//------------------------------// // Chapter 16 : Home Sweet Home // Story: Abhorsen : Friendship is Free-Magic // by MerlosTheMad //------------------------------// Aaand one rock, two rock, red rock, blue rock. Pinkie Pie recited the little jingle she had come up with long ago as a filly, intent on keeping her mind busy. Aaand jump, steady does it, Pinkie... All the while, her hooves deftly carried her up the steep cliff, hopping lightly in a way that would put even the most sure-hoofed goat to shame. Besides the ice and snow that covered the ground, loose rocks lay hidden beneath it all, making the climb tricky. Just below her was Rarity, steadily taking an easier route up some strange, stone stairs that winded up the side of the same cliff. "Pinkie, darling!" Rarity called out from further down the cliff-side. "You should really stick to the path, I think!" She eyed her friend worriedly, who continued to pull away in distance. Perhaps even more worrying than her behavior was the straight, pink mane of hair in place of Pinkie's normal look. After all, as ponies of Ponyville said, straight maned Pinkie may be rare, but always, always beware. In short, Rarity was keen on making sure that there was nothing to worry about. Higher up the cliff, Pinkie Pie was busy furrowing her brow and studying her chosen path. She frowned a little, hesitating from hopping up a few more strides to another ledge just begging to be jumped to. The sound of Rarity calling out with advice again reached her. Rather than answer her friend, she used one hoof to pull her hood up over her ears; though not because of the cold, despite the wind's chilliness. The nearby rushing waterfall helped muffle Rarity's voice, too. The journey both ponies were making had not been much longer, as the human that escorted them had promised. Both Pinkie and Rarity had been glad to hear the sound of the rushing waterfall, the only one for a great many leagues according to their map. The waterfall was a sign they were almost to their destination: Abhorsen's house. It was good that they were so near now; Abhorsen had grown pale and cold, and twice Rarity had asked they stop to keep him warm. The simple charter spell she had learned at Wyverly had done the trick, at least. Once they had reached the river, and followed that to the cliff, they were faced with determining which path up was the one they wanted to take. Apparently there were several paths that could be taken, not all of them leading the way they wished to go. With their guide still unconscious from the encounter in the town, that had proven to be a challenge. Pinkie, at least, had an excellent sense of direction, and led the way. Far behind both ponies lay the deeper part of the forest; behind that was the road they had taken from the town, Baird. The bridge to the town itself was before even that, and lastly, the town, along with a lot of strangers more unfortunate than they, were just a little further away... Pinkie kept her thoughts focused on climbing, and singing, if only in her head. I will find my way... I can go the distance. She sucked in a lung full of air, her rear wiggling in preparation for a long jump, then hurled herself upwards to the last ledge she could see. Her front hooves scrabbled for a brief second until they found a grip. "Whoop! Oookay, that was close..." she murmured under her breath. Quickly, she then pulled herself up with success, her legs shaking a teensy bit from how much use they had been getting. "Phew..." she breathed, then turned and looked behind herself. The base of the cliff skirted the forest, which thickened and seemed to stretch for miles of wild, close together trees all around. Orange and red tinged the sky in patches, most of it obscured by the clouds. Still, the sun's setting shone through. It was so similar, yet so different from Equestria's own sunsets. Pinkie and Rarity had talked on and off in spurts; the sun and moon controlling themselves had been one such topic. Pinkie had topped the rocky outcropping successfully, but there were more yet ahead of her. Before moving on, she looked below and searched for Rarity and the unconscious human she was still lugging along beside herself, as well as anything... else. Her eyes did a quick inspection; there was no sign of pursuers in the distance, or any evil types giving chase. Then again, she considered, everything has been quiet for some time. Eerily so. Her eyes narrowed a fraction, sweeping the horizon a second time. It was winter all around, true, but Pinkie hadn't been in a world so seemingly devoid from signs of life... ever. Pinkie could see Rarity just a short distance away, breathing heavily and taking one shaking step at a time up the weird-creepy cliff staircase. She watched her friend, laboring as she was, and spotted the wound on her flank, wrapped and bound with a sad excuse of make-shift bandaging. The idea that dangerous monsters existed, or were out to get her, even, wasn't exactly new. Sure, it also wasn't common, even less so when they meant real harm, but being reduced to only one bestest friend and no Elements of Harmony for backup, or the princesses... or even the Royal Guard, really hung heavily on her mind. The thoughts weren't exactly put to words, so much as mere feelings, and fears. In an effort to catch her breath after so much hiking, Pinkie inhaled some of the unpleasant, frigid air, then exhaled out slowly; the entire day had been so long she was beginning to feel some small effects from the ordeal. Her breath, thick and obscuring, billowed out in front of her, only to fade a couple strides