Sisters of Willowbrook

by Starscribe


Chapter 8: Estate Vale

Lovely weather didn't seem like an unkind alien, or pony. But she was also unyielding with her instructions. "Then with everything taken care of, it's time to get you two off with your new families.”

Derek watched, listening to see if Charlie would argue. She did look up, meeting Derek's eyes. "Okay." She took a single step towards Dust Storm.

"But—" Derek extended one hoof towards her, then lowered it again awkwardly a few seconds later. "Will we see each other again?"

"Of course you can," Lovely said. "You're both young. Willowbrook only has the one school. And any other time your parents let you meet."

"She's right, we should get going," Iris said. Her voice was calm, friendly. But as unyielding as the pegasus. "It's a long walk back, and I don't have the carriage with me today. We don't want to be on the road after dark."

Dust Storm nodded once to her, like a servant bowing in supplication to their master. "A pleasure as always, Lady Vale."

Derek watched Charlie as the unicorn led her away. She didn't have to be dragged, though some part of her wanted to fight that hard. She didn't. Just like that, Derek was torn away from her last connection with Earth. 

Without her own experience to know otherwise, she might've guessed the eagerness to separate them was malicious, dragging them away from the only other people who could reinforce the truth of their identities. It was a quite natural assumption to make, under the circumstances.

That was why she’d seen so many of his own patients make something similar. Seeing the world as entirely self-focused was a trait restricted to children and immature adults. 

Rationally, she could separate her treatment by the therapist from some imagined, intentional slight. That alien didn't even know most of what she felt, because neither her nor Charlie had been able to articulate it.

As her new captor/foster parent guided her away from the little office, she tried and failed to say something a dozen times. But in this she wasn't even certain it was a question of supernatural compulsion. Maybe she was just too afraid to trust a stranger.

She caught one last glimpse of her friend, as they turned in different directions. Charlie and that pegasus apparently had a destination much closer at hand, while the road they were on led straight out of town. 

Derek caught Charlie watching her, and waved weakly with one hoof. Her friend waved back, however halfheartedly. So maybe she didn't hate Derek after all. She would still probably blame her for some time to come. Maybe until Derek got them both out of this.

And I still have no clue how I'm supposed to do that. I'm trapped here, Charlie blames me, and she's depending on me to ever get us home again. I'm the only one who can fix this.

Her breathing began to accelerate, her pulse started to race. Derek caught herself, nearly stumbled on the cobblestone road. Enough that her captor turned to look.

"Everything alright, Purple?"

That name certainly didn't help. Purple might be a royal color, but if she had to hear it about herself until she finally escaped, she might just explode. "Fine," she lied, keeping her tone as flat as possible. "Just taking everything in."

"Oh, yes." Iris smiled at her, as though approving of her insight. "Willowbrook is a delightful town, one of the finest settlements this side of the Muzzlesippi. I hope you'll feel at home here as much as I have."

She seemed to be waiting for Derek to say something else. But all she managed was a weak nod. After an awkward silence, the adult turned back to the road.

For the next few minutes, Derek focused on observation. Gathering more information would certainly be a critical part of a successful escape.

Visibly speaking, this world resembled the one she'd left behind. Despite the presence of magic, it didn't seem to be an entirely alien place.

The source of its name was obvious enough—between old and sagging buildings, huge trees grew, many tall enough to tower over the artificial structures. Their branches cascaded down like the weeping willows she remembered from her own world. Too bad she'd never been interested enough in plants to know if they were actually the same species.

The closer our worlds are, the easier it should be to find another Perpendicularity. Her spellbook contained nothing about how to cross universes, and what references in did make to other realms suggested how important it was to avoid attracting notice.

"Those above surge with power, and those below hunger for it. Appear neither too weak, nor too gluttonous, so that neither watch too intently."

Being here naked wouldn’t be so bad, if she'd managed to keep that book.

But she was getting distracted again. She was still here, and she wasn't alone. They were rapidly running out of town.

Apparently Willowbrook was the kind of city that consisted of only a few densely packed blocks, with buildings clustered together so they shared walls in an old-world, medieval style. That also meant the locals had more reason to be around each other, and so they were.

The streets were full of aliens, and almost all of them towered over her just as the trees towered over their homes. They came in no unified colors, and apparently not even the same species. Most were like her—horses, but shaped differently. Some had horns, and fewer still had wings like Charlie's. 

Curiously, none seemed terribly interested in her. Their eyes glided over her, noticed Iris, then they backed away, clearing the street ahead of them.

It was the street, as there were no sidewalks. It was cobblestone here, though soon enough the city ended, and it transformed to gravel. "Why am I a different species than you?" Derek asked. "You have..." She lifted her hoof towards her forehead, where the alien's horn protruded.

Iris tilted her head slightly to one side. "Why am I a unicorn? Because my parents were, sweetheart. I'm guessing your parents were earth ponies." But even as she said it, Derek heard no conviction. Iris just said it because she thought it was the thing to say. Or maybe she thought it would convince her.

She giggled in spite of herself. "They were from somewhere else, anyway. They weren't ponies."

They reached the end of Willowbrook, or at least the end of its structures. Out here the buildings gave way to sprawling fields and orchards. The shadows seemed strangely thick in those groves. She could almost imagine them condensing into dark tentacles, dragging her into the gloom and out of sight.

