Okay, maybe she took two baths. Running from the whatever-it-was through the woods, as well as falling through said woods, had done a number on the white mare's coat. She truly was a mess. Since Moralin was asleep, she chose to do what most do when sitting in a tub of hot bubbly water, she let her mind wander.

“Let's see. No aging, so, that means I'll never need to worry about wrinkles! Which is always a good thing!” Her brow then furrowed, meshing the beauty creme on her face. “Wait, if that's the case, why was Moralin all rotten and covered in ... natural remedies...” She let out a sigh as she levitated out paper and quill close to the tub, and started jotting down a list of questions to ask a certain axe when it 'woke-up'.

“Oh! Another convenient thing. The water and heat still work~! Hmm, I suppose it works in the same way as how the kraggon was able to walk without her back legs.” She then frowned to herself. “Oooh! I really wish Twilight was here to help me with these kinds of questions!” Sighing again, she jotted more questions down as she looked to the box of fragments she had collected.

Bringing it over, she brought out a red fragment, and peered closely within, seeing a conflagration held within with her minds eye, labeled as a 'fire ruby'. Only, without the ruby, which Rarity could tell was the missing piece, which made this a fragment. It seemed to be some sort of fire spell contained within a gemstone, only now the gemstone was gone, leaving just the fire.

Looking into another fragment, this one green, she saw within half of a very large gemstone figurine of a human warrior. Comparing the fragments to the one she saw earlier, she deduced that red was dangerous, while green was harmless.

Putting the box away, she let out a regretful sigh as she finished her second bath. She was completely for spending the rest of time in that tub, but she wasn't going to let that desire get in the way of looking for her ------, and there were questions she could answer without Moralin's aid. Going through her possessions, she grabbed her saddlebags and started packing the essentials.

Her brow furrowed, as she appraised a pile of essentials that proved to be far too large to fit in her saddlebags, so she started over again. Now, with the purely essential essentials packed away, she headed outside of her boutique-

Before leaving her home, something caught her eye. In the corner, nestled out of sight, was a pile of cat-related items. Toys, bed, food, scratching post. The earlier chase through the woods played in her mind again as her eyes widened.

“I had a cat!!” and it was now clear that the monster had stolen that from her. Putting down her saddlebags, she went to her bedroom and pulled out her photo album, almost in a state of panic, as she flipped through it, trying to spot any unfamiliar faces.

Some time later, she let out a sigh of relief. Besides pictures with her ------ in them, everything else appeared normal. All of her friends and family were still with her memories. She didn't know if she was lucky it was just her cat, or unlucky to have lost anything at all to the monster, but she was happy it seemed to be the only thing missing. Though, it did take her cutie-mark for a short time. The memory of the encounter made her shiver. Shaking her head of it, adopting a lady's composure, she put her album away and proceeded back outside.

Rarity circled her boutique, heading towards the large obsidian rock that had crushed her home. Now that it wasn't offending her livelihood with its presence, she intended to investigate said rock, as she cast her gem finding spell.

Her suspicions proved true as the rock lit up like a Hearth's Warming Tree, making her adopt a small grin. Getting close to it, she found the geode was cracked around an axe-shaped crater near the bottom of the rock. Her eyes following the cracks, she spotted something out of place. Writing, a message, written in white chalk.

The message was written near the top of the rock, and Rarity had to stand on her back hooves, forward hooves leaning on the large unyielding rock as she tried to get a better look at the message, then frowned. The message was barely readable from where she stood, and it was upside down.

I wonder if I can roll it... She wondered as she gathered her magic. She encased the rock, urging it to move with her telekinesis, and as if listening to her order, the rock rolled back, slowly, towards the boutique. Rarity stared, wide-eyed, as its roll brought the words around, now right side up.

Rarity felt as though the rock was as heavy as it should be, it simply felt light to her magic. She then recalled how heavy the metal pipe earlier felt, and was quite certain a rock big enough to crush her boutique was heavier. But, it didn't feel any heavier than the pipe. On a thought, she tried lifting the stone in the air, and after lifting it off the ground with little effort, put it back down, looking quite perplexed.