away in the wind. Soon, the sound of Rarity's upward climb grew louder. "Pinkie? Where did you go now? Are you alright— Oh, there you are," she breathed out heavily, just topping the stone stairs. "Thank goodness. I saw you jump out of sight like a grasshopper and... got... worried. Are you taking a break?" Pinkie turned a cool smile towards Rarity. "Yupper." Her eyes lingered just off to the other pony's left. Beside her friend, bathed in a blue-white glow and hovering a stride off the ground, was Abhorsen. Rarity had taken care to hold him gently, as well as checking often to make sure he was hanging in there. Neither she nor Pinkie were doctors, though, which made knowing for sure difficult for them. Rarity kept her back straight, maintaining her posture against all odds. "Well, that was some climb, wasn't it?" she asked, also looking down at the hills and shadows of the forest path behind them both. "Some climb indeed... I think the last one so treacherous that we made was our first encounter with a dragon, wasn't it?" She sighed, but in a dreamy way, as if recalling a happy memory. Pinkie almost faltered, and not for the first time that day, but she kept her smiling up. "Yeah. It was," she replied. With one hoof she pulled back her hood. "How's your thigh, Rarity?" Her voice was quiet, and plain, barely rising over the sound of the nearby waterfall. Rarity hummed in a regrettable fashion, looking back at her wound. "Well enough, Pinkie." She laughed a little, trying to pick up the mood. "It was just a little stick, after all. We've both had much worse before." It stung, to be sure, but the wound wasn't too bad, or effecting her stamina, otherwise. Pinkie nodded, a slight inclination of her head. "That's good." It was quiet for a second, until Rarity spoke once more. "Let's keep going then, Pinkie. I'm sure the top is just up there." Her head nodded in the direction of a slight, hilly rise. The stairs had ended, and trees and grass began to reappear just a short distance away. "I just hope we aren't too..." After a pause, she repeated, "Let's keep going." Pinkie turned around wordlessly and trotted ahead of her friend. Rarity watched Pinkie, the only other pony she had seen in a week, trot away solemnly. She frowned weakly after her, wanting to say something. Their day long march had been arduous, and particularly difficult for the other mare... but Rarity knew that wasn't what was bothering Pinkie. For that matter, I should probably be more upset myself. Why aren't I? She had dwelled on the thoughts for the last several hours, ever since Baird. The only explanation she could come up with was that she was more mature, being a little older than Pinkie, and her greater concern was reserved for her friend's well being. But that didn't sound entirely right. Perhaps she was simply in shock over the ordeal. Rarity shook her mane free of her own hood, and cantered quickly up the shallow hillside before her. I wish I could make better sense of things... Or just make things better, for that matter. Oh, if Applejack were here she would have some humble wisdom that would help, I'm sure. Instead, Pinkie's stuck with just me... She stole a glance at the human cargo she had been levitating for some time. And so far all I've done is set us up on an adventure through a dangerous world on a hay brained quest to get home, that might not even produce results. It's gotten this man hurt so far and nothing else... Her eyes shut, then opened again, ringed with worry. Is Pinkie upset with me? She's barely spoken... A tired, angry breath huffed out of Rarity and her eyes shut again. She has every right to be. I've been trying so hard to focus on a way home, I've been... "Darn it, when will things go our—" A loud, surprised gasp came from up ahead, making Rarity freeze where she stood. "Pinkie!?" she called, just as her friend's voice also yelled, "Rarity, we're here!" She blinked, then sped up the hill, bringing the roar of the river, and the waterfall to its loudest. "My word." Her speech was almost drowned out, quiet as it was. Pinkie turned around to grin—just a little bit—behind herself. She couldn't help it; finding where they had been going was big a relief, and it helped her forget her awful mood. Rarity trotted up to join Pinkie by the embankment and set down Abhorsen gently onto a thin patch of snow. Straight ahead, halfway across the river, was an island perched on the very lip of the waterfall and divided the river into two streams. It wasn’t a very big island, about the size of a hoofball field, but it was nonetheless an impressive sight in the middle of the white foamed rapids. Encircling the island's perimeter was a wall, several meters high, and made of a very shiny, white sort of stone. Rarity guessed that it looked a bit like limestone, just the wrong shade. Within the walls were a couple of buildings, all with bright red roof shingles; one of the buildings was also peaked by a tall tower, reaching up out of the walls. "Interesting location, isn't it?" Rarity asked, a hint of disbelief in her voice at actually seeing the place. "So this is Abhorsen's home." She looked over the structures, a little surprise. I guess I didn't know what to expect... but this is certainly not what I'd pictured. Pinkie hummed, then nodded. "It hasta be," she said matter-of-factly. Rarity gave her friend a weak frown for the disinterested response, but turned back to the buildings. Very impressive indeed. Much better than the woodland hut I'd been expecting. Her thoughts began to leap towards the ideas of a fireplace, warm blankets and of course, a