Fear Upon The Horizon: Rebirth

It had been, from what his understanding of time had become, two weeks since he began living as a mortal. Lolk was beginning to grow accustomed to a routine for a day. Get up, eat morning meal, make sure bar area is tidy before checking rooms and cleaning them. After general cleaning of the tavern was completed, taking some time for afternoon meals before waiting on ponies in the bar area. When night fell, serve dinner and have his own before cleaning up the bar and going to bed. Intermediately he'd have to retreat to the "outhouse" outside the building where he would relieve himself. Another thing he had to grow accustomed to.

Outside of just living he'd found a few scrolls showing him how to use magic as a mortal. Normally he'd just think about what he wanted to do and it'd happen. Now even the most basic thing required a spell. Levitation was first and it took him days to even lift a spoon. Another odd part was the physical exertion needed for the spells. He had to have some strength to be able to cast them. He easily filled out the mental strength that spells required but the physical part of magic threw him off. Thankfully all he really needed was levitation for the time being. If he ever wanted to try and return to what he did before as a mortal, he'd need to become stronger.

For now, levitating dishes and using magic to make beds was what he was using it for and it's all he really needed. Late in the evening, near closing, Lolk was picking up mugs from a massive party that came through. It was much larger than the usual celebration and Lolk didn't pay attention to what the blacksmith had been telling him about so for all he knew it was holiday. but in the aftermath of them running out of mead and wine, a small group of stallions stayed around to finish their food. The rest had left to find more alcohol. They were all armed for some reason. Of the six of them, two had pike staffs and the others had only swords.

Spel tried a few times to get their weapons so he could make sure no drunken disputes went down but failed, even Check couldn't stare them down enough to get them away from their weapons. Lolk tried once but to no avail either. He was about to do it by force but Spel said they couldn't afford to have anything broken, even with the good business they'd had during the night. Check said that she and Spel would handle kicking them out so Lolk was free to go and clean the unoccupied rooms.

He had a very distinct feeling that he should stay downstairs. He didn't really want to. Though to avoid getting into another fight with Check over respect so he just started up the stairs. He levitated his duster from the linen closet and knocked on the first door on the right. He didn't wait for any response and just walked in. One of the particularly frisky men from the bar was in there with a mare and everything everything hanging out.

"The fuck?! Get out ya gibbon!" the stallion shouted.

"Oh! Sorry!" Lolk said getting out.

Lolk slammed the door and moved to the next, this time he waited and got no answer. He opened the door and nothing it was empty, thankfully. He had just finished making the bed when he heard muffled shouting. He wasn't quite sure if it was from downstairs or next door. What was from downstairs was the sound of breaking plates and clanging platters. To Tartarus with respect for doing as he was told, he dropped the feathered pillow and broke into a full sprint. Before he even got down the stairs and the first thing he saw was Spel with his back on the table the stallions were at with three of them holding him down and one landing several blows to his ribcage. Check was fighting with another one over a pike as the last one was on the ground holding his head near a dented serving platter.

Lolk's heart hammered away in his chest as he leapt down six stairs at a time. When he hit the stone floor, he started in full stride to the one attacking Spel. He wasn't quite sure what he'd do yet but he figured now wasn't the time to make a full chess strategy. He despised chess anyways. When he was close enough to do anything, Lolk instantly went for Spel. He dropped his right shoulder and ran into the stallion landing hit after hit on his friend's ribcage. The stallion let out a grunt and stumbled away. Lolk quickly used his magic to grab the pony's sword, again he wasn’t sure what he'd do with it quite yet.

The one holding down Spel's right foreleg let go and tried to draw his blade as well. Lolk didn't actually think, he swung the sword haphazardly in the pony's vague direction. The tip of the blade slashed into his right foreleg and made him drop his sword. Lolk reared up on his forelegs for some reason and kicked with both legs. They connected to the pony he shoved before and knocked him into the one who was on the ground. He looked behind him and saw Check holding the staff and landing a solid hit on the one she was fighting with the not sharp end.

The last stallion let go of Spel and tackled him before he could think of something to do. The sword almost moved with a mind of its own, It found its way in between them with the flat of the blade against the last ponies stomach. Lolk's magic was stronger somehow, it wasn't much but strong enough to lit the pony off of him and toss him into the table that Spel had been on. Spel was now on the ground clutching his stomach so at least he was out of the way. Lolk stood up and put the sword he had to the stallion's nose. Spel took that pony's sword from him and got next to his sister as the tension rose as the action simmered.

"Listen mate, we ju-"

"I don't care!" Lolk shouted, interrupting the obviously intoxicated pony. The stallion's friends were slowly backing up with Spel and Check holding the sharp objects at them. "Just leave and we'll never speak of this again. And neither will you. Understand?" The stallion nodded lightly and Lolk withdrew the sword. "And that goes for the rest of you. Do not return here or you will meet the same opposition."

