//------------------------------// // CHAPTER 003: The dust. // Story: Stormy and Merlos Adventures // by NoisyPegasus //------------------------------// Merlos turned about, fully expecting a beholder or worse to have apparated just outside of his home or something. Instead, he looked on as a screaming mare backpedaled outside, her expression of complete revulsion. “What? What is wrong?” He paced back to the door where she was stepping in place while pointing at the entrance. “That place is filthy!” Stormy cried. She ran her eyes up and down the interior at mounds of dust and junk everywhere. There was mold on the walls and ceilings, and worse stuff she didn’t even want to identify in the corners. “How do you live like this? Its like a monster of pure filth and grime lives in here. Ew! Ew! Ew! I think I’ve got some of it on my faaace!” Her forelegs began wiping themselves over her brow and cheeks, desperate to get off what felt like cobwebs. It then dawned on her that she had only succeeded in getting herself more dirty. Merlos crossed his arms, just a little offended by her remarks of his very minor lackluster housekeeping. He was more interested that the pegasus was having a similar reaction to the last person that had been to his home, that of a person. When was that, a few years ago? he thought. “Oh don’t be such a baby,” Merlos stated calmly to his hyperventilating guest. “Now get back here, and if it helps, I’ve considered doing a bit of late spring cleaning soon.” “Oh, you’ve considered? Great!” Stormy goggled at him. “You’ll need a team of hazmat ponies for just this room!” The little gray pegasus cried out in disgust again as she stepped back inside. “Please tell me it isn’t all this bad?” Merlos scanned the ceiling as he thought on that briefly. “It’s not as bad as you’re making out at all. As long as we’re on that note, it would be best if you didn’t open any doors that aren’t already open...” Stormy reared and flailed her forelegs as she backed against a near wall. She tried using her wings to blow the dust away, but that just sent more brown plumes into the air. “Ugh! It’s clinging to my fetlocks!” Her ears pinned back and her nose wrinkled itself. “I’m opening a window to let some of this out!” “If you would mind not doing that, I’d appreciate it with my acute allergies,” the wizard spat, returning to his scowl. He could tell that his sarcasm went through one of the pegasus’ ears and out the other. “Seriously now, creature from another world or no, I’d appreciate it if you didn’t make a mess.” “Like I could make all this any worse.” Stormy continued her ministrations of disgust and bristled with the realization she was actually breathing the foul dusty surroundings. With a clatter, she flung a nearby shutter open. The shutters clacked loudly against the walls and unsurprisingly, fell onto the ground outside with a bang. “Now look at what you did. You’re fixing that. And come on, it’s just dust!” Merlos scoffed. “It’s not like it’s harmful.” Stormy took a deep breath of fresh air before pulling back inside. “That’s what they said about the Hanta virus!” she snapped back. She gave a wary controlled flap of her wings and brought some more dust up, the breeze carrying it outside. Merlos blinked. “The what?” He wasn’t sure if his spell was flawed or his new guest were simply using alien terms. Stormy ignored the wizard’s frustration, and pressed against the wall as she warily looked down at the filthy floor. “Never mind…” She covered her muzzle with a gray wing and with the other, began to try and wave more dust out the window. At the same time, she did her best to get lung fulls of fresh air while leaning half outside. Stormy leaned back in for the briefest of moments. “Please tell me your whole place isn’t all like this? Is this normal for mans to keep such gross homes?” The idea of staying in such a place filled her with a definite dread. “The term for my people you’re looking for is ‘men’. Or humans.” Merlos could hardly believe the nerve of Stormy. Even if she had a point. “And it is not gross. And yes, it is perfectly normal. Well, I suppose it could stand a little cleaning. Maybe it’s a bit messier than it should be...” Stormy groaned and flung her head back outside, reluctant to leave the safety of the window’s fresh air. Merlos, for his part, harrumphed impatiently and looked around at his very slightly cluttered room. I suppose I could organize these spell scrolls at the very least. The thick sheafs of parchment of half inscribed spells covered most of the usable surfaces in the room, either failed attempts at powerful magics or long forgotten experiments without a use. They were scattered over most of the tables and were all covered in a good, thick layer of dust. I’ll get to it eventually. His mind made up, he opened a shoddy curtain that led further into his completely livable tower. “Are you finished over there with your brief sabbatical?” he asked. Stormy, still heaving deep breaths of fresh air from the outside, craned her head around. “Seriously, I think I wasn’t even born the last time you cleaned this room.” She wiped a hoof over the top of the sill and a literal inch of dust peeled off the top. Dust wasn’t supposed to peel, as far as she knew. Merlos bristled anew. “Well if you change your mind about the stables, then just let me know. Now come along, you big baby, it's a large tower and daylight has waned. If you’re staying here I need to show you around and point out where you may not trespass. My home is not for the ignorant, and I have many experiments that are both delicate and important.” Of course anything truly dangerous he had under lock and key or otherwise, but many things he’d rather stay unmolested were not guest-proofed. Or pegasus-proofed, for that matter. Reluctantly, very reluctantly, Stormy hopped down from the window sill to the floor with a thunk. “Yeah, okay…” She hesitated over asking for a cloth to tie over her mouth. I don’t wanna be rude, after all. As she stepped after the taller, two legged