shower. Before they could, though, she reigned them in, and looked determinedly at her passenger. "Alright, let's hurry Pinkie. I don't think— Oh dear." Rarity stopped, and held a hoof up to her muzzle, eyes widened. "Oh no," she murmured in slight repetition. Pinkie heard her friend's stutter and faced away from the roaring waters. "Rarity? What's wrong." Rarity put on a despairing look, breathing a little heavily as she realized a huge oversight, one that Abhorsen could not in his current state help with. "Pinkie! That. Is. An. Island. How are we supposed to get out to it?" She thrust a hoof toward their human friend's rather distant home. Sure enough, the waters were at least a hundred times too ferocious to be crossed easily, and likely as not also too deep. "Did he plan for us to use a boat? A spell to part the water? Whatever it is, we don't know it!" Rarity looked worriedly at Abhorsen, who was in no condition for such a trip, if even she thought she could concentrate on her spellcraft well enough while swimming. Pinkie's relaxed giggling snapped Rarity out of her worry. "Pinkie? I am being serious. Wha—" "Oh, Rarity," Pinkie stepped up to her friend and patted her shoulder, smirking. "Just look, there's a pathway right there!" While speaking, she tugged off the boot-like mittens she'd been given. After staring at them a moment, she tucked them away. "How could you miss that?" Rarity blinked dumbly at her friend, then looked down at the water and its spray. Sure enough, lying just above the running waters, were darkly colored stepping stones. Though invisible from the ledge, there they were, leading all the way out to the island. "Well, I'll be." She turned and smiled in relief. Pinkie giggled again, trotting down towards their new path. "You'll be what, Rarity?" she asked, with a hint of her usual cheer. "A monkey's uncle? Jiggered? A son of a gun?" Her voice raised as she approached the river and the waterfall's crash o sound. She sighed a little, pausing, then laughed again and hopped the short distance out to the first stone. "Come on!" she called back. "Time waits for nopony, and I'm absolutely beat!" Rarity put on a bemused look, watching quietly as Pinkie began her way across the sketchy line of stones; they appeared to be very slick. Cautiously, she made her own approach towards them, then swallowed hard. "O-oh, my... that looks... deep." The water, not only fast, seemed to go down for quite a ways, making the stones out to be very tall indeed to reach out as they did. Where's a sea serpent when you need him? she thought wishfully. Pinkie stopped where she was, already a quarter of the way across, and turned back. "Do you need help with Tercy, Rarity!? I can carry him if your leg is acting up!" She waved one hoof in a gesture, though she was sure her friend had heard. Rarity tested her leg's strength on reflex. "That's quite alright, dear! I'm just nervous, but I can do it!" She looked back down at the stones. "At least, I hope I can..." Her legs shuffled nervously while she eyed the distance she would have to go in order to reach the other side of the river. Quickly, her hooves slid out of their boots to give her an edge, just as Pinkie's had done. "Here we go..." Each rock was quite wide, and seemed to be cross-hatched as well, but they were also wet and covered in winter slush. With as much grace as Rarity could summon out of her tired limbs, she hopped the short distance out to the first rock. "Ah! Oh, thank goodness." Her bag bounced against her side, and Abhorsen's things all swayed in her magical grip, but she found her balance easily enough and steadied herself. "Easy, Rarity. It's just like any other river you've crossed. Nothing to worry about at all..." "You're doing great, Rarity!" Pinkie called out again, her front hooves cupped over her muzzle to assist her voice. She decided to wait until her friend hopped a few more stones out until she caught up, before moving ahead again. Wow, this is tricky. Pinkie's hooves made contact with the next rock, and slipped. "Whoop!" Rarity had been waiting for Pinkie to move ahead, only one stone behind; she had a front row view as Pinkie's front two hooves skidded forward across the stone, nearly sending her into the crashing water. A panicked gasp made its way out of her, readying to become a scream in a fraction of a second. Instead, Pinkie stopped her slide just at the edge of the stone. "Pinkie! Be careful! Are you alright?" Rarity shouted, her legs now shaking from more than just tiredness. Pinkie gulped and backpedaled some from the rock's edge to fall back on her rump. Her tail remained hooked on the opposite side, where she had used it to stop herself. "I'm fine!" she cried back simply. "Phew, I must be out of it..." With one hoof she flipped her mane back out of her eyes. Stupid straight hair... Rarity watched as Pinkie jumped to the next stone, and breathed out in relief. Why does this house not have an easier way to get to it!? She scowled as a result of the thought, and turned to look at Abhorsen. "Well?" she asked. When the man didn't reply, she sighed, blowing a strand of purple mane out of her eyes. "Let's just get you inside..." The two mares reached the end of the stepping stone path. Now on the wooden dock-like landing, Pinkie motioned with one hoof for Rarity—still on the last stone—to jump after herself. "Come on, Rarity. Almost there." Pinkie held a leg outstretched, ready to catch her friend and help her along the last bit of distance if needed. "Just a hop, skip and a jump!" She laughed weakly, and took a moment to wipe beads of sweat that had