“Does this have something to do with my 'affinity'?” Rarity ask out loud as she glared at nothing in particular. “Why does everything have to be so, so strange! All the rules have changed! How is a lady such as myself suppose to handle all this!?” She asked as she stomped the grass. She then let out another sigh, frowning at herself. She doubted all this sighing was doing anything good for her complexion.

Moving to the rock, she took in the message. She blinked, then took in the message again, her mouth hanging open, her heart aching as she felt both a sense of relief, annoyance, and confusion assault her at the same time.

'Sorry about the rock, sugarcube. It was an accident! I swear!'

Rarity took the message in, almost without belief, and read it again, running her hoof over it, seeing the chalk smudge onto her coat. The message was real.

“Applejack was here!?” Rarity's surprised was briefly stunted by wondering how one accidentally gets a rock stuck in a friend's home, before adopting a smile. “So, Applejack was here! That means she's awake, right?” Rarity cast her eyes to the shifting heavens, a new hope beating in her breast. If Applejack is out there, then the others, everypony, is out there, somewhere!

She then looked back to the message, holding her hoof under her mouth in thought. “So, she probably came here to find me. Wouldn't surprise me if she was out there somewhere, right now, searching.” She then nodded to herself, certain that if any of the others were awake, they would be searching too.

“May I ask to whom you are speaking to?” An unexpected, respectful voice politely asked of her, making Rarity whip around to its source. A man, a human, stood several paces from her, the trees and bushes of her back yard behind him.

He had silver hair, going down to his shoulders. His skin and eyes were gray, as if all the color had been drained from them. She noticed that his eyes were different shades of gray, the left being darker. He had a handsome face, and was giving Rarity a pleasant smile, and he radiated a sense of nobility. He also wore the most interesting clothing, which Rarity's eyes crawled all over.

A dark purple vest, so dark it was almost black. The shoulders and edges of the sleeves were filled with diamond shaped squares of blue, surrounded by a pink outline, and the vest had a cape attached at the shoulders which flowed behind the man. Rarity could see that the backside of the cape matched the vest, but the underside was a regal purple. As she started taking in his just as intricate white shirt, blue pants, and black boots, he cleared his throat.

“It is rude to stare, at least before introductions are presented.” He said with an amused smile, Rarity then noticed the sword sheathed at his belt, and looked to him, masking her alarm at the appearance of this handsome stranger. “I'm Richard, King of Windor. Or, well, I use to be.” He admitted with a slightly bemused shrug, “But well, I think you can guess to why that's not the case now.” He added with a small bow.

He's a king!? Rarity thought, completely flustered as she bowed in turn.

“I-I'm Rarity, of uh, Ponyville!” Her eyes widened at her stammered response, and she took in a deep breath as she tried to compose herself. “And what, if I may ask, brings a king to my backyard?” He folded his arms, holding a hand under his chin in a contemplative gesture.

“I see, so your home is in this fragment.” He then nodded as he started to pace side to side. “This fragment hasn't had visitors in so long, I didn't think anypony that lived here would ever come to claim it.” He then looked to the rock, then the boutique past it. “I see you repaired the building. I'm guessing that you've recently awakened?” He asked as he motioned to her. Rarity nodded, hoping this Richard could give her some answers. She also didn't mind the fact that he was handsome, and royalty.

“Ah, that explains a lot. Well then, I'm guessing you have a lot of questions.” He then swept his arm to the side, and in a poof a black smoke, a table, a cushion for a pony to sit on, and chair appeared on a patch of yard next to him. He then snapped his finger, and a teapot and two cups appeared at the table. “Care to share a drink?” She eyed the table, wondering what magic this man wielded. She didn't immediately answer, the encounter with the monster earlier flashing through her mind.

That encounter had started off as something cute, then became something horrible. She looked to his gray complexion, and wondered if he was like the monster, or if that was simply how he naturally was. Seeing her hesitate, he took the teapot in hand, and filled both teacups with brown tea, its lovely fragrance reaching Rarity from where she stood as he took a seat.

“Come now, I know royalty can be intimidating, but as long as you aren't out to stab me in the back, I'm quite friendly.” He then took a drink of the tea, looking to Rarity, his eyes appraising her. “Oh, I get it.” He then let out a small sigh, “It's because I'm male, isn't it?” He asked, making Rarity blink in confusion. “Oh yes, I've heard all about the legends. How unicorns fear men for their lack of purity. Well, just great. I was hoping to have a conversation with a beautiful creature such as yourself, only to be thwarted by the circumstances of my creation!” He seemed honestly put off, as if he had been born male purely to spite this encounter.