being to catch up, she stopped and ughed aloud in disgust at something sitting beside the door. “Is that- Did that used to be a pumpkin? Oh Celestia, it reeks!” Stormy suppressed a gag, and all but dove out of the room and into the hall. “And I hope none of this dust is Asbestos!” Merlos stared flatly at the wall as the pegasus scurried past him while making immature sicky noises and, as he saw it, inappropriate complaints. “I’m already starting to pity you less and less,” he mumbled. The last rays of sunlight glittering through the windows and shutters were faded, leaving only the bright torches and magic lights that Merlos lit with snaps of his fingers as both him and Stormy marched on through the tour. As they walked, they talked, and shared information. “And this Celestia you mentioned… you say she is the goddess of your sun? Able to raise and lower it at her very whim? You’ve seen this?” Merlos stared in awe as he took slow steps down one narrow corridor. “Eeeeeh.” Stormy turned her head to the side and batted a hoof. “She’s not a goddess, assuming by that you mean some all powerful creator of stuff and things… I mean, I don’t know for sure, but that’s what I learned in school. She’s an alicorn. A combination of the three pony races. Oh, and yeah I’ve seen her do it plenty of times before. Like, five times, at the Summer Sun Celebration. I even saw her sneeze half way through raising it once, and it stopped right when she did.” A short giggle came out at the memory of the princess stumbling in the air, before demurely asking if anyone had a hanky. Stopping at a doorway at the back of the tower’s first floor, Merlos turned to goggle at the news. “That is amazing. Your world holds many mysteries, Stormy.” Stormy giggled slightly, but shrugged. “I guess. It’s alright. I like it, anyway…” She stirred a hoof slowly on the gross looking wooden floor, distant enough in the memory of home to not notice how moldy it was. Merlos hummed. “Indeed.” He recognized the sight of a despondent companion. While not being the best, what some would call, people person, he could recognize someone struggling with troubles most of the time. “Well then, in here we have a pantry, of sorts, and the larder.” Stormy picked her head up at what sounded to be food. “The kitchen you mean? Thank goodness, I’m starving!” She trotted in ahead of her host, more than enticed. “Let’s eat and take a- a break…” The next room they had come across indeed happened to be the kitchen, or at least that seemed to be the case. It was not exactly what Stormy might have pictured. For starters, the door leading in had been covered with a thick beam of wood that acted like a brace. A lot of the doors seemed to have those, strangely. Must be because this is a castle or something, Stormy thought, unsure of what a castle or a fort really looked like on the inside back in Equestria. The kitchen, like the few other rooms she had seen inside of, was sparsely decorated with anything beyond a thick layer of dust. A hairy skeleton of some long dead animal or bird was in the corner, and the room had a stale scent to the air. A small space around a weird stove, amazingly, looked as if it had been cleaned recently. There wasn’t a sink or pipes, though a large number of pots and pans did hang in one corner. Whether clean or dirty, it was really difficult to tell for sure. Stormy felt her wings, tail and ears all droop as one. There is no way there’s anything edible in here, she thought defeatedly. At the far wall of the kitchen, Merlos opened a crooked little door. “Over here is where I keep the foodstuffs,” he announced. “Let’s see…” Almost immediately, vermin and bugs scurried out and into the shadows. A sack of potatoes and a few torn grain sacks dotted the walls. Above those, small containers of milled oats and spices scantily adorned the shelves. Stormy trotted in and looked around. “So… is this all you have to eat?” she asked, giving a wary look to a few salted slabs of something unfamiliar hanging ominously overhead on a hook. The wizard crossed his arms indignantly. “Is that all?” he repeated, before adding, “Well, yes, currently. It’s not the kitchen of royalty, but I’ll have you know it suits my needs.” He gave a tug to his beard, looking indignified. “I have been considering getting a chicken coop so I wouldn’t need to buy eggs and poultry so frequently. Taking trips for food gets bothersome.” Stormy continued her concerted effort to not look grossed out. “I dunno what a pole-tree is, but from the context, I’m not sure I want to know.” Merlos stared a moment, then hummed. “A poultry is… hm, never mind that for now I think. How about a snack? I have some cheese and dwarven stone-bread over here if you’d like.” He motioned towards a nearby table at that, holding up what looked like leftovers atop a wooden plate. “Oh, and I think it’s still moist. Mm!” “Uuuh.” I’ve heard of rock candy, but stone-bread? Stormy watched as Merlos picked up what looked like a floppy sponge, topped it with a moldy looking piece of cheese, then ate it without hesitation. “Delicious,” he finished, wiping his mouth with a sleeve. “I’m not sure about you, but humans can't eat stone-bread without soaking it a bit first.” After staring at the muddy looking plate, Stormy covered her mouth with a hoof. Okay, not hungry anymore. “Eh, no thanks. I’m good for now…” “Alright then, let’s move on to-” Merlos stooped his way back into the hall, while Stormy followed quickly, eager to get away from the human’s kitchen. Moldy cheese and weird bread aside, something about it seemed off. Together they left the kitchen, and from there moved towards a winding stairway that ringed up and around the tower. Grumpily, Stormy followed after and kept close to her guide. She also kept opening shutters behind his back as they went, hoping to allow the dust a place to escape. Before climbing the stairs to the next level, Merlos waved to a doorway. “That one leads to a basement and the catacombs, as well as a cliff exit to the river. I’ve got tenants living