The Yeti
Ringing. My ears were ringing, and I was consciously aware of it. It wasn’t loud, but it was constant. I took a breath in, feeling an unnatural warmth in the air. The smell of smoke with a hint of mint hit my nose as I slowly came back from unconsciousness.
I opened my eyes slowly, blurry shapes greeting them, a flickering light dominating my vision. It was only now that I became aware that I was in a bed, under a multitude of covers. I shifted to the left, blindly grasping near the flickering light that I assumed was a candle. I waved my hoof back and forth on the little bedside table before finding what I was looking for.
Casting some magic through my horn, I engulfed my glasses in a magic aura and levitated them onto my face, the world becoming clear once more. I sat up on the bed, noticing that someone had stripped me completely down in the time that I was unconscious. It made me rather uneasy to know that someone had been messing with me while I was out.
Blinking a few times to let my eyes become used to the sudden change in vision, I saw that I was in some sort of stone room, almost like a cave that had been dug out by hoof. The light flickering beside me was indeed a candle, and a rather large one at that, sitting in a brass holder that looked like it had come straight from Canterlot.
Shuffling out from under the covers, I rolled over the edge of the bed and on my hooves, my head suddenly taking a bit of a whirl as I realized I wasn’t as awake as I had thought. Leaning on the mattress of the bed, I closed my eyes as my head tumbled, a slight nausea washing over me. I let out an involuntary groan and clenched as the nausea built up.
Soon enough, the feeling passed, and although my legs were just a bit shaky, I could make out up from down again. Rubbing my eyes a bit I took a better look at the room I was in. The bed next to me was a wood-frame bed. The shape was crude, almost as if someone had sawed it by hoof with no knowledge of how carpentry worked. The posts were nowhere near flat, and the wood was roughly cut. The surface had been sanded, but only barely.
The mattress and sheets seemed to be from a different world entirely. The top quilt was expertly sewn, designs of all shapes and sizes imprinted on the material. I saw pictures of the sun and moon, various animals that were nowhere indigenous to mountaintop life, and dozens of generic ponies doing generic things. There was no way the maker of this quilt lived around here. The sheets underneath were a silk fabric soft to the touch and, like the quilt, were completely out of place against the bedframe.
Other than the bed, the room was rather barren. The side table holding the candle sat next to the bed, an identical one sitting on the opposite side, and a tiny trunk was lying at the end. A curtain of the same silk material from the bed, probably taken from the same roll, hung in the doorway, acting like a makeshift door. I saw little bumps at the bottom where the curtain was folded over, probably filled with something to weigh the fabric down and keep it from blowing about.
Slowly I made my way to the foot of the bed, picking up the candle in my magic so I could shed some light on the trunk. It looked old and dusty, as if it hadn’t been used in ages. Setting the candle down next to the trunk, I examined the latch. There was no lock to be seen, and it looked as if the latch had been broken off ages ago. If this trunk ever did lock, nothing short of a magical charm would keep it that way nowadays.
Reaching out a hoof, I pulled up on the top half of the chest. It may not have been locked, but it certainly was heavy. With a grunt, I lifted the heavy wood and let it fall back on the foot of the bed, a creak in the hinges showing their age. Inside the trunk were my bags and my sweater, neatly folded and sitting on top of yet more astonishingly well-crafted blankets.
“I suppose I should thank whoever stripped me and brought me here,” I mumbled, levitating the sweater out of the trunk and back onto my torso, feeling much less naked. “But it still creeps me out that someone was moving my unconscious body.”
I gave a stretch, getting used to having the wool against my fur once more. At the same time, I realized how sore my hooves felt. This had been more walking and exercise than I had gotten in probably over a year or more. My body certainly wasn’t built for adventuring, much less adventuring in the Himaneighas during the winter.
I closed the lid of the trunk with an audible thunk, deciding to leave my bags inside for later so I could get a better look at the place that Twilight and Gale had dragged me to. Levitating the candle in front of me once more, I readjusted my glasses to make sure they were snugly on my face before continuing towards the makeshift door to the room. The curtain was hanging on a bar not unlike those found surrounding a bathtub. Instead of plastic, however, this one was made from a beautiful silk. I could tell that the material was being used unconventionally.