begun to mat her head and mane hair. Rarity exhaled the breath she'd been holding, then focused on re-tightening her magical hold on Abhorsen. "Alright, here I go." Her legs reached out in front of her, while her eyes shut on reflex. She didn't open them again until she felt wooden boards beneath her hooves. "Phew, I made it. We made it. Thank Celestia..." Despite her evident tiredness, Pinkie wore a look bordering on serene as she stared at the house. "But now what? We just go inside? He said there was help here... but will whoever else is here want to help us?" A memory of prior human 'help' flashed in her head, and was cast aside quickly. She began trotting towards the brightly colored wall, gleaming dimly in the sunset's light. There was a gate that barred their way inside, thick and made of metal from the looks of it. Rarity still breathed heavily, exhausted from hiking, fighting, running, and jumping throughout the day. She was by no means a lazy mare, but physical exertion was never her cup of tea. "There must be someone else living here, Pinkie. I don't know who... but there must be somebody here.... there must be." The gate and walls were far too tall to climb over, and that meant the only way in was the gate itself. "Hello!?" Pinkie called out. "Anypony— er, Anybody home?" After both mares waited a moment, there was no answer. "I bet they can't hear us over this water..." Pinkie turned around briefly to sneer at the noisy current behind her. In a slight fit of desperation, Rarity reared back on her hind hooves, then leaned against the gate to rattle it. "But surely there's— Whoop!" Much to her surprise, which was punctuated by the squeal she let out, the gate swung open abruptly, then smacked against the stone wall. "Rarity!" Pinkie trotted to her friend, who had fallen down muzzle first, and helped her up. "I guess it was open. Are you hurt?" Rarity got up slowly, face contorted slightly from falling so ungracefully. "Yes, it's just a scrape. Thank you, Pinkie. Well, let's head in, shall we?" With the gate open, and Rarity pitched onto a paved courtyard, the home in full could be seen by the two ponies. The beginning of a red-brick path, the bricks ancient, their redness the color of dusty apples, wound up to the front door of the house. A cheerful sky-blue door, bright against whitewashed stone, stood tall at ground level just at the path's end. A bronze doorknocker in the shape of a lion’s head holding a ring in its mouth gleamed in counterpoint. "Wow, nice place!" Pinkie galloped forward towards the house, stopping halfway to look back at Rarity. "Let's get inside, Rarity." She looked at the human, Abhorsen, still floating and looking for all he was worth at peace; though, he was sweating profusely. "I'm not sure, but by the looks of it he's getting worse, so we should hurry." Rarity studied the house, looking past Pinkie Pie wordlessly. "Yes... of course." She trotted after her friend, who was already knocking on the overly tall door with fervor. The banging on the wood door reverberated heavily against the insides of the brick wall. "So, I don't think Abhorsen lives with his... wife. Who else could be here?" Pinkie huffed a breath out. "Brothers? Sisters? I don't know, Rarity... He could live with a magic 'free-spirit' thing that looks like a talking cat for all I know." Rarity gave Pinkie an exasperated look. "That's just silly. They said animals don't talk here, Pinkie. In any case, I was just wondering..." She regretted sounding defensive a little, mindful of how upset her friend had been; worse, they had yet to talk about anything at all, other than just getting to Abhorsen's home. Rarity took in a somber breath. "Pinkie," her friend turned from the door to face her. "Could we perhaps talk about—" The sky blue door swung open suddenly, making Rarity hop backward and cry out slightly. Pinkie took a couple steps back as well, while also gasping even louder at seeing what had opened the door. Both ponies stared with disbelief at who, or what was standing inside the home. The stranger was human shaped, vaguely, though more like a human shrouded in thick robes with a hood. That wasn't so strange, but the fact that both the clothes and the stranger's face glowed bright yellow, as well as had the appearance of glowing symbols sliding across its surface, gave the impression that it was certainly not human. "Oh my," Rarity murmured, while Pinkie scooted back beside her, standing by wordlessly. The flash of movement that followed took both mares by surprise. The glowing figure threw its hands up in the air, possibly in a gesture of fear, or maybe it was surprised as well, but afterwards it raced forward towards them both. Rarity gasped again. "Get behind me, Rarity—! Oh, what?" Pinkie had begun to guard her friend, but stopped as the glowing figure began trying to pick up Abhorsen; it struggled against Rarity's magical hold on him, until the mare released it upon noticing. Quickly, the figure raced inside, carrying what, Rarity assumed, was its master. "Huh," she tilted her head wonderingly, staring at the now empty doorway into the home. "Well, that was interesting." The entire trade had last only a few seconds, too short for even Pinkie to react in full. "Sooo, does that mean we can go in?" Pinkie looked at her friend, who shrugged back. In the distance, thick plumes of smoke rose from a near village. It was abandoned, and set aflame, as well as now completely devoid of life. What had happened there was a mystery that needed solving, and quickly. The man that hopefully held answers was ragged in every sense of the