in there currently so don’t bother them.” “Uh, gotchyah,” Stormy answered, and stared at the thick door. I can hardly believe anypony else would willingly live here- Ick, spider webs! She flailed at her face for what felt like the dozenth time. “Come along!” Merlos called back. “Please don’t dawdle. Now, up here we have a former eating area. At least I think it was used for-” Stormy frowned slightly and hovered up after Merlos, who had apparently already ascended the stairs. For a brief second, she paid momentary attention to glowing stones embedded in the walls. Tiny pebbles casting a faint ivory glow, just enough to illuminate the walk way. The corridor was made of smooth cut near uniform looking stones. It made Stormy wonder who had made the place. Obviously, Merlos wasn’t responsible. The rest of the tour was much of the same. The whole time, Stormy continued weaving around junk and random debris scattered amongst the floor, while paying little attention to more than the first couple of words for each room. It was difficult even managing that with how often Merlos got off topic. Stormy got the feeling he didn’t get out much. Other than a study and the kitchen, the tower itself was mostly introduced as storage rooms, or nameless rooms that were nailed shut. At least that was how it seemed. It didn’t really feel like a tour was needed, since every place ended with, “and you’re not allowed in here.” Stormy grimaced at a grime covered window as she floated on past, wondering how much more there was to go. I’m going to have to clean this whole place myself, I just know it… One thing was certain, she really didn’t want to stay there if it meant putting up with the grossness. Chance at getting home or not. “Now, in regards to this next chamber, it is very important you pay close-” A tall door made of amber timbers topped the staircase. It was a bit different, because it seemed as if someone had colorfully tie-dyed the edges, and burnt the top. Stormy raised an eyebrow at this as Merlos opened the door into what she thought she heard him say was the last room. It was well lit unlike the rest of the tower, and was massive, being the only room on that floor. As Stormy clip-clopped in after him, Merlos closed the door. He began to drone on about this room being the highest point in the tower. “Back when this was an outpost, there would be guards and a great pyre to light in the center. You can see out for hundreds of miles from here-” While Merlos spoke, Stormy perused with curiosity at the first few interesting things she’d seen since entering the tower. For starters, there were filled bottles ringing half of the room, many of them emitting soft glows or bubbling steam out of their open tops. Mysterious tools and other odd devices hung from the ceiling, and over by a bunch of boring looking bookshelves was a huge telescope! Ooooh. Stormy’s eyes widened, taking it all in with vested interested. Merlos continued his speech, having finished pointing out how important it was to obey his rules. “Now, there is also a spell to keep birds and bugs from coming into this area, so I wouldn’t advise trying to fly in or out, unless you desire to imitate a pancake. You see, I keep the majority of my experiments up here, simply because it vents all the noxious fumes out with eas- DON’T TOUCH THAT!” Stormy, who had been investigating and poking various items in Merlos’ lab, had begun to reach for a bottle to pick it up, just before she had been shouted at. Quickly, she landed and shuffled away from the fragile item. “S-Sorry,” she said, backpedaling and returning to Merlos’ side. “What did I just finish saying about not touching anything? Hm?” Merlos stormed over, and readjusted the yet untouched bottle of glowing purple goo. “Perhaps showing you my lab was imprudent of me. If it weren’t for the spell on the walls I wouldn’t have even considered-” Ears folded back, Stormy listened to Merlos berate her, then move onto lab ‘etiquette’. Whatever that meant. “Now, uhm, hm. Where was I?” Merlos tapped a finger to his chin, brow folded in thought as he fought to recall his place in the tour. Stormy, however, saw an opening and spoke up immediately. “You had just finished up explaining everything.” She hoped her smile assisted convincing him of that. “Ah, right,” Merlos said back, nodding to himself. “Then if you have no questions, I believe that concludes things.” Stormy raised a hoof, ready to ask a couple. “Well, I was wondering-” Interrupting her, Merlos clapped his hands together conclusively. “Now then, let’s move on to that information swap we discussed!” Excitement over that topic positively dripped from his voice. Stormy barely suppressed a heavy groan. Luckily, she was saved by a yawn that cracked her jaw, instead. “Actually, mm’ kinda tired,” she mumbled. All of the rules and other magical things the tall stranger she’d just met had started putting her to sleep harder than History lessons. “Oh, a pity.” Merlos put on a disappointed look at that. “Well, it can’t be helped then. Let’s see if we can’t find you a room. Hm, now let’s see… There is one there… Yes, that will do.” He motioned for Stormy to follow him. “I have just the spot.” Stormy perked up slightly at the notion of a bed, then drooped again upon not recalling any such things on the way up. Still, she tried to keep her hopes high while following Merlos back down, who along the way managed to walk headlong into a large spiderweb. “Gachk-pbbt!” Merlos whipped the hat from atop his head off and proceeded to swat away the web and dust. Stormy tsked and rolled her eyes. “You knooow, this place really is in dire need of a cleaning-mare’s touch.” “A what-?” Merlos stopped at the foot of the stairs. Together, the two had clattered back down the tower, floor by floor, until reaching the first one they had started on. Stormy clambered spryly off the rickety stairs after him. “I meant, I’ll do a little clean up here and there! It’s the least I can do for you letting me stay. Also to get rid of any, ugh, long term