//------------------------------// // Chapter 4 // Story: Light Wanderings // by ed2481 //------------------------------// Edited by TacoTown and Furta E Chapter Four “Well, that was boring” Ethan told Twilight as they walked through the palace halls. “Boring? Ethan, you punched Prince Blueblood in the face!” Twilight said exasperatedly. “Yeah, and he didn’t try and fight back. To me that’s boring, Sparky.” Ethan replied with a shrug. “You know, it really is a good thing that you won’t be involved with any of the negotiations; I don’t think I could deal with the stress of you punching ambassadors.” Twilight told Ethan dryly. “Hey, I only punch people who annoy me; those two ambassadors don’t seem that bad, really.” Ethan replied with a shrug. “Although I get the oddest feeling that they don’t like each other.” He added. “Oh, you think?” Twilight asked with a chuckle. “What’s up with that anyways?” Ethan asked. “Generations of fighting each other, along with a massive difference in personal philosophies, combined with the fact that both races are naturally violent.” Twilight told him with a shrug and a sigh. “Would you mind giving me a bit more exposition?” Ethan asked her as he idly fiddled with A Light Shining in the Darkness. “A long time ago the griffin king insulted the hippogriff king’s honor, something about the size of his country or the color of his wings. Although, knowing the hippogriffs it could’ve been something as minor as not bowing the right way. Anyways, that started a war, which led to another war, which led to yet another war, which led to another fucking war, etc.” Twilight told Ethan, entering lecture mode. “Ever since then the two races have been at an almost constant state of war, and Equestria has the had unfortunate honor to be stuck between them. On the bright side, Tia managed to get them to agree to a truce.” “I thought you said that this was over land.” Ethan said. “Well that’s a part of it, too, but I suspect that really they’re just looking for a reason to fight again. They’re bloodthirsty like that.” Twilight replied with a shrug. “I take it that storming in on negotiations and smashing their heads together until they agree not to fight would be a bad idea right?” Ethan asked Twilight. “Yes, I think it might be.” Twilight said, rolling her eyes. “Hey, Ethan, want to see something amazing?” Twilight asked unexpectedly. “Sure, Sparky, I’d love to.” Ethan replied with a grin. “Alright, close your eyes.” Twilight told him. “I’m already married, Sparky.” Ethan told her as he consented and closed his eyes. “Oh, shut up.” Twilight replied before they vanished with a flash of purple light. They reappeared on top of the palace walls overlooking the city of Canterlot. During the course of the meal, the sun had set and the city had come to life with lights of all colors as the city ponies frolicked in the peace and security provided to them by the eternal watch of Celestia and Luna. A cold wind whipped around Ethan’s face as he opened his eyes and beheld the glorious sight. “Sparky…” Ethan told her quietly as he leaned against the palace rampart, anything else he would’ve said was lost as the beauty of the city stole his breath away. “Yeah, it gets me, too.” Twilight said as she looked down at the city. “I want to go down there.” Ethan told Twilight. “Why?” Twilight asked, suddenly suspicious. It wasn’t that she didn’t trust Ethan to be a good person; it was that she didn’t trust him not to be an idiot while in public. “Twilight, I’ve spent my entire life in the Wasteland. The closest we have to a city, outside of California which I’ve never been too, is Vegas. And no offense to Cassandra but that place still has a long way to go before it’s more than just a place to gamble away your fortunes, between dodging the bullets of gangbangers.” Ethan replied. “I want to see what a real city full of people who aren’t constantly watching their backs for someone else’s knife; a place where people can live in harmony.” There was a longing quality to Ethan’s voice that Twilight couldn’t quite describe. Twilight glanced down at the pipboy attached to her non-metallic foreleg and sighed when she saw the time. She didn’t know how but the pipboy was accurate even in another dimension on a completely different planet. Then she sighed and shook her head. “Sorry, Ethan, I have a meeting that I have to be at. Things are close enough to war around here at the moment without me skipping out on