//------------------------------//
// Chapter 14 : The Village of Baird 
// Story: Abhorsen : Friendship is Free-Magic 
// by MerlosTheMad 
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Avahntus waded angrily through the sixth precinct, eager to finish with this dirty work that he had been set to do by his better. Just what do Hellerum think she is trying to pull? She do try our patience, that one. His gaze burned with an ethereal glow, the sort only free magic and necromancy could provide. The plethora of enchantments riddling his cobbled together body shimmered a sickly yellow in the darkened realm of death. 

Finally, he could feel the thing he sought after, seeking answers, lay before him. The once-human being reached a skeletal hand into the fetid water, retrieving from it the severely diminished form of one of his beaten and battered allies.

"Hello, Falsimer." In Avahntus's grasp, hung an oily, runny ball of pathetic looking shadow. One would barely able to tell it was a creature at all, let alone a head. On its side, clung another dead spirit, which was flung off with a quick flick of Avahntus' finger. 

"My, times have not treated you well, old friend." He spoke to the incapacitated form cheekily, sarcasm evident in his echoing tone of voice. After a moment's wait, he added, "You can't even speak anymore, can you?" 

A groan bubbled out of the lump hanging in his grasp. 

"Very well, do allow us to help you." With his free hand he drew out a bell from a leather pouch hanging on his massive chest. The bell was Dyrim, the fourth bell, the speaker. Its power was to return speech to something dead which had lost the power to make sound, a force of magic that held great sway. Dyrim, however, can also silence.

With a simple motion of Avahntus' wrist, the bell sounded out into the realm of death. 

Dyrim had a very uncharacteristic voice for a necromantic bell, one that was misleading. Its sound was sweet, uplifting, and jovial. Rung properly it could be used to simply improve the mood of listeners. It was Avahntus' least preferred bell, but it was needed. 

The delightful peal of noise that came rippled the water around the necromancer's massive form.

A mouth formed on the grey lump's ragged face, definition returning to the weakened form Falsimer now was. Immediately, it screamed, or tried to. What came was more of a raspy croak. "Hellerum! She did this, destroy her! Not my fault. She has betrayed-"

Avahntus would have sighed if he had lungs. Tiredly, he muffled the dead creature with one bleached-white hand. "Yes, yes, we do know of Hellerum. We have also already learned she did enter life once again, as well. Something about you two fighting over a living vessel, hm?" He recalled the multitude of explanations and news he had tortured out of various spirits on his way to finding where Falsimer had drifted to. "While curious and intriguing, that is not important, Falsimer. What is, important, is we found your body, and Maywit do have need of you now. It is a pity you and Hellerum could not play nice for just a few more days. This is all a very unfortunate turn of events." His voice was a drab, bored sounding echo, accentuated only slightly by the sound of water splashing and flowing slowly all around.

Once his mouth was released, Falsimer was quiet for a second, obviously at a loss for words. "Th-thank you. I will not fail again, please, allow me to erase the whore from existence. This time, I—"

"No." The word from Avahntus boomed out, a deep, powerful sound. The water rippled in circles from the resonance alone. Free spirits and the dead that weren't already keeping their distance, now moved away as quickly as they could.

Avahntus continued. "We have far more pressing matters than one, rogue minion. Even one as useful and strong as Hellerum. Her time will come, Falsimer. For now, we have a bigger fish, to fry."

Falsimer's head continued to bubble and drip essence, silent in thought. 

Two deep, blood red orbs burned through the muck that consisted the shadowy blob's form. The eyes strengthened in intensity, glaring up at the necromancer holding him aloft. He spoke in understanding, "The Abhorsen."







Pinkie Pie set her hooves on the tree's trunk and inspected the gnarled branches carefully. 

A light coat of snow lay atop every limb, and a sheet of the same fluffy white powder had blown with the wind to cover one side. The leaves in the tree were of course long gone from the late winter weather, leaving only the bare bark of its hibernating state. 

Pinkie couldn't find or feel anything out of place, not exactly, but it was obviously untended and wild. It reminded her of trees bereft of harmony. Some limbs hung broken or were unhealthy, and even though nature was as far from her special talent as working the weather, it was obvious that this tree was in desperate need of an earth pony's touch. 

The strange forest felt like the Everfree—dangerous and spooky—and that made Pinkie's frown deepen.

"Pinkie? There you are, I turned around and suddenly you were gone. I don't think you should wander around like this." Rarity's voice chimed out from behind, sounding slightly out of breath. "Abhorsen did say that there were things in his world that are dangerous, particularly where we're going." Her bare hooves crunched in the thin lair of snow carpeting the forest floor. Soon, she was standing beside her friend, still intent on the tree before them both. "Pinkie? What are you doing?" The tree appeared to be normal. "Did you see another strange looking animal? Really darling, we don't have time to stop and feed hungry strangers, nor do we have that much food... I'm not terribly against eating simple grass, if I must, but," her eyes scanned the ground to either side of herself to conclude the point. "Well, there isn't any to be had."

Pinkie Pie sighed and shook her head, jostling the hood of the winter jacket she had on. "No, actually I haven't seen any animals for at least an hour. It's weird." She turned and looked at Rarity, trying to smile. Between the cold and how she felt, it was difficult. "Sorry Rarity, we can go back now. I was just feeling restless and antsy is all!" Humming a happy seeming tune, she left the tree.

Rarity raised an eyebrow at the other pony already trotting back towards where Abhorsen had left them. "How odd. I hope she's alright." She spoke in a hushed tone to herself, partly to not be heard by Pinkie, and partly because of the forest's oppressive feeling. 

