The Trials of Shmarity: an Ogres and Oubliettes Story

by TheMessenger

40. What You Wish For

40. What You Wish For

It was some time later when Rarity finally found the energy to leave that cell. As she walked along the edge’s side and looked down to the pit’s dark bottom, there was a small, emotional part of her that wanted her to toss the horn back into the pit. The urge quickly passed, leaving her feeling burnt out and empty, and she put the crude trumpet in her saddlebags instead. Rarity couldn’t the deny the potential catharsis she could’ve gotten out of chucking the source of all her new frustration with all her might, but it only took her a second thought to realize that rendering all the time, sweat, and pain that was spent into retrieving this little misunderstanding moot and wasted wasn’t something was she really all too willing to do.

Not that Rarity was so sure this expedition had been anything else but a colossal waste of time, sweat, and pain. She had even lost Elder Woods’s dagger in that futile skirmish, and all she had to show of it was some ancient musical instrument she had no use for. Weariness turned to anger as Rarity ascended, the rage directionless at first before targeting the old mare in red for misleading her then to herself for accepting the seer’s advice so readily. She even felt some blame bubbling toward the Queen of Fey, and Rarity had to wonder, did they know? Elkraps had mentioned that the Fey were tricksters, was telling her that her horn was here in the south some sort of cruel prank? But the Queen’s instructions on seeking out necromancy had all been legitimate so why—

Rarity shook those thoughts out of her head. All this shifting in her moods, from relief to shock to exhausting depression to anger to now confusion, was giving her a severe case of emotional whiplash. Too much had happened far too quickly, and processing everything would take time, but for now, it might be best for Rarity to focus on something she could understand and control, namely climbing back up to the surface.

The journey upward was even less uneventful than the trip down had been, given that the creature never did show its ugly green face again, and with Rarity only stopping once to prepare another torch for light, it only took her a little under an hour to return to the ground floor. There she was greeted by a welcomed breath of fresh air and both the light and warmth of the sun’s rays, all of which helped improve Rarity’s state of mind and gave her something else to dwell upon beside that whole debacle of a mission, if only for a couple of seconds. She thought about heading to the tomb of Ahghairon to rendezvous with Athkatla Bones and let her know what had happened, maybe have the more experienced adventurer’s take a look at Rarity’s prize to determine if it was of any value, but she then remembered that Athkatla’s task was supposed to take most of the day, and it was currently only around mid afternoon. Rarity didn’t want to have to spend several hours waiting at the entrance of some mausoleum for the diamond dog to finish her job, so she started making her way back to the endless tower out in the distance, alone.

The surrounding shops and residences the paved streets of the schools of magic returned after Rarity had been waved through, and she continued on to the Hag’s Haven. Before she could even think of doing anything else, she needed to first wash the dust and gunk and abandoned prison smell off and change into something with fewer rips and tears. Depending on how extensive the damage was and whether or not it was mendable, it might be time to retire her old cloak. Rarity sincerely hoped that wouldn’t be the case, she wasn’t sure her heart could handle losing the last of Elder Woods’s gifts.

An owl was perched upon the inn’s sign today rather than the usual fat raven. A nocturnal animal out and about when there was still so much daylight was certainly an odd sight, but what made truly Rarity stop to stare was the bird’s appearance. Something about those snow white feathers seemed familiar, but Rarity struggled to think of when or where she had seen them before. The bird appeared to be glaring back at her, and it suddenly spread its wings and hissed, causing Rarity to step back, before it took to the air and flew off. Rarity watched as the owl headed toward the cathedral in the town’s center, still trying to come up with a reason to why she felt as though this wasn’t her first encounter with that particular specimen.

The mysterious feeling of familiarity went away once the owl went out of sight. It probably wasn’t all that important, Rarity decided as she pushed open the door and stepped into the cat littered lobby of the inn. The mare at the front desk waved over to her, but her relieved smile faded when Rarity got closer and the mare got a better look at her. “Goodness me, dearie. What in blazes happened to you?

