In the small lounge inside the headquarters of the Mirror, a yellow pegasus sat next to a white bull.
The bull was sitting on the reclining chair with a smile. He had a much stronger build than the pegasus, but every action that he took was gentle and delicate, up to the way he held his cup of tea.
Fluttershy often felt lucky that she was paired up with this soft-spoken bull instead of the more bombastic friends from Zebrica. Although situations often demanded her to toughen up, it was still in her nature to be soft-spoken and be more comfortable around quiet individuals.
Fluttershy warmly smiled. “… This should be it, thank you so very much for coming to this interview, Mister Mkondo.”
Mkondo nodded. “You’re very welcome, Miss Fluttershy. I’m only happy for you to be interested in how the cattle community is doing here in Equestria, and also let me explain our case. I can only hope that my small input will be able to soothe the nerve of our pony friends here in Ponyville.”
Fluttershy couldn’t suppress her sigh. “You’re welcome, Mister Mkondo. It’s a newspaper’s job to cover incidences of injustice in the society.”
“As I said, I believe that the small hoof-fight on the main street is merely an isolated incident of cultural misunderstanding. Bulls are aggressive, sometimes unreasonably even, at the slightest perceived slight.”
“B- But Mister Mkondo, you don’t seem to be aggressive at all.”
“I used to be quite a nuisance when I was younger, but I’ve learnt a fair bit about controlling one’s impulse from a good master of mine.”
“That master must be wise.”
“… He used to say that our minds were like small boats on a fast stream. We must let jutting rocks pass through us peacefully to move forward. Trying to ruminate in stubborn obsession is like aiming for the very rocks in our path. It will only lead to self-destruction and tragedy.”
Fluttershy bit her lips and muttered quietly. “If only everypony can be less stubborn…”
“Give it time, Miss Fluttershy. With time, even the roughest rock can be washed into a smooth pebble.”
Fluttershy smiled, and the two again sipped their cups of tea quietly.
After a while, Mkondo prompted gently. “Miss Fluttershy.”
“Yes, Mister Mkondo? Do you want anything?”
“No, not at all. Can I ask you a question, though?”
“P- Please do.”
“Forgive my brazenness, but I find it strange that you’re working here. You seem like someone who would prefer tranquility.”
Having been asked this question a dozen times, Fluttershy merely smiled and said. “It did come out of nowhere at first, being Twilight’s initiative. Journalism requires a lot of contact, which even though I got used to it eventually, but I never quite got to being completely comfortable. Despite that, I’ve grown to like the way that we can shape opinion and make the community a better place simply using pen and paper. Of course, my kind colleagues shouldering most of the front-desk and fields jobs helps a lot as well.”
“I see…”
Mkondo then shook his head. “But I also sense that you’re a bit tired.”
“E- Eh? Why would you say so, Mister Mkondo?”
“Why, just now Miss Applejack dropped by and told us this wonderful ‘radio’ device. Even someone as simple-minded as me understand that it shall rewrite the rules of spreading information, and yet you look thoughtful and reluctant.”
Fluttershy winced. “I…”
“Miss Fluttershy, I have read up on Equestria and the Elements since my arrival. Yours is kindness, am I right?”
Fluttershy blushed, but she lightly nodded.
“I understand that why you Element leads to a desire to help the weak and the voiceless in the society, but it doesn’t fit with your element, with a small ‘e’.”
Fluttershy blinked, and Mkondo continued. “You look exhausted. I’m not saying that you cannot do your job, on the contrary, you’ve done very well with your editorial career. But like running under water, it’s not like you cannot do it, but it makes you tired, and you can even run out of air if you cannot find your own way to quiet down. And sadly, I have yet to see you truly quiet down and rest while you’re inundated with questions and small talks.”
Fluttershy inhaled deeply, as she gave the slightly concerned looking bull another careful look. His appearance was one of a well-built bull, and his expressions was always simple and gentle, and yet he said with precision and thoroughness what Discord hadn’t observed in the moons they lived with each other together.
With Discord, it was a labored process of nursing kindness and care out of a perennial loner. Without any hint of criticism, she thought, Discord was still relatively unskilled when it comes to sensing delicate feelings in his friends. This was a sharp contrast with the unassuming but highly observant Mkondo.
“I… I thank you for your words, Mister Mkondo. But I must keep doing this.”
“Why?”
“The fulfillment of my wish to help aside, it is Twilight’s wish for us to have a channel to utter our views to the public. With the growing size of the Mirror and the potential addition of a radio service, it’s more important to have somepony at the helm. Each of us six have a role of their own now, I must not leave my post and disappoint the others. If Rainbow left her weather team job to achieve so much, what’s so unbearable with me having to deal with ponies despite not being quite sociable?”
“I respect Miss Twilight, she’s a good pony, a natural leader. Miss Rainbow Dash also, for she’s a beacon of loyalty. But you’re your own pony, and your own way of life is ultimately yours to decide. Miss Rainbow Dash had had the luxury of choice, why do you think otherwise?”
Fluttershy winced again. She had avoided this issue herself for quite a long time. “I’m sorry… But this is no longer a mere matter of personal choice. For each of us, there is always a balance between lower and higher, personal and greater goals. As Element-bearers, we’re given a degree of magical power, but more importantly, we’re living symbols of the ideals of harmony. Living up to it is a prohibitively demanding task, and it requires us to give up a big part of ourselves for such a great goal.”
“I disagree.”
Fluttershy widened her eyes. Mkondo then said. “Elements of Harmony are the highest moral ideals of this land. But they’re not separate from the bearers or the residents here. Instead, like a lot of magical items in this world, they are a lens and a mirror to our hearts. Specifically, kindness is an integral part of you. Fulfilling your element should not be a matter of difficult trade-off, it should be as natural as showing a smile or lightening up someone’s day.”
Fluttershy suppressed an urge to get emotional and tear up, but she was quite shaken by Mkondo’s words.
She deeply sighed. “… But what could I do? I can’t leave my post just yet. I’ve just finished the last dispatch of my report about the Cruzesian journey to Zebrica, but we’re currently in the middle of reporting the lack of progress regarding the Raritan mine sabotage.”
“I don’t profess to know about how a newspaper is run, but are you absolutely sure no one here can fit your horseshoe?”
Fluttershy bit her lips. Was she really this pivotal a pony in the Mirror? Except for the overhaul and new hiring required for the yet-to-materialized radio service, she did not really interfere substantially with the professional daily decisions by Fair Balance. Initially, she did have to stress the impartiality when reporting on things that might implicate their friends, while maintaining a liberal-minded editorial stance.
But Fair Balance already had a highly similar stance to her when it comes to social issues, and with time, there was a smaller and smaller need for them to discuss. Maybe she really should let Fair Balance finally have full freedom to run things in the Mirror?
She had not admitted this to any of her friends, but she dearly missed her old, simple life at the cottage, when she could spend the whole day in quiet solitude with her animals.
She could still exert influence through commentaries as a former editor, without actually having to work in an office. Although working as a full-time animal caretaker paid much less than an editor, she would fell much more at home, literally and figuratively.
Still, she hesitated. “I’m still a bit worried.”
“Sometimes, we just have to let go. After all, the Mirror, as you said, had run fine while you’re out on the sea.”