word. Blood dripped from an open wound on his brow while the tarnished armor he wore hung at an awkward, loose angle, and fear was etched deeply around his sunken eyes. Despite this, or maybe because of it, he looked extra delicious, even with such a weak remaining life force. Falsimer paused for just a brief, self gratifying moment to enjoy it properly. "Hello, meat," he finally greeted the shivering human. The man stared back up from where he was huddled against the tree, wide eyed and stuttering like a fool. Steamy breath poured out of his mouth. "I-I-I— d-dead— who—" He was obviously incapable of proper speech, or was damaged. Falsimer growled, getting annoyed; he never liked speaking to the living. "Calm yourself, we ssserve the same master, fool." He went on relaxing his huge body against the ground in hopes of getting the human to hurry up. "Time is short, and I don't have much patience. I need to know what happened here. Be quick about it if you want to remain amongst those that breathe." Falsimer was in a hurry, and accompanied by Avahntus; together they had been moving quickly after their prey: Abhorsen. Once the only true opposition they faced was dealt with, there would be no force left that could stop their goals. The man swallowed audibly, stilling his shaking limbs. "O-—h, okay. P-Pleased to serve, I am. I-It was, a dead spirit— It came and killed everyone it did. I— only one who got away." Falsimer tapped one massive claw against a nearby rock, absently. "A spirit? One of ours?" The outspoken thought made no sense, and yet, it made perfect sense. "No... too coincidental." Falsimer found himself becoming excited at the news, certain right away of who the culprit was for so much wanton destruction. "What elssse can you tell me!?" he asked in a hiss, leaning in close. The man wailed and shrunk up against the tree again. "Damn you, meat, ssspeak, already!" Falsimer raised one shadowy claw angrily, ready to shake the ground, but stopped when a hallow, echoing voice caught his attention. "Falsimer, calm yourself." Avahntus' bony form crept out from a near copse of trees, taking slow, limping steps. He quickly addressed the cowardly man, who looked for all his worth as if he wanted to sprint away right there. "You, what is your name?" he asked, his echoing voice creeping around the trees like an angry breeze. The man's expression was stark, while snot and tears ran down his still face. "A-Adam, my lord. Adam Meister. I-I apologize for—" "That's enough," Avahntus gestured one hand smoothly, then looked to the smokey pillars in the near distance. "Tell me what this spirit looked like, and anything else of note." He was angry to have heard that the lone man was the sole survivor of those from the raiding party. The man nodded frantically, but was calmer, faced by the more human shape of Avahntus. "Y-Yes. Of course. Violet pits, like burning cauldrons of fire. The spirit was massive, a greater dead it was, sire." He nervously cast a glance towards Falsimer, also easily recognized as a greater dead, then continued. "M-More importantly, my lord, Abhorsen was there. We almost had him, but the spirit, it—" Avahntus loomed over the man and grabbed him fiercely by his mail sur-coat. "Abhorsen!?" he boomed, holding the wriggling form of the man in his grip. Adam choked and spluttered, on the verge of being crushed. "Mercy!" he cried. Falsimer spoke up, "He spoke of Hellerum—!" "Silence," Avahntus said to Falsimer harshly, then sighed and relaxed his hold on the human somewhat. "You're certain it was him? And you failed to kill him?" Adam struggled with both hands to get free, held high in the air as he was. "The spirit may have killed him, lord! I don't know! My men had poison bolts as well and— we did o-our best!" Struggling and weeping was all he could manage to do. Avahntus hummed and reached out with his consciousness to any of the other servant's in the area. It seemed a large number of them, including the gore crows were destroyed. Either Abhorsen had killed them, or their new rival. An amused sound came from Falsimer, washing over the panicked noises from the man busy soiling himself. "Oooh, well, if not dead, he isss at least not safe. Avahntus, Hellerum is busy causing trouble it seems. Would it not be worth it to let me—" With his other arm, Avahntus drew his ebony blade a mere inch; the other dead creature cut off, getting the hint. "I don't want to hear another word about Hellerum. If she gets in our way, I'll deal with her, but you will do no such thing. You were defeated once, so a second time will not do." He turned back to the human, who continued to sob for all he was worth. "Now, is there anything else to tell us, underling?" he asked hastily. The man stuttered a response quickly, his legs kicking in the air. "H-He had two, ponies, with him, oddly colored. They were strange beasts—" Avahntus interrupted him, angrily, having no patience for foolishness. "Anything important?" he punctuated sharply. Adam Meister swallowed hard, trying to ignore the sense of burning around his neck from his master's grip. "N-N-No, my lord. That is all. Abhorsen could be dead or wounded, and I know not where he went if he still lives—" Avahntus stared a moment, tilting his skeletal head in thought, then nodded curtly. "Very well, then. I thank you for your service." "I— Y-Yes lord, I—" Before the man could finish responding, he screamed as he was hurled with one arm by Avahntus towards Falsimer, who opened his mouth wide. "No!" Falsimer snapped his jaws down with a single crunch. Avahntus spoke over the messy sounds of his underling