"And what about our weapons?" the one Check hit on the head said still wobbley on his hoofs from that.

"Come back when you are not intoxicated and you may take your weapons. Other than that you may not return. Is that understood?" They nodded as the one Lolk had a blade point joined them and the siblings started lowering their weapons. "Good, BE GONE!"

The ponies quickly stumbled out and Spel dropped the sword holding his sides. Lolk and Check were quick to drop theirs and go to his side.

"Shall I go retrieve a medicine pony?" Lolk suggested.

"Yes, go!" Check said waving him off.

Lolk didn't need any more provocation to sprint out of the tavern and into the streets.

It wasn't long before he returned with a doctor, one of the few unicorns he'd met since he arrived here. Doctor Bone Saw came in and started checking Spel over. He did give him a general clean bill of health aside from some deep bruising on his sides and stomach. He prescribed a herbal potion that would help ease the pain and let him heal faster, hopefully. Lolk cursed himself that the Doctor couldn't use magic to fix him properly. But apparently that was beyond his abilities. Lolk may not have been able to heal him but he visited him every chance he was free for about two or three days. Today he'd brought him lunch, a loaf of bread and tea with his potion. It wasn't much but it was all Lolk could afford for him. He did however sneak some raspberry jam from the kitchen while Check wasn't looking.

Spel had been acting strange the past few days. He'd been much more… nervous than usual. "Ya know Lolk, I… I forgot to say thank you for what you did."

"You don't need to. I j-"

"No I do. They could've killed us."

"I'm sure they would not have gone that far."

"Regardless you deserve more than a jammy piece of bread."

"Well?"

"Well what?"

"Thank me then."

Spel chuckled, he found it amusing when Lolk took everything so literally for some reason. "Thank you. For everything. Especially the food." He and Lolk shared a small laugh. "I'm impressed though. I'm amazed they even listened to you."

"I, as well was impressed. It has been some time since I've had to do such a thing."

"What'd ya mean?"

"You know what. When I was still immortal I was the Spirit of Order. Making ponies listen and Bring Law was what I did."

"Right right. Almost forgot about that. You did a fine job mate." He said reaching out to his left knee.

Lolk caught a shutter going up his back along with that pit in his lower chest. It was a feeling he still wasn't quite use to. He wasn't really sure what the feeling was but he felt it around Spel quite often.

"Thank you. I do hope nothing like this happens to you again."

"Well with you as our guardian I think we'll be fine." He chuckled before continuing. "Let those that cross us know the wrath of Lord Lorthalis!"

"If that is what you'd allow me to do."

"You kidding? I bet if you asked Check she'd give you a dagger in a heartbeat."

A sudden feeling of pride washed over Lolk. It had been a long time since he'd felt that. The days with Mother and Nacht, at least the more recent hundred years, was full of stress and constant conflict between both of them. He'd forgotten how it felt to be appreciated for doing what he was suppose to do. Keep the piece. Spel's gaze went down in confusion and a big smile grew on his face a moment later.

"Well well well My Lord, looks like you're officially a mortal." Spel said sitting up a bit.

"Pardon?"

"Take a look." he said pointing to his flank.

Lolk bent round around and noticed something very obvious that wasn't there before. In the center of his upper thigh, the image of an upside down sword with the top of a scale balanced perfectly on the end of the hilt had appeared. Nothing rest in the baskets.

"Guess it'll be easier to pass yourself off as mortal now ey?" Spel said.

"I suppose so. Do you think anypony will notice?"

"Definitely. I bet anypony that saw you before would've noticed that you didn't have one."

"And now that I do?"

"They'll probably just wonder to themselves in silence."

"Why?"

"To avoid offending you I suppose."

"Then why did nobody ask about it when it didn't have it?"

"Same reason. Maybe out of pity but more than likely to avoid getting you upset."

Another word Lolk hated, especially towards him. "Did you pity me?"

"No… Okay yes but you're my friend. Like I could care if you have a cutie mark."

"Could you?"

"Maybe, Not bad to look at either way."

"Pardon?" Lolk asked not sure if that was a compliment.

A sudden red tint came to Spel's face. "Uh… so how's the magic thing been working out?"

"Um… Fine but I don't believe I heard you correctly."

"It's nothing. You gonna learn any like… combat spells?"

"I suppose I should." Lolk paused and looked to his piece of bread. "Can yo-"

"I said it was nothin' Lolk so just drop it alright!?"

Lolk paused, taken aback. "I was going to ask if you were done with the jam."

If his face wasn't red before it turned much redder now. He quickly passed the glass jar. The rest of the meal was eaten in silence.