Rarity, fully aware of her less than lackluster appearance, bit back a sigh and did her best to smile. She shifted and tugged at the cloak in an attempt to make the massive holes the ogre had left with its claws and teeth less obvious. “Oh, this? Nothing really. Just, following up on a lead your sister gave me. I don’t suppose she’s still around, is she?”

“No, I’m afraid she left town early this morning. The dear never stays around for very long, doesn’t like to be stuck in one place.” The receptionist leaned back and sighed. “Well, it’s good to see you’re still in one piece, even if that piece’s a bit scuffed up and all. I wasn’t sure what to think when that professor came in here asking for you and now here you are in that state.”

“Someone was asking for me?”

“Oh yeah,” the older mare said. She stroked her chin and hummed. “Now, let me see, what did she look like again? Was a mare, had one of those ridiculous beards, a dead giveaway to being part of those stuffy schools. Had, was it a blue mane or a red one?”

“Did her coat happen to be a shade of light purple?” Rarity asked.

“Yeah, something like that. Her name was, oh, what was it? Elkraps, I think. Yeah, that was it.” The mare nodded. “Anyways, it sounded like she was asking all around town for you and learned that you were lodging here. She mentioned something about you not answering her sendings. Now don’t you worry, I didn’t give her anything, in case she was one of them crazy admirers or something,” she assured before frowning with her lips pressed tightly together. “Still, if I were you, I’d be careful, those wizards’ll find you one way or another.“

“I appreciate the concern, truly, but Twi—, er, Elkraps is a, an acquaintance, so there’s no need to worry.”

“Oh. Well never mind then.” The mare chuckled. “And here I was thinking you had gotten yourself in some sort of trouble. Well anyways, the lady wanted me to let you know to expect a message tomorrow morning if you ever did show, so there’s that.”

“I see. And she say what this message would be about?”

“Nah, can’t say that she did,” was the receptionist’s answer. “She left in a hurry, so it probably isn’t too important if she couldn’t stick around to explain that much. Then again, the mare did look awfully frazzled, like she had a lot to do today.” The receptionist shrugged. “Ah well, whatever it’s about, you’ll know tomorrow. In the mean time,” she said as she gave Rarity another once-over, “I’m guessing you’ll be wanting another basin and wash rag sent up to your room.”

“Yes please, and could I trouble you for a needle and some string and spare cloth? Preferably anything similar in color to this.” Rarity gestured to her drab, torn traveler’s cloak.

The request caused a look of confusion to flicker across the mare’s features. “Oh! You‘re asking a sewing kit. Yeah, I think we’ve got a couple lying around here somewhere picking up dust. Not a whole lot of folk bother dirtying their hooves and whatnot with that kind of work, most would just magic the damage away or find someone to do it for them.” She frowned as she regarded the state of Rarity’s attire. “Honestly, you might be better off spending the gold to get it mended or just getting a new one, but if you really want to try, I’ll send some supplies up with your soap and water shortly.”

Rarity thanked the mare and headed upstairs to her room. Half an hour later, a soft knock at her door interrupted her thoughts, and she opened it to find a bowl of warm water and a bar of soap on top of a folded towel. Besides the stack of toiletries was a red cloth sack, and inside there was a small pincushion of needles, a few spools of thread, and some strips and patches of burgundy and brown. Rarity brought everything inside and got straight to work, starting off by wiping down every inch of her body within reach. Once clean or as clean as she could possibly get with what was available, Rarity laid out her cloak inside out on the floor in front of her and set the sewing supplies around it.