negotiations to give you a tour. No offense, but I’m not going to let you wander around town by yourself. That’s just asking for a Faust to bitchslap you.” Twilight told him. “I guess I see your point. I’ll just have to go down there some other time.” Ethan said with a dejected sigh. “Well… I’m sure that one of my brother’s guards could come with you.” Twilight said rubbing her chin. “Why not one of your friends?” Ethan asked as he turned his gaze back to the city. “Honestly, Ethan, it’s because I want someone who can at least punch you if you’re about to do something stupid.” Twilight said flatly. “You really have no faith in me, do you?” Ethan asked with a chuckle. “Well, you don’t get the title ‘Crazy Son of a Bitch’ for being rational.” Twilight replied. “Heh; I guess you’re right.” Ethan told her with a chuckle. “So want to go back in and find an escort?” Twilight asked. “Sure, there’s no point in staying up here if I could be down there.” Ethan said, giving the city below them one final glance. Twilight’s horn flashed and they appeared in front of a large steel door. A crossed sword and shield on it engraved in gold was set into the center, and circling around the symbol were dozens of strange letters engraved in flawless shining silver. Ethan looked at the door for a second before casually drawing A Light Shining in the Darkness and unleashing a full clip. Every single bullet melted before it had even reached the door as it was caught in a combination of dark purple and golden magic. “What the hell, Ethan?” Twilight shouted, turning to confront the man who was already holstering the pistol. “Nice shielding.” Ethan said as he scratched his chin. “But I think I know something that should pierc-” “NO!” Twilight shouted, cutting him off. “But-” “NO!” “Fine, be that way.” Ethan said with a pout. “What the hell was that?!” Shining shouted as he pushed the doors open from the other side and walked into the hallway. “Oh, let me guess. You had to see if it was bullet proof?” Shining asked Ethan, who nodded. “It was like dangling a carrot in front of a brahmin!” Ethan told him with a grin. “I feel like I should be offended by that somehow…” Shining said, trailing off before turning to Twilight. “So, Twiley, what brings you two here?” He asked. “Ethan wants to see the city, but I have a negotiations meeting to get to so I was wondering if you could get one of your guards to act as an escort.” Twilight replied with a smile. “Why can’t one of your friends do it?” Shining asked. “Because. If Ethan’s about to do something stupid, I trust one of your stallions, or mares, to do a better job of stopping him then one of my friends.” Twilight replied before her wrist pinged and she took a glance at her pipboy. “I’ve got to go, thanks, Shiny!” Twilight told her brother before she vanished in a flash. “So… you want to see the city?” Shining asked after a few seconds of thought. “Yeah, I promise I won’t kill anyone, if that makes you feel better.” Ethan replied while he scratched the back of his neck. “I wasn’t all that worried actually. I know that you act like an idiot, but I also know that you’re actually pretty damn smart.” Shining replied with a chuckle. “Just please don’t waste the door’s magic blocking your bullets. We never know when we’re going to need those shields and I don’t want them to be out of charge because you got bored.” Shining added, looking at the pistol on Ethan’s hip. “Will do.” Ethan told him with a chuckle. “Thanks. Alright, let’s see if we can get you a guide, preferably one of the Lunar Guard.” Shining said as he led Ethan through the doorway. “Why the Lunar Guard?” Ethan asked, he remembered something about Shining being the leader of the Solar Guard not the Lunar Guard. “Because the sun’s set, thus anything that goes wrong, is their responsibility.” Shining replied with a shrug. “You don’t trust me to behave.” Ethan accused. “Would you?” Shining asked dryly. “Well, no. But that doesn’t mean that I like it.” Ethan grumbled. “Don’t worry, you’ll probably like whoever you get from the Lunar Guard more than anyone in the Solar Guard. They’re more relaxed.” Shining told him as they walked by several white stallions who were polishing their armor. When their commander passed they gave him a salute before returning to their jobs without commenting about the peculiarity of the human following him. “Hey, Shining, why isn’t anyone commenting on the fact that you have a leather clad six and a half foot