health problems from all this dust. Hay, I’ll even clean only where you told me I could go.” Merlos squinted his eyes at the proposition. “Is this about the dust? Really, it isn’t that bad.” Stormy stared at him flatly. “Yeeeah, about that. It’s pretty bad.” “Fine then.” Merlos tugged his beard. “I’ll think about it.” Stormy laughed in earnest, and shook her head. “Alrighty, that’s good enough for-” Her words were cut off by a stout humanoid man, bearded and standing nearly at Stormy’s height. The new stranger had appeared from the doorway leading to the ‘offlimits’ basement. “Baast ia eck urugrosh, khadzull!” he swore and stared with eyes widened. “By the shins o’ me fadder, you weren’t lyin’, lud. That there is definitely somethin’ amazin’. Ahah! Now aren’t’chu just adorable, eh?” He slapped his knee, grinning wide, and strode up to Merlos and the pegasus beside him. “Ah, Gavlan, good eveni-” The casual words Merlos had been about to impart to his friend died in his throat as yet another dwarf he recognized emerged from the cellar door. “You!? You’re still here? I mean, that is to say, good day to you.” Orloch, the captain of that area’s guard, strode in as well, still encased in his breastplate and armor from earlier. The black as pitch beard and steely look in his eyes made the quiet in the room seem to double. This second dwarf spared a brief look to the human greeting him. “G’day,” he returned simply, and in an accent doubly as thick as Gavlan’s. “Brewmaste’, I’ll be takin’ mah leave naow. Been a long day. Please get a hold of me wit’ news’ ‘s soon as yer able.” Stormy recoiled as the first short humanoid reached out a hand to her—for what reason she didn’t know—but he stopped and spoke back to the guy with the black colored beard. “Of ‘course, Captain! I’m sure some o’ the lads’ll be happy to help. They’ll have yer problem whipped in no time.” Gavlan chortled, his belly shaking, and paused to take a bite of the large dessert he had held in one massive hand. He spoke around the food. “Ah’m surprised yeh had to come to me at all over such a small thing.” Orloch shrugged. “Jus’ prefer tah gif first pickin’s to kin when able s’all. Happ’ned to be comin’ this way on business anyway.” Gavlan laughed harder, nodding with hands on hips. “Right, yeh delivered this little beauty, eh? Now, Merlos, yeh ain’t introduced us yet! Hah, what’s your name there, little fella?” He again reached a hand out towards the curious creature. Straight away, Stormy flared her wings, ears standing up straight and eyes locked onto the reaching hand of the stranger, apparently named Gavlan. She flared her nostrils and blew a loud snort. “Oh, tha’ there’s a fiesty one. Eh, old friend? Sure it should be inside with all o’ them fragile expir’ments o’ yours yeh go on about? Hah!” Gavlan again began to prod towards Stormy with one sausage-like finger. Merlos raised a hand, finally able to get a word in edgewise, before someone yet again spoke over him. “Oi’ll be goin’ now, brewmaster. It was good catchin’ up wit’ yeh.” Orloch lifted his polished helm from resting atop one of Merlos’ arcanic field distributors, a device renowned for its sensitivity. “Tell yer brother ah said hullo if you see ‘im again this stone’s age.” Stormy stared on at the weird meet and greet in utter confusion. What are these guys even saaaaying? Sure, she understood the words, but their accent was so incredibly thick it may has well have been gibberish. Waiting, for what she didn’t know, her wings kept open nervously and her tail twitched behind her. Otherwise, she paid a little attention to a sudden, undeniably delicious smell in the air. Stormy sniffed again, relaxing somewhat. ’Ho Celestia, what is that? It was out of place, considering the tower thus far hadn’t had anything positive smelling yet. She eventually honed in on what she thought was the source; a large chunk of a pie that the first short stranger was waving around in a battered tin. “Will do, will do. You travel safe now, Captain.” Gavlan clapped the fellow dwarf on the shoulder, showing him to the door. Stormy took a couple hypnotized steps toward the dessert. Normally she’d protest his rude prodding at her, first, but with a rather beautiful pie being waved around like that, and her stomach still empty, she could hardly break her attention from it. While the brusque captain took his leave, Merlos noticed where Stormy’s attention had drifted. “You know, you could always ask for some,” he commented shortly. Stormy didn’t answer. She simply watched the pie while the dwarf seemed to tease her just by moving it casually, and sniffed at the treat from where she stood, keeping beside Merlos no matter how much her stomach complained. Agonizingly, the dessert had a sweet aroma to it, similar to that of an apple pie, though there was something a little bit off about it. “So, what was that all about, then?” Merlos watched out the window as Orloch trundled down the dirt path towards the newly cleaned stables. Gavlan made a relieved sound as he creaked back into a nearby chair. “Ohhh, there’s trouble in parts o’ the realm, same as always.” As he spoke, he raised the pie to his waiting jowls, only to stop, having noticed his audience. “He was askin’ about gettin’ a couple favors to help out escortin’ ‘round the countryside and into the mountains. Guard’s stretched thin,” he finished, now smirking. Merlos nodded. “Ah, is that all, then. Well, if it’s all the same, I have to see about getting- Excuse her, please, it seems she’s taken an interest in your food.” What Merlos referred to was the pegasus that was slowly slinking towards Gavlan’s pie, a starved look in her eye and drool slowly dripping from her mouth. The exhausted appearance she had from tiredness added an additional zombie-like quality to her. “Haha, I see tha’” Gavlan began maneuvering his pie tin about in the air, watching his audience’s uninterruptable focus. “So, what yeh said was true, lud. This is for certain an amazin’ creature. It can’t be no pegasus though, surely. I seen pictures o’ them before, and they weren’t a thing like this beast.” Stormy heard the word beast uttered in reference to herself, and spared the short ‘man’ with a bulbous nose a dirty look, before swallowing hard, ready to finally ask for his edible looking dessert. Merlos beat her to the punch. “Oh? Then in that case you’ll be doubly amazed to learn she can speak, as well! Also quite unlike a normal pegasus. Which, if we’re playing fair, would mean I get two kegs of your finest.” He grinned, his bet with the old dwarf from the day before well remembered. “Bah, there be no such rule where I’m from, you skinflint. And yeh’ll get no such generosity from me. Though, I am a dwarf o’ me word. Yeh’ll getcher keg.” Gavlan laughed. “But, it’s a she, eh? And she can talk, can she? Well little miss, why don’t yeh introduce yourself?” Stormy blinked, suddenly having both opposing pairs of eyes on her. A mixture of stage fright and hesitation from new surroundings made her pause. Before answering, however, a little spark of mischief and an idea entered her head, and put her more at ease. When you were scared, laughing or a joke helped lighten the mood. The idea tied back to the fact that her speaking seemed out of place and strange. With that in mind, Stormy blew a mild snort, then simply looked back at the pie; nothing more. Gavlan raised an eyebrow, and glanced over at Merlos. Merlos, for his part, scowled. “Hmph. She wouldn’t stop whining earlier about the dust. Stormy, come now, say hello at least. That’s her name, by the way.” Stormy just barely managed to keep a snicker under wraps. “Oh, yeh almost had me there, that time.” Gavlan laughed, and began moving the pie up and down, then mocked a fake voice in falsetto. “Oh yah, I could nay be a talkin’ wing-ed horse, Merlos. That ‘ould be downright silly! Jus’ one o’ the two’s enough for me.” Merlos traded between glaring at Stormy and looking at Gavlan pleadingly. “What? No, really! I swear she can talk!” he said in his defense. “She’s just trying to- to-” “Suuuure she can, lud,” Gavlan replied between chuckles. “Go ahead, speak to him.” Merlos encouraged. Stormy took her eyes off the pie and gave a smirk to Merlos for just a brief moment, then nickered lightly. Gavlan smiled. “Yup, I see she’s quite a talker.” With more enthusiasm this time, and a hint of impatience, Stormy gave both humanoids another nickering grunt again, to which Merlos slapped a hand over his face. “Well then, I won’t tease ‘er no longer.” Gavlan promptly set the pie tin down. “Here y’ go little darlin’. Such a well behaved pegasus you’ve got here.” Stormy’s first instinct was to pick the pie up in her hooves and set it on the nearby table to eat. But, going with the flow, shrugged and leaned full on into the dessert. Oh my gosh, it’s still warm! Mmm, spicy, too. A spicy dessert? Not bad… The delicious treat had her at a loss, but nonetheless, it was as good as a gift from Celestia herself. What is this flavor though? Merlos sighed despairingly to himself, seeing through his newest tenant’s mischief. “So that’s the way you’re going to play it, hm?” he muttered, then turned back to Gavlan. “Well behaved, really? That is yet to be seen. Oh and don't feed her that sugar-ridden garbage. She'll get fat. Or worse, used to getting hand outs. She's staying here you know and I don't want to put up with some sugar-laden hyperactive monster." Merlos earned a derisive snort and a glare from Stormy in response to his last comment. Gavlan reached out to pet Stormy as she ate his dessert. “A monster? She’s so adorable, lud! I look forward to her being around the place. It’s not like you couldn’t use a friend or companion being cooped up in your tower all the time anyways.” Stormy caught sight of something in her peripherals, and almost squeaked as a meaty, coarse palm encompassed her head, then began stroking her mane lightly. Oh Celestiaaa, her thoughts panicked. A startled squeak muffled its way out of her, just barely suppressed. He’s touching meee. She scrunched her eyes shut, but kept her act up, and told herself it would be worth it later. Gavlan sighed, and stood up out of his chair abruptly. “Well, I best be goin’, you two. Got some plannin’ t’do with the lads, it seems.” “Now hold on, what about my keg?” Merlos asked before Gavlan could depart. Gavlan turned, a look of mock shock on his face, before then grinning broadly. “Oh, tha’? Well, I don’t ‘ave one right now.” "You what?” Merlos deadpanned. “But you run a brewery down there! How do you not have a spare keg?” he blanched. Gavlan gave a cheerful shrug. "Aye, but the lads just set sail down the river with everything we had. There was a big order from yer kin at that big port city you humans brag about, Halia.” He chuckled again. “And besides tha’, I didn’t really think yeh were tellin’ the truth, either. Hah.” Merlos began to scowl, and Gavlan waved a stubby arm his way. “Easy, easy, I’m a dwarf o’ my word. You’ll get yer keg, and I’ll make it a goodin’ too. I’ve just got to contact my cousin in Riverdale to meet the demand this season. On tha’ note, there might even be a lil’ money in it fer ya.” Merlos stared skeptically, before saying, “I’m listening.” As he did, he stared at the pony eagerly consuming her fill of apple pie. He took a moment to observe how she ate. As hungrily as she seemed to attack the pie, it was rather clean and dainty compared to a dog or how other quadrupeds would consume such a delicate food. For starters, she was chewing. “Well,” Gavlan went on. “Yeh mentioned adventurin’ again. Orloch as yeh saw were offerin’ me ‘n the lads a bit o’ work. ‘Course if I do that, I’ve got fewer hands on the ol’ river barge. Followin’ me?” Merlos tilted his head back and slowly responded. “Are you suggesting an escort quest?” Gavlan grinned again. “Aye! Simple, easy, and honest work. An’ if bandits or worse do give yeh a spot o’ trouble, there’s extra in it. But, here’s the kicker. While yer visitin’ the capitol down there, yeh can think about lookin’ for bigger boars to spear, eh? Haha!” By