Eight Months Later
Her eye fluttered open, woken by the light of the sun shining in the window. With a sigh, she climbed out of bed, put on her glasses, and made her way to the bathroom to freshen up. The same routine she followed every morning.
It had been over a year now since she left her family behind to live in the palace. Each day she followed the same pattern, waking, freshening, and walking to the laboratory. The same pattern, over and over...
At least I had some company for a while, she thought, remembering the guard-turned-botanist that worked with her for a few months. She really enjoyed spending time with him each day in the lab. But apparently, Zarkin had other plans for his career. He transferred out to the fields where the other pony slaves worked to grow the bio-pod plants she helped to create. It took her a while to admit it, but she really missed him, maybe even more than her family...
Stepping out into the hallway, she nodded to the guard (none of them talked to her anymore, so she gave up trying to socialize) and began her walk to her lab. Half way down the hall, the guard suddenly stuck out his staff to block her path.
"Down stairs," he ordered, pointing down a stairwell she hadn't used in over a year.
"What... why?" Botanica asked, her face full of worry. Why, after all these long months, were they changing her routine?
"New place you work in," was the only reply, before the guard nudged her with his staff. Not sure what was going on, she headed down the stairs. From there, the guard lead her to a narrow hallway, with a low ceiling, causing him to hunch down to fit. The passage sloped down twice, and at one point, there was a break in the ceiling, giving her a view of the city around them.
Finally, they reached the end, and for the first time in over a year, Botanica stepped out into the sunlight...
I'm in the old stadium, she realized, looking around at the dozens of empty rows ringing the structure. The stadium, sitting next to the palace, once hosted the Equestria Games many years ago. But now, it was an empty relic of days gone past...
The guard pointed down, towards the center of the stadium, where long grass covered the floor where Ponies once competed against each other. And sitting in the middle of the grass, was a small wooden shack.
"Your home now," the guard told her, indicating the shack with a clawed finger. "Go, new Grow Leader waiting."
"New Leader?" she asked, but at the guard's insistence, simply headed down the steps to the center grassy area, and approached the cottage. It appeared to have been constructed out of freshly-cut wood, and looked big enough for a pair of rooms inside. Curious, she reached for the door...
It opened towards her, pushed from the inside, and a large shadow stepped out. And while the armor covering his body was different, more elaborate, the patch of grey covering its snout was unmistakable.
"Zarkin?" she quietly asked, slightly shocked.
"Greetings, Botanica," he replied, his raspy voice as welcome to her as the sunlight and fresh air. "And I Zarkish now."
"Huh?" She was confused. "What do you mean, 'Zarkish'? I thought your name was Zarkin?"
He tapped a medal on his chest. "Sphere Leader Kessish pleased with our work on pod seeds. Made me Grow Leader, and add me to his clan. Now I get choose my own path."
"That's wonderful!" she exclaimed, giving him a warm smile. "Wait, is that why you left the palace?"
"Yes," he replied, sounding almost remorseful, eyes lowered to the ground. "I regret not telling you. Was not allowed time. Kessish order me to take post immediately." He looked back up at her. "But I come to share reward with you."
"What reward?" she asked.
Zarkish waved a clawed hand around them. "This place. Sphere Leader give to me to grow bio-pods. I tell him small lab no good, need better place with more light."
Looking around, it took Botanica a few moments to realize what he was saying. "You mean, you're going to use this whole stadium to grow pods?"
"Not I, you," he replied, looking directly at her. "More space for more plants. Plenty of light. Anything you require, I can have sent." His lips pulled back, reveling the teeth along the edges of his snout, an expression she had learned to recognize as a Vectin smile. "I Grow Leader now, and have much resources. Will also have to check your work regularly to ensure pods grow correctly."
"I see," she muttered, still trying to take it all in. "Well, in that case, I guess I should get a list of things together."
"I start it already," he said, and pointed at the cottage. "Left inside shelter for you." He stepped past her. "I speak with Sphere Leader now. Will return for list later."
"Ok," she said, and gave him warm smile in return. "Zarkin, I mean Zarkish," she corrected, "I'm glad you came back."
He nodded. "Others not understand. Think I only want better pods." He 'smiled' again. "Also want to help make friend life better." And with that, he started off towards the palace.
"Friend," she repeated, grinning to herself while entering the cottage. Their was a small desk under a window, with a clipboard waiting for her. Along with a small pot. Curious, she walked over to examine it. A little plant was growing in the pot, with jagged leaves of a common weed. But growing from the center, a small, beautiful flower.
He finally succeeded, she thought, looking out the window towards the castle, as Zarkish vanished with the guard into the crossover bridge. With a smile, she picked up the pencil on the clipboard, and got to work...