tall biped walking behind you?” Ethan asked as they passed another group of guards who were oiling their swords. “I already gave both guard regiments a lecture on you. You aren’t the oddest thing in Equestria, Ethan, not even close, really, and I’ve told them that you won’t cause too much trouble so they’re going to consider you an extremely dangerous house guest.” Shining told Ethan with a shrug. “Does that mean I can raid the pantry?” Ethan asked with a chuckle. “Only if you can get past the staff.” Shining told him. “I’m sure that that shouldn’t be too hard.” Ethan replied with a smirk. They made their way through the rest of the Solar Guard barracks in silence. The most notable thing that Ethan could say about it was, well to be honest, the lack of notable things. Each section looked exactly the same. White walls with a gold border made up the surroundings, along with sky blue ceilings with small white smudges here and there at random intervals to simulate clouds. Each room had a row of pristine, white beds running down the right wall, and each one of those had a weapon’s locker and an armor stand next to it. There were only a few dozen rooms, but Ethan quickly began to tune out most of what he was seeing. Shining picked up on this and smiled ruefully. Ethan was in for a bit of a shock when they got to the Lunar Guard barracks. After another few minutes of walking they arrived at a second door that looked much like the one to the main room, only this one was taken up by a large silver crescent moon that was laced by golden letters. Shining pushed the door open, and strode inside with Ethan right beside him. Much to Ethan’s surprise the Lunar Guard Barracks was much different than that of the Solar Guard. In the middle of the entrance room was a large pool table where several draconic looking pegasi were busily playing. The walls of the room were a dark blue with flecks of yellow, blue, and red light flicking across them, giving Ethan the disconcerting feeling that he was back on Zeta looking at the galaxy through the bridge windows. The floor of the room was covered by a thick blue carpet that seemed to both suck in and emit light at the same time. A bar ran along the far wall and a bartender was passing drinks along to several guards, a mix of dark colored unicorns and draconic pegasi. However, the biggest change from the previous barracks was the atmosphere. The guards were talking to each other loudly, occasionally yelling to get a point across and interesting music was playing in the background. “Officer in the barracks!” One of the pegasi shouted loud enough to be heard over the music and conversation. Immediately each and every one of the ponies in the room stopped what they were doing and jumped to attention. “At ease, boys.” Shining told them. The guards seemed to ripple as they fell back into their activities with what looked like practiced ease. “Well, this place is snazzy.” Ethan said with a whistle as he looked around the room. “Yeah, they worked hard on it.” Shining told him with a chuckle. “Wait. They actually built this place themselves?” Ethan asked in surprise. “Yeah, that was the deal. When they came to me with the idea for their barracks I shot it down; I told them it was a waste of money. So they told me that they’d build and finance it themselves. I’ve got to say they did a nice job.” Shining said with admiration. “Thanks, boss!” A nearby pegasus shouted, which set off a resounding round of similar comments. “So, boss, why’d you come down here? Not that we don’t enjoy your company, or anything, but normally you don’t bother to bring your pets with you.” Another one of the pegasi asked with a chuckle as he flew over to hover in front of Shining and Ethan. Ethan’s response came before anyone could react. He grabbed the pegasi by the forelegs and slammed him into the ground face first. Ethan hadn’t put that much strength into the slam, mostly because he really doubted that it would help him make friends with the Lunar Guard if he broke one of their member’s teeth in. The other guards looked at Ethan in shock for a few seconds before they slowly got to their hooves and began to walk towards him menacingly. They were interrupted by the sound of laughter from the pegasus on the ground as he got back to his hooves. “Not bad, not bad at all. That’s exactly what I’d expect from you after all that I’ve heard; not that I’ve heard anything bad of course, but still it’s nice to have