that, Merlos understood that he meant ways to make gold. He had been about to refute the notion of drifting for days on end down river on a cramped boat, and worse, alongside and in close quarters with his tenants. But, the proposal did bring to light his earlier considerations of travel, and more. “Interesting,” Merlos thought to himself. “Well, I do need the coin, certainly-” No sooner had he finished, than Gavlan hopped and slapped his back roughly. “Tha’s the spirit! Hah! I’ll get you the details soon, then.” His heavy boots hit the wood floor with a thud. “And I’ll be seein’ you ‘round I suspect, Stormy.” He crooned the last bit in a cutesy voice. Merlos coughed, practically choking from surprise, and doubled over from the shock his body took. At the same time, and contented from her meal, Stormy looked up just in time to dodge another vigorous petting from Gavlan. She eyed him warily. “Hehe, good night then.” Gavlan thumped his way back across the musty foyeur, and towards the musty door that led downward, leaving a coughing Merlos and a pegasus with a pie stained muzzle behind him. As Gavlan walked beyond earshot, Stormy gulped down her last mouthful, then began to sing. “Hello my filly, Hello my pony, Hello my ragtime mare!” She grinned at Merlos viciously. Merlos, still bent over, grumbled back in response. “Next stop, your room, so when I get annoyed with you I can send you to it. And after today, I suspect you’ll become very intimately familiar with it.” “Sounds good!” Stormy affirmed cheerfully and innocently, all while lapping her lips a moment to get all the sticky pie goo off them. Half-hunched over, Merlos led the way toward a back door that had previously been simply ‘off-limits’. Stormy watched him as he stooped his way down the hall. Merlos had been stern, gruff, and pretty rough around the edges all in all, for an old guy. But he was accommodating, and an overall okay guy, considering the situation. At least, as far as Stormy could tell. Oh well, even if I did first show up here in a dungeon, I could have ended up somewhere worse, I guess, Stormy thought, snickering. It could have been dragon world, instead of weird two legged monkey world. She bowed down to nip the pie tin’s side and placed the treat upon her back; at least there it would be safe from the dust they disturbed. Stormy stood in the doorway looking at the sight before her. “Is this the only cleaned room in the tower? Well… as clean as it can be?” she asked, running a hoof along the floor, surprised at the clean spot. She wiped her hoof on a nearby rug and waited for the human to respond. Merlos, still flustered, glowered back without answering. “‘Cause, uh, it didn’t seem like any of the other rooms were all that clean. I was hoping to get one I could actually sleep in.” Stormy shuffled slightly from side to side under the taller being’s scrutiny. And I’m still hungry... she thought. Merlos straightened up with realization. “Oh- Oh I see. Well it’s the best I have on such short notice, I’m afraid.” With an awkward pause, Merlos watched the pegasi’s fear of dust tendencies before continuing. “Ah well, this is a pretty sizable tower. There are plenty of rooms on the lower few levels to use.” He had corralled the little pony to where some old barracks rooms were. “I was going to house helpstaff here, though I never got around to that... but it should suit you well enough until… you clean it, or some such.” The room was pretty bad off, but it wasn’t quite uninhabitable. It was very big, though. Rotten and dilapidated remains of bunk beds and a few nicer, but shoddily kept beds were lined up along the long walls. Footlockers nestled soundly at the foot of each bunk bed, and a large bell hung just off the side of the door. The walls were grimey, old and seemingly had seen much better days. A few doorways led to a smaller room, one of which was a former garderobe, complete with a few rodents scurrying to hide in any crevasse or other hideaway. The doorway leading to the small room contained a single bed, a desk and a bookshelf with many moldy volumes on its shelves. Its interior had been kept in good condition by a magical artifact, casting a mending spell on the interior, keeping everything clean and well preserved. The room looked as if it were only recently abandoned. Stormy had drunk in the sight tiredly, but managed to smile after some thought. “I imagine you’ll want this smaller room since it’s better kept than the rest of the place,” Merlos said, using a mage-hand spell to lift the acceptably clean wool sheet off the bed. “Hmm, strange, no bugs… But at least this room is well kept versus most of the tower. Now before I let you go for the night, I need to lay down a couple more rules.” His tone shifted to a serious and no-nonsense tone. “No run- err, no galloping around in the hallways, or making lots of loud noise. I keep a peaceful and quiet home.” Stormy blinked as the wizard carried on about wiping dirty hooves off at the door. She began nodding along without listening, her eyes getting heavy with the wizard somehow getting on a tangent about windows, though there weren’t any within that area itself and blah blah blah... “Do you understand all of that?” he finally finished, both of his gnarled hands on his hips as he looked sternly down Stormy, for her part, was doing her best at not passing out from being bored to tears. She stared at Merlos vacantly before snapping into revery. “I- uh, yes.” “Maybe we should call it a night?” Stormy suggested, a hopeful tone in her voice seeming to draw the wizard out from his expected answer “Ah, yes… Well I suppose its time we part ways and go to bed. At least a nap to help the day’s events pass by.” The dress wearing man said, reaching under his cap to scratch noisily at his scraggly mane. Stormy nodded and bowed a little. “Goodnight, mister Merlos, sir,” she mumbled, before hurriedly returning to the room she was shown before. Merlos grumbled, “Goodnight,” almost imperceptibly while he began to make his way up the stairs and