He then got up, “Well, it's clear I've come here for nothing. I bid you a good day, Lady Rarity-”

“Now wait just a second dear- I, I mean, Your Highness.” Rarity got out, motioning him to not leave, “I don't know where you heard such a silly story. I'm just, wary, of strangers that appear suddenly from out of nowhere.”

“I can assure you, Lady Rarity, that I didn't simply appear out of nowhere.” He then took his seat again, giving her a beaming smile as he motioned to the other cup. Rarity approached the table, sitting on the cushion, and appraised her cup before taking a sip. The tea was very good, so good, that it helped calm Rarity's nerves. Richard waited quietly while looking to Rarity, as if expecting her to say something.

Oh, right! Questions! Rarity thought as she felt her cheeks flush.

“Well, Your Highness, if I may be so bold as to ask, why are you here?”

“Well, even though Windor is no more, I am still a King." He stated, quite proudly, "When I sensed someone enter my domain, I felt the need to look into it.” He then caught Rarity's confused look as he nodded, “This section of Ponyville, as well as many neighboring fragments, make up my realm. I don't tolerate outsiders, which is why your place has become … overrun, with junk.” He then quickly added, “Not that I consider a beauty such as yourself an outsider, or junk for that matter. After all, this is your home, and I like to think myself fair.”

“Since, you seem to have recently woken up, I must ask, are you aware of the dangers of the Fragmented Sea?” Rarity shook her head. “Well then, let's address the major one. Wandering the sea are monsters known as lamar, shape changers that absorb fragments into themselves. They don't just stop at fragments, mind you, they try to absorb anything, as they have quite an insatiable hunger.” He then nodded to himself. “Interesting trivia, many believe that hunger itself didn't disappear, it was simply tossed upon the lamar.” Rarity nodded at his information, her brow furrowing in reflection.

“I've actually run into one of those before.” She stated, getting a wide-eyed reaction from Richard.

“And you got away? You must either be powerful, or quite lucky.” He then re-adopted his smile, “Or maybe it simply thought you too beautiful to absorb.” Rarity felt herself blush again as she returned his smile.

Oh dear, flattery will get you everywhere! She thought as she tried to compose herself.

“Just lucky, I assure you.” He nodded as he continued.

“Well, lamar come in two varieties. The typical kind, which get stronger as they absorb more powerful entities, but can be brought down with weapons and magic. And behemoths.” His brow then furrowed as he looked Rarity in the eyes, demanding her attention. “There is no fighting behemoths. If you see one, you run. No hiding, no fighting, no silly notion that you can buy time for others against it. You. Run. Only the greatest of entities can oppose a behemoth. And it always ends in tragedy.” Rarity took his warning to heart, before returning his gaze.

“Is the difference between the two obvious?” She then pictured the cat lamar from earlier being crushed under a mountain-tall lion lamar.

“Well, along with the regular distinction, a behemoth is also covered in lines of a single, set color. Behemoths are also fairly thoughtless, they don't converse, they simply rampage.”

“Regular distinction?” She asked, prompting Richard to appraise her again as he nodded.

“A common attribute to all lamar is their complexion. They lack color.” As comprehension dawned on Rarity's face, he started to fiddle with his teacup as he added, “Indeed, they can't help it, so the smarter ones try to hide it, covering it up with clothing or magic.” He then gave Rarity a bemused look.

“You're … a lamar?” She asked as she slowly backed away from the table, prompting a sad sigh from Richard.

“It would seem I've been thwarted by my circumstances of creation, yet again.” He said, not caring that Rarity was backing away from him. “To be honest, this domain, this part of the Fragmented Sea, is considered a danger zone to all who know if it. Because it is my 'nest'.” He then gave her a sincere smile, “Still, you're quite lucky, Lady Rarity.”

“I fail to see how!” Rarity proclaimed, now several paces from Richard. Something about the way he was letting her leave made her hesitate, so she looked to him, now curious as to why he would tell her anything, or reveal himself to her.

