Rarity massaged and kneaded her poor mane rhythmically, working the dirt and flora that had stuck to it out with fervor. The wonderful soaps and scented shampoos that the humans used were very good quality indeed, if not quite what she was used to. Still, a lady must make due when necessary, and she certainly wasn't above roughing it every now and again. Her friends and duties had indeed put her through worse before...
The lathered soap quickly brought the sheen back to Rarity's purple mane. This is simply the most wonderful feeling in the world, she decided right there. That, and the human's shower itself, of course. At first, she had been apprehensive about using it in place of its Equestrian counterpart, or at least a proper bath tub. The truth of it had been shared that their shower employed no magic at all, but rather, some sort of thing called a 'boiler' in order to work.
Even with Sulyn's calming assurances that it was "perfectly safe", Rarity had held onto her doubts after hearing that name.
Well... it had become quite apparent after only a few seconds that it was still a wonderful invention indeed. Rarity was grateful that the humans also had something she normally took for granted. Enjoying such ease in rinsing her hair, the feeling that the droplets of water made pelting her coat, it was all simply heavenly. Oh, and the steam... the steam that filled the room had created the most divine feeling atmosphere a beleaguered and tortured soul such as herself could hope for. After all that she had been through, this almost made up for it.
The sound of the door opening and closing made Rarity freeze and peek around the corner of the shower. Her eyes widened in terror at the sight and sound of another human walking in, and they weren't Sabriel or her friends.
The human mare was certainly an adult, judging by her age lines, but she also wasn't that tall.
Rarity gulped, and tried to think of a hasty plan. All the while that her mind raced, she scrubbed furiously at her fur with the loofah Sulyn had brought her. After a moment, she finally noticed the fur abuse and grimaced down at her foreleg.
Get a hold of yourself, Rarity, she insisted at herself. While still in the midst of panic, the shower beside Rarity's turned on, and the sound of an older mare humming joined the sounds of running water in the strange chamber.
"Lovely night for a-a nice, steamy shower, isn't it?" Rarity had spoken abruptly out of sheer nervousness, and a hoof clamped over her mouth as she finished. Her voice had stuttered slightly, and she worried right then and there that her unfamiliar voice would have given her away as an intruder.
Rarity cleared her throat quietly and listened worriedly for a response, whatever sort it may be.
Surprisingly, there was only a slight pause before a sigh and a lamenting voice answered her.
"Augh, you have no idea, dear. After a week like this I'm glad to finally get a chance to relax somewhat, if you can call a measly shower relaxing. But, every time I get a moment to myself around here... well, you know how it is. One of the girls or something else comes up and makes life a hassle."
Rarity held her breath through the mare's entire venting process. My word. Does she think I'm another teacher? She held a hoof up wonderingly as the other mare continued to go on about, well, the goings-on of late.
After a minute of nervously standing stock still in her shower, Rarity blinked, realizing she was being addressed.
"Are you still there?" the stranger's voice questioned again.
"O-Oh yes," Rarity steadied herself and composed her tone skillfully, pushing worry to the back of her mind. "I was simply thinking of how grateful I am of these... showers. I didn't have one at... my last home." She frowned a little from the wording she had chosen, but it might be less conspicuous given the circumstances. Yes. I do believe she thinks I'm another teacher for this Academy... Perhaps it's best I play the part. Oh, Applejack wouldn't approve of this dishonesty, that's for certain.
Rarity resumed her shower, easing somewhat. "It's so much better for washing and rinsing my hair. After a long day, I simply feel as though all my worries get melted away by this hot water." And it was delightfully hot, she considered. Rarity hmmed and leaned into the spray again, hugging both her fore hooves around herself in revery.
"I know what you mean," the other mare answered. "I grew up with a wooden wash basin at my uncle's farm, so I understand perfectly. People simply take things for granted these days! The girls here have no idea how good they've got it. Oh, and they're still perfectly happy to make things a veritable hell for the faculty on top of that!" She sighed weightily before continuing. "I have enough problems with Jacob and his insufferable quibbling at home... I could do without them making things harder."
The way she said the last sentence was an obvious hook, she wanted Rarity to ask about that. Her intrigue took over, and she took a guess out of curiosity.