Frowning slightly, Rarity gave the tree Pinkie had put her hooves on a glance, then followed after. Something is bothering Pinkie, but what? Is she still upset about humans and their diet? Or is it this forest? Whatever it was, she knew what was bothering her own mind, at least, and that was getting home. With every conversation about free magic or charter magic, Rarity was more and more convinced that the best way back would be to wait for Celestia to give her good news about a teleportation spell or something. Returning back to Equestria on her own seemed an insurmountable feat. 

Rarity trotted quickly to catch up to her friend.

"So Pinkie, when we get back home, what would you like to do first? Perhaps bake a cake? I don't know about you, but not being able to practice my special talent is making my hooves shaky." For emphasis, Rarity shivered. "Or perhaps that's just the cold, hm?" Wrinkling her nose she scowled at a nearby icicle and poked it with a gentle touch. The thing cracked and sunk into the snow.

Pinkie, barely listening, sat still in the road beside the sign, and didn't respond. 

Rarity took in a heavy, but quiet breath, staring at the back of her friend's hood. "Pinkie, please, talk to me. I want to help with whatever it is that's troubling you." Her hooves crunched in the snow as she approached the other pony, then circled around in front of her. 

Pinkie had on a pained look, like, but unlike before, there was a smile beneath it. After a long silence she replied. "If I talk about it I'm gonna cry." She looked up at the fashionista. "I don't really want to cry right now. Not now, Rarity, I want to go home, that's all."

Despite the other pony's words, Rarity could see a single, leaky tear running done the outside of Pinkie's cheek. "I do too, Pinkie." Not hesitating, she pulled the other pony into a quick hug. Although Pinkie didn't return it, her head drooped over Rarity's shoulder. "We'll get home," she stated matter of factly. "Tonight, we can both speak to Luna, and I'm sure she will have good news to share with us."

Pinkie sniffled and pulled back. "Yeah? Yeah, you're right, Rarity. Thank you, I feel a little better now. I'm just worried is all, and this place isn't helping. I feel like things are going horribly wrong at home, what with Applejack and Rainbow Dash leaving for someplace and not saying why. Not to mention Applejack's poor farm getting all tore up by that massive, unexplainable tornado... but at least nopony was hurt bad. I dunno, maybe if Luna hadn't sounded so scared about everything that was happening I wouldn't feel quite so bad. It's just, those humans threatened me so much, and were sooo mean. I haven't been able to forget about it since, it's weird. I forget about some things all the time, too! Not birthdays though, or names, those are easy to remember." She sniffled again, then mumbled under her breath, "Guh, I need to blow my nose..." Her pink face wrinkled in irritation.

Rarity blinked in the wake of her friend's long winded venting; she seemed to have perked up. What put Rarity at a loss, was just what was said. "I'm sorry, Pinkie, could you repeat that again?" Her expression twisted into blatant and utter confusion from the news mentioned offhoofedly by the other mare, and as if it were common knowledge, too. Namely, things she hadn't known, and which sounded very worrying. 

"Uhm, okie dokie! Guh, I need to blow my nose," Pinkie repeated, then wrinkled her snout again after complying for her friend.

Rarity closed her astounded expression and gave Pinkie a mild glower. "No, Pinkie, I meant before that. The bit about Applejack and Rainbow back in Equestria? You did just say they were alright, didn't you? How in Celestia's name did Applejack's farm get destroyed!?"

Pinkie gave Rarity a confused look. "Didn't Luna tell you?" When the other pony shook her head 'no' she continued. "Huh, that's weird! Maybe it's a secret? If it's a secret, she must be worse at keeping secrets than Twilight!" 

Rarity mulled over the thought while glancing up the road. Abhorsen still wasn't back yet. "Perhaps dear, but I'd be willing to bet my favorite dress that she just doesn't want us to worry." She turned, giving Pinkie a warm smile along with the sentiment. It made sense to think that, after all.

Pinkie held a hoof to her chin and rubbed it a moment. "Well that makes sense, she acted all hesitant and jumpy when she told me that stuff about Applejack and Rainbow Dash hiring an airship and running off to who knew where across the Atlantic ocean. She said they might've gone north, to the gryphon kingdoms, or maybe even Zebrica. They went despite how dangerous it could be with somepony going after us with tornadoes. Honestly, who does that? I bet our villain this time is a big old evil lizard, only a lizard could manage to use magic as sinister as throwing tornadoes around..."

Rarity held up a hoof and batted it at Pinkie. "Ah... do you mean to say, 'wizard'? Pinkie?"

The other pony nearly turned her head sideways regarding Rarity. "Wizard? Hm, maybe, lizard sounded better though..." 

The fashionista stared at Pinkie a moment, then moved on. I swear, this mare and her silliness. "Now, about that 'airship', Pinkie. Did Luna say why Applejack and Dash took one to Zebrica?" The entire thing sounded almost too incredible to believe... almost. Knowing Dash and Applejack the way she did, however, Rarity knew better.

Pinkie looked up from breathing warm air onto her hooves, then tugged on the mitten like boots again with her teeth before answering. "Erf— Hm, well, I ask a whole bunch of questions every time I see Luna. When I asked why AJ and Dashie had run off though, she wouldn't say, or couldn't say. Which I guess means it was supposed to be a secret. I got the feeling that she hadn't wanted them to leave, and that means that Princess Celestia probably didn't want them to leave; and that means that AJ and Dashie are probably doing whatever they want." She heaved a sigh, sitting back in the snow and looking up at the skeletal tree canopy overhead. "I just don't know what's going on, Rarity, and I'm usually great at figuring mysteries like this out."