It had been some time since Rarity last threaded a needle solely by hoof, but as she worked her skill gradually returned. Patching up the holes by attaching the scrap cloth to the inner fabric was an easy enough task, but there was nothing she could do about the damage to the exterior layer. The needles were just not thick enough to pierce completely through the outer canvas, and the thread wasn’t strong enough to hold those parts together. The end result was wearable, and at least now the cloak didn’t look as though it would fall apart at the gentlest brush, one might not have even noticed the rents and rips if at a distance, but it wasn’t anything to write home about either, especially considering that the job had taken Rarity most of the remaining day. So caught up was she with her attempts to fix the clothes that had served her so well and for so long that she failed to realize how dark her room had gotten, and through the window she watched the sky slowly turned red as the sun left its stage to make room for the moon and stars.

Rarity went down for supper, a creamy mushroom and pea risotto that was a stark contrast to the dried ration stick she had for lunch, and after enjoying a refreshing, relaxing mint tea for dessert, she was ready for bed. Some of her good mood reverted at the sight of the horn’s mouthpiece peeking out of her bags, but that was easily remedied by shoving everything into the closet. Who knew, maybe Elkraps had some use for the artifact, but that would have to wait for morning. In light of what the receptionist had told her, Rarity set the borrowed sending stone on the bedside dresser where it would easily be in reach and went to bed.

She awoke the next morning to discover that her wounds had all healed nicely overnight despite the minimal medical attention they had received. If it weren’t for the faint scars and memory of the creature sinking its fangs into her, Rarity might have questioned whether the encounter even happened. Rarity was still pondering the possibility of the provided mattress having magical healing properties, the establishment was within the schools of magic after all so it wasn’t a completely ridiculous notion, when the stone on the nightstand started to buzz noisily. Rarity grabbed at the painted rock, and as expected, the voice of Twilight Sparkle, or rather, Thigliwt Elkraps filled her head.

Princess Shmarity. There was a slight relief that Rarity almost missed in the disembodied voiced. Good to see you well. Have time to talk this morning. In office. Curious about yesterday’s interference. Can you meet in an hour?

Thank you, Miss Elkraps. Sorry I missed you yesterday. Yes, I am available. I’ll see you in an hour.

The stone became quiet, and Rarity put it to the side as she got dressed, opting to wear her finer robes today instead of her cloak. The sewing supplies she had left scattered on the ground, Rarity noted as she reorganized her saddlebags, had all vanished along with the sack they came in, the wash bowl, the used towels, and what little was left of the soap, but at this point she was used to the Hag’s Haven’s take on room service. A few minutes later, she was ready, and Rarity set off for the main campus building, moving at a leisurely pace to make the most of the hour afforded to her. She soon arrived at the familiar cathedral, and after entering through those stained glass doors, she approached the ringed desk at the entrance. A short interrogation by the uniformed mare at the desk later, and Rarity was brought up to the office of the evocation dean.

“Come on in,” Elkraps replied from inside in response to the receptionist’s knock at her door, and Rarity complied. The room was even messier than Rarity remembered it being, with stacks of books and bundles of papers having to take their place on the ground now that the furniture was all out of surface space. The owner of the office sat behind her desk, scribbling something down furiously on a sheet of parchment.

As Rarity approached the desk, a hoot from an owl perched in the corner, the same white owl from yesterday, caused Elkraps to look up and drop her pen. Seeing Rarity, the unicorn gave out a tired. rueful grin and gestured to the one of the few unoccupied chair in the room. “We had some scholars from, well, they were actually from Spiketopia of all places, and they came in yesterday with all this,” she explained as she motioned to the piles of literature cluttering her floor and sighed. “A lot of this is apparently on some former evocation students who tried starting up their own independent school a century back. They were calling it pyromancy and, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t be bothering you with this.” Elkraps rolled up the parchment and set it and her pen aside. “I didn’t call you over just so I could complain your ear off about work.”

“That’s quite alright,“ Rarity said. “Still, I know you said you had time to talk, but if right now isn’t the best time, I’d certainly understand.”

