A muted thump woke Tabitha. She roused from her bed, still perfectly serviceable to her half-pony form. The thump came powerfully and made her jump.

She came down on the floor, wobbling but upright. The sound has come from outside her room. Whatever it was, it fell on her to check out, unless her new guard got to it. She doubted that'd happen.

She pulled on a quick robe over her human half to help conceal what shouldn't be seen and charged for the door, twisting the knob to reveal a hallway of doors.

The thump was heard as one of those doors rattled powerfully, coming inwards half an inch before it collapsed back on itself. Something was trying to get in.

That was a room she hadn't rented out yet, confirming one of her theories. With a soft hissing click, she reached back and grabbed a baseball bat from her room. She never played, baseball that is, but it served as a fine weapon that few questioned the presence of and was exceptionally unlikely to be accidentally used on a friend.

Another door cracked open. It was Coco, who lived on the same floor. She peeked out at Tabitha, smiled, then squealed in terror as the door across the way thumped violently. She slammed her door.

Coco wouldn't save her.

Of course she wouldn't. Tabitha would have been amazed if her gentle little mare friend did that.

Drawing her bat up into easy swinging range, Tabitha approached that quivering door. "Whoever... or whatever th--"

The door burst open. The creature beyond it was bipedal. Its skin was leathery and warty, but its features seemed mildly melted as if it were forged of wax and allowed to run slightly. It towered over Tabitha with a club in its hands that put her bat to shame. Baring rows of deadly teeth at her, it roared in feral anger.

It lunged at her even as the door it came through closed quietly behind it.

Part of her wanted to run, to run and keep running, but that... thing... would be free in her building. It would do terrible things to Coco, and so much more.

She swung her bat in a fierce swing filled with desperation and it connected with its club with the sound of a home-run strike. The club fell from suddenly numbed fingers even as the bat did the same, both injured for the force that the two objects met, but that barely slowed the thing down. It shoved her back, making her collapse onto her haunches even as it leaned in and sank its rank teeth through her robes and dug into the tender shoulder flesh beyond.

Tabitha grunted with pain, a mild sound for such an explosion of discomfort as the beast tore into her with clear intent to murder her. She balled her fists and brought them around to punch at the beast, but it hardly seemed to care until she landed one right in one of its bulging eyes and forced it back half a step. Blood ran freely from the wound, staining her robe in a fashion she could lament later.

The elevator dinged softly. Bubbles stepped out of it even as the beast grabbed at Tabitha with savage claws, raking her delicate flesh and forcing her to retreat quickly away from its growling mass.

"What in Equestria...?" Bubbles lowered her head and her horn shone brightly, the glow seeping over the beast and freezing it in place, growling but motionless. "I thought somepony was just playing their music really loudly."

Tabitha had a moment. She used it to raise a shaking hand to her savaged shoulder. "Please... tell me you can keep this thing still."

"That thing? No--" She winced as the creature tried to resist, struggling powerfully against her magic. "--alright, maybe some trouble, but I have it."

The pain was starting to descend on Tabitha, thick and awful. She was bleeding. She was bleeding too much. She couldn't stop yet. "Throw it into there." She raised a bloodied hand to point at the door it came through, her hand shaking rebelliously in the air. "Get rid of it!"

"Aye aye, captain," she said as she gave a toss of her head, hefting the beast up and starting to haul it towards that door. "You alright?" She hadn't seen how messed up it had left Tabitha.

Tabitha wasn't sure she wanted to change that. "Just kick it out, and make sure... it doesn't come back." That same spell that had been used to kidnap her was being used to save her. She was quite happy to see it, when she wasn't internally screaming in pain. The bloody claw marks were starting to burn furiously as well. She felt like she was pain. "I have to go."

She retreated into her room, walking stiffly as she went.

"Uh... boss?"

Tabitha looked over her shoulder. Things were getting blurry.

"You... kind of have... ex--"

Tabitha realized she'd been spotted. Sleeping, she didn't have a dress. It hurt too much. It was too late. She wasn't going to deal with that, not then, not... there. "Get rid of it! We'll talk tomorrow."

She slammed the door shut, only to realize she'd left a bloody handprint on the door. She was dripping the stuff. She was hurt. She hurt.

Tabitha took a deep breath, or she tried, only to find doing so made her body flex in a painful twitch.

"You've looked better."

She turned towards the source to see Spring gazing at her imperiously. "It will reflect poorly on me for you to be felled by a simple troll. I make better things than that."