Facing a reticent Fluttershy, Mkondo continued. “I don’t know how long would it take for Miss Applejack, Miss Pie and their associates to touch up the radio machine. I suspect it would be some time till they make a working prototype and another stretch of time till that reaches a large number of households in order for this ‘broadcasting’ idea to work. If you aren’t sure whether which way is right for you, then you may treat this period of time as a holiday of sorts for you to return to your old life a little bit.”
Fluttershy thought for a while, and then meekly nodded. “That… may be a good idea. After all, Fair Balance had told me repeatedly that I can rest and leave things to him.”
Mkondo smiled. “I’m glad that you think so.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Discord floated before the yellow pegasus, who was busy tending to her crowd of different animals, now reinforced by some more exotic Zebrican breeds brought from the Western continents.
Throughout Fluttershy’s work in the Mirror, she still cared for the animals in her off-time, but her animals were sadly becoming more distant as an inevitable result of less contact.
Rather than becoming dejected and depressed, she did her best to reconnect with her little herd. Fortunately, the willful bunny that had been the chief troublemaker turned out to be the most understanding and resilient of the bunch, as he took up the position to reacquaint her with the animals.
“My dear Fluttershy.”
Discord cooed, however Fluttershy was busy pulling a tray of carrots out of the cabinet and seemed not to hear him.
The chaos spirit raised an eyebrow, and called out again.
“Fluttershy.”
The yellow pegasus dragged a bag of potatoes difficultly out of the room, again ignoring the draconequus’s call.
Discord grumbled with annoyance. Was Fluttershy deliberately avoiding him for some reason? She had the excuse of being tired after a whole day of work in the Mirror and in the animal pens, but what about now, in the middle of the day?
A flare of mischief flashed in his mind. He picked up a carrot from the tray, and when Fluttershy walked past the corridor, he aimed for her back and lobbed the orange vegetable towards her.
The projectile carrot squarely hit the backside of Fluttershy’s head. The yellow pegasus let out a quiet yelp, and fell flat on the floor.
Discord walked near the prostrate form of his pegasus friend, and poked her slightly.
No response.
Discord gulped and swiped a bead of cold sweat from his forehead. He lifted the small pegasus up with his claw, and found that she flailed lifelessly.
“Oh come on! I barely used any force on the carrot! Don’t faint on me just for that!”
Discord worriedly shook the yellow pegasus. Suddenly, she flexed her wings and escaped from his grip, and when she flew over his head, she gave the draconequus a gently flick on the head.
“Hey!”
Fluttershy pouted. “I just want to give you a lesson. It’s not nice at all to hit others with things when they’re not aware. You could’ve hurt someone with this!”
“Alright, dear Fluttershy, I’m sorry. I don’t know you had this in you too, heh.”
Facing with an unamused glance, Discord sighed.
“I’m just a little frustrated that you ignored me for the whole day even though we’re both at home. I canceled all my planned activities just to stay here with you!”
Fluttershy sighed. “I have to work hard to reconnect with my animals, I have been giving them less and less attention since I began to work in the Mirror. Now that I may catch a break, I must do my best.”
“But Fluttershy, some draconequus also needs your attention.”
Fluttershy first felt a bit guilty at ignoring Discord, especially since he’s being so rarely candid, but she then thought of something else.
She puffed her cheeks. “I’m sorry, but the animals do need my attention more. On the other hoof, you may want to…”
“Want to do what?”
Fluttershy bit her lips. She was too reluctant to openly display any sign of jealousy. She actually felt horrible that she felt this way towards Rosencross and in a less severe way towards Twilight, but the sheer time he and she lived together after the traumatic experience in Canterlot caused them to bond together deeply, and now that he seemed to have turned into a weathervane of affection troubled her deeply.
“Fluttershy? Come now, I do have some choice activities that we can do today.”
Fluttershy gasped and returned her gaze. She was too soft to reject his proposal after all. She deeply sighed. “… Okay, let me wrap up my work here first. I still have to feed the chicken and comb the bears.”
However, a few hurried knocks were heard from the door. Fluttershy raised her brows, while Discord narrowed his eyes and muttered.
At the door was a white bull, the subdued Mkondo. Compared to a few weeks ago when she met him, he became visibly thinner. However, this only accentuated his well-toned body.
Fluttershy beamed, as Discord gave the bull a suspicious glance.
“Good day, Miss Fluttershy.”
“Good day and thank you to you too, Mister Mkondo!”
The white bull raised a brow. “Miss Fluttershy, what had I done to please you so?”
Fluttershy gulped and beamed a bashful smile. “Your suggestion for me to return from the editorship in the Mirror is great. Fair Balance is managing the editorial team very well even without my input. And I feel so much at ease and happy to have more time with my animals again after so long.”
“Miss Fluttershy, the introspection and discovery is all your own work and efforts.”
“You’re too humble, Mister Mkondo. I have to thank you for your insight and encouragement.”
Fluttershy sighed. “I just wonder why you hadn’t come sooner after the last meeting at the Mirror building.”
Mkondo looked abashed. Fluttershy noticed his difficult look, and gently leaned in. “Is there anything that I can do for you?”
“Actually, yes. I’m afraid that I’d look selfish and purposeful to ask you of this after persuading you to return to animal care, because it happens so that we have an issue with animals on our hooves right now.”
Fluttershy gasped. “Oh my, not at all. Your encouragement had made me realize that I’m needed more at animal caretaking than in the Mirror right now. I’ve understood that it’s not a once-and-for-all decision, and if the Mirror really needs me, I would gladly go back. Kindness is never only about helping animals, but also helping our fellow citizens.”
She gingerly chuckled. “But right now, I can do something that I like and feel more natural at, while not affecting the running of the Mirror. This is really a good opportunity to rethink and recharge. Don’t worry, Mister Mkondo, I’ll never think less of you because you happen to have animal troubles during this period.”
“Thank you, Miss Fluttershy, you’re so very kind. Your great expertise in animals will certainly be life-saving in this case.”
Fluttershy blushed, while Mkondo gently coughed and slowly said. “They had encountered troubles when settling down near the Saddle River downstream, while many of them falling sick.”
Fluttershy covered her mouth. “Oh dear.”
“It turned out that the turbulent water in the middle Saddle River had been a breeding ground for a type of blackflies, which severely affects the livability in the settlement. Fortunately though, some of our brilliant brethren brought with them our good friends, the egrets from Zebrica. They peck away the blackflies and keep the settlement clean.”
He sighed. “Unfortunately though, the egrets themselves are falling foul of some unknown sickness. It cannot be the blackflies, because the egrets also dealt with them in Zebrica. The whole situation is sadly making a lot of suffering there, with some families already petitioning to move away. We beseech you, Miss Fluttershy, to have a look why the egrets are becoming sick.”
Mkondo then stepped back and picked up a giant bouquet of different flowers.
“M- Mister Mkondo?” Not only Fluttershy, but Discord widened his eyes at this sudden gesture.
“Miss Fluttershy, as I said, we don’t have bits or anything to pay you back. So I have spent some time to gather the most beautiful flowers in the southern fields. This bouquet represents our pleading and gratitude for your assistance.”
Fluttershy gulped and nodded vigorously. “O- Of course I’ll help, Mister Mkondo. Treating animals have always been not just my job, but my passion. I’ll never leave the cattle and the egrets in danger by ignoring your plight. I’ll definitely gather up the needed equipment and come.”
“I thank you on behalf of the cattle community in the Stony River colony, may Mehet-Weret bless you and your animals, Miss Fluttershy.”