a theory work out alright without any serious injury on my part. Hell, a part of me worried that you might actually hurt me, but then again I know that Shining wouldn’t bring you here if it wasn’t for the fact that you probably wouldn’t hurt us. So I decided to go for it, and what do you know, it turned out alright. Oh, and congratulations on punching Blueblood; that idiot makes me want to kick him off the walls sometimes. The name’s Silent Storm, what’s yours?” The pegasus who Ethan had thrown to the ground said, somehow managing not to stop for breath during the entire verbal assault. Ethan didn’t know why, but he found that he couldn’t be mad at the pegasus. He may have looked half reptile, but there was something quintessentially adorable about him. Maybe it was the way that his red mane moved a bit back and forth while he hovered in front of them. Or maybe it was the way that his eyes almost glowed with excitement as he looked Ethan over. Whatever it was, it reminded Ethan of some of the kids from Little Lamplight. On the bright side, the rest of the guards exchanged a series of tired looks before they went back to what they had been doing; apparently this kind of thing was expected from Silent. “Ethan Smith, and isn’t your name a bit ironic?” Ethan asked with a chuckle. “Not at all really, I think my parents were more hopeful than anything else. My sister talks even more then I do and she does it a lot faster. Honestly, I feel a bit bad for them at this point now that my little brother is up to talking and he’s going even faster than I ever did.” Silent replied with a shrug. “So, boss, why’d you bring Ethan here? Is he here to train us and make us better soldiers, or is there something different going on? Oh! I bet he’s here to give us some awesome stuff!” Silent prattled off, turning to Shining. “Actually, Ethan wants to see the city and I need a guide who can actually keep him from doing something stupid.” Shining said with a shrug. “Ohh! Can I do it? Huh? Huh? Huh? Come on, please Boss? I’ll give him the best tour in the history of Equestria!” Silent asked Shining, who shook his head. “Sorry, Silent, but you’re still too young for this job.” Shining told the draconic Pegasus, who pouted mournfully, but then his smile returned in a flash. “Okay Doki, Bossman, whatever you say!” Then he flew away rapidly, leaving Ethan confused and Shining shaking his head in silent amazement. “What… what just happened?” Ethan asked after a second. “You just met Silent; he’s our youngest, and most enthusiastic, member.” A large draconic pegasi with a bleached white mane said with a dry laugh as he landed in front of Shining and Ethan. “Sargent Brighteyes reporting for duty Sir.” The new pegasus told Shining with a salute. “Oh, and thanks for not hurting Silent too badly. The kid needs all the brain cells he’s got” The pegasus added with a nod to Ethan. “You’re welcome. I just don’t enjoy being called a pet, it’s too close to being called a slave, for my liking.” Ethan replied with a small shrug. “So, Sir, you need somepony to give Ethan here a tour of the city?” Brighteyes asked Shining, who nodded. “Yes. Take him around town, show him the sights. Just try and keep him from causing too much trouble.” Shining said with a grin. “I swear, it’s like no one here trusts me.” Ethan said with a theatrical sigh. “I wonder why?” Shining said with a smirk. “After all, it isn’t like my sister has been telling the palace about how you kill people every day for a living.” He added. “Well, I can’t help it if my home revolves around killing things; and speaking of which didn’t I see you killing legionnaires too?” Ethan asked. “I’m a soldier, at best, you’re an extremely competent idiot.” Shining replied with a chuckle. “Umm, sir? I hate to interrupt you two love birds, but can we get on with this? I want to show Ethan here a few of the better parts of town and they only operate during a certain time.” Brighteyes asked, interrupting the two’s banter. “Sure, I’ll leave you in Brighteyes’s capable hooves.” Shining said, giving Ethan a nod before he vanished in a flash. “Do all unicorns do that or is it only the ones related to Sparky?” Ethan asked, looking at the space where Shining had been standing. “Who?” Brighteyes asked as he led Ethan out of the barracks. “Purple unicorn, talks with lots of big words, has a robotic eye.” Ethan elaborated. “Oh, you mean Twilight Sparkle.” Brighteyes said as he waved to one of the Solar