“No, no, now is fine,” Elkraps assured. “Most of this is going to be delegated once I have everything organized, and I needed a break anyways, but that’s enough about that.” Elkraps sat back in her chair and tapped her hooves together. “Now I know there was something you wanted to discuss with me, but you should know first that one of Dean von Zarovich’s assistants contacted me yesterday. It sounds like whatever secret arts they’re using to bring Garbunkle back are just about ready, and we’re to meet von Zarovich at the necromancy department the morning two days from today.”

“Oh?” It was a surprise but a pleasant one for a change to hear that preparations of the spell Rarity had brought back from Valmeyjar’s temple were proceeding a little ahead of schedule. “Why, that’s wonderful news.”

“Hm, yes. I tried to tell you of this earlier, but for some reason the sending stone didn’t seem to be working. I was afraid I had lost my last set.” There was a slight frown on Elkraps’s face, more out of thoughtful curiosity than of any hurt feelings. “If you don’t mind me asking, what were you doing yesterday?”

And so, at Elkraps’s prompting, Rarity launched into her unfortunate quest for Halaster’s horn. Not wanting to have to explain her whole displacement situation and her sudden change in race and identity, Rarity explained that her interest in the horn was simply due to the Queen of Fey’s direction, that the mysterious being had informed her of a mystical horn in the south which would assist her in her struggle against the Squid Wizard. Other than that, Rarity spared no detail, and she soon enraptured a wide-eyed Elkraps with her depiction of the pit’s monstrous guardian.

“So some of the old jailers really were still around. I’ve heard the rumors and, we all know the place by reputation, but I’ve never actually thought about going down there myself. It would explain why my messages couldn’t seem to reach you.” The unicorn shook her head. “You’re very lucky to still be breathing. Hopefully it was worth the effort.”

Rarity fought back a wince. “Yes, well, about that.” She opened her bags and removed the horn she had appropriated from the statue’s forehead, the sole fruit of her labors. “I was wondering if perhaps you could take a look at the horn and tell me if it does have any special properties.”

“Well, let me see.” Elkraps made some room on the table and motioned Rarity to place the old trumpet down in front of her. From a drawer she produced a pinion and a pink pearl and set both before the horn. As she started to chant, the pearl lit up, and for the next ten or so minutes the office was quiet save for Elkraps’s muttering. The mage hummed to herself as the light dimmed and the ritual came to a close.

“Huh. I suppose that makes sense.” She picked the horn back up and returned it to Rarity. “It’s definitely magical. There’s a number of spells attached to it, all fairly powerful and designed to nullify magic. As it is now, you can use it once a day to dispel any magical effects, curses, or enchantments on a single target. A pretty huge gap between that and being able to create a massive anti-magic field spanning over an entire prison complex, so that statue you removed it from must have acted as an amplifier or maybe there was something else about the prison itself. That being said, it’ll still probably be plenty useful against a foe calling themselves the Squid ‘Wizard,’” Elkraps said, miming out the quotations.

So Rarity’s endeavors hadn’t been completely pointless, though she still very much would have rather had her own horn and magic. “So how does it work?”

“Oh, simple. All you have to do is point the horn at your target and blow, and that’ll be it. But, um, I wouldn’t recommend testing it out while you’re on the school grounds,” Elkraps added with her hoof held up for emphasis. “Just about everything here has some magic involved, and who knows what you’d end up dispelling.”

“I’ll be sure to be careful then,” Rarity promised as she stowed the trumpet back into her saddlebags.

“Good, good.” Elkraps shoved her spell materials back into their drawer. “So I’ve told you about our meeting with von Zarovich, we went over yesterday, was there anything else we needed to, oh right.” She tapped her forehead lightly and rolled her eyes. “The, um, thing you needed to talk to me about. Right, that, thing.” Her smile faltered and collapsed with a sigh. “I’m sorry, what was it you wanted to discuss again?”

Admittedly, it took Rarity herself a few seconds before she remembered why she had called for a meeting in the first place. “Well, once I’ve taken care of everything here, I am going to have to head back to Spiketopia. If I understanding correctly, the spell Dean von Zarovich is preparing requires the bodies of, Garbunkle and Captain Wuzz to work. Unfortunately, I’m at a loss as to how I am to do so. I’m not even entirely sure how I’m going to get through the surrounding desert now that the caravan I was with has gone. Is there any way you can help me in my return?”