Fluttershy showed him a polite smile, and then turned severe as she swiftly flew back into the house and prepared for the urgent outing. Discord looked on with a slightly shocked look. He knew it was childish and selfish to feel jealous at being blocked from going out with Fluttershy, but it was undeniably annoying to have his plan ruined by the request from this newcomer.
He muttered and pondered, narrowing his eyes at the disappearing sight of the white bull and the yellow pegasus, becoming irritated at the possibility of their special bond being challenged.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
When Fluttershy and Mkondo arrived at the cattle settlement, she covered her mouth and stared in shock. The little village was clearly in trouble, as the villagers walked around with little stamina. Some of the cows even fell asleep in the middle of the road.
The newly sowed fields nearby, alarmingly, had no one to tend to, as the villagers languished in malaise. If the current situation continued, the village would fall into a famine and could only rely on assistance from the outside.
Mkondo quietly said. “This is the sad reality of our current desperation, Miss Fluttershy. I am not a doctor, so I can only pray and care for the sick.”
“H- Have you ever contacted the medics in Ponyville?” Fluttershy said with a shaky voice.
“I did. But unfortunately, we didn’t have the bits to hire them. Although our cousins who had arrived in Equestria before us, led by generous Miss Daisy Jo, graciously lent us a helping hoof by promising aid, there is another problem…”
“What is it?”
“Many of the cattle from Zebrica felt suspicious about Equestrian medicine. I know that it might sound a bit backwards to your ears, but the Zebrican cattlekind have used traditional herbal remedies for thousands of years.”
“N- not at all. Zecora had used herbs and brews all the time.”
“That’s not the main problem, though. Pills and syrup just seems strange and alien to my brethren. This is not helped by the fear and lack of understanding about magic and technology in Equestria. They have a nagging fear about being enchanted by pony spells.”
Fluttershy frowned in sadness and worry. If the Zebrican cattlekind had such a cultural disparity with the Equestrians, it would indeed lend credence to what Princess Celestia said about integration. Although she was all for increased contact and exchange across races, creating flat-out conflicts and suffering by mashing the races together was not their goal.
She also wondered why Twilight thought that it was appropriate to bring them over given such a hotbed for misunderstanding and conflicts.
Mkondo sighed, less gently and more weakly. “If only Miss Twilight is here with us, the cattle trusted her. I had tried to persuade them to no success.”
He weakly smiled. “I don’t blame them. Cattlekind is wary of ponykind for historical reasons. Cattlekind in Equestria seems to view ponykind much more positively, but among Zebrican races, Equestrians also had an unfortunately dubious reputation of… making their citizens more pliable using various forms of spells and methods.”
“Th- That’s…”
“I know, I know. Miss Twilight had explained this to me. Certain unicorns and magic users in history, as I heard, tended to be a bit careless with massively influential spells on minds. Some of the major incidents in history must have filtered out of Equestria and gave the place a less-than-charitable reputation. Some of them also think the whole idea of Harmony as an exercise to suppress dissidence. I know that most of them are rather uncharitable characterizations, but they have legitimate reasons to worry.”
The white bull stroked his jaw. “I speak out against segregation in different settlements at first since it was against Miss Twilight’s wish, but it encountered great resistance among the newcomers. But I’m slowly realizing that for races this diagonally different, niche settlements, like Equestrians already do with the three pony races, may serve the purpose of reducing conflicts.”
Fluttershy sighed. Mkondo then led the pegasus into a small hut and gestured her to sit down.
“We can wait here. The elders will later bring over the egrets. Again, thank you so much for your kind help, Miss Fluttershy. Your help will allow this small settlement to survive.”
Fluttershy sadly smiled. “… You’re very welcome. I just hope that the cultural differences can eventually be mended and we can live together.”
“I hope so too, Miss Fluttershy. Unfortunately, magic and some form of Equestrian technologies are just something that seems both wondrous and scary to them. From weather and seasons that do not progress until prompted, to the automotive that runs on its own, everything needs to be slowly explained to them until they understand that it was not harmful by nature.”
Mkondo smiled. “It takes time, but I’m confident that the day will come.”
Fluttershy quietly nodded, and then an old bull came in the small hut with a large tray of sick birds.
“Master Mkondo, here are the egrets.”
“Good, thank you.”
“Are you sure about her, teacher?”
Fluttershy couldn’t help but interject.
“I am here to help, mister. I will never intentionally cause harm to the animals or to the cattle community.”
The old bull widened his eyes, surprised at her knowledge of their language. But instead of being impressed, he fearfully retreated from the hut, not bothering to say goodbye to Mkondo.
Mkondo looked to Fluttershy, who was shocked and saddened by the reactions. “Miss Fluttershy, give it time.”
Fluttershy nodded resolutely, and then began to examine the sickly egrets on the tray.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The worry on Fluttershy’s face deepened as she examined one egret after another. She then took out a few vials of medicine from her saddlebag, fed the egrets with it and set them aside.
“Are the egrets alright, Miss Fluttershy?”
“… I believe so. The medicine I gave them should be able to neutralize any ailment-causing substances. They should be able to fly again in a little under a day.”
“Oh, praise be. Miss Fluttershy. My brethren and I owe you deeply for your selfless service.”
Fluttershy smiled. “You’re so very welcome, Mister Mkondo. If not for your words, I would still be working stubbornly in the Mirror, not knowing that my editorial team can fully take over my job without deviating from Twilight’s goal.”
“Miss Fluttershy, thank you again…”
Mkondo looked intently at Fluttershy and added. “But I see that your worries have not dispersed completely. Why is that so?”
Fluttershy sighed again. Amidst her worries, she was also again reminded of his observant eyes. “This is indeed not just random illness. The egrets are getting sick because there is likely something wrong with the water from the river.”
Even the ever calm Mkondo looked alarmed. “What makes you think so, Miss Fluttershy?”
“There are multiple telltale signs on their bodies that suggest they have ingested possibly polluted water. The feather on their wings were brittle, and the eggs within their belly were smaller than usual and have softer shells.”
Looking at the concerned face of the bull, Fluttershy added. “I don’t believe that any pollution will affect ponies and cattle, since egrets eat a lot of tiny creatures in the water, which leads to accumulation of unhealthy substances.”
Fluttershy added with an unconvinced expression. “At the current level, at least…”
Mkondo shook his head. “I’m not worried about the water for now. Before we chose this site, we made sure that the muddy river water was not in contact with the underground water, and drinking water from the well causes no ailment. Knowing this now, we will try to feed the egrets with well water and critters from unpolluted streams.”
“This should be alright then. In case of any more trouble, I will leave some of the antitoxin here. They should be enough for all the egrets for many moons.”
“We will certainly repay you once we have the m-”
“Don’t be silly, Mister Mkondo, your beautiful bouquet and your gratitude is the most priceless gift that you could’ve given me.”
Fluttershy weakly smiled, but remained visibly disturbed. Mkondo closed his eyes and said. “I believe I share your concern at the implications of this.”
The yellow pegasus widened her worried eyes, and bit her lips. “If this turns out to be true, then the development upstream will likely be the chief suspect of the degrading water quality.”
“But Miss Fluttershy, if it turns out to be the development that is associated with your friends that causes the water to become unclean, then it would be dire news. Today the egrets, tomorrow it could be others. The reprisal if the larger public know this will be rather severe.”
Fluttershy had trusted her friends to make the right call when come to building the foundation of their future plans, while maintaining the pristine beauty of the Equestrian environment.
