we wait?” “I—“ A loud, continuous buzz cut Rarity off, though from everyone else’s reactions, or rather their complete lack of one, it appeared that she was the only one to hear it. It was coming from within her robes, she swiftly realized, from Elkraps’s stone, and the moment she reached into her pocket and pulled the magic stone out, the unicorn’s message filled her head. Princess Shmarity. Have urgent news, need to see you immediately. Can you meet right now? If so, I’ll be waiting at the campus front desk. As she started to make her response, Rarity felt something brush against her leg and yelled out an excited, “Yes!” Aharir jumped and pulled her hoof back, startled by the sudden exclamation along with the rest of the creatures gathered here. “Is, is everything alright, Rarity?” Aharir asked once she had recovered from the initial fright. “Hm? Oh, er, yes. Yes, everything is fine.” The buzzing had faded, as did the message from Elkraps. Rarity put away the stone and turned back to the group. “So, regarding the, um, delay that I’m causing in our leaving, I actually have to meet with somepony who’s helping me with this issue.“ She slowly started to back away from her traveling companions and towards the crowded hall. “Ah, as in she wants to meet right now.” “Right now as in—“ “Right now as in right now,” Rarity said, interrupting Tariq. “Anyways after this meeting I’ll probably will be in a better position to answer your question, Mister Diyn, and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can, but right now I really do need to get going.” Her steps backwards were picking up in pace. “It was good to see you all again. Really. We’ll have to talk more later! Goodbye!” Rarity sudden broke into a run and dashed off toward the entrance of the building, spurred on by the stress on immediacy that had been in Elkraps’s message. Worry for what could have possible required such urgency kept her from hearing the calls after her as she rushed to the front desk, where Elkraps Thigliwt said she would be waiting.