Elkraps stroked her beard chin. “I mean, for crossing the Anauhock Desert, I could always arrange another caravan for you,” she began before putting on a sly little smirk, “but really, nothing can beat the speed of instant travel. Normally the teleportation circles are reserved for members of the schools only, but I’m certain I can pull a few strings to give you access, if just this once.”

Ah, of course. Rarity shouldn’t have been so surprised that teleportation was a thing here as well. If both Twilight and Starlight Glimmer individually could figure out such a spell, no doubt an entire institution dedicated to the study of magic could come up with it too. Hopefully the schools of magic had managed to improve its form along with its function, but even if they hadn’t, a brief jolt and some discomfort still beat days of trekking through the desert and a three week long voyage across the sea. “Will it get me all the way to Spiketopia?”

At this, Elkraps hesitated. “Now that might be difficult. The schools don’t have any circles prepared that up north, and teleporting you based on the destination’s description alone has a lot of risks. We might end up dropping you in the middle of the ocean or worse. Do you have anything from the place you’re trying to get to?”

“I have my old cloak, it’s from the village that first took me in,” Rarity said after a moment of thought. “And I bought this while in Baldursgait.” She held up her foreleg to show off the bronze bangle upon it.

“Then you might be able to arrange something outside the schools, but it’s a pretty big might. Finding a hedge mage with that sort of magical talent is going to be extremely challenging, not to mention very expensive, and there’s not a whole lot I’d be able to do to help you with that. You see, the schools of magic are heavily warded against object association facilitated teleportation,” Elkraps explained. “We were invaded a few centuries ago by a band of magic draining sorcerers. They got their hands on a book from our libraries and, well, by all accounts it wasn’t pretty.” She sighed and cleared her throat. “In any case, the best I can do here is get you to one of port towns and possibly help you gather funds to charter a ship. Maybe you can find those scholars I mentioned early, they should still be around. They mentioned having to go back to Spiketopia to get more books once they’ve finished securing a deal with us. We could work something out with them.”

A reference to Bluestockings and Pedagogue, no doubt, and though Rarity wasn’t looking forward to having to spend even more time in a cramp cabin with the grumbling old professor, it didn’t look like she had many other options, and at the very least she could avoid the perilous desert journey. Rarity was planning on visiting Bluestockings anyways, so she could broach the subject with the shy assistant then, but for now, she continued her current discussion with Elkraps. There were a few more ideas thrown around like extending the offer of teleportation to the Candelkeep scholars in exchange for taking Rarity along or even Rarity utilizing her status as the princess of Spiketopia to coerce them into cooperating. Eventually, the subject matter ran dry, and the conversation shifted to less consequential topics, and once they had exhausted the small talk and finished checking up on each other’s day, Rarity excused herself and left Thigliwt Elkraps to her work.

Having nothing else planned for the rest of her day, Rarity decided that she might as well speak to Bluestockings now. The magic maps scattered along the streets made it easy to locate this Leomund’s Modestly Priced Bed and Breakfast[i/], and before long, Rarity was in the lobby of a fairly nondescript inn speaking to the stallion behind the counter who was surrounded by cubbyholes and key racks. A runner was sent out and returned to the front desk minutes later with the blue, bespectacled mare in tow, her light red mane down and not in its usual style of a tight bun. This new look definitely suited the young mare better, though Rarity could see some tangled spots that could use some brushing, and despite it been late morning, Bluestockings looked as though she was constantly fighting back a yawn.