But egrets were excellent indicator of water quality. Their symptoms would not lie.
Fluttershy closed her eyes and sadly frowned. How ironic it was for her to leave the journalistic profession, and immediately come upon a major public health scandal only by doing her old job.
“Miss Fluttershy, I know you’re conflicted right now.”
Fluttershy looked to the bull, who looked unflappable as a marble pillar in a rough sea.
“It might seem unkind to your friends, but to stop here and cover the things up is much more uncompassionate. To the animals that you care so much for, and to the ponies, zebras, cattle and all other creatures that might be affected in the coming days.”
Mkondo paused. He took a bottle of dried herbs and poured some hot water from a boiling pot into the bottle. He then poured the herbal tea into two cups and curtly offered one to Fluttershy.
“This is rooibos, red bush tea. Some brethren brought it here for self-consumption. It can calm nerves and soothe minds, try a cup.”
Fluttershy politely took the cup and drank the malty-tasted drink. It was somewhat curiously tasting, with a distinctive cinnamon-like flavor compared to common tea.
Mkondo himself took a light sip and continued. “Even to your friends… Miss Rarity and Miss Applejack are both great ponies. I salute them. They have helped the newcomers a lot to actively supplying food, materials and workers. We all love them as we love Miss Twilight. But it would be a travesty to give them a pass just because of the help we receive. The potentially affected populace is far from only us the newcomers, but everyone downstream.”
Fluttershy slowly nodded, and the white bull said lowly. “At the very least we must be firm and get to the bottom and the truth. If it turns out that the pollution had nothing to do with your friends, then it is doing them a great service and justice. If it turns out that it had something to do with them, then it is imperative to inform them as a compassionate friend. Above all, we must get the information out in order to be responsible.”
Fluttershy suddenly broke into a bashful and sad chuckle. “… I guess I had to become an investigative journalist once more, eh?”
Mkondo, for once, looked fretful with regret. “Miss Fluttershy, I once again apologize, for I have given you the advice to retire to a less hectic life that suits your own personality, and yet I now prompt you with such news that you’ll have to engage so many more individuals to uncover the truth.”
“This is not your fault in any shape or form, Mister Mkondo. In fact, the earlier we discover this, the better. As you say, even though the water might still be drinkable for us, things might become worse in the future. It’s better for us to nip something this bad in the bud, rather than let it fester until someone actually get sick.”
Mkondo nodded. After exchanging a thoughtful glance, the two exited the hut and prepared to go on investigating the source of pollution.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Applejack slapped the desk and gritted her teeth. “What the Tartatus?! This is unacceptable! Whoever did this will definitely get a paddlin’ from me!”
The yellow pegasus was clearly stunned by the sheer anger from the farmer mare. The white bull simply stared silently.
“So do you two have any idea who could’ve dumped those nasty stuffs into the river? And what are those exactly?”
“Um…” Fluttershy hesitated.
“We come to ask if you have any idea yourself, Miss Applejack. Miss Fluttershy have given the water sample over to Miss Twilight, with help from Miss Trixie and Mister Spike, since the Golden Oak Library seems to be only place around here with suitable equipment. But we aren’t expecting any results soon given Miss Twilight’s… current condition. I also understand that as amazing Equestrian technologies are, it might be impossible to determine what’s in the water. So we’re basically just asking around.”
Mkondo then said more pointedly. “This is by no means pointing hooves, but we come to here with a reason.”
“And what would be it?” Applejack raised a brow.
“The Apple farms surrounded the entire upper stretch of the Saddle River. It is conceivable that the waters that ran through your farms contain materials that are harmful to the health of water birds and even sapient creatures.”
Applejack looked incredibly offended. “No! We’ll never put harmful shmucks in our farms to boost our yields!”
Mkondo walked back a step and gave a cursory glance to Fluttershy. The yellow pegasus took a deep breath and said. “What about the pest repellents that you use? The changelings get rather sick after walking through your fields, don’t they?”
Applejack widened her eyes and spluttered slightly, but she immediately added. “Okay, first, those pest repellents are made with natural ingredients Zecora and her crew gathered from the Everfree. Given how the Little Saddle River flows through the Everfree, if what we used is in any way toxic, then by Tartarus we’ll all be sick long before that!”
Fluttershy knitted her brows to stress her concern. “But now, the fact is that it is at least harmful to some creatures. The changelings are also sapient, right? And even though the raw materials may be harmless, the products can still be harmful!”
“It’s tested, Ah swear! Ah’ve even drank the darn thing without gettin’ mahself wrecked! Do you not believe me now?”
Applejack raised her voice so much, it’s cracking at the brims. “More so, we’ve stopped usin’ them repellent after the changelings settled in altogether! Now we release ladybugs and praying mantises into the fields as natural pest control despite its cost. Ah’ve literally done whatever Ah could do to not use that, is that not enough?”
Fluttershy winced. “Well… if you say so…”
Mkondo still did not give up. “Miss Applejack, I don’t doubt your sincerity, but we still want to know about what else do you use on the farm.”
The yellow pegasus nodded. “Yes. For transparency’s sake, when we later publicize our findings, we need to make sure the public knows that if it isn’t you who causes the current pollution, then it definitely isn’t you. To do this we must know about all the substances you use at the farm.”
Applejack took a slow and deep breath, and sighed. “… Alright. Fine, Ah’ll go ‘round and ask, and Ah’ll give you a full list of things that we use on the crops at the farm later. Honesty’s the best policy after all. Ah say and Ah swear, everythin’ that we use, we try our best to ensure it’s harmless.”
Fluttershy showed a somewhat forced smile. “Thanks, this would be enough. I trust you fully to do so, Applejack.”
Mkondo looked to the north. “Besides, there is someone much more culpable.”
Applejack arched her brows and said. “You can’t be talkin’ about…”
Mkondo said plainly. “It’s only natural to assume that Miss Rarity’s mines and manufactories may have released some unpleasant materials into the water. Even in cattle settlements, the most polluted water are always those that flows through mines and mills.”
“… Ah really hope that it’s not the case. Rarity’s put even more money and efforts into this sort of things. Dang, she even set up an environmental watch or somethin’ in her company.”
“Of course it would be bad to implicate any of you. We respect and adore all of Miss Twilight’s friends who so graciously help our community settle down. But now, getting and getting out the truth should be the first thing that we do. Water is the fluid of life, we can’t afford to have it being polluted for reasons unknown.”
Applejack bit her lips, and then nodded. “True, true. Ah’ve been overly defensive. Ah’ll catch up with you two later when Ah’ve done the internal investigation. Best of luck, y’all.”
Fluttershy smiled. “Thank you, Applejack, you’ve been most kind.”
Applejack tutted wryly. “Now off you go, inspectors. Ah’ve had mah own detective works to do.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Welcome to Raritan, what may I…”
The white pegasus receptionist blinked and lightly gasped. “Oh my, Miss Fluttershy, good afternoon. Are you here to look for Miss Rarity?”
“Good afternoon, Miss Praise. Yes, we’d like to talk with Rarity on a rather urgent matter.”
Flowery Praise looked apologetic. “Oh dear, Miss Rarity had left Ponyville to Manehattan on a business trip. She might only be back in three days.”
Fluttershy let out a quiet yelp of disappointment, while Mkondo asked. “I see. We actually have some environmental issues we want to consult with Raritan. I’ve heard that there is someone who oversees this aspect in Raritan. Maybe we can meet with him or her first?”