Rarity vaguely recalled at least one instance where that hadn't quite been the case. Yes, Pinkie Pie, our detective extraordi-mare. Hmph. She managed to not let her resentful thought show on her face. Oh, that marzipan cake had been good though... Stay focused, Rarity. 

The sudden sound of footsteps approaching made Rarity's ears twitch, and she turned around in time to see Abhorsen walking towards them from down the road. But, at least Pinkie's cheered up some, despite what she just told me... I do hope Applejack and Dash are alright, though. What could they be doing running off like that?

Rarity and Pinkie smiled and waved once their human friend came close enough, and he returned the gesture with a curt nod of his own.

"I'm sorry about leaving you here like that, Rarity, Pinkie." Abhorsen cupped his hands and called out to the ponies, his voice somewhat quiet from the distance still between them.

Rarity stood up, and yelled back, "Oh it's alright, darling!" Once he was closer, she fell back to four hooves and added, "So, did you find what it was you were looking for?"

The human stared at her with a very serious expression. "Perhaps." He turned and looked back up the Old North road. "I had felt a..." He gave them both a short, worried look, as if to say he wasn't sure how to put it. "Not to alarm you, but I felt the dead a moment ago. It was far, and I couldn't tell how many, perhaps just a few. In any case, they are gone now."

Rarity and Pinkie blinked. "Dead?" They both asked in tandem, then looked at each other with equal levels of confusion. The alabaster colored mare of the two spoke again first, a little familiar with the term. "Sabriel mentioned those. She thought I was one when I showed up in the college grounds." A little hesitantly, she turned to face Pinkie. "I— There are creatures here that inhabit the recently... passed away, Pinkie."

Pinkie sat there processing for a moment, then gasped. "Zombies!" she screeched, standing up and pointing a hoof at Rarity in the most dramatic fashion possible. Her hooves fell back onto the ground immediately as she began speculating. "I never would have guessed those comics would be right about zombies!" She tossed a panicked look around the area briefly. "Oh no, Rarity, they're going to want our brains!" She lunged for the other unicorn.

"Pinkie!?" Rarity managed to get out. The other mare had again shifted into standing on two legs, then grappled her in a bear hug strong enough to leave her hooves dangling off the ground. "Please let me down?" She resisted the urge to scold her friend.

Pinkie looked up, still worried, but complied. With the sound of crunching snow, Rarity was released.

"What do we do!? Oh, and sorry about that, Rarity," Pinkie laughed out nervously. She glanced up at Abhorsen for a brief moment, then looked back at Rarity.

Rarity, for her part, caught her breath, which had been squeezed out of her, then answered her friend. "W-what? Oh, well I don't know, Pinkie. Abhorsen?" She looked at her newer friend. "Will it be dangerous then? I'm not very fond of danger. I would rather we avoided it, if we could."

Pinkie frowned, but looked up at the human begrudgingly in order to hear what he had to say.

The man continued chuckling a moment from the show, then spoke. "There should not be anything for us to worry about, I think. Were you both not accompanying me, I would hunt them, then send them back into death where hopefully, they would find peace enough to willingly travel to the final gate, and eternal rest."

The pony's listened with rapt attention. Neither had ever really thought about death to a great degree, or what came after. It was, after all, a great mystery.

Abhorsen continued, beckoning them to follow as he did. While he spoke, they again began walking down the road, and towards their first stop. "They were in the direction we are going, beyond the town I mentioned earlier, Baird. I was worried at first, but they felt very far away. I will ask questions here in the village. The townspeople will no doubt be able to tell me if their livestock, or the charter forbid, their kin have been attacked."

Rarity frowned deeply in worry. "That sounds absolutely dreadful. Abhorsen, if you need to do your job, surely Pinkie and I could accompany you? If there are lives at stake I would never want to be in the way of rescuing or saving them, pony, human, or anything else, truly. However, I would gladly help, however I could." She gave puffed her chest out some and stood taller. 

Beside her, Pinkie nodded agreement. "Yeah! The Elements of Harmony is our name, and busting down baddies for fun is our game." For emphasis, she jabbed at the air with a hoof, seeing as Rainbow wasn't there to do it this time.

Abhorsen's eyes widened in surprise, then smirked coolly at the show of bravery. "That is very... valiant of you both, and generous of you to offer. However, I think neither of you understand how dangerous such a confrontation could be." He ran a hand over his scruff, thinking back on what they had both said. "Elements of Harmony, that has to do with your magic if I recall Rarity's explanation correctly. Even taking into account that you can hold your own in a fight, the dead are not to be taken lightly." His eyes narrowed, watching down the road. "Besides, I work better alone."

Rarity harrumphed at the stallion's stubbornness. "I may be a lady, Abhorsen, but I'm no distressing damsel." She turned a straight faced look up to him to get the point across. "I do trust you though. Pinkie and I can go on without you, if you would like, but I refuse to keep you from your job. I dare say it sounds just as important, after a fashion, as our Princess'."

Abhorsen thought on that suggestion for a moment, listening distractedly as Pinkie began talking about how it's tough and important to raise and lower the sun. That bit didn't make sense to him, but there were more pressing matters. His thumb anxiously rubbed the pommel of the sword at his hip while he thought over what to do. Rarity had the right of things.