I slid the curtain aside with a hoof, taking a look into the main room. It seemed rather simple, yet elegant in places. The center of the room held a four small wooden chairs, cushions on the seat to make them less stiff I assumed. In between the four was a makeshift table made from stone. A thin slab of it sat on four carved supports. Like the bed I had awoken in, the table seemed shoddily done, as if an amateur had carved it out with crude tools.
The chairs, on the other hoof, seemed to be made expertly, and sanded down beautifully, The finish was worn, but smooth. The chairs seemed to be strong and what one would expect to be up in such a mountainous area. All four of them were placed around the table as one would expect, but the short height of the table seemed odd with the seemingly dinner-table sized chairs.
On the wall opposite me, a fire crackled in a small pit, the logs shifting as a small blaze was kept contained by a metal grate. A few cushions sat in front of it for ponies wanting to warm themselves. The style was archaic but effective, as I felt the warmth radiate throughout the room. The fire also provided a decent light source for the room, along with a lantern hanging on the wall next to me. A few candles sat around the room in holders similar to the one I was currently carrying. They were unlit for the time being, but the light from the fire and lantern was more than enough to see around the room.
To my right was a small small alcove with makeshift shelves filled with canned food and spices. I levitated my candle into the small indent to see large glass jars of grains and pasta sat on the floor of this pantry. It looked like food exclusively found from trade caravans, and certainly not anything that would really be found in the area. Most of the cans were preserved beans and other vegetables as well as some dried fruits. If it weren’t for the cavernous architecture and mismatched furniture, this could easily be a cottage back in Equestria proper. This looked like the makeup of my own pantry back home, albeit less fresh foods.
Taking my candle out from the small room, I set it down on the table of stone before turning to my left to see another curtain hiding another side room like mine. Pushing the curtain aside, I looked into the room to see a very similar layout to the one I awoke in. The same shoddily-worked wooden bed with elegant quilts sat in the middle of the room, a trunk at its foot. In the bed, Twilight and Galearis were lying side by side, stripped of their heavy clothing like I had been. They seemed to be in a deep sleep, the quilt ever so slightly rising and falling around their bodies.
Slowly I stepped back out of the room, leaving them to get the rest that all of us needed after that avalanche. I gave a smile, glancing once more at the bed. “What I wouldn’t give to have a camera right now,” I whispered with a bit of a giggle when I saw the two mares so close to each other. If they were going to joke about how I was going head over hooves for Gale, then Twilight might as well tumble with me.
Levitating the curtain neatly back into place, I turned and made my way towards the fire. Walking up to a cushion, I could feel the warmth of the fire grow, almost getting a little too hot as I stepped onto one of the cushions in front of the crackling flames. Willing a bit of magic into my horn, I cast a simple protection spell around myself, letting just the right amount of heat through and displacing the rest to the room around me.
“Now that’s what I call cozy,” I said to myself, settling into the oversized pillow and levitating my glasses onto the table near my still-burning candle. As I crouched into my sitting position, a kink in my knee made me wince in pain. Apparently I hadn’t come out of that avalanche as unscathed as I had hoped. Taking a deep breath in, I laid my head down, resting in the perfect warmth provided by the fire.
A few minutes passed before I became acutely aware of how hungry I was, not having eaten since Galearis and I had at her place. Almost as if on cue, my stomach growled, wanting nothing more than a good meal. Levitating my glasses back over to me, I yawned, the sleep still not completely shaken from me. Slowly standing up, I winced as my pained knee reminded me that it was still sore. I stretched it for a couple of seconds before trotting over to the pantry I had seen before.
“I hope whoever lives here won’t mind if I steal a can of beans and some spices,” I worriedly mumbled as I levitated a can of beans from the small pantry. Looking further in the back, I spotted a small pot in the back traditionally meant to be used on a stove The scorch marks on the side of it gave away that it had not been used that way for a while. The pot was dented in as if it had been dropped a few times but seemed to be capable of still holding food to be cooked.