“Certainly. His name is Cedar Canopy. His office is at 203, just go upstairs and left!”
“Thank you, Miss Praise.” Fluttershy smiled.
“You’re welcome, Miss Fluttershy, and, uh…”
“Mkondo, I’m a new arrival from Zebrica.”
“Good day to you, Mister Mkondo. You speak really good Equestrian!”
Mkondo smiled. “We seaside cattle speaks some Equestrian because of needs to trade with Equestria. But Miss Twilight certainly taught us much more.”
After greeting the receptionist, the two went upstairs and looked to the quiet corridor. They did not even have to bother finding which office was Cedar Canopy’s, for it was the only one with an eye-catching door design – a door made with dried leaves and small branches chopped into small pieces and glued together into a plank. Painted on it was a giant green recycling logo, no doubt using some environmentally friendly materials as well.
“… Wow.” Fluttershy quietly stared.
Mkondo knocked on the door, and a muffled call was heard. “W- Who’s there?”
Fluttershy tried to speak through the door, but her soft voice did not penetrate at all. So instead Mkondo raised his voice and said. “We’re friends of Miss Rarity, and we want to consult you with some environmental matters.”
The door opened slowly, revealing a white unicorn with short green mane. He widened his eyes, and then closed them tightly and gulped. Suppressing his stutter with difficulty, he said. “P- Please c- come in, my friends.”
The two were led into the room, which had a ceiling made of glass in half of the room. Gentle sunlight also filtered in from the large glass window, casting a long shadow from the unicorn who sat behind his long wooden desk. It was pointedly avant-garde in the otherwise quaint town. If he was not so visibly timid, Cedar Canopy would actually look somewhat authoritative in this setting.
Seeing the rubbernecking duo, Cedar Canopy gulped and forced a smile. “T- This room is d- designed partly by me, but with i- input from Miss Rarity as well.”
“I see…” Fluttershy muttered.
Mkondo nodded. “Mister Canopy, what we’re about to discuss is highly sensitive, it concerns the health of all residents near the entire stretch of Middle and Lower Saddle. Please refrain from discussing around until we find out the whole picture.”
Cedar Canopy carefully nodded, and Mkondo cut to the chase. “The Saddle is polluted with some substances that cause eggshell thinning and various malaise in water birds. If left unattended this might balloon into more serious health issue.”
Towards a wide-eyed Cedar Canopy, Fluttershy continued. “There are a number of possible candidates for the identity of the pollutants. With the help of Miss Trixie Lulamoon, we have already largely excluded magic-related causes, but it could still be anything from run-off from the Apple Farms to mining waster from Raritan mines. We’re not making any accusation, we just want to see if the source of the pollution is from the ponies we’re familiar with.”
“T- This is a very serious matter. F- For your re- record, Raritan had spent a large portion of its resources on m- making sure that there is minimal da- damage to the environment because of the rapid industrial expansion.”
The green-maned unicorn again gulped difficultly, and levitated a cup of water to drink. Afterwards, his stuttering seemed to have subsided, replaced by a veil of assurance. “No one can say never, but I can tell you with very high certainty that we do not pollute the river.”
“How so? Can you explain more?” Mkondo asked.
“Raritan’s core businesses include mining, steelmaking and textile manufacturing. For each of the three business streams, we impose a high environmental standard decreed by Miss Rarity. I learnt both from her and classes in Canterlot as an overseer of this process.”
The unicorn walked near a chalkboard, levitated a chalk and began to draw while explaining. “For mining, gem extraction produces little other than dust and small rocks, while mining of coal and iron ores are more polluting. But we have measures again dumping untreated waste into the open. First, we have completely phased out open-pit mining which allows potentially large contact between water, air and mine spoils. All solid wastes are transported to depleted sections of our mine or designated storage area far away from any groundwater. We have also dammed and diverted certain tributaries to the Saddle to prevent them from flowing through our mines. Whatever small amount of waste water produced are stored in waterproof ponds for evaporation. No discharge into the Saddle whatsoever is done for our mining operations.”
“Okay.” Mkondo nodded.
The unicorn then shifted to the next diagram he drew. “For steelmaking, there are three major steps, making coke, making iron, and combining them to make steel. Water is necessarily needed in quenching the coke, but the water is reused after filtration, not released into the Saddle. We have already eliminated much of the water usage by using non-recovery coke batteries, which burn away the remaining coke slag. We also use sintering to combine the fine solids to reuse at the steel furnaces. Of course, we are the largest user of electricity from the Saddle Dam, as we depends on clean hydroelectricity to power our furnaces.”
He sighed. “Again, there is no a hundred percent guarantee of no pollution in heavy industries such as steelmaking. There are a number of gaseous pollutants that we will inevitably emit into the air in our production, these compounds may hypothetically escape into the atmosphere and dissolve into the river. However, we have used coke battery process water to capture the pollutants so that aerial emission is reduced to a minimum. These water is again captured in domed waterproof ponds. In fact, the combined moonly emission of all our plants releases less harmful pollutants than the smoldering emission from a sleeping dragon in one single day. This is all thanks to our state-of-the-art steelmaking technology as championed by Miss Rarity. Not to brag or anything, in terms of technology, we are far ahead of the Manehattans and the Fillydelphians, who are still stuck to their outdated methods invented by some ancient unicorns. Our efficiency far strips theirs, and they’re only kept in the game by our dedicated adherence to the highest environmental standard, which, to be frank, is almost bankruptingly expensive.”
The two again nodded understandingly, and the green-maned unicorn moved to the last diagram. “Our textile branch is relatively new and fairly small in comparison, consisting of only one cotton farm, a textile mill and a dye factory, all locating in the municipality of Raritan. The management of the farm is handled by a consultant from the Apples with our oversight. Cotton farming is very water-intensive, but harmful run-off in our farm is minimal. Besides, we do not use any chemical pesticides, even though that decreases our cotton yield by a lot. Perhaps the more likely source of water pollution is the dyeing of the fabrics, which produces a lot of harmful effluents. But again, we use a lot of novel methods to clean up the water, like coagulation and evaporation. It’s also very expensive and limits the scope of our production, but it completely eliminates any liquid wastewater.”
Cedar Canopy then knocked on the chalkboard and turned to face the two. “So in conclusion, we release no harmful substances into the Saddle at all.”
The two looked to each other, and sighed. There was little reason to doubt him, but given Raritan’s enormous size and hold on the riverside industrial activities, it remained a culpable candidate for any accidental discharge. There were little other industrial development in the area otherwise, because Equestrian industries were disproportionately situated on the East Coast.
As Fluttershy was hesitating whether to push further, Mkondo already said. “I may not understand all the technical details, but I think that you’ve worked hard on this and you’re being sincere.”
“Not just me, Raritan as a whole worked hard on this.”
Mkondo said. “We still want to check around the facilities by ourselves. Not because we distrust you, but because something of this severity must be personally confirmed.”
Fluttershy eventually nodded. “… If this news is published, as I plan to do so after investigation, we need to tell the readers that we do more than asking the company representative whether they have done anything wrong.”
Cedar Canopy looked very concerned. Running out of his clearly rehearsed routine, his nerve had returned and he began to stutter again. “B- But Miss Fluttershy, t- the factories and mills are ha- hazardous places! We h- have a lot of wo- workplace safety r- rules which will be h- hard for m- members of p- public like you two t- to follow.”