“Your home, was in my domain, and you sought it out first. Of all the lamar in the sea, I am probably one of the most negotiable. I will admit, I came here with the intention of absorbing the fool who dared enter my kingdom. But when I arrived, where I expected to find a feast, lay a beautiful gemstone in its place.”

He then nodded to himself, getting out of his chair, prompting Rarity to take another step back. “I have been around since the end of the first age. I admit, it's quite dull, sitting around, walking through the countless memories I've absorbed over the centuries. I wouldn't mind something new. Lady Rarity, would you accept my hand, in friendship?” He turned to her, offering his hand, then blinked, looking at her in surprise.

“Wait,” he said, his words directed more to himself then the mare, “friendship, between a lamar and, well, anyone?” Richard seemed lost in thought for a moment, surprised by the very notion he proposed. He closed his eyes, then nodded to himself, adopting a small, almost thankful smile. “Very well, Lambda,” he said to himself. He then looked back to Rarity. “I must ask of you, can you fight?”

“W-What?”

“The Fragmented Sea is a dangerous place to wander alone, as you can clearly tell. If I am to offer you my friendship, I must be certain you can defend yourself. If not, I would be most disappointed to learn that you were consumed by a lesser lamar.”

“You're serious about this!?” Rarity once again found herself in another unbelievable position. I'm in its nest, and it wants to be friends with me!?

“I take my personal relationships very seriously.” He declared, very seriously. The table, chairs and tea set then disappeared as Richard took up a stance, facing Rarity. “Come at me, Rarity. Give me everything you have. If you can make me draw my sword, then I shall call you my friend. Otherwise, I will spare you from being devoured by a lesser Lamar, by taking care of you myself. Understand?” Rarity stared at him for a moment in disbelief, then, against her better judgment, closed her eyes, taking in several breaths as she tried to mentally adjust to her new life.

Well, Rarity, dear, nothing makes sense anymore. It's a monster, and it wants to be my friend. I think it best, if we just started accepting things at face value. But, let's not lose our way. She then nodded to herself, affirming her stance as she looked back to Richard.

“So, to get this straight. You're saying we can be friends, as long as I try my best to hurt you. And if I fail, you're going to, well, do that thing a lamar does to some poor pony like me?” He looked at her, blinking in surprise, before letting out a hearty laugh.

“Oh goodness, when put like that, it truly does sound terrible.” He laughed a little more, holding his hand over his mouth, as he looked to her, and Rarity couldn't help but feel embarrassed by his mirth. “Fair enough, good lady. If you fail to impress me, I shall simply escort you to the nearest city. But, I won't allow you here ever again. I think that's more than fair, coming from a monster such as myself.”

Rarity appraised the handsome lamar. After dealing with the first one, she wasn't certain she could trust him. She then came to realize that if he wanted to absorb her, he could have done so already, when she accepted the tea he offered. Considering, for now, his offer to be legitimate, she looked back to her home.

She could choose not to fight him, and leave him, and her home, behind, but he had a point. She intended to go out and find everyone dear to her, and what good would she be if she fell to the next lamar she encountered. She had Moralin, who managed the first lamar soundly, but she could see that the monsters were quite tricky. Besides, what good was a weapon, if its owner wasn't capable of fighting?

She looked back to Richard. She could fight. She's done it before. Even if it wasn't lady-like, even if it got her hooves dirty, she could fight. Her father saw to that.

“So, I just need to make you draw your sword?” He gave her a smug grin as he nodded. How hard could that be? “Just so you know, I don't really like fighting, but I don't want to lose my home. So, I apologize if I end up hurting you.” Her words made him give her a more serious look, as she got on her hind legs, taking up a practiced stance, one foreleg forward, the other behind her. Richard then raised an eyebrow, as Rarity gave him a smug grin of her own.

There was only one thing her father had ever asked of her. He enabled her, let her live her dream, helped her in any way he could, and supported her. So, when he asked this one thing of her, she had put her everything into giving him what he asked. He wanted to ensure his daughter could defend herself, he ensured the she learned karate.

She leapt towards Richard with a flying kick. If he was surprised, he hid it well, as he took a step to the side, avoiding her flight, her kick landing in the ground. Twisting around, she spun towards the lamar, swing her foreleg towards his handsome face. He blocked, flinching back from the blow as he gave Rarity an amused, and slightly respectful look, before readopting his smile.