"I believe, my friends, that I will know what to do after we've spoken to the village. If the dead were many, or a deep threat, I may send you on. My home is not very far now." Abhorsen looked down in time to see both mares nose to nose as they walked, and in the midst of a whisper argument he had apparently missed out on.

Rarity looked up at the man, trying to appear unfazed by such dangerous sounding talk. "Oh, well splendid. I do hope we get there soon. My poor hooves are absolutely petrified right now." Hobbling on three legs for a moment, she winced at her front right hoof. "These clothes you made for us— or, had made for us at least, are fabulous, darling, but I'm afraid the cold here is even more frigid than the moose lands north of Equestria! Say nothing of the mild winter the pegasi give us in Ponyville."

Pinkie quirked an eyebrow. "The moose lands? You've been? When did you go up there, Rarity?"

Shuddering, with a disgusted look, Rarity nodded. "Oh yes, mother and father were very adamant about going skiing and wanted the 'full' experience as they put it. Somehow they dragged myself into going this last year."

"Ooo." Pinkie's face lit up in understanding. "That's why you had the cast on for a week and didn't want to tell us why!"

Rarity deadpanned ahead of herself. "Yes, quite."

Giggling, Pinkie bounced a few steps, before then falling back into a relaxed walk. "You should have let me give you lessons first! Skiing's easy-peasy, like riding a bike, or—" She paused, noticing that their human guide had stopped.

Abhorsen studied the two Equestrians a moment. Both ponies stopped as well, looking back at him. "Is something wrong?" Pinkie asked tilting her head. 

The man smiled at them both, already forming his spell, the rich taste of magic already tanging his mind and tongue. "No, quite the contrary. I can help with the cold somewhat if it's bothering you. I hadn't considered you might not be used to this sort of weather."

Rarity's eyes lit up. "Do you mean you know a spell for that? Oh delightful, and yes, your winter feels a great deal colder than home." She shivered again in her coat for emphasis. "And that wind, it's dreadful."

Quickly, Abhorsen pictured a few symbols for warmth and heat in his mind. Once the charter spell was ready, the symbols flowed out from his hands, shimmering glyphs that hung in the air for just a second, then fell unto the two ponies standing before him. The glyphs dissipated, fading from sight as they seemingly flowed into their bodies.

Rarity stared in wonder as a result of seeing the mysterious 'charter' magic firsthoof again, even with her slight misgivings over the art from her first encounter with it. Meanwhile, Pinkie was openly impressed, oo'ing and poking at her forelegs where the symbols had faded.

"Now that was very... how does Rainbow say it?" Rarity thought a moment. "Cool, yes, very cool." She hugged her coat and forelegs around herself, savoring the warmth that had flooded her and brought feeling back to her hooves.

Pinkie blew out her cheeks. "Oh Rarity, don't be silly, that was warm, not cool."

Rarity paused to roll her eyes.

They began walking again, Abhorsen falling in line with his two pony companions. "Yes, Rarity, I'm quite certain the symbols I used were for warmth, not to cool you further. Did I make a mistake?"

Rarity pulled back the hood of her cloak and blew a lock of her mane from in front of her eyes, now getting annoyed. "Oh, just— never mind. Shall we go on?" Trotting, with her head thrown back like an insulted feline, she moved ahead of her party, ignoring the giggling of Pinkie and a confused apology from Abhorsen.







The party of three stepped lively up to the town's border. Even Abhorsen felt a bit upbeat, finding the cheeriness and friendliness of the strange ponies to be very infectious. So far, he didn't regret helping them in their quest in the least. 

"And, can you believe what Thunderlane said next?" Rarity laughed harder, only barely hanging onto her ladylike control.

Pinkie giggled, "Probably!" she answered.

The unicorn leaned over and whispered into Pinkie's ear. Immediately after, her eyes widened to their fullest and she drew in a massive gasp, covering her muzzle with two hooves. On her muzzle, a deep red blush spread across her face. 

"So, is that yes you believe me, or a no you don't?" Rarity smiled coyly, then turned her head up proudly and trotted on. 

Before Rarity could trot any further, she ran smack into Abhorsen's behind, causing her to elicit an unladylike 'oof'.

Pinkie trotted up. "Geez Rarity, watch where you're going." Snickering, she helped up her friend.

"I'm so sorry about that, Abhorsen, I should have been... watching..." Rarity stared up at the man. His eyes were locked past the gate of the quaint looking hamlet's walls, and further in on the center of the town, some distance away. "Abhorsen?" She tugged on his surcoat's tail, which was oddly made out of little rings of a shiny metal. "Is something wrong?"

The man crouched down to their level, lowering his voice. "The watchmen are not at their posts." He looked over at them flatly. "I didn't feel it earlier, not from so far away." His grizzled face turned forward again, continuing dryly. "But I can sense that a great many men and women died here recently. I imagine, the dead I felt earlier had in fact been the villagers themselves. Moving north, perhaps west." 

Rarity felt her mouth working, her brain trying to understand the thing she had just been told so plainly and without emotion. She looked over, spying Pinkie, who's eyes were staring and empty.

Abhorsen went on. "They were killed, though I'm not sure by what. I can spot blood from here, and smell it. If I had not felt those dead earlier, then I would think this strange. I believe something came, and left. The only thing I can feel now is the lingering doorway, hanging open from their passing." 

"Doorway...?" Pinkie said breathlessly, in a tone that almost wasn't even a question. 