Fluttershy looked hesitant again. She was troubled by his reluctance, and she was unwilling to push him too far, especially due to his amicability.
Mkondo though kept pressing on. “Mister Canopy, if you’re concerned about safety, we’re happy to follow your rules or even follow one of your staff around, if it’s not too much of a dedication of resources on your part. Point is, we must document this ourselves. I have a responsibility to my brethren, and Miss Fluttershy has a responsibility to the whole wider community even.”
Cedar Canopy muttered lowly to himself, and seemed to think over Mkondo’s suggestion over and over. Eventually, he nodded. “A- Alright. It’s my job to oversee this sort of things after all. J- Just follow tight and d- don’t touch anything.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
After going around in the Raritan facilities for the whole day, they saw and learnt a lot about the actual production processes. From watching the orderly mining by the hardy and diligent diamond dogs, to witnessing the giant serial furnaces that dwarves the ponies that operated them, they were amazed, but also bemused.
It’s truly as Cedar Canopy said, the production lines represented the pinnacle of technology achievable using the current level of equipment and skills Raritan could get their hooves on. When Cedar Canopy got near the containment pool for liquid waste, he even immediately demonstrated his confidence by drinking some water from a well nearby.
When they got to the periphery of Raritan where the cotton farm was, it was already early evening. The moon was on the horizon, waiting to be lifted to the zenith by the moon princess in Canterlot.
“… Um, Mister Canopy, are you tired?”
Fluttershy quietly asked, which prompted the green-maned unicorn to look back curiously. “No, n- not at all. Why do you ask?”
“You’ve been accompanying us for the whole day without rest. And it should be your off-time already.”
Cedar Canopy shyly chuckled. “After s- so many th- things Miss Rarity did for us, i- it’s only fair f- for us t- to give her more than what w- we signed for on our c- contracts.”
He drew in a breath and continued. “I- If not f- for her help, I- I would be without a job a- and without a m- mean to s- support myself. N- Nopony in Manehattan t- took my ideas about g- green practices seriously. She n- not only gave me a c- chance to prove and improve m- myself, she a- also personally t- taught me a- a lot of things.”
He thinly smiled. “I- If t- tomorrow she t- told me to scale the Everhoof f- for a scoop of mountain s- snow, I w- would not hesitate to do so.”
Fluttershy sweetly smiled. “You don’t have to, Rarity-”
Suddenly, a nervous-looking pony bumped into the yellow pegasus. She let out a yelp, but the one who bumped into her did not even stop to look. Instead, the pony hurriedly went off to the end of the road, and soon into an alley and disappeared.
Fluttershy blinked in slight shock. She could not get a good look in the dark, but she could notice a berry pink glint in the moonlight. The pony also seemed to be carrying something, but she again did not see very clearly.
The same question floated in their minds about the weird pony, but all of them were too polite to utter anything. Eventually, it was Mkondo who politely chuckled and remarked. “What a strange individual. Who might that be?”
Cedar Canopy nodded. “Y- Yeah. I- It should be off-time f- for most Raritan workers. There shouldn’t be anything t- to do in the fields e- except for guards.”
Fluttershy said with a slight frown. “I think… I think that pony might be a crystal pony.”
“Oh?” Mkondo raised a brow in interest.
Cedar Canopy also nodded. “Oh… I see. Then he’s… uh, probably a migrant from Crystal Empire. “
“That I’ve heard about in the news.”
Cedar Canopy shyly chuckled. “Lately th- there has been a s- steady stream of those from there, and we hired them to work t- the fields and whatnot in e- exchange of a living wage and a place to live. I- I don’t k- know the d- details though. They usually keep to themselves and only said t- they’re not allowed back.”
Mkondo nodded thoughtfully, and Fluttershy supplemented. “Crystal ponies used to have scattered colonial settlements outside of the Empire Proper, but they were not numerous because of the naturally harsh environs of the frozen north. Towards the end of King Sombra’s rule, amid the looming threat of war, most of the residents in these outer settlements were forcibly relocated to the Empire Proper to work as hard labor.”
She then sighed with worry. “Now that the Empire is newly brought back, it appears for whatever reasons, the administration decides to expel them rather than let them settle down in the city. The official stance is to send them to rebuild the colonies, but they were provided with little to no tools at all, which is unconscionable given the conditions of the frozen north. The results were that most of them drifted south to Equestria, with the majority coming to Raritan and Ponyville due to the job opportunities. The Mirror panned this decision, as we have clear evidence that suggests the Empire is perfectly able to absorb the small amount of now-homeless ponies. I’m also deeply bemused. Princess Cadance just doesn’t seem to be the kind of ponies who would endorse such behaviors.”
Mkondo nodded again. “Thank you, Miss Fluttershy. I’m just curious and all.”
He turned to the two. “Well. We’ve been walking around for the whole day. Why don’t we just call it a day for now? It’s dangerous to wander in the dark, either in the fields or in the factories.”
Cedar Canopy and Fluttershy looked to each other and quietly nodded. The yellow pegasus said. “I’d have to return to my cottage for the night, but I can come again tomorrow.”
Cedar Canopy nodded as well. “I- I can come back t- the next day as well, I have no a- appointment so f- far.”
The two then started to trot away. But when Fluttershy noticed that Mkondo was standing behind, she paused and turned. “Um… Mister Mkondo?”
“Yes, Miss Fluttershy?”
“A- Are you not going back to your home for the night?”
“I plan to stay over in Raritan. Equestria is so big, and I have only seen so little of it. The younglings back home can handle without me for a night, no?”
Fluttershy chuckled. “If you insist.”
“So, see you tomorrow, Mister Canopy, Miss Fluttershy.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
As the white bull confirmed that the two were out of sight, he quietly sighed.
“Might as well show yourself first, Mister Discord. What I’m about to do requires focal attention, and I could use less careless bombardment in my mind.”
“… Tsk.”
Out of thin air, a draconequus appeared next to the bull.
“How did you notice? And how come you seem to be unmoved at all? What sorcery did you use?”
“Perhaps I should make one thing clear to reduce the hostility between us, Mister Discord.”
“What are you on about?”
“I’m not attracted to Miss Fluttershy in any shape or form. In fact, as a priest of Mehet-Weret, I took a vow not to engage in romance. There really is no need to batter my mind open just for this.”
Discord looked somewhat flustered and annoyed as his intention was plainly exposed. He then covered it with a cough and said. “I don’t care. Just tell me what you did to resist me!”
“I am a guardian of the noble Mehet-Weret. Mehet-Weret taught us to be as unmoving as a mountain, but also formless as mist. Mental discipline is paramount as a Mehet-Weret priest, and I’ve been training for years. I have no doubt you can overwhelm my defense at your full strength, but as you had to do it discreetly, I’m able to hold my own before your probing attempts.”
“That’s still implausible! However you train, you’re just a mere calf compared to my thousands of years of age.”
“It might be true that you’ll remain much more ancient than me, but I’m not as young as you might think.”
Discord was again surprised. “How old could you be? You don’t look much older than Fluttershy.”
“On the contrary, I’m probably much older than her, or all her five fellow pony friends combined.”
“What? That makes you at least a centenarian!”
“My old master from which I learnt the way of Mehet-Weret from said he saw with his eyes the birth of changelings, and I took over his place ever since he passed to the heavenly embrace many decades ago. It might be a long time, but those were simple and blissful days tending to my brethren’s spiritual needs.”