to his own chambers. A room kept clean with simple magics to hide away stains, and of course, animate random cleaning supplies for those areas that were well used. The darkness surrounded Stormy. Vaguely, she was aware she was dreaming, but in that strange way that wasn’t quite lucid. Instead it was cold, angry, and somehow left her feeling lonely. “A-Anypony there?” she asked, glancing upwards to the sky. A tiny blue dot of a star shone down to her. The feeling was so alien to her, because these dreams never quite felt like dreams. Stormy took slow steps around in her broken dreamscape. Since her arrival a few weeks ago, it’d been like this every time she’d fallen asleep. A feeling of something cold touched her shoulders, causing her to whirl around and face it. Her eyes widened to that of saucers as she saw a skeleton of a pegasus filly next to her. “You need to come back, he’s waiting for you.” It said, faded burning coals burning within its eyes. Red embers illuminated its skull with a pink hue while its mandible moved with each word. “I need you…. I want you… I’ve been lonely for so so long, we can be friends… Forever...” Stormy’s mind let her do the only thing she could do. Stormy awoke with a start; sweat seemed to soak her bedding. Curling up in a ball, she sobbed quietly. Shivering with the vivid details of the skeleton in her mind. Even Nightmare Night wasn't that scary. “Alright,” she muttered, “No more dessert before bed…” Clutching her tail she pet it until her sobs calmed down to occasional sniffles. It was dark in the room, a faint glowing gemstone was the only source of illumination for her and she didn't want to stay in bed any longer. The pie had teased her belly and now that she had slept she was all the more hungry. It was time to finish the rest off. Both that and her restlessness drew her out of the strange bed. Nibbling the leftovers down a little at a time, Stormy considered her luck in getting some real food, rather than the ghastly offerings of Merlos’ pantry. While she could maybe make a basic meal of cooked rolled oats or something from the pantry, plain old grass from outside Merlos’ home honestly seemed a lot more appealing; he did also mention he bought some kind of feed, so she considered checking out the stable too, just in case. With a shudder she remembered the hanging slabs of what she’d decided was probably… meat, hanging within it. She wasn’t sure what it was, but it had a particular smell and made her shiver when she thought about it. She couldn’t put her hoof on it, but just being near it just bothered her, and she had honestly always thought she was pretty PC. Letting her eyes linger around the features of her room, Stormy set about to make her bed and neaten her surroundings. The glowing gem thing that had dimmed bloomed alight as she did. “Gah!” Stormy shut her eyes. “Okay, that’s bright.” A hoof scrubbed at her eyes to get rid of the sparks in them. Once done, the mildly clean alcove she was in and the filthy rooms beyond it met her. While she protested the way Merlos kept his home, she felt while she was there she could at least do her part in upkeep for the tower. Hopefully that stay wouldn’t be for very long. The tower, while it didn’t seem too large from the outside, seemed rather easy to get lost within. Every floor had been different, and if she was being honest with herself, she had been paying attention a little absently. “It’s not my fault that guy’s boring…” Nibbling on the last of her pie, Stormy felt the pains of hunger subside for the moment, though she wanted something a little more filling. She poked her way out of the room, intent to find the kitchen, or the way leading outside. The glowing pebble in the wall seemed to glow a bit brighter than it had earlier, and she surmised it was because it was likely later in the day. It certainly kept the room very well illuminated. The door exiting her room screeched loudly on rusty hinges as she pushed it open slowly. Ow! Owowow- Her eyes clapped against her skull. That was loud. Gah, this guy needs to take a seminar on home care. As quietly as she could, she stumbled out into the hall, a flickering lamp hanging on the wall guiding her. Okay… now where was I? Directly opposite her was another room. Was that one the kitchen? Stormy wasn’t sure. Only one way to find out. The other door had a thick brace on it like the kitchen, and it swung off easily enough. The door opened more easily, too. Contrary to the easy entry, her initial search provided nothing in the way of interesting things to look at or figure out. It was definitely not the kitchen though. From what she could make out in the dark, much of the room’s walls were barren. Mostly vacant shelves and a shattered desk seemed almost out of place in the otherwise empty room. Rather than leave right there, she stepped further in, curiosity getting the best of her. It was dark inside, but her eyes adjusted well to the absence of the hall’s lamplight. With a bit of exploring, Stormy found all but one drawer of the desk easy to open, but empty. She did take a moment to look over the books left sprawled randomly. She couldn’t make out the words in the dark, but a few pages had crude pictures on them. Thinking back to the tour, Stormy thought she had recognized some of the lettering and symbols on a few books in the lab. But, she felt reluctant to go in there so soon after being yelled at. With a sigh, Stormy left the door and exited the room. With such a big tower and so many places to explore and search, she wanted to get an idea just how big the whole thing was. So, cantering toward the ground level stairs, she poked through and explored the first floor. Leaving most of the sealed doors closed, she came upon another one with a brace. With a bit of work, she managed to open the door and slowly stepped inside. The room was predictably messy and dusty, with pieces of wood and corroded metal were strewn everywhere in the room. But once again it wasn’t the kitchen. Studying bits of floor rubbish, Stormy