Derek moved a little closer to her companion, bumping into her leg. Then she looked away, ears flattening awkwardly. 

"I do apologize for the walk, sweetheart. Normally when we make a trip into town, we take the carriage. But taking it to pick you up the first time seemed in bad taste."

"Is that another word for..." She tried a few words, expression growing increasingly frustrated with each failure. Naming specific technology seemed impossible to her, though she did imagine to say, "horseless carriage?"

"Not in Willowbrook," Iris said, patting her on the back gently. "I don't know where you come from, but this isn't Manehattan. Willowbrook does things the old way. I could cast a come-to-life spell on my carriage. But two of my servants would lose their job. How could they feed their families?"

She didn't continue to argue, despite the temptation. This was another world—everything here probably worked under different rules. She would need to make some effort to understand this world before she could start questioning the way it worked.

Yet one word caught her attention, enough that she risked a little boldness. "When you say 'spell' like that... you mean magic?"

The unicorn nodded. If anything, she seemed a little confused by the question. "How else would you make a carriage move without ponies pulling it? You couldn't fit a steam engine in something so small. And even if you could, it would smell awful."

Steam engine. As though the little brass gas lamps arranged along Willowbrook's high street weren't guide enough, she now had further confirmation. The local technology was evidently very different from Earth. But were those words translated versions of other concepts, or actual steam engines?

She was getting distracted. I'm not here to explore another world. I don't want to be here. Find out how to go home, then cast the spell. That’s all I need to do.

"Do you have any spellbooks at home?" she asked. Maybe she was taking a risk being so forward. But once she started, she barreled ahead. She couldn't exactly make it much worse. "Back home, I was studying magic. I think I did something wrong. Very wrong."

Evidently, she had gone too far, because the unicorn stopped dead in her tracks. She turned to face her on the road, expression intent. There were no others nearby, though the town was close enough that a few horses did turn to watch, obviously interested.

"You have memories of where you came from?"

There was weight behind that question, an implication that she shouldn't for some reason. Though how much the horse wanted her to extract from her words, that was harder to say.

I only get to choose this once. Derek could either tell this horse everything she knew, begging for help openly. Or she could assume the truth would damage her odds, and keep her mouth shut.

"Yes," she said flatly. "Lots. Iris, I am... wrong, here. I am not supposed to be... like this." She gestured vaguely at herself, then pointed at Iris. "I should be taller. Bigger, stronger, older. It was stolen by my mistake."

It should've been vague nonsense. But the horse didn't react that way. She nodded, dropping to one knee and leaning in close. "Purple, listen to me. Everything about where you come from, any details at all—you must never tell anypony but me. Do you understand?"

She spoke with such sincerity that Derek was caught completely off-guard. This was the hidden layer of understanding and information this pony wielded. "Why?"

No hesitation. "Willowbrook is a safe town for you. Most ponies here are loyal by birth or by choice. But we get more and more visitors from Los Pegasus. Soon the rail line will run regular routes up from the city. Ponies who come from there might not be loyal to you like we are."

Loyal to me? She turned the words over in her head, trying to make any sense of what they might mean. She couldn't. "And that's bad?"

"It could be extremely dangerous. If Princess Celestia discovers that you exist, she would destroy you without hesitation, and probably every worshiper you have left. Even if you do not fully understand my instructions, you must obey this command above all others. Your life and ours depends on it."

She didn't look away from Derek, didn't even blink. Somehow, that intensity burned at her, as though Derek were a child again. Eventually she could resist it no longer, and she nodded feebly. "I won't tell. So long as I can still talk to my friend." She tried the name, and as usual it wouldn't come out.

Maybe it wouldn't be that important for her to keep her mouth shut. She wasn't even able to say what she wanted. "Orange and I, we were very close. We came from the same place."

"Her too," Iris eventually said. "Dusty is not a witness of yours, but he has sworn obedience to the sisterhood. He will keep her secret too; you don't need to fear. You will be safe in Willowbrook."

Derek was overflowing with questions now. She wanted to explode, demanding to know who Iris thought she was worshiping, how many others there were, whether they could send her back. So many questions!

But this time, rationality prevailed. If she realizes I'm not what she thinks I am, she'll stop protecting me. She won't be loyal. Maybe Derek could use this to her advantage, if she was careful.

"Thank you for warning me," she said eventually. "I do not understand... this place. I am trying to learn. Maybe you can help me."

Iris relaxed, turning them gently back to the country road and setting off again. There was the occasional house out here, most as run-down as the buildings back in Willowbrook proper.

But one structure was large enough she could see its roof over the hills and fields for over a mile before they approached. As it came into view, she realized it was surrounded by a high metal fence, topped with sharp spikes. It vaguely resembled a southern plantation-style home in their mind, with huge pillars of white marble, several large wings, and various figures moving about behind huge glass windows.

She wasn't lying about servants.

As they approached the gates, a figure in a simple silver vest swung it open ahead of them, lowering his head respectfully to Iris. "Welcome back, mistress."

"Thank you," she said politely. "It's invigorating to stretch my legs now and then." The servant shut the gate behind them, retreating into a little guardhouse. Iris, meanwhile, continued up a paved path towards the manor house.

"Welcome to the Vale estate, Purple. My home as well as yours, so long as you remain in Equestria."