"I take it that there is trouble of some sort—?" The other mare interrupted her though, and actually snapped Rarity out of the dreamy state she'd begun to enter, almost forgetting just where she was.
"I can't take it anymore!" The mare called over the ceramic tile wall. "He refuses to see reason and insists that he should move south for work, how horrible is that of him?"
With the human's shout, Rarity's heightened state of alarm returned, and she shut off her shower water. Now's my chance! Carefully, she leaned out of the shower to grab her towel, and began drying quickly. Simply leaving might be safer, or she could towel off in the hallway... but she decided against it. I'm stranded away from home, but I'm no barbarian.
Rarity grimaced as she carefully stroked the water out of her fur, trying her best to keep it from poofing or getting mussed.
Meanwhile, the irate human mare continued to speak. Rarity was still listening intently despite herself... But she needed to act quickly and get out of the room without being seen, and now was the perfect opportunity.
Oh dear Celestia, is that my hair!? Rarity's eyes locked with a slightly fogged mirror against the other wall above a ceramic wash basin. Her mane and tail were a tangled mess; she'd dried to quickly. She cast her gaze around in search of either a brush or comb, articles which she knew weren't going to be there. I'll have to simply leave my poor mane as it is...
"Sugar!" Cursing under her breath, she took careful, calculated steps, one leg after another towards the door. Her hooves would be all too noisy on this flooring. Her ears, however, continued listening to the sad tale that was being shared.
"I just..." the other mare stated tiredly. "I don't want him to go, I know Karen's growing up and doesn't need us both, really, but why want to leave so badly? Is it another woman?" Her forlorn voice almost didn't rise above the continuous sound of the falling water by the end of her question.
Rarity's hoof twitched over the door handle, her eye mimicking it. "I really don't think that is the case," The temptation of such a dramatic and romantic ordeal was too much. "After all, you two seem like such the lovely pair." It was a shot in the dark, but she at least obviously loved him. "Isn't it possible that he just wants to provide better for you, perhaps for your golden years? If your daughter's grown up, perhaps he wants to pay for something extravagant?"
Rarity hoped dearly that had been a filly's name, and not a colt's. Honestly, why are human names so very— Her thoughts were cut short.
The shower curtain opened enough for the human's face to poke out. "You really think so?" the human mare asked, smiling weakly.
Two pairs of eyes locked, below one set was an uncertain, relieved smile. The other wore a look of stark fear and horror.
Rarity watched the human's eyes rolled up into her head, her smile remaining on her face as she fell.
Rarity eeped, and narrowly caught her with magic before she hit the wet tile flooring. Her look of fear faded, and became one of acceptance, then worry. I am so sorry Mrs. Human! Oh wait, it's the one from the gardens... Hm, I hope she'll be alright, poor dear. She had another thought, and scowled at the floor. Surely my poor mane isn't so bad of a mess that she needed to faint?
Pacing towards the exit, Rarity lit her horn up once again and turned off the shower water. At least I caught her. It wouldn't do if she had to hit her head. She gave the unconscious shape one last disconcerted look, then laid another of the towels in the room over the human. "Well, that could have gone worse I suppose." She muttered whilst wrapping her other towel around her hair, no longer in a hurry. Finally, with all necessary steps accomplished, she turned to open, then shut the door.
The long stone hallway greeted Rarity with a chilly draft. My coat won't stay damp in this for long at all. She face hoofed, then continued her swift trot. Oh what am I thinking, I have to get to Sabriel and now, this is certainly a worst case scenario! Her hooves clopped on the stone hallway loudly and made her wince. Quietly Rarity, quietly! Okay, now which way to... The knowledge that she only had a vague idea of where to go, reappeared before her.
Sliding to a halt, Rarity's teeth started to grind against one another momentarily from worry and indecision. She looked both ways—up, and down the hall—wet towel swaying with her frantic glances. On one hoof, I can stay here and wait, surely they won't be much longer, but on the other... In the end it was decided she should be able to navigate the short distance, she held a hoof up to concentrate, and tried desperately to recall the girl's explanation of where she was to go.