"Yes, to death." Abhorsen answered, staring a moment longer into the village. "We should go around... but..." 

"How many were killed?" Rarity asked from beside him. It sounded normal, except for a slight crack in her voice on the last word.

Abhorsen straightened some, sighing at the thought of so many deaths. "It was a small town, but well guarded. Maybe a hundred all told, not including guards. It is difficult to say how many have passed, but... it was many. There are still survivors inside, I think. I see lights at the inn." His eyes narrowed. "If it is alright, I would like to investigate, as we may be able to help."

When an answer didn't come right away, Abhorsen turned to look at his side.

Rarity's brow was furrowed in a pained way while she stood unmoving on four stiff legs. Her hood was still thrown back, showing that her ears were laid down to either side of her head. Beside her, Pinkie sat just as still, her mouth slightly open, and her gaze set straight ahead. 

After looking at his companions, Abhorsen caught Pinkie's face turn towards him. The mare's voice was openly sad, and she had the look of wanting to cry, but wasn't. "Somepony killed them?" she asked.

Abhorsen hesitated, then nodded grimly. "Something, more likely. I'm afraid that is the case that makes the most sense." He inspected the confusion and sorrow riddled expressions his friends wore. "I can see this effects you deeply, and am sorry to have included you both in this, even in just knowing about it. These things happen very often here, and it is why I do what I do; to prevent it as much as I can." 

After a sigh and pausing for a much needed breath, he went on, standing up again. "So many wouldn't pass from natural causes like this. It must be trouble. Wait here please, Pinkie, Rarity. I'll come back with news of what has happened, then we can move on." Not wanting to wait, or keep the ponies near possible danger, he stepped off. 

Something pulling on Abhorsen's coat stopped him. Turning around revealed a set of teeth clamped down firmly on his sleeve. 

"'o 'ay 'ose!" Pinkie said through her clenched jaw.

Abhorsen blinked.

Pinkie spat out his sleeve, rolling her eyes. "I said, 'No way, Jose!' You can't expect us to just wait out here. Somepersons could need our help, even if they are evil meanie mcmeat-eaters! Right, Rarity?" She turned in a flash and looked at her friend. "Rarity?"

Rarity snapped out of her daze. Flustered, and torn between correcting Pinkie's speech patterns or her misconceptions, she settled on taking in a shuddering breath and fanned herself with a hoof. "I— yes, Abhorsen, we'll accompany you. Oh dear, i-is that smell really blood?" A shrill squeak escaped her. "I've never— How could there be so much we smell it from here?" She had to swallow hard after what she had said.

Abhorsen scowled, but looked away from the two ponies he escorted. "Ladies," he began. Saying that to the Equestrians nearly made him stumble in his speech. "It may be gruesome up ahead, allow me to scout, please. It won't be long, and I would rather spare women of something like this if I could." He looked back down at them. It was odd to say, but they were definitely women in his mind now that he considered it, even if they weren't human. They certainly weren't constructs, or mere animals, after all.

The two ponies glanced at one another, then gave him strained, and very worried looks. Pinkie looked especially doubtful, her eyes sliding to the ground. 

Rarity spoke up. "That is... very chivalrous of you, Abhorsen, but please, helping others is what we do." Exhaling a large breath, shutting her eyes a moment, then opening them again, she continued to say, "So, do not hesitate to include us. I don't know any healing magic of my own variety, if only Twilight were here... Though I did skim over some charter magic that can do that back at Wyverly... If we can help, we will. It's the least we can do to repay you."

Beside the unicorn, Pinkie Pie inspected her hooves with a dark expression, but looked up when her friend had finished. "Uh-huh, there could be foals that—" She cut off, biting her lip right after saying the word. After a struggle to continue, she looked at the ground again. "We'll help if we can, Terciel," she muttered.

Pinkie felt something cup her chin and raise it, then another something clap her on the shoulder. The somethings turned out to be Abhorsen's weird hand-things. His face was grim, his eyes tired, but there was a friendliness to it that made things sort of feel like they would be alright. She felt the ghost of a smile timidly work its way onto her own face.

"I'm glad I can count on you both, you're braver than most battle hardened warriors I've met." Abhorsen turned his comforting look to Rarity as well. "I'll hurry. I can't say what exactly we may need to do; perhaps I will just be able to lend some healing or provisions." Straightening again, he quickly walked through the town gates, not wanting to linger more. "I'll be quick, both of you, hold here."

Rarity watched him go regrettably, striding through the snow until he was through the broad wooden gates standing open. "He is too kind for his own good." She looked at Pinkie. "That's the sort of stallion that gets himself into trouble all the time through good intentions. Don't marry one like that, dear."

Pinkie snorted, a short guffaw escaping her, before then giving the other mare a look like she was crazy. "Geez Rarity, you just met the guy, and you're already thinking about marrying him?" She raised one of her eyebrows as high as it could go.

"Oh— You— That is not what I said, Pinkie!" Rarity pouted and jabbed her friend in the shoulder hard with one hoof. "Honestly, you are so juvenile sometimes." She scowled over at the now lightly giggling form of her friend. "My point was merely based on his personality." Her eyes looked over at the shrinking form of their human friend. "He's... oh what's the word from those books that Twilight and Rainbow read?" A exasperated sigh escaped her, and then the word came to her. "A hero."

Pinkie looked up off the ground from where she laughed herself onto the ground. She stared up at the sky a second, happy to have laughed away some of the sad. "A hero? Oooh, you mean like how Spike tries to act."

