Living Mark of Courage

by Moowell

New Family

So many questions. Why couldn't she even remember her own name? Why did Harmonica bring her here? Why did she get so mad when she saw the colts being mean to the filly? Why did she keep hitting those colts after they stopped? Why did the filly stop her? Why did it hurt so much to think she was a bad pony? Epona wept silently as her thoughts dwelled on the memories.

"Stop! They're done! Stop hurting them!" a voice had cried from behind Epona. She had stopped mid-strike, just as she was about to bring her sword down on the head of one of the colts. When she turned her head back, she had seen the filly she saved earlier crying.

"Why are ya cryin'? They were gonna do the same thing ta ya," she had replied. "Don't they deserve it?"

"No! Not this. They were being mean, but this... this is cruel!" She realized she had been just as bad as the Scrubs. Maybe worse.

"Ah'm sorry..." She had pulled back her sword and put it away. She didn't care that the four other ponies were gawking when she turned and walked away from the Scrubs. Tears had filled her eyes and her heart hurt. She didn't understand what was going on, but she knew she didn't want to be a bad pony. Then she had come to this tree and laid down to be alone.

She wept silently by herself.

The sound of soft hoofsteps touched Epona's ears. "Um... A-are you ok?" asked a tender voice. She looked up to see the filly she rescued. Then she merely turned her head away, ashamed of her actions. "Are you hurt?" the filly asked. Was she? The colts never touched her, but she felt a pain in her chest. It was kind of hard to breath through the sobs. Did that count?

"Ah dunno. Maybe," she replied.

"Um..." The filly twiddled in the dirt for a moment. "I, uh... I wanted to thank you properly. You got rid of the bullies."

Epona looked up at the filly. Her off-white coat and mane gave her a strange, yet radiant aura in the moon and starlight. She was looking down at Epona with worried eyes. As Epona looked, she couldn't help but feel a little better.

"You're welcome," Epona finally said before putting her head back down on her hooves.

"Do you mind if I sit here?" the filly asked. Epona shook her head, so the filly sat next to her. "My name is Ivory. What's yours?"

"Epona."

"That's a nice name," she commented. "Are you new? I don't think I've ever seen you before today." Epona nodded. "Did you come with your parents?" Ivory asked.

"Mah parents...?" The word was foreign to her. Some things made sense, like protecting fillies from bullies. Some made no sense, like why she was hurting. But that word? It didn't have any sort of emotion attached to it. "No, Ah don't think so. Miss Harmonica helped me through the gate, then she brought me here."

"Where did you come from? Canterlot? Manehattan? Hoofington?"

"Uh..." Epona looked around. In the distance, she saw the ruined building on the hill. "That way," she said, pointing toward said cottage.

"But the only thing over there is..." Ivory blanched, an impressive feat for a pony already almost white. "...the Everfree Forest!"

"Huh? Ah didn't come outta no forest! Ah was next ta a house, but it was all burned."

"You lived in a burned house?"

"Ah don't think so, but there's a lot Ah can't remember. Maybe Ah did." The unicorn filly looked to the sky, then jumped up to her hooves.

"Hey, the stars are winking out! Come on, Epona," she said as she began to run through the park.

"Huh? Where are we goin'?" Epona asked, confused.

"You're going to stay at my house from now on. I'm sure my sisters won't mind when I tell them you're homeless. Now hurry up and come on!"

Epona looked up to the sky and sighed. Oddly enough, the stars were, in fact, disappearing one by one. When her eyes returned to the ground, she noticed that everypony else gave her a wide berth. She hung her head under the harsh stares of all the foals. "Over here!" Epona saw Ivory waving. Two adult mares were standing with her. One was purest white, and the other was a glossy jet black. She got up and went to the group.

"Who is this, Ivory?" asked the white mare.

"Yes, who is your friend?" asked the black.

"This is Epona. She's the one that saved me from the Scrubs."

"This is her?" The white mare turned and approached the filly. Suddenly she bowed low enough to lick the dirt. "Thank you, oh great hero, for protecting our sister!"

"Uh... yer welcome?"

"Canvas, you're making Epona feel uncomfortable!" The black mare gave a little buck to Canvas's flank, startling her back to normal. "I'm terribly sorry for my sister's behavior."

"It's a'right."

"Epona, this is Obsidian. She's my other sister and mare of the house." Obsidian extended her hoof at Ivory's introduction.

"It's nice ta meetcha, Miss Obsidian." Epona touched hooves with her in greeting.

"Oh, there's no need for formality." The two dropped the bump. Epona looked over at Canvas, who was watching the exchange with bated breath as though she expected some form of calamity to occur.

"Ivory, Ah think Canvas is a li'l weird..." Epona whispered.

"Weird? What are you talking about? That's completely normal for her," Ivory said nonchalantly. Epona stared at the trio. Then she shook her head and smiled.

"Well, it was nice to meet you, Epona, but it's time we got going," said Canvas. "It's getting late. See?" Epona looked up. The light of the stars was almost gone, and the moon was beginning to set. "Let's go, Ivory." Canvas and Obsidian turned and began to walk away.

"Oh, right! I forgot to ask!" Ivory ran in between them. "Can Epona stay with us?"

"Stay with us? You mean for the night?" Canvas asked.

"What does her family think about it?" Obsidian waited for Ivory's answer.

"W-well... she doesn't exactly... have one." The sisters gasped in unison. "Can we keep her?"

"Oh, the poor little dear! We cannot let our little sister's savior suffer alone!" the white unicorn wailed. "We simply must allow--"

"Canvas, don't get ahead of yourself!" The jet black mare looked back at Epona, then at Ivory. "I need to speak to her alone before I make a decision, okay Ivory?"

"Okay," Ivory replied. Obsidian walked to Epona and knelt down. Her face was stern.

"Am I in trouble?" Epona asked hesitantly.

"I keep a very close watch on my sister," she began. "If I think anything bad is going to happen, I step in and take control of the situation. I do not take kindly to anypony trying to hurt her."

"Did you know about the Scrubs?" Obsidian nodded. "Then why didn't ya help her when she was bein' bullied? Why'd ya wait fer somepony else do it fer ya?"

"Ivory is not as weak as you make her out to be. If I thought the Scrubs were any danger to her, I would have stepped in immediately. But when you showed up, I very nearly did."

"Me? I weren't no danger ta her! Ah was just helpin'!" exclaimed the filly.

Obsidian put her nose directly in front of Epona's and stared darkly into her eyes. Her voice became low, almost to the point of growling. "I'm going to trust you because you protected her. However, if you ever turn the anger you displayed against the Scrubs toward my Ivory, I will intervene. Am I clear?"

Epona gulped and nodded.

"Then you may stay with us." Obsidian turned and began to return to the others. Ivory's and Canvas's heads were pressed together, looking at her with large, expectant eyes. She gave a slight nod. The two danced around and whooped in glee.

"Come on, Epona! I'll show you the way home!" shouted Ivory as she bolted down the road. Epona looked up at Obsidian.

"Go on, then." Epona bolted after Ivory. The two adults followed behind as Ivory and Epona disappeared from sight.

Comments

[Starcat5]

I like Obsidian! She has that good old-fashioned Older Sibling "Wrath of God" thing going on.