Suddenly, her thoughts ended as Rarity saw the all too familiar school uniform of Sabriel. The mare let out a sigh of relief, and tiredly walked further down the wide passage towards her friend. "Oh Sabriel, am I glad to see—" She froze, two legs half lifted into the air. That hair isn't black. The observation was simple, and told her stress addled brain all it needed to know—despite its denial of what it meant.
The girl in the hall gasped, and backed up against the wall, staring in disbelief at the pale unicorn with a towel wrapped around her head.
Alright, maybe it's this way... Rarity deadpanned as she turned a corner, and another completely unfamiliar hall appeared before her. Or, perhaps I don't quiiite know where I am at all. After running away from the other girl, she'd become turned around. Even after finding another staircase—Somewhere in this labyrinth of an academy, honestly this place is worse than Discord's hedge maze!—and getting on the right floor, she was even less sure of where to go now without her starting point as a reference.
Rarity sighed and slumped against the wall in a nook. "Maybe I can find my way back, if I—"
"Rarity?" a voice called.
The sound of her name being called drew Rarity's attention out of her thoughts, and into the hall. A mere two strides away, was Ellimere. The flighty, brown haired girl from the forest was a very welcomed sight for her.
Rarity gasped and smiled. Oh thank Celestia! She jumped up and approached the girl, and politely didn't get too close. She still seemed to be holding onto a bit of wariness. "Ellimere! Oh am I glad to see you darling, I ran into... complications and I got a little lost. How did you find me?"
The school girl relaxed visibly after the warm and grateful greeting from Rarity. "I saw your tail sticking out into the isle all the way from the staircase." Ellimere looked across the distance between them at the violet tail in question, still limp from being uncared for. "Uhm," her eyes shifted back to the previous oddity she had picked out, however. "Why do you have a towel on your head?"
Rarity held a hoof up to her front in admonished surprise. "It's simply to dry it out dear, and to prevent scandalous misconceptions of course, but don't tell me you aren't educated on proper mane care?" The look the girl returned to her was skeptical, but she slowly smiled, too.
"Not really..." Ellimere answered, eye brow quirked slightly at her use of the word "mane".
"Well, ladies such as us must—" Rarity cut herself short at the sound of footsteps from behind herself.
"Ahem, we'll talk about this later, shall we? I don't suppose you know where Sabriel's study is do you dear? I'm quite lost you see..." The on edge unicorn's eyes were glued towards the echo around the bend, and her side pressed against the wall in an apparent attempt at disappearing through it.
Ellimere sighed, more than familiar with the feeling of urgency she had just become reacquainted with. She turned to leave, and quickly at that. "Come on, this way!" She called back to Rarity in a hushed whisper, already moving in a crouched run in the opposite direction.
Rarity looked back and forth once, then followed after Ellimere, thankful she'd found help from a friend.
Rarity back peddled slightly after Ellimere gasped from the room in front of her. "What is it dear, is something wrong?" She poked her head in after the schoolgirl and into Sabriel's study. Her own eyes bulged slightly at the familiar sight of a certain tall human. "Oh—"
Rarity didn't move, she only stood in the doorway, her knees did shudder out of pure surprise though.
"Please, come in. It is an honor to have you here with us, Lady Rarity." The teacher from earlier that day in the woods spoke calmly, her voice was steady and very formal.
Rarity removed the towel still in her mane slowly, and adjusted the purple tangle absently, trying to come up with who the teacher had been. What was her name again? It wasn't forthcoming, and she was stuck on how respectfully she'd been addressed by the mare. It was what Rarity would expect of...well not Canterlot ponies certainly, they were snobbish as she'd come to learn. Still, it was confusing, and she felt her face heat in embarrassment from the polite gesture.
Nearby, Rarity could hear Sabriel and Ellimere arguing in whispers to one side, but her attention was stuck on the fifth human in the room. At least, the very overwhelmed unicorn supposed he was human. The stallion's form was entirely transparent, like that of a ghost. Was this what Sabriel had meant by visiting but without being here?
Rarity's shaky steps took her further into the small study, while the teacher shut the door behind her. She wracked her brain a moment and came to sit before the stallion, whom she assumed was Sabriel's father. Her mouth hung slightly agape from the situation she'd walked into, and the strange being seated before her.