Rarity blew out her cheeks. "Spikey-wikey? Oh heavens no, he's a romantic at heart. Completely different."

"Ah-huh." Pinkie smirked, then sighed a bit and followed Rarity's gaze after Abhorsen. "Rarity, do you think something feels off?"

The other mare felt her perkiness leaving again quickly and looked over at her friend, who still lay prone in the snow. "Off? Off how, Pinkie?"

A crow cawed loudly over her head. Looking up, Rarity saw three or so of them, all hobbling about in the bear branches of the trees. Odd, birds should have flown south for the winter. Or do they not do that here? Beside her, the other mare still spoke.

"Well, I've been waiting for a Pinkie sense to tell me something, but I've got nothin' so far." Pinkie rolled over twice through the snow, then stood up and shrugged. She settled back on the ground on all four hooves and trotted a bit closer to the gate. "Oh, wait!" Her expression became extremely concentrated for a moment. "My knee just felt pinchy. Oooh, and my rump felt wiggly too. Hm, I wonder, was that a combo for something new, or did that mean that some scary bad guy is about to show up?"

Rarity felt her chest tighten up at the merest mention of 'pinkie sense'. She herself had experienced a very miserable time when learning to believe the strange nigglings the party pony often got and couldn't really explain. "Oh, whatever it is please say it isn't the one about the mud!" Already frantic from horrible memories of numerous mud incidents, she looked around herself to make sure the area was clear of anything wet. 

Rarity's gaze fell some distance away from them further down the road. Something moving caught her eye.

"Oh Rarity, floppy ears mean mud, not pinchy knees! Unless that's a combo too, anyway..." Pinkie shook her head, and her expression became deadly serious, her voice changing to match. "No, this is much, much worse, I think. I rarely ever gotten a combo with a pinchy knee and wiggly rump. This could—"

Rarity cut her off. "Pinkie, look, somepony's coming."

"It's not 'somepony' here, it's someperson!" Pinkie corrected her friend. "Too bad they don't use somebody like around Canterlot, though. That would be way simpler." 

"Piiinkiiie." Rarity hissed. "Please."

"Oooh fine." Pinkie finally turned and looked down the road.

Approaching Pinkie and Rarity, was a dark, slight figure that stood tall, at least to the two ponies. They both recognized the stranger's characteristics as feminine, for humans at least, judging by how slim their shape was under all the clothing.

"I think we should hide, Rarity." Pinkie bumped her friend's shoulder with her own, meeting her eyes after she looked over. "I didn't get a twitchy tail, ear flop, leg wobble combo, and that's the one for a new friend."

"Hello!" The stranger called out.

Rarity frowned at Pinkie, but nodded. "I think it's too late for that, dear. They see us now."

"My name is Hellen. I'm a stranger here, could you perhaps give me directions?" The figure who had named themselves Hellen seemed to be walking quickly.

"Yep," Pinkie affirmed, "They aren't weirded out by us either, definitely a trap. Pinkie sense is never wrong!"

"We can't leave Abhorsen though, I only barely know where to go, and he has the map!" Rarity hissed, smiling and waving at the human nonchalantly. They were getting closer.

The figure clothed in black spoke again. "My, you two are very strange looking. Are you strangers here as well? Perhaps we could be friends and travel together." The voice had a strange quality to it, as if it were from down a hallway. It also sounded far too sweet.

Pinkie Pie frowned, quickly devising a plan. Meanwhile, her knee pinched and her rump wiggled more and more, as if begging her for a quick getaway. By Celestia's mane, this is a doozy! She decided it did indeed mean the stranger was evil, though there was no way to know why just yet. Before this, the lack of a warning from her pinkie sense had been the one thing that kept her from being more upset around the humans. In this case, there was no doubting what was happening. 

Pinkie whispered again to Rarity. "Just follow my lead." After a somber ahem, she stood up on her hind legs, her front legs held over her head.

Rarity looked up at her, a hint of worry and fear starting to show on her face. "Pinkie?"

Pinkie stared solidly at the stranger, who had stopped walking once the pony stood up. They were perhaps a few scant meters away from one another. 

"Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers. A peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked. If Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers, where's the peck of pickled peppers that Peter Piper picked?" Pinkie's expression was flat, and completely serious.

Hellen had a shroud over her mouth, but it was clear their jaw was working in confusion. "I—"

As soon as they spoke, Pinkie shouted, "RUN!" and galloped into the town at full speed.

"Pinkie!?" Rarity turned on a hoof and ran, only a stride behind her friend. "This isn't a good plan!" She looked behind herself, and nearly tripped. The shadowy human female was gone. "What—" Rarity began to say, but was cut off.

The sound of dirt crunching in front of Rarity made her face forward in time to see the missing person land in front of both her and Pinkie. The two mares ground to a halt in the snow. 

"Oooh, that was some fancy flying! Not bad, evil-mcbadderson." Pinkie took careful, slow steps back from the human facing them down, a hoof on Rarity's front, though the other mare didn't need the encouragement.

"Was I so easily seen through?" Hellen tilted her head at them, pulling back her hood with one hand. Her hair was oily brown, ragged, and unkempt.

Rarity snarked back on instinct. "Well darling, you could have spent a bit more time on your makeup and ensemble. That disguise is pretty much a dead give away you're up to no good, too. All black silks, really? So tacky, even ignoring that you're obviously a terrible liar. Also, a gold trim would have really brought that look together and maybe seemed more inconspicuous." She smirked smartly, confidence fueled some by Pinkie sniggering at her side.