draining the body's life. "Unfortunately for you, it is still a failed service, one I do not tolerate. Come, Falsimer, gather the ghouls. We have some searching left to do if we wish to find our man before he gets away." Looking back, the forms of more dead, amassed from the remaining bodies left in the town, swayed amongst the trees. "He can't have gotten far..." Once inside the pretty house, Pinkie and Rarity found that there was a literal host of more glowy-human-like creatures to be found. There were at least a dozen of them, all moving to and fro through the house very quickly, and all seeing to Abhorsen. Some fetched vials, some fetched blankets, some actually changed him out of his old clothing, and still others brought in food and drink, though he wasn't awake to have anything. Rarity and Pinkie had stepped inside, or been allowed to, and seemed to be going left completely unnoticed. The first, and only thing they had done so far, was to get out of their soaked and filthy clothing. Rarity held her coat over one foreleg, looking around at a bit of a loss. "Well, whoever they are... they seem to be helping him." She watched as Abhorsen was hoisted up a staircase by a trio of the strange figures. Pinkie tried to wave another of the bustling figures down. "Hey, mister! Can we— Okay, never mind." She watched with a frown as the glowy human marched past, not slowing to so much as give her the time of the day. "They are not very friendly, hmph. This is weird... does this mean we have to wait for Tercy to get better?" She trotted over to Rarity, who had sat herself beside a nearby fireplace. Rarity rubbed her hooves over one another, working warmth back into them. "It seems so, Pinkie," she responded. Her eyes cast themselves around her surroundings; the area split off to other rooms, and had the look of an entry hall. Shelves with books seemed to be everywhere. Hm, Twilight would love to see this place, she briefly considered. Pinkie huffed out a breath and sat, still sopping wet, beside her friend. The stone floor was warm, and would have been nice, if her fur wasn't still so damp. "Well alright, but I really wish— Hey! H-Hey! put me down!" Rarity turned, shocked, at the sound of Pinkie crying out in protest. "Pinkie—? Iiiieeee!" She, too, was hoisted up into the air suddenly without warning. After a quick look, it turned out the culprits were pairs of Abhorsen's strange servants. Both ponies were being carried between two of the servants apiece, flailing helplessly, and away from their warm spot by the fireplace. "What are they doing!?" Pinkie yelled. "Put me down you big meanie!" She gritted her teeth and struggled, but to no avail. Looking around, she noticed the new room they were being carried into, and thought she spotted a large, brass tub. "Oh, is that hot water?" "Unhand me, ruffians! Pinkie, what did you say—" Rarity lit up her horn, and was ready to give both of her pony-nappers a taste of their own medicine, until she was cut off as a bucket of freezing cold water was swiftly dumped over her head, and sent her into fits of spluttering. "Fwhaa—!?" was all she managed to exclaim, while water and strings of her mane obscured her vision. Pinkie had also had cold water dunked over her, and was shivering in the arms of one of the silent forms. "R-R-Rarity, this water's cold!" she managed to get out, hanging a foot off the ground. Growling, she twisted in the grip of the thing holding her, then popped free. The hooded man seemed surprised for a second, then reached for her again. "Oh no you don't, buster!" Pinkie dodged backward away from her attacker with a hop, then let a surprised whoop as she was scooped up from behind by a different figure. Again, before she could react, she was dunked into the near basin of water. The water this time was warm, at least. Underwater, she had a quick moment of respite to think over things, I've heard of bathing enthusiasts, but this is ridiculous! before she was dragged back up again. She then felt what she guessed was a hand and a scrub-brush working diligently through her mane. Meanwhile, Rarity could still not see anything thanks to her limp mane, but quickly found herself being scrubbed over as well, and quite inappropriately. "Now you listen to me—!" The distinct sensation of hands, though oddly cool and definitely not real, worked over her coat tirelessly and despite her protests. They seemed to be attacking her body and its filth as if her life depended on it, which it most certainly didn't. She felt the bandage on her hip get taken off, and a light touch momentarily prodding the tender wound. Rarity cried out, "Yeowch! Do you things have no sense of phhbt—" More water washed over her mane and head, rinsing out soap that they had apparently scrubbed into her. "Propriety!?" She managed to blink water out of her eyes, then jumped free of her assailants at an opening. "Get back! All of you!" Rarity backed up into a corner, trying to swat at the strangers with her hooves to discourage them. "I can wash myself! Stop!" she tried to tell them, breathless from being half tickled and not having had a chance to breathe at all. She could see Pinkie, her hooves flailing out over the rim of a nearby tub while water splashed out all around. Unfortunately, the strange hooded figures were not at all deterred by Rarity's attempts to get rough with them. The two shapes advanced on her again, each holding cloths and washing tools. Rarity gritted her teeth, and prayed silently that they wouldn't ruin her mane. This is not what I meant when I said I wanted a hot bath! Rarity sat at the dining