She had been up late last night reading a new book she had bought the other day, Bluestockings explained as she led the way to a small cafe within the establishment, and once they had taken their seats and ordered some tea and biscuits, the two mares began to swap stories. Rarity told of how she had been washed ashore near Cowdim-La, how she navigated the free market bazaar and found Tariq and Alharir, how she and they and their hired guards got through the desert and made it to the schools of magic, and how she had been working with the schools, searching ancient temple ruins on their behalf as a trade for the preparation of certain magic. Bluestockings was an attentive audience, especially during the scuffle with the slavers at the oasis and her expedition in Valmeyjar’s temple, and when Rarity had concluded her tale, she in return explained that after the seas had calmed and the initial panic following the discovery of Rarity’s disappearance, the crew of the Merry Landing spent several hours frantically searching the waters before, at Professor Pedagogue’s insistence, Captain Brine Drinker reluctantly brought the ship to dock. There at the New Tesaddledale’s harbor the ship remained, undergoing repairs as her crew waited for their clients’s return. It had taken her and Pedagogue a few days to prepare for the road to the schools, and though their trip through the desert sands was nearly twice the length of Rarity’s, they and their hired muscle made it here without any incident whatsoever.

Talk of the recent past and current present inevitably led to discussing the future. It quickly became apparent to Rarity that her spot on the Merry Landing was still rightfully hers to with as she pleased, and considering how much the good professor had complained during their time in the hot desert, any potential method of expediting that arduous journey would be a blessing to every creature involved. Even if teleportation hadn’t been an option available to them, Bluestockings assured with a confidence and resolve that Rarity didn’t think the passive mare before her was capable of that she would have convinced Professor Pedagogue to allow her to join them on their way back to New Tesaddledale, one way or another.

Again, as with Elkraps, the conversation changed and grew and came to its natural end once they had run out of things to talk about, and after polishing off their tea and the plate of biscuits, the two mares said their goodbyes and went their separate ways. When Rarity walked out of the building, a noticeable lightness could be seen in her step now that the weight of figuring out how to get back to Spiketopia had been removed from her shoulders, and the good that the casually conversing with friendly acquaintances had done for her could not be overstated. It had been a long while since Rarity had felt so relaxed and at peace. Even her misguided attempt to retrieve her horn had been reduced to a mild irritation at worst, and that and the rest of her problems like how she was to get back to Equestria would be sorted shortly after Discord was back and breathing.

Her good mood carried her throughout the rest of the day and into the next as the resolution of that complication left Rarity with a decent amount of downtime to spend however she wished. She did what she could to stay productive, but there was only so much preparing and planning that could be done at this point. Between her research into the weaknesses of magical talking cephalopods, of which there was hardly any material on at all and none of which was of any practical use to her, Rarity squeezed in some light recreational reading. Her aimless strolls through the shopping districts started anew and continued long after she had spent all the gold and silver she was comfortable parting ways with on a few potions, a couple being those familiar red ones with healing properties and the other a significantly more expensive one, transparent with flat keratinous sliver swimming inside that the apothecary swore would give the drinker incredible strength.

Rarity even allowed herself to enjoy a short play staged in a local park during the second evening. The acting was painfully amateur, and the generic plot seemed to continually shift between an overly dramatic tragic romance to a cringe inducing, ill-humored romantic comedy, but there had been some impressive implementation of magical effects like at the climax when the skies above the audience lit up with the breathtaking image of fiery meteors raining down upon the hero’s position. In the end, Rarity had to admit she had fun even if she felt that the villain’s death by two back to back self explosions had been a bit too much.

Could that hour have been better spent on furthering her preparations? Perhaps, one could argue, and Rarity would have respectfully disagree. She felt as though she had already exhausted what options she currently had at her disposal, and her attempts at drawing up plans for the assault on the Squid Wizard’s fortress had largely been like a band of unfocused and directionless travelers, going nowhere with her not even sure where to start. Talking it over with Sir Gustford and any others the two of them could find who still loyal to the royal family once she made it back to Spiketopia would most certainly accomplish far more than she could here and now alone anyways, so when she went to bed early that night, her guilt didn’t keep her up for very long.