The form's eyes narrowed slightly once Rarity finished. "You are a funny little creature. You both are, aren't you? I'm still amazed you can talk, though I am glad of that. Such a pleasant surprise." She paused to hum, tilting her head a degree and making no secret of looking them both over. "Now, you're both going to come with me, whether you want to or not. I'll settle for one though, if you'd like to choose. But I might need two attempts at this to get it right... Either way, I just don't want to have to damage you."

Pinkie ended her snickering and grinned wider. "Well, maybe, but you should tell me how you managed to jump that far, that was an impressive trick! You should teach me how to do that." In her peripherals, she spotted a bakery. "And I can jump preeetty far already."

"Pinkie, this human feels very off, think of something." Rarity whispered and lowered herself somewhat to the snowy ground, readying herself for something, though she didn't know what. In the brief quiet, she heard the sound of ringing metal from somewhere. 

The stranger named Hellen sighed in an exaggerated way, putting both of her hands on the mask covering her mouth. The hands looked torn, and blistered. Or perhaps, rotten. "Pay close attention, I don't have time to dally, so I'll be blunt. Come with me peacefully, or your friend dies, horned one." Her eyes flickered to Pinkie, then back to Rarity. The eyes seemed bloodshot, and slightly opaque over the irises.

Rarity felt her legs stiffen from the threat. In all her years of defending Equestria, her entire life, she had never heard a direct threat like that. Discord was evil, sinister even, and certainly ruined lives. Still, he only did so through childish chaos and being an inconsiderate jerk, at least as Rarity saw it. Chrysalis, who was wicked and twice as selfish, with a heart as black as her coat, had never hinted at wanting to kill anypony, though she certainly had as well. 

This human though, Rarity could tell, was different. Her legs began shaking, and it wasn't from the cold.

"Weeell," Pinkie's voice rang out like a bell, "We'd like to help you, Hellen, but I'm afraid we don't talk to strangers." Resetting her childish grin, she readied herself to enact her cunning escape. I hope Rarity can keep up. She thought worriedly.

Hellen stared a moment in silence, then spoke flatly. "You mentioned tricks. Would you like to see one?" 

Pinkie relished the opportunity for a distraction. "Oh, sure!" she answered happily.

Rarity still had no idea what was planned, and whispered to her friend. "Pinkie?"

"Wonderful," Hellen answered to the pony. "Oh, and my name isn't Hellen." Not-Hellen pulled the mask down, revealing the spot where a human's mouth should be, and wasn't. Hanging there instead was a skeletal jaw, uncovered by any flesh at all.

Rarity gasped, and Pinkie was frozen for a moment, caught off guard. 

"My name, is Hellerum." With that, smoke and shadow burst out of Hellerum's eyes, and then the body itself exploded. The sound of rushing wind and a distant laughter filled the air.

Pinkie was already turned away, a quick thought flashing in her mind. Yup, pinchy knee, something scary, and that was downright terrifying! Were she not busy escaping for her life, she would have been sick from the gruesome show.

Rarity blinked, her vision blurring from the shock and the shock-wave of what had happened. "Pinkie!?" She called out on reflex alone. She became aware she was running, and being led in a mad sprint by the mare in front of her into the human town. 

"Keep running, Rarity!" Pinkie shouted back. Behind the two ponies, the maleficent laughter of their pursuer followed. 

"Quick! In here, hurry!" Pinkie bucked open the door she had spotted, looking back to see a roiling mass of shadow sloughing across the ground after them. "Oh boy."

Rarity, not looking back or second guessing the other pony that seemed to have a plan, dove into the building. She was met by an empty, dark building, that smelled strongly of breads and flour. The door slammed shut behind them both. "Pinkie, what's the plan?"

The other mare was already zipping to and fro around the room, before running into the kitchen. She had put two sacks on her back. "No time!" she answered.

"Pinkie!?" Rarity galloped after her friend, the sound of snapping timbers and crashing just behind her. She yelped, diving into the next room. "Would you, please tell me what you're doing!?" Shaking like a leaf, her hooves reluctantly pried themselves off of her head.

In the first room, the frustrated screams of Hellerum followed, the sounds of furniture crashing and walls buckling accompanying them. 

Rarity saw the other mare busily ripping open burlap bags with her teeth. She galloped over next to her. "Pinkie!? What are you doing!?"

Pinkie answered her quickly; very quickly. Which for Pinkie, was quick. "Flour! Badguy! Warmupyourhorn!" She bent over and ripped another bag open with her teeth while jabbing a hoof at an open window. 

A sinister, creeping voice came from the other side of the wall.

"There you are." Shadowy tendrils and smoke ebbed in through the room's open doorway, the glowing eyes of Hellerum filling the air and gray atmosphere of winter with an eerie glow. "I can sense you, you know. Your life, it calls to me. It smells so good, you could never understand. I want it. You two are different, I can tell, so different. So much better. Humans are no comparison. I've never felt so on the verge of losing control. If only I could... oh, but I will. I will." 

Rarity's entire body felt paralyzed with fear, not understanding a word the strange thing was saying to her.  

The shadowed form flowed in, obviously malleable and not at all bothered by the fact it was twice the size of the human shaped opening. Two brilliant, violent tinged flames burned in her eyes, if they were eyes at all. 

"Come now, I'm being nice because you are apparently so very helpless. Like two lambs fresh to the slaughter." A shadowed limb stretched out towards the two Equestrians.

Rarity was suddenly aware of the hoof frantically jabbing her ribs. "No!" she cried out. 