Levitating the can towards me, I focused a burst of energy towards the top, and with a rather conspicuous pop the top sparked before the metal cover came cleanly off in a horizontal slice. Scraping the bean residue from the top of the lid and placing it into the pot, I set the clean lid down on the table before trotting over to the fire. On my way over, I scooped out the can as cleanly as I could without taking out slices of aluminum along with it and dumped the contents into the pot. I then levitated some of the spices into the pot randomly hoping something good would come out of it. I never was the best cook when it came to home recipes.
I levitated the pot and can onto the table, releasing them from my magical grip so that I could focus on breaking the warmth spell surrounding myself. If I wasn’t careful with my magic use, I might tire myself out before we even set out again. Focusing energy to my horn, I felt the magic course over me, as if I were standing under an invisible shower. I felt the shield wash off me as the room seemed to grow slightly colder than before. Taking the magical residue, I shifted the shield to cover the pot in it’s entirety. The very least I could do with this beat up pot was protect it from any more damage.
Opening my eyes, I levitated the pot once more and moved it over to the fireplace. Setting the metal cover aside, I stuck the pot into the flames and let it hover slightly above the charcoal and logs. As it sat in the heat, I levitated the lid of the can into the can itself and placed both of them next to the fire itself so I could find some place to dispose of it later. I heard the beans start to bubble when the sound of curtains sweeping met my ear. Turning around, I saw that Galearis was standing in the doorway, rubbing her eyes.
When she saw me, she paused for a second and perked up before trotting quickly over to me and embracing me in a hug. “You made it out!” she excitedly whispered, obviously trying not to wake Twilight.
“Well of course I did,” I answered with an awkward smile, completely red in the face. I wasn’t sure how to interpret the gesture Galearis was giving me. “Twilight came and saved me.” Galearis let go of me, taking a step back and giving me a look of a half frown and questioning eyes. “Right?” I asked, seeing the doubt in her face.
“I thought she got buried in the snow with me when the avalanche finally hit,” Galearis responded, walking over to look at my handiwork in the fire. “I remember somepony pulling me out, but I thought you were a goner for sure. You were so deep in the drift.”
“Well,” I started, placing a hoof on her back, “I did make it. That’s all that matters. You didn’t lose any more.” Galearis looked up into my eyes and gave a warm smile, knowing I was still thinking of her and her friends.
“So what are you doing with that pot in there?” Galearis asked me, pointing to the pot engulfed in flames.
“Cooking some beans,” I replied, moving the grate and tilting the pot to see if the beans had started to boil yet. When I saw they weren’t a put the grate back and turned to the pegasus. “Would you like some?”
“Won’t they just burn when you stick them that far in?” Gale asked, trotting over to closer inspect the pot. “Now that I think about it, how aren’t you burning the pot itself?”
“Magic, Gale” I said with a grin, pointing a hoof at my horn. “I’ve got a heat shield cast around the pot. The food’ll cook, just fine.”
“Right,” Galearis said, giving a yawn and stretching her hooves. “Whoof, it feels like I’ve been sleeping for days. I’m sore all over. And yeah, I’ll have some beans too. I could use some food in me right now.”
“I know exactly how you feel,” I said, adjusting my glasses and checking the beans once more. They looked to be bubbling at this point. “When I woke up, I was pretty sore, and I’m still feeling it in my knees.”
I pulled the pot out from the fire carefully to make sure the beans wouldn’t slosh out. Heat protection or not, boiling hot beans would not be a fun mess to clean up without any towels. I set the pot down on the stone table before lifting the charm from the surface, the steam finally meeting my nostrils. The smell wasn’t exactly intoxicating, but the food was definitely cooked and not burnt. It was better than I’d normally do at least.