Aside from the teacher—Miss Greenwood, ah hah that's her name!—there was the stark, and very contrasting sight of what appeared to be a ghost, sitting in a relaxed manned in a plain wooden chair. He wore a very intrigued look, and seemed to be studying her.
Words and something to say finally began to enter Rarity's mind, when a young voice piped up suddenly. "Rarity, I was just about to come and get you!" An ecstatic and grinning Sabriel said. "Enjoy the shower?"
Rarity let out an absent 'ah huh' and nodded, not looking away from the apparition in front of her. The ghostly human smiled back at the stare she kept on him, then spoke. "Easy Sabriel, from the looks of it Miss Rarity is a little on edge." He looked down at himself, then chuckled and looked up at Miss Greenwood. "And unless I miss my guess, it's because of me. Funny our mystery creature is more surprised by us than we are of her."
Sabriel waved a had through her father's arm. "Daaad, you're being rude, introduce yourself." She squinted her eyes and crossed her arms to emphasize her point.
"Oh, of course. Lady Rarity, this is Miss Greenwood the Magistrix of Wyverly college, and I am Abhorsen. It's a pleasure to meet you, forgive me if I do not shake hands." Abhorsen chuckled again and leaned lazily on one arm of the wooden chair.
Nearby, Miss Greenwood nodded to Rarity after her introduction while ushering an unwilling Ellimere out of the room during said introductions.
Rarity composed herself a little, but still stared starkly at Abhorsen. "I'm sorry, shake what?" She murmured, her eyes refusing to unglue themselves from him. Now that she was over his ghostly appearance though, her eyes instead now took in the details of his bizarre clothing. On his chest he wore what looked like a long strap that held several bells of all things. Beneath that, was a very fancy surcoat, intricately pattered with what appeared to her to be keys of a simple design. The entire ensemble was truly something to behold for fashionista. Oddly though, he also had some kind of meshed metal worn under the cloth and other strange materials.
"Shake hands? Oh, sorry I forgot my Lady, you seem to have... hm, hooves." Abhorsen scrunched his face up as he looked at Rarity's hooves. Under the sudden scrutiny she shuffled backwards promptly.
"It's rude to look at a lady in such a manner Mr. Abhorsen." Rarity paused and considered what had been said thus far by the stallion. "And please, call me Rarity, I'm a guest here, or an intruder even. Such formality isn't needed, though it is appreciated." She managed a weak smile, which gained a little more strength when Sabriel giggled at her father's reaction.
"Ah, sorry, manners aren't my forte." Abhorsen scrubbed a hand behind his short mane and put on a defeated look. "I'm often told I'm rather blunt and offensive. But to my defense, in my line of work there is often very little time for me to associate with civilized folk. I do a lot of traveling, you see."
Miss Greenwood had long since taken a seat in the cramped room at the desk, and sipped absently on what appeared to be tea, judging from the pretty ceramic kettle and elegant cups sitting beside it. Her eyes never left Rarity, something she had only just taken notice of. The older human mare was being very, very quiet.
"It is quite alright Mr. Abhorsen, I cannot thank you, or your daughter especially, quite enough for all the help and generosity I've received. Truth be told, I owe you all an apology for not making myself known outright. It seems I've caused quite a bit of trouble indeed. As I understand it, I even put myself and another at risk, for which I am truly sorry." Rarity bowed her head respectfully to him. In her mind though, she fretted over the fact that her mane was still an absolute mess. Honestly, if that human hadn't walked into the showering room I would have had ample time to make myself presentable—
"Well, that's all quite alright, I think." Miss Greenwood finally spoke, a very small inclination of her lips marking a smile. "Things of this nature are frankly a little unheard of, but not entirely implausible... Now that things have been settled, we can work on sorting all of this ou—"
Rarity gasped, and her head shot up along with her eyes widening in terror. "Oh no." She breathed out starkly.
Abhorsen became grim faced and leaned forward. "What's wrong?" Sabriel looked confusedly between the adults, and Miss Greenwood was still frozen from being interrupted.
"I-I" Rarity stammered. "I forgot the human in the shower room. Someone came in and fainted, someone named...Umbrade? I think?" Her sentence's end came out as a squeak.
Two of the other three humans facing her made confused faces, while Sabriel merely said, "Oooh," quietly.