Her horn burst alight with azure light, filling the room and flinging the contents of every flour bag lined up and present into the monster's face. The creature screamed in pain, reeling back from the attack. Flour exploded out and filled the entire room in an instant.

Pinkie was already hauling Rarity away on her back thanks to the opening, then dove out of a window. The two landed in a shower of glass, but unharmed, with Pinkie already sprinting away.

"Pinkie! You can let me down now, darling." Rarity panted out, her vision full of the clouded sky overhead.

"Okie dokie lokie!" Pinkie said over her back. With a graceful flip that was more Pinkie than Rarity, and a second later the unicorn was on her own hooves, running alongside her friend. 

Rarity blinked away the dizziness from the acrobatics, refusing to stop. Her body wouldn't let her if she had tried. "That was quick thinking, Pinkie! How did you know that would work?"

Pinkie Pie grinned over at Rarity, pink mane flapping behind her outstretched neck. "Oh, it was nothing, and I didn't! Who would have thought flour was her weakness? I was just trying to blind her for a second for another quick get-away! If only I had brought my smoke bombs or party cannon... Hey, maybe flour is to Queen Meanie back there like how garlic is for vampires?"

Rarity panted harder and harder, her fear catching up to her, and winced from the sweat she could feel dowsing her winter clothes. "Pinkie, darling, vampires aren't real. ...Probably. Anyway I think—" She glanced up at her horn doubtfully, still running like mad. "I think perhaps she was afraid of my magic."

Pinkie answered doubtfully. "Are you sure? I think it was the flour. Cause I—"

"Pinkie!" Rarity shouted, shutting her eyes in frustration. "Listen, we need a new plan!" As if to punctuate her words, the sound of the building they were fast leaving behind themselves exploding outward rolled over the town's streets, as well as the never-ending angry wails of their chaser becoming louder.

"We have a plan: run!" Pinkie replied almost happily.

Rarity growled. "I meant a good plan."

"Ooh, I know, Rarity." Pinkie answered her friend, then turned her poofy maned head to face forward. "That's why we're running into town to find Abhorsen. He'll think of something! He eats evil meanies like this for lunch, doesn't he? And I'm not gonna lie, without the other girls that means we're a good four-sixths under capacity for evil butt kicking!"

Rarity breathed harder, unable to understand just how Pinkie wasn't in the least bit out of breath. "I hope so, Pinkie." She swallowed, and pushed her hooves to move faster. She could see the lit inn Abhorsen had spoken of earlier, just on the other side of a few buildings.

Hopefully, Abhorsen would be just around the corner.







Abhorsen was nearly at the inn's door, the sounds of a great deal of talking coming from inside, when a rogue thought suddenly dawned on him. Wait, when did I tell Pinkie Pie my real name? 

He recalled that Pinkie had called him Terciel back outside of the town. 

I never tell anyone my name, that isn't what they should know me as. It was wiser to be known only by his responsibility, not as another person, to others. Or did I mention it to them?... No, surely I did not.

Before he could think more on the topic, he again felt around himself absently for any tricks or dead in the area. Feeling nothing but the gaping hole to death, he stepped up to the door and took a final look around himself. There was evidence of fighting on the ground, with dried pools of blood scattered throughout the muddy street. He scowled at it all, as well as the few buildings that still had light in them. 

Something is very wrong. This couldn't be the work of men, could it? Abhorsen hadn't even considered the thought. In the north, it was almost unheard of for there to be violence between the living. Everyone was too focused and concerned with protecting one another. There was safety in numbers. 

Unable to shake the sense of dread building in him, Abhorsen pulled back from knocking on the door to the inn, instead moving to one, smoky-paned window. Pulling himself up on the tall sill, he tried to look in and get a glimpse of something he hoped would be reassuring. 

The sound of boots slurking through mud around the building corner gave Abhorsen a little warning that he was about to be stumbled upon. He glanced over in time to see another man walk out into the street.

"Ah- Y-you!" A fellow in a thick breast plate and ragged leather clothes stood at the corner of the inn, a smoking pipe clutched in his offhand, and a mug in the other.

Abhorsen, still hanging from the window ledge, raised an eyebrow. "Me?" The other man's reaction to his question told him all he needed to know about the encounter, and what was to come.

"You're the Abhorsen." A rictus snarl framed the strange man's face, and he pulled out a calling horn and a sword from his belt, pipe and mug falling to bloop into the muck. "You're a dead man."

Abhorsen pushed off from the wall skillfully with one boot, his sword flashing out of its scabbard quickly, but it was late. A single blast from the other man's horn got out, before a too loud and strangled scream also escaped his throat.

Immediately, the sounds from the inn were not just loud, but loud and panicked.

Abhorsen breathed out quietly, wincing, and drew his blade out of the throat it had been lodged into. This is not a good day. As if to play the ever present muse of irony, the sense of dead things lept forth to the forefront of his mind. There were many, and behind him at the Hamlet gates, was one that felt strong enough to be a Greater Dead. Charter, no. That was where he had left the Equestrians.

Terciel whirled his body around and began to charge back towards the gate.

Without warning the inn's door slammed open right before him, cutting his dash short.

The travel stained man that ran out slid to a halt and stared at Terciel wide eyed. "You!?" he shouted, teeth gritted.

Abhorsen resisted sighing again, and took up a fighting stance, hand gripped tightly on the handle of his sword. His mind focused and began picturing the charter symbols of fire and destruction. "Yes, me."