“I wonder how Twilight made it over to you after surviving such a hit from all that snow,” Galearis mentioned, looking in the makeshift pantry for something to put the beans in. After a few second her face lit up, and she reached into the dark corner, coming back with two clear drinking glasses in her teeth. It wasn’t what I was expecting, but still was a better idea than trying to eat it directly from the pot.
“She must’ve teleported at the right time to avoid the avalanche,” I responded, taking the glasses from Gale’s mouth and levitating them over to the pot, picking it up as well in my magical aura. Carefully, I tipped the pot until the beans oozed into the clear glass cups, talking as I poured. “I know if I was as adept at teleporting spells as she was I would’ve tried something like that. I’m just grateful one of us got through that. It’s amazing we did that much less get to this empty house.”
“Right,” Galearis said, climbing into one of the disproportionately sized chairs. “It’s almost more than a miracle that she found this place and got us there intact. There’s food, shelter, fire, furniture…”
“That is crazy,” I mumbled, setting the pot back on the middle of the stone table, letting my cup cool as a lazy cloud of steam wafted up from the inside. Now that I thought about it, I knew Twilight was an adventurer and a great spellcaster, but that was quite a feat she pulled off saving both me and Galearis. I didn’t even hear her use her teleport spell.
“Do you…” I started before cutting myself short. The idea was preposterous, and yet I couldn’t shake my mind of the fact that I hadn’t heard that distinct teleportation spell.
“Do I what, Moon?” Galearis said, taking a sip of her beans, my growling stomach reminding me that I had yet to do the same. I blew off the steam before taking a sip of the soupy beans. They were rather bland tasting, but the concept of warm food relaxed my tense body.
“Before the avalanche hit you, did you hear anything unusual, like a loud bubble popping?” I said, setting down my cup and wiping my mouth with my sleeve, adjusting my glasses and giving Galearis a serious look.
“Well no,” she replied, her brow curling into one of worry and confusion, “but it was pretty loud. Hundreds of tons of snow barrelling down a mountain would probably be able to cover up just about any sound, much less that of a bubble pop.
“Right,” I said, my weak tone betraying my want to stay neutral. The sound of the avalanche probably would have covered up the sound of a teleportation. Clearing my throat, I took another sip before asking, “But did you actually see Twilight teleport away from you?”
Galearis tipped her cup completely vertical, letting the last bit of her beans fall into her mouth. Happily chewing on them with a beam in her cheeks, she swallowed before opening her eyes again, the enthusiasm that came with fresh-cooked veggies waning away until her smile became a slight frown. “I don’t think so,” she paused, deep in thought. “I can’t say that my vision was perfect in that blizzard, but I remember seeing Twilight get hit by the snow just as I did.”
Galearis set her cup on the table, hopping out of her chair and walking over to the lit fire. “Maybe she teleported after I lost track of her,” Galearis offered, sitting gently down on the cushion in front of the fireplace.
“Right…” I mumbled, taking another sip of the warm cup of beans. I was still skeptical about it all. Twilight would’ve gotten hit just as hard as I did. I’ll admit freely that physical prowess isn’t one of my strong points, and it wasn’t surprising that I’d hurt myself up in the mountains, but I had a hard time believing that she came out of that unscathed. Not to mention she then dragged both me and Galearis to this house she miraculously found. It just didn’t add up.
“Speak of the devil,” Gale commented, glancing behind me to the tired form of Twilight standing in the doorway. “Morning, Princess. How’re you feeling?”
“Like I got on the wrong end of an apple-bucking competition,” Twilight responded, the tiredness apparent in her eyes. “My head hurts so much still.” She raised a hoof and rubbed her forehead, leaning a bit against the wall.
“Here,” I offered the pot of beans, the steam still rising from them. “Have a drink on me,” I joked, motioning to the glasses next to Gale and I. “There’s plenty of beans to go around.”
“I didn’t know you were about that life, there Moonie,” Twilight replied with a smile, trying to cover the still pained expression in her face. I got up and walked over to the pantry to grab another glass.