“You truly fit your namesake.” He said, he then swept down to knock her off her hooves. She hopped over his kick, hopping away from him as she appraised him. “Just a pointer,” he began during the pause in her attack, “Hoof combat isn't the best approach to handle a lamar, unless your hooves are coated in magic, you risk being absorbed when your blows connect. Not that I would ruin our fight by doing such a thing.” He assured as he motioned for Rarity to come at him again. After considering his words a moment, she obliged.

Getting back into melee, she assaulted him with a barrage of slaps, chops, punches, and kicks. She was terribly out of practice. At least, that's how she felt, seeing how he managed to block and dodge every blow. While this fighting style proved useful in the past, it just wasn't cutting it here, and it was starting to wear her down. After less than a minute of fighting, she was winded. Fatigue born from running through the forest caught up to her, and she could feel her attacks slowing down, and Richard took note of it. He moved back from her, letting her catch her breath as he appraised her.

“You have skill, but lack stamina. Dare I say that you're out of shape?” He asked as he gave her a smug grin. Her brow furrowed momentarily as an idea flashed across his face, and he cast his hand forward. “Another pointer, expect to encounter unexpected developments during a fight.”

A sudden gust of wind, born from his hand, surged forth, sending Rarity flying back in surprise. She kept her balance, now several paces from him, as she looked to her foe, wide-eyed. He gave her a look, as if to say she was capable of more. His hand then glowed with a golden aura, and the earth beneath Rarity cracked. Sensing the coming attack, she leapt forward again. As she moved through the air, she heard the sound of stone exploding behind her, and felt pebbles strike her back, as Richard ducked below her flying kick.

Seeing that he was using magic, she felt that if she wanted to win, she'd have to do the same. No, she thought, At this point, it's my only chance to win! I am not losing my home! She then mentally winced as she felt sweat bead down her head, Oh, for the love of Celestia! I'm going to have to clean up again!

Though this was her first time using magic in a fight, years of multitasking with her telekinesis for sewing showed their reward, as Rarity's horn glowed. Landing, she started to circle around Richard, his eyes on her. She saw a fireball gathering in his hand, and Rarity's eyes met his as she distanced herself from him. Richard caught the look of victory in her eyes, and faltered for a moment in confusion.

Rarity smiled, and after briefly hoping her attack wouldn't harm him too much, she tightened her grip on the red fragment she had left when she landed from her kick. The fragment was nestled in the grass a pace behind Richard, outside his notice.

The fragment changed into a small ball of fire, its conflagration encased in an unseen container of stone. Even from several paces away, Rarity could feel the heat radiating from it, and stepped back further, as Richard shielded himself from the heat of the burning fragment. The grass directly under the fire lit up into beads of light, which Rarity noted. Then, to her surprise, Richard moved to the gem, and grasped it. Rarity's grasp on the fire dissipated as the fire ruby disappeared. Richard gave Rarity a sly grin, as he tossed the red fragment back to her, which she gingerly caught with her hooves.

“Pretty good, just keep in mind that a lamar can take a fragment as their own. Also, I still have my sword sheathed...” his words died as he noticed Rarity's horn was still glowing, that she was still smiling, her eyes on something above him.

He didn't even look, he rolled, but he wasn't fast enough, as the geode crashed down on him. Rarity blinked, not having expected him to fail to get out from under it.

“R-Richard?” She asked, a slight mix of concern, and confusion that she was concerned for the lamar. Rarity then stepped back in surprise as the entire geode split into two pieces, which shimmered and shrunk into two green beads of light, revealing Richard. Giving Rarity a smile, sword in hand, he sheathed his blade as he bowed to her.

“That was pretty clever, using the fire to distract me. I think I have little to fear. So, Lady Rarity, anything I can help you with?”

That's it? Just like that? Rarity thought in disbelief as she gathered herself, letting her breathing ease up as she looked to him.

“Well,” she began as she gave him a sheepish grin, “I wouldn't mind continuing our earlier conversation.” He nodded, and with a wave of his hand, the table, chair, cushion, and tea set reappeared, and after they both shared a moment to catch their breath and drink some tea, Rarity looked to him.

“So, I have a lot of questions...”