table; seething, indignant, and thoroughly violated. She contemplated how exactly one could get revenge against things that convincingly didn't seem to be self aware, or at least, never spoke. She spotted one of them nearby, quietly sweeping a patch of tiled floor in the kitchens as if it were innocent of the atrocities it had just committed against her poor mane. Her eyes narrowed a fraction as she, without looking away, took up another cracker and some cheese in her magic to take a bite. Oooh, if Abhorsen tells me that they can talk, and they're just giving me the silent treatment, I'm going to have such words with them that— Pinkie's voice grabbed her attention away. "Hey, Rarity." Pinkie trotted into the room, a warm robe wrapped around her form, though it was much like the robe Rarity wore in that it was much too big in the length and dragged behind her by a good amount. Rarity snapped her eyes back open and turned towards her friend, then sighed; Pinkie's hair was still straight, despite having had ample time to dry now. It was odd, that her hair actually reflected her mood, but a lot of things about Pinkie were often a little odd. That never changed that she was a great friend, though. Pinkie was just different, and that made her special. "Yes, Pinkie? Did you want to talk about anything?" Rarity asked her friend plainly, but with just a hint of encouragement that she hoped would coax her friend back toward cheerfulness. Pinkie cantered up to the table, then hopped into one of the tall chairs. "What do you mean?" Her voice had an easy air to it, and she looked absently around at the table's top. Rarity frowned a little, watching quietly while Pinkie used her hooves to begin putting together what looked like a jam sandwich with food that had been brought to them. "Well... you seem troubled is all, darling..." She trailed off as her friend set down the sandwich she'd been making, staring flatly at the table. When Pinkie looked up a heaviness hung around her eyes. "Rarity, thank you so much for looking out for me, and being concerned, but there isn't really anything to say." She let out a breath, then laid her head down on the table. Her pink mane fanned out over the surface, while some of it remained draped over one eye. "There was... What happened... Look, I don't..." Her eyes shut for a second and she took in a fresh breath. Rarity bit the inside of her lip, finding her own internal struggle over what she could say. Pinkie continued. "Tercy is going to help us. I trust him, even after what he did... but only because you do, and I don't know about other humans... and that makes me feel bad... and I feel bad because so many got... you know." She gestured weakly in the air with one hoof. "But yeah... I don't want to talk about it anymore... This world just feels like it has so much wrong with it, but there's nothing I can do. Not like in Equestria..." Her head rolled over to rest on its other side, thus pulling her mane entirely over her face like a pink blanket. Rarity nodded solemnly, and reached over across the overly big table to rest a hoof on Pinkie's. "Of course, we needn't speak of anything that's happened. I guess I... I just wanted to make sure you're alright. If you do ever need to talk about things, Pinkie, I'm here to listen..." She briefly considered if even she were alright, or just ignoring and hiding from the issues. Pinkie looked up, her eyes flat, then shook her head. "Not right now I'm not, Rarity. I wanna be... but it's with... Maybe if the girls were all here I would feel better." Rarity sighed, then hopped down from her seat. "I wish they were here, too... Nopony should ever have to see something like that," she replied, then made her way towards the stairs. "I'm sure if we were altogether this whole situation would be long over by now..." Her hooves felt heavy as she walked slowly across the floor. "Twilight certainly would ave had a portal to home open in mere minutes, I'm sure." "Yeah..." Pinkie replied quietly, nodding. She watched Rarity go, and frowning, ate the whole of her jam sandwich in one bite. The food didn't make her feel much better; what she really wanted was a cake, though even that didn't seem terribly likely to help. Rarity looked back at her friend. "Pinkie, I'm going to check upstairs on Abhorsen, and then go to bed. I'll likely be speaking with Luna tonight. Would you like to join me?" Pinkie's ears and attention perked up at this, and she swallowed hard, almost choking on her food. "Oh, that's right!" A bit of a smile worked its way onto her muzzle. "Today's been so long, I nearly forgot. How is Tercy doing, by the way? I haven't... I haven't gone up to see him..." Her front hooves poked together at one another timidly. Rarity smirked, and waited at the stairs for Pinkie Pie, who trotted up slowly. "Well, he's still sleeping, but he seems much better after his... whatever-those-things are, helped him." She saw another one of the culprits from her earlier bathroom encounter cleaning the table already, and gave it a quick scowl. "Anyway, if you're alright to, let's go peek in on him, assuming these things will let us." Sniffing derisively, Rarity made her way up the stairs, while Pinkie followed behind, giggling slightly. Pinkie shared the same opinion overall about the weird-guys, but Rarity acting snooty was always giggle worthy to her. She made her way up the stairs slowly, more than ready to just go to sleep. Making sure that her friend was alright though, even if he wasn't the picture of 'good', was important. At the top of the stairs, Pinkie and Rarity encountered another of the