“I may not have been a partier, but that doesn’t mean I’ve done my fair share of research on the subject,” I quipped, using my horn to light up the darkened space. Seeing the glasses in the bottom corner of the room, I grabbed one in my magic and turned back to the weathered alicorn. “I’ve even read a book by your resident partygoer, Ms. Pinkamena.”
Putting the glass on the table, I poured a hot cup of beans for Twilight as she walked over and sat down in one of the fancy dining chairs. “Really,” she responded skeptically. “Pinkie not only wrote a book, but got it published? Since when has this been a thing?” Taking the cup, she took a small sip and her brow furled after tasting it. Admittedly it wasn’t exactly a standard flavor for beans.
“If I recall, the book’s been out for years,” I replied to Twilight’s question, finishing off my own cup of beans. “I think the title was something like ‘Partying for the Prevalent Pony’ or something like that. I remember seeing a copy right after graduating with my PhD in Ancient Philology. It was one of my more... interesting... scholarly reads in Canterlot Library.”
“Well I’ll be..” she trailed off, taking another sip of beans and shaking her head slightly. “Pinkie wasn’t lying when she said she had a PhD in Partying.”
“I was surprised to read that myself,” I commented, taking my cup and setting it next to the pot on the table. “I didn’t know any university around even offered something like that. I didn’t think there’d be anybody that interested in taking a degree that was that specific.”
“You learn something new every day,” Galearis popped in from her position in front of the fire. She looked snug sitting on that huge body pillow. It looked nice and warm by that fire and it really complemented her golden mane.
I gave my head a shake, snapping myself out of the trance I caught myself in. I didn’t know what was wrong with me. Galearis was a very nice mare, but she was nothing more than a new friend and a guide up here. “Sorry,” I apologized to nobody in particular at my obvious distractedness.
“You make this too easy, Moonie,” Twilight giggled, standing up and giving a long stretch before turning towards Galearis. “You know I still haven’t thanked you for saving our butts back there, Gale. I’m just glad this place was around for us to crash in for the night.
“Wait,” Galearis said, a puzzling look immediately spreading over her face, “what do you mean I saved us? I thought you were the one teleporting around and saving butts yesterday.”
“No…” Twilight said trailing off for a second. “I was buried in the snow in that avalanche. I thought it missed you. You seemed to be way ahead of me when everything hit the fan.”
“No.” Gale dismissed Twilight. “I was buried too. So was Moondancer.”
“That doesn’t make any sense,” I said, getting to my hooves, worriedly looking around the room. My heart started to race a bit, the calm safe feeling I had had when I woke up in this place was gone and a massive bout of fear had replaced it. “How did we end up here?”
“I don’t like this,” Galearis quietly said before suddenly we heard a loud thump outside the front door of the cavern-house.
We all turned our attention to the heavy wooden door, waiting to see what was about to come through. A moment of silence passed before another dull thump hit the door and it swung open to reveal a creature covered in blindingly-white fur caked with fallen snow. It stood on four legs and was just bigger than the average pony. Its face was covered in what looked to be wind goggles, not unlike those worn by the Wonderbolts during their shows. A piece of cloth covered the mouth and nose, white and thick. Each leg of the creature ended in a clawed foot and it was carrying a massive pile of logs on its back.
Standing in the doorway, it seemed to pause and look around at the three awake ponies that were currently standing in its house. It gave a hearty chuckle upon seeing us, and I started to shiver, not sure what to think of it. Slouching over, it let the logs tumble onto the ground beside it and reached up to pull the cloth away from its nose and the goggles up from it’s eyes.
A stallions muzzle, along with a set of deep brown eyes revealed themselves before the creature talked. “Hello there,” it said, swinging the door shut behind it. “The name’s Divvy. I’ll be your savior for the day.”
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Looks like they found him...
I like the idea of Pinkie Pie Havinga PhD in partying. I wonder why the yeti saved them and why he's living in a house.
7742850 I kept playing around with the idea of what schooling each of the ponies would have and determined that Pinkie Pie would have a PhD in Partying because it was ridiculous, yet made complete sense for her.