The white bull smiled. “This also probably makes me too old for her.”
Noticing the raised eyebrow and then the stink eye Discord gave him, Mkondo added. “No judgment, Mister Discord. What passes for mere mortals like me can’t be applied to you, of course.”
Discord narrowed his eyes, trying to pick holes in Mkondo’s story. “… What about the whole thing of you being a shipwright then?”
“Mehet-Weret is a master wood sculptor. It was said that the first cow was carved in wood in her own likeness. She was also said to appear in this world firstly on an immaculately carved wooden ship. My old master was accordingly a woodworker in the local shipyard, so was I after becoming his disciple. Wood carving and ship building are both a passion and a duty of mine.”
“Fine.” Discord grumbled.
“Now, Mister Discord, as you’re now here, I’d like to recruit your help, for I have noticed something unusual about… that particular crystal pony just now, for example.”
Discord turned and narrowed his gaze. “What about him?”
“Surely you’ve been following the events unfolding for the entirety of today, right?”
“And your point is?”
“I always felt that there is something unusual about some of these crystal ponies who had been chased out.”
“What, do you have something against the crystal ponies? The girls won’t like that at all.”
“Not at all. But it just comes across as quite strange for the Crystal Empire to send away one of their own in this period of rebuilding and renewal, don’t you think? Even from the secluded little village that we cattle gather, we still heard scattered news about how bombastically patriotic the Empire seems to act recently, with its rallies and celebrations and whatnot. Why would they do something that so blatantly harmful to the theme of national cohesion? The excuse they gave is by no means convincing.”
“So what are you suggesting, huh?”
“These ponies, or at least some of them, are sent down here with a purpose. I will wager that their purpose might not be so pure as well.”
“Whoa, is Mehet-Weret worship some kind of cult? You sound so conspiratory.”
“Alas, Mister Discord, we’re definitely not a cult.”
He then playfully smirked. “A cult by definition must have more than one member, but other than casual laypersons, I’m probably the only Mehet-Weret priest left in the world. All my previous students had failed to prove their suitability in training.”
“Don’t tell me you’re trying to convert Twilight to your weird ways, I’m trying to convert her myself to the delightful chaos instead.”
“Interesting idea, but nay, Miss Twilight certainly had her own way of thinking.”
“Boy, does she have.”
Mkondo grinned. “I began to follow Miss Twilight simply because she facilitated an opportunity for me to craft a grand woodwork for the Timbucktuan crown. Then I stayed because I thought she’s an interesting interlocutor. But things soon ballooned out of control when the changelings invaded. Then I simply let the tides of fate carry me to here. It’s been good thus far. I’m glad to be in service of my brethren who so readily place their trust to me.”
“Yada, yada, yeah.”
Discord yawned. “How about trying to justify your suspicion of the crystal ponies? If you can’t convince me, I doubt you can convince the girls that you aren’t just nutty.”
“What I’ve said remains a conjecture until I saw more, but I didn’t feel any despondence typical of a refugee from the lone crystal pony I just saw. And I’ve seen enough refugees on my travels in Zebrica. Besides, there shouldn’t be any business for them to tread the fields after sundown, and yet he scrambled about covertly.”
“That’s still rather flimsy evidence.”
“That’s why I’m going to investigate more. I plan to do that before I come here, and I’m even surer after the encounter just now. I would be glad if you can help out too, Mister Discord.”
“No! Why would I spend time to feed your paranoia? I’m going to sneak back and go chat with whomever more interesting than you.”
“I bid you farewell then, Mister Discord. I hope that your doubt at me is all cleared, for I have to truly concentrate now.”
Discord gave the white bull another stink eye, and snapped himself out of existence.
“Bless be to Nephthys, here I go.” Mkondo shrugged, draped himself with a cape, and began to sneak into the darkness of the night.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Stop! What are you doing?!”
Fluttershy shouted. The yellow pegasus and the white unicorn galloped to what appeared to be a scene of conflict. Under the gentle morning sun, a berry pink crystal pony was held against a wall by a hooded figure with a thick wooden scepter. He was gasping for air under the immense pressure exerted by the muscular figure.
The hooded figure turned, and it shocked the approaching two. It was the ever amiable Mkondo, who somehow resorted to brute force on that one crystal pony.
“M- Mister Mkondo?! What is this for?” Fluttershy yelped.
“Y- Yes, r- release this p- poor p-pony, Mister, h- he’s s- struggling!”
Mkondo did not bulge at all, white sunlight reflected off his determined face and gave it an immense aura of firmness. “Miss Fluttershy, Mister Canopy, I’ve traced down this individual for the night. Don’t you recognize? He’s the one who ran into us last night.”
Fluttershy widened her eyes and was shocked to discover that it seemed to be the case.
“He tried to sneak back afterwards. In short, the pollution in the river is a deliberate sabotage, and I’ve caught this saboteur red-hoofed.”
“W- What?!”
“Release me, you barbaric bull!”
“I know not why you decide to do this, but your crime must be judged before the conscience and the law of the land.”
Mkondo then swung his scepter. Some white powder was released from the head of the scepter and sprayed onto the face of the crystal pony. The latter let out a whimpering sound and collapsed onto the floor.
“… Mister Mkondo? What was that?”
“Worry not, Miss Fluttershy. It was simply some harmless herb mix which causes short unconsciousness. A Mehet-Weret priest must learn to defend himself and his flock.”
“B- But…”
“Miss Fluttershy, Mister Canopy, look at this over here.”
A bucket of oily and gooey substances lie next to the unconscious crystal pony, causing the duo to wince in worry.
“I’m not one to point an accusing hoof without solid evidence, but this reckless sabotage threatens all lives alike downstream. Mister Canopy, I think you know better than me what would happen if living creatures ingest this raw wastewater.”
Cedar Canopy looked aside with a deep frown, and sighed. “I- It’s no d- different to a m- mass poisoning. I- It might even c- cost lives.”
“See, Miss Fluttershy. This is no time to take concern with whatever minimal force we must use in order to uncover the full picture of this unspeakably evil act.”
Fluttershy looked at Mkondo with concerned eyes, silently wondering if she knew this ostensibly unassuming bull as well as she thought. But she eventually relented and refrained from interfering, as Mkondo wrapped the pony in his drape and carried him away.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The head of the berry pink crystal pony drooped, as he was tied to a wooden chair. A table lamp was shone onto his half-conscious face, while Mkondo looked to the pony with a steady gaze.
“So you’ve woken up.”
The pony groaned. “… Where is this? Release me at once…!”
Mkondo remained unmoved. “Mister Vino.”
The pony, Buon Vino, was slightly alarmed at being called his real name. However, he immediately turned aside with a frown.
“I don’t know where did you find my name, but you aren’t going to hear anything from me, dumb bull.”
Unmoved by the casual insult, Mkondo simply said. “I just consulted the roster from Raritan, since you’re all contractors in name.”
“Tsk.”
“I saw it with my very eyes. If you tell us why you did that, and whether you have any partner, then perhaps we can resolve it here.”
Buon Vino remained defiantly silent. Mkondo then stepped back and sat on a seat opposite the crystal pony.
As time ticked past, Buon Vino felt weaker and weaker. The constant light onto his face was preventing him from falling asleep, as was the mysterious dripping sound in the background.