A distant part of herself was angry Spring was there at all. Most of her just wanted to fall over and curl in a ball until the pain stopped. "What do you want, Spring?" She tried to step towards her intruder, stumbling over nothing but herself in the process and barely keeping upright. "This is a bad time."

She approached, hands wreathing in green energy. "Protecting my reputation. Until you get a better grip of things." She reached for Tabitha.

Tabitha wanted to resist, to get away, but the offer... The pain could be warded away. "This isn't a favor."

Spring frowned at that. "Still awake enough to protect yourself? Humph. This one's on me." She grabbed Tabitha's arms and leaned in as power rushed forward into the injured centaur. Spring began to sing. The words were lost, some language other than English, but they were clear and pretty even as those gaping wounds began to close rapidly, leaving scarred messes that didn't bleed. But the singing didn't stop, nor did the healing. The scars shrank slowly as Spring sang her elven song.

Tabitha felt the pain lessen and fade. She was healthy. She was healthier by the moment even. Soon she was intact, though her robe was still a mess of drying blood, to say nothing of what she dripped and tracked. Would saying thanks invite consequences? "Good job," she settled. "Now tell me why you're in my room?"

"You invited me here, horse lover. We are 'friends' as you said, are we not?" She smirked faintly as she righted herself. "You won't die tonight, Caretaker."

"You don't know what a friend is." Tabitha snorted like the horse she half was. "I thought we were distant."

"You are no elf. Teacher, I'm learning." A smile spread on those full lips. "This is a pony land, and I must accept some of its rules, must I not? You are the one that declared us 'friends', horse lover."

Tabitha took a slow breath, devoid of the pain that had wracked her the last time. "Can we start with you not throwing titles at me, some of them entirely wrong and insulting? Tabitha. I am Tabitha."

"Tabitha..." She raised a brow. "Very well, Tabitha, you are mended and whole. You remain the Caretaker, for now. This is good, as I think I favor you."

Tabitha couldn't believe what was being said in part. "Just like that? I thought you hated me."

"Whenever did I say that, h--Tabitha. I made you. I do have some pride... You infuriate me with your actions, but they are not entirely out of comprehension. You are a talented outsider, the worst kind."

"You're still not complimenting me."

"Was I supposed to? I figured you'd appreciate truth more readily." Spring advanced, reaching out to where human became pony flesh. It seemed that part of her drew attention from everyone, Spring included. She gently felt over that spot with the tips of her fingers. "How do you feel?"

Tabitha danced away from that contact, hooves stepping quickly to put some distance between herself and the elf. "That scent, it doesn't work on elves, does it?"

"As if I'd be lured by the stench of a wild beast? You'd put that terrible tool to work and it would be a simple travesty..." Her words came through with one meaning, but the smoldering look seemed to say another.

Tabitha raised a brow. "Can we at least try to put aside the games?"

"Games?"

Tabitha saw two options. She could shove the elf out of her room and hope for peace, or she could be as blunt as possible. "Look, you..." She aborted saying a favor had been done, even if one had. "Let me be blunt. You like blunt. No insult intended."

"None shall be taken." Spring nodded lightly. "Speak your mind clearly, so understanding can be shared."

"You want--" A knocking interrupted them.

"Miss Tabitha? The guard said you were very badly hurt... Please say something or I... I'll have to come in and be sure."

Even as Spring rolled her eyes, Tabitha had to smile. Knowing Coco cared enough to do that was nice. "I'm alright, Coco."

"Are you sure? May I come in?"

Tabitha could hear the worry in Coco's voice and imagined the earth pony quaking with fear. She couldn't say no.

Spring apparently felt this. "We'll speak later. You have a horse to speak with." She withdrew and faded away with the sound of rustling leaves, gone.

Tabitha let out a soft grunt of annoyance, even if she wasn't entirely sure what she was annoyed at exactly. She approached the door on much surer hooves and threw the door open, almost smacking Coco in the process.

She squeaked and stepped back as the door opened, then she smiled, looking over her friend, only to turn to horror. "Miss Tabitha! You're... You're hurt, badly. We should get to the hospital!" Her eyes were fixed on the dried blood that caked the shoulder of her robe and was splattered across her front and had dripped down her legs. Tabitha was a mess, and felt awful for even being seen that way. "Don't just stand there. Oh no! You must be in shock. Don't you worry. I'm here now, and I won't leave your side until you're all better."

Even as Coco came forward to, somehow, wrestle her away, Tabitha reached down and gently pet over Coco's head, stroking an ear. "I'm fine, really. Thank you. Thank you so much."

No matter what else happened, she did at least have one sure friend.

Author's Notes:

What happens when a troll attacks at night? Set some watches or be prepared for typos!