determined these to be similar to swords and shields she had witnessed on guardponies. Whoa, these are rare. After picking one big metal tool up, it fell apart in her hooves from deterioration alone in the flickering light. Stormy sniffed around and made a disgusted face. The air was stale in the room and with a glance over she determined that it hadn’t had a window opened or a decent breeze in a great while. Her nose crinkled at the hinted scent of rodents and their leavings somewhere as well, but for the moment she paid it little mind. Nothing that a good cleanup and a mopping wouldn't fix. Nipping a sword by its handle, she found it in better condition than much of the debris around her and with a few swings, but after just a couple swings a part of it flung away and clattered on the ground. Stormy winced right away, and perked her ears to listen for Merlos. She wouldn’t think he’d be too happy with her playing around in that room too much. Then, from behind a door nearby, she heard a clicking sound. In surprise at actually hearing something, she dropped the still good handle of the sword and it clanked on the floor at her hooves. Stormy searched the shadows, and her eyes picked out a lone door recessed into a stone wall a bit, like a closet. She heard the clacking inside it again. Her ears flattened back and her eyes kept focused on the door, sniffing the air again she drew slow hesitant hoofsteps towards the door. With each step, the room’s feeling became strangely “heavy” and cold. “Is somepony there?” she asked quietly. The clicking happened again and she froze, her heart pounding in her little gray chest. One part of her yearned to ignore it and just go to the kitchen, but her filly’s curiosity often got the better of her. Stormy took another few steps closer. Tiny alarms inside her told her to run away, to hide, to find a cloud and get comfy in it till mommy came, but there was that curiosity that pulled her closer. “H-Hello?” Stormy drew a little closer, and could make out more details. A few pieces of decayed wood seemed visible, possibly once barricading the contents of the door, which in itself was nearly rotten through. Mildew had bored many large gaping holes in the wood. “Mister M-Merlos? Is that you?” Tentatively Stormy reached a hoof out and undid a rough latch on the side. Right away, the door noisily swung open on hinges needing lubrication for several centuries. Within the doorway’s shadows, she saw something so terrifying that color drained from her face. It wasn’t dust or mice this time, either. She let out a gasp while her flight response had trouble kicking in. Her hooves felt glued to the floor, the dreadful feeling of mortal danger ringing soundly in her mind. As far as her brain was concerned, those feathery things on the sides of her body might as well have not existed. Four pairs of red glowing eyes, twice her height, fell on her. The doorway was barely large enough for two humans like Merlos to fit within standing shoulder to shoulder, but they leaned over one another in order to all make eye contact. Stormy’s ears pinned back while her eyes focused into tiny dots. The clacking started up again as the beings approached the door. They stopped to study her, while Stormy held her breath. The abominations were a bit like the humans, except they were a bunch of skeletons. That, and their rounded skulls and pointed teeth gave her the impression that they were of a different variety. They were clad in what was likely their final vestments, the clothing now soiled and ragged against their bony bodies. Their eyes glowed a dull red, akin to dull embers in memory of the heat and warmth they once held. Rasps like pitiful imitations of voices whispered out from their mouths. Each of them seemed to lean closer and closer toward her, then reached out slowly with bony hands grasping like pale claws out of the dark closet. A strangled scream finally made its way out of Stormy. Merlos awoke in the early hours of the morning with a start, the motions of swimming making it difficult to make sense of the world. He heard something, faint at first but it was definitely there and getting louder. Crossed thoughts of scolding Stormy worked across his mind while he brought himself to an awoken state. He was certain that he told her not to be so noisy at night. There was some crashing sound accompanying the screaming. Was it screaming? Yes, definitely screaming. It passed easily into his bedroom. Merlos rose up off his bed and wandered clumsily to his bedroom door, trying to make sense of why his new house guest would be screaming so much. He pulled his door open, hearing the erratic sounds of Stormy’s wings and of course, her panicked screams. Peeking at what the commotion was all about he stuck his head out to see a panicking Stormy, flying desperately down the hall and through the air, her legs flailing. “What is the meaning of this?” he called, his eyes a little bloodshot from his lack of a proper night’s rest. Stormy, who had sighted her savior, flew at and tackled him in the face. She clutched his head and erratically pointing down the hallway while blubbering incoherently. Merlos struggled, both to stand and to rip off the pegasus clinging to his face. “Would you get off!?” he fought to shout, still trying to get her plush-like belly fur off his face so he could at least breathe. Once he had his face-hugger situation under control, and an unwelcome winged pony hanging in his arms, an ear piercing shriek grabbed his attention. The scream wasn’t from Stormy, but from down the hall. Merlos looked up, eyes stark but serious. “Oh, that’s why you’re upset.” A small troupe of skeletons were currently shambling down the hallway and toward them both, each clutching old weapons or shields and clad in ragged and rusty armor. Stormy’s gibberish grew more panicked and less coherent with her mad jabs at the approaching monsters. “Very well, then.” Merlos unceremoniously dropped Stormy onto the floor with a loud thump, and rolled up his bathrobe’s sleeves.