He was thirsty and hungry, as he hadn’t drank or eaten for hours. He squinted his eyes and took a look of his captor, who was simply sitting there like a stone statue.
He finally couldn’t bear it and yelled with a raspy voice. “Hey, finnochio, don’t you sleep in front of me.”
The response was, against his expectation, immediate and without any sign of tiredness. “I was very awake and aware, Mister Vino.”
“Che minchia, what are you made of? How come you are not at all exhausted sitting there without eating, drinking or moving?”
“I was meditating. By the way, you sound like you’d appreciate a cup of water.”
Buon Vino glared at the white bull and hissed. “Mock all you want, I won’t spill any beans.”
“Who said I’m going to deprive you of needs?”
Mkondo jumped down his own wooden chair and went out of the room. And when he was back, he came back with a cup of orange juice and a bowl of hot vegetable stew.
Buon Vino looked with round eyes, as Mkondo held the cup and put the straw near Buon Vino’s mouth.
The berry pink stallion mumbled. “I’m not going to drink this. It’s certainly spiked with poison or some weird voodoo potion.”
“I’ll never do something like that. Mehet-Weret gives milk to her sons and daughters. She is about bounty and prosperity, to deprive someone of their needs is just not something I’d do.”
“Tsk, heathens.”
Mkondo merely smiled. “Heathen or not, I don’t know how to do any ‘spiking’ as well. I’m not a magic user like the unicorns, nor am I a potion mixer like some zebras. The sleep powder I threw in your face was a one-off, because the plant is rare and only found in parts of Zebrica.”
The white bull then put down the tray of food and drinks and stepped back slightly. “Miss Fluttershy will surely take issue with me if I were to lay any harm on you. She will be even more displeased if I were to interfere with your free will using any unnatural means. So my solution is to just wait here with you together until you decide to tell me the truth. You can request anything other than leaving. I’ll try my best to comply.”
Buon Vino glared at the white bull again. He originally wanted to trash talk the bull again, but his stomach revolted at him as the scent of food attacked his nose. Reluctantly, he said. “Hey toro, how can I eat or drink anything without my hooves?”
“… Wait a moment.”
Mkondo walked to the door and barred it shut, and then added a thick padlock on it. He then walked to the crystal pony and untied him.
The berry pink crystal pony immediately took the straw away and took a big gulp of the juice, and then dug into the bowl of stew ferociously.
He then abruptly raised his head and yelled with a mouthful of food. “Hey you, can you point that lamp somewhere else? My eyes are stinging already.”
Mkondo shrugged and moved the lamp away, and then simply sat and watched from his own chair.
After Buon Vino finished his fill, Mkondo took away the tray and stuck it in a bucket at the corner of the room, and then sat back at his own chair staring at the crystal pony.
Buon Vino remained quiescent at first, and then he could not help but grumble. “You aren’t tying me up again?”
“Nah, it’s just preventing you from rolling over and hurting yourself when you’re out.”
“You didn’t eat and didn’t sleep for as long as I did.”
“This is nothing compared to the training I’ve received in Zebrica. I once sat in a cave without food or drinks for a whole moon.”
“Huh… Oh? So you’re among the new arrivals. I thought you are an Equestrian bull.”
Mkondo nodded with a placid smile. After a moment of silence, the crystal pony asked. “What are you doing here in Equestria anyway?”
Noticing that the chatterbox had been opened, Mkondo smiled a wider smile and said. “I’m part of Miss Twilight Sparkle’s entourage. Zebrica is a wild and beautiful place, but life can be harsh there. Miss Twilight promised to bring my brethren to this bountiful land, where we do not have to worry about treacherous weather, farms devoured by desert sand, and voracious carnivores at the walls. Mehet-Weret blesses her.”
Buon Vino went quiet again. Mkondo then looked at the crystal pony intensely, causing the latter to call out with a frown. “What?”
“I don’t think you did that out of malice.”
“I- I told you I’m never going to spill anything, give it up!”
“I’m not asking you to spill or betray anything. I’m offering to help and protect you. There is no problem in the world for which the only solution is to deliberately leak raw waste into a river and potentially harm so many people.”
Buon Vino huffed and turned, clearly not bulging.
“… I see it in your eyes. It’s someone you care a lot about, isn’t it?”
Buon Vino sharply turned back, his eyes betrayed a palpable sense of fear and shock.
“H- How…”
“I just guessed. I’ve seen enough blackmailing in Zebrica to recognize the look of having a mouth but being unable to say anything. That’s also why I didn’t hand you over to the authorities, for whoever coerced you to do this would certainly be dismayed at your failure.”
“W- What can you do anyway! You’re just a dang bull! They have a frickin’ mob of armed hooves!”
Mkondo raised his brows. “I may be a simple bull, but I know a lot of resourceful friends. They include highly proficient magic users, among them the powerful trickster spirit Discord. Some of them know the Princesses personally, and Miss Twilight is the sister-in-law of Princess Cadance herself. By Mehet-Weret, Miss Rainbow Dash actually has an army under her belt. There’s definitely ample capacity for us to do things covertly as well. What is it to fear, my friend? I shall be your feather of justice.”
The berry pink crystal pony bit his lips and gritted his teeth difficultly. He then suddenly leapt forward and clutched the shoulder of Mkondo tightly. The white bull was slightly alarmed, but he didn’t move.
“Are you absolutely, positively sure this is the case? Because if any of them get hurt, I’m so going to choke your life out of you for your lies!”
“We’ll do whatever we can, and whatever you say will be safe with us. Tell me, friend, were you sent south by the order of any sort of authority in Crystal Empire?”
“I- I can’t tell you who they are! They will know it’s me and we’ll all be in deep trouble!”
Mkondo sighed. “Okay, so say, if we mount a rescue mission to save your loved ones, can you tell us the whole picture then?”
Cold sweat dripped from Buon Vino’s forehead, but he eventually nodded.
“Okay. So, are there anyone who’s also been under coercion to do this, or is it just you? We must know in order to keep this secret.”
“I- It’s just me, I think. They pay me to hire some local kiddos as well, but I can’t find any, because there’s no kid in this weird town. But I can’t tell if they have any oversight. I bet they have, they’re darn scary. And if I’m locked down here for too long, you bet your plot they would find out!”
“Okay, we’re going to take this into account.”
Buon Vino closed an eye and huffed. “And I wouldn’t be caught by you if I don’t have to do this myself! The darn safety officer watches everything like a hawk, and I can’t fix up the pipes as I was instructed to do. It’s just stupidly inefficient and glaringly obvious to use buckets, but by golly the goo’s potent enough for it to work already it seems.”
“Why do they want you to do this?”
“Beats me! They just tell me to comply or else!”
“Are the others simply sent down to cover for you?”
“… Maybe. I don’t know what my ‘bosses’ have in relation to the top brasses. Not everyone from the Circonferenza are sent away despite what it says on the paper. Only a small group of them branded as labor saboteurs were ‘repatriated’. Come to think of it, it might make sense, because there’s no way in Tartarus these toolless ponies are going to dig up all the snow and rebuild our former homes.”
He then said irritably. “Is that enough for you? I can’t tell you more before you promise to rescue my family! Those sick bastards locked them up in our home on 24-hour surveillance! If I were to run away, they will do unspeakable things to them!”
“Understood. Tell me where they live, and we’ll arrange for the safe escape. This is an extraordinary undertaking, and we’ll commit to our full, so trust us.”