weird looking glow-humans, though this one had on armor by the looks of it, rather than just a robe. It, like all the others, was a sea of shifting symbols over a nearly transparent body, clothing and all. Interestingly enough, it stepped aside to let Rarity into the room. Rarity smiled at it, with effort, as she trotted past. "Thank you," she said curtly. Surprise followed when the glow creature actually nodded to her. She briefly contemplated berating it right there for the trouble its brothers and sisters had caused, but decided to save it for later. Pinkie stopped beside it for a moment, and waited until it inclined its head toward her. Scrunching her face up, she stuck out her tongue at the thing, then scooted into the room past it. While still giggling slightly at her meager revenge, Rarity's voice caught her attention. "Oh, you're awake." Rarity had moved quickly towards the bed, beside which stood another glowing servant. Sitting slightly upright in the bed was Abhorsen, his eyes opened and looking weary. "Are you feeling well? How are you doing—" She was cut off as the servant by the bed slid over to press a hand against her front. "Hey—!" "It's alright." Abhorsen spoke up, smiling weakly from the bed. "Go on, you, shoo." He gestured weakly with one hand laying over his bed covers. "Sorry about the charter sendings... They can be overly enthusiastic about some things. It's probably because they get left alone for so long while I'm gone from the house." Rarity glared at the back of the one "charter sending" as it made its way out of the room. "Oh, I'm well aware of that..." she murmured sullenly. "They gave Pinkie and I a bath earlier, you know, and I felt like I was being paid back in kind for all the times I ever forced Opalescence into the tub. It was mortifying!" "Oh dear, I apologize for that." Abhorsen chuckled, and leaned up a little off the bed. "So, Rarity, Pinkie, I see we made it here alive despite the undead and the baths; good job." Rarity smiled widely and moved to sit by the bed's side. "Yes, it wasn't that much further that we had to go without you guiding us. I'm just relieved to see you're alright. We were both very worried when you didn't wake up. I guess... that poison was very serious indeed after all." One corner of Abhorsen's mouth drew down somewhat in a frown. "Yes, it isn't often that other men want to do me harm like that, but it has happened in the past..." "But why?" Pinkie broke in abruptly. After another moment, her face sank into somewhat of a desperate look. "I just don't get it! I— never mind... evil is just crrrazy..." Abhorsen looked taken aback, but his features quickly became soothing. "Some men can do wicked things, Pinkie. I am beginning to understand the lands you come from are far more pleasant than mine. It's a sad truth, but one that I, and my people, live with, and must protect themselves from." "Oh..." Pinkie responded quietly. "Yeah... we have evil mcmeanies, too, actually... but I've never seen... I..." Rarity leaned off to one side, inspecting the floor with a dark look. Abhorsen saw the weight that the conversation was putting on his companions, and leaned over to regain their attention. "I'm alive thanks to you both, thank you. I must rest now, but— Oh!" His features became surprised, as Pinkie Pie overtook Rarity and rushed the bed's side. Pinkie rested her front hooves onto the bed's top, then brought her human friend into a quick hug. Abhorsen looked down in surprise at the pony resting on his chest, then at Rarity. Rarity, for her part, looked just as surprised, before giving a small smile. "I don't like what you did, Tercy... I can't really forgive you for it, either... but I'm glad you're alive, and not just because you promised to help us, either." Pinkie paused to take a deep breath, still resting her head on the bedspread. She rubbed against the blankets, which felt warm and comforting. "I'm glad you're okay because you're my friend, and you seem like such a good po— er, person... I feel really confused, because you hurt so many, right in front of me, too... I don't get it... But I'm glad... you're okay." Abhorsen laid a hand on the pony's shoulder, unsure of how to respond. He rarely, if ever dealt with others besides casual encounters, and his Equestrian counterparts seemed very... comfortable, with strangers. After another glance towards Rarity, who gave him an encouraging smile, and once he thought he had the right words, he opened his mouth to speak; only to be interrupted by a loud, rumbling, reverberating sound. "ZzzzzzzZzzzzzzz..." Pinkie snored, long and fierce. Rarity and Abhorsen stared wide eyed at the pink pony. "Did— Did she just fall asleep?" Abhorsen asked, resisting the urge to poke the strange creature resting on his chest. Hellerum stood at the cliff's base, simply glaring up its great height. They've stopped moving... With her own tall stature, and from where she stood, she could see the barest hint of buildings at the center of the great waterfall that opposed her progress. So, is this where he lives? Her head tilted slightly, eyes running over where she could sense her prey as well as if they were standing in plain sight. A hiss escaped Hellerum's maw, her gaze fixed. Two names which she had overheard ran through her mind, as well as the feeling of life energy she associated with them. "You can run, Rarity... and Pinkie Pie... but you can't hide from me." She said the silly names with a caustic tone, thinking fondly of just how she would teach them a lesson after they were caught. "Run forever... but I will follow you... You will be mine."