Guard. “Yeah, that’s what I said.” Ethan replied. “To answer your question, no. All unicorns can teleport if they bother to learn the spell,but only those specializing in magic or those who are very powerful can use it as casually as those of the Sparkle family do.” “Would you mind clarifying something for me?” Ethan asked after a few minutes of quiet walking as the two made their way out of the barracks. “Sure, it’s what I volunteered for when I took this little job.” Brighteyes replied. “Is Shining the Commander of the Lunar Guard or the Solar Guard?” “Ah. He’s in charge of both branches; each branch has their own commander, but they both report to him on matters of importance.” Brighteyes answered. “So, Brighteyes, I know I said that I wanted to see the city, and I do, but I’m feeling the urge for a drink. Do you know any good bars?” Ethan asked changing topics. “Oh, this is going to be more fun than I thought it would.” Brighteyes told Ethan with a grin and a twinkle in his draconic eyes. *** They’d managed to get Ethan through the crowds of ponies walking the Canterlot streets rather easily. Equestrians, especially those of the capital, are used to a wide variety of creatures walking the streets. Besides, ponies don’t ask many questions when someone has a Lunar Guard with them. As Shining had said, Ethan was hardly the strangest thing on the planet. Ethan’s eyes had danced as they walked down the streets taking in the sights, everywhere he looked he saw things that he’d seen in the Wasteland. But here they were sparkling clean and instead of skeletons their patrons were living breathing ponies all of whom seemed happy and carefree. Ethan’s pipboy was having a conniption fit trying to keep up with all the named locations that he was encountering and an insistent ping sounded every other second, drawing an interested look from Brighteyes. Ethan had no idea how it was doing it without the satellite being in the same dimension as he was, but he figured that it wasn’t wise to think about it. Ethan was having trouble believing the way that the ponies carried themselves. It wasn’t so much that they were peaceful, although that was a part of it as well; he’d seen peaceful parts of the Wasteland after all. Thing about the ponies was that they didn’t think about the peace that they had or what it really meant. They didn’t cast apprehensive looks over their shoulders as they walked through their fellows in the crowds, they didn’t look around analyzing the environment for possible threats, and they didn’t even keep a lookout for good loot! To Ethan’s Wasteland trained senses the city and the vast amount of ponies inside it was almost overwhelming. In all his life Ethan had never seen more than ten thousand people. In the city he saw that many within the first few minutes of the walk. Not only was the amount of ponies disconcerting, but the sheer size of the place boggled Ethan’s mind. The tallest structure that he’d ever seen was the Lucky 38. Here buildings easily dwarfed the casino, and there were hundreds of them! Much to Ethan’s surprise, their destination was one of the few buildings that he’d seen so far that was only two stories high. The building was made of grey bricks that formed an overlapping pattern, so that it was impossible to tell where one ended and another began. Four smoke stained windows allowed light to trickle out, and Ethan could hear the sound of music and laughter echoing from within. A sign above the doorway read ‘The Broken Shield’, and in shiny paint displayed a shield being broken in half by a large war hammer. “Shall we?” Brighteyes asked, turning to Ethan. “Hell yes!” Ethan replied as he shoved the door of the bar open with a bang and walked inside. End of Chapter Alright guys this is an experiment and you’re the lab rats. I’d like you to tell me what you think of this new idea that I had that wouldn’t leave me alone. You can of course completely ignore it but I’d really like some opinions on it if you wouldn’t mind too much. Preface Different. It’s a simple word really. Three syllables at the most; the majority of foals and fillies learn what it means by the time they’re ten. But in Equestria, being different isn’t a good thing. Ponies react badly to difference; things that stray from the predictable norms of their life scare and startle them. Sometimes their fear makes them flee, other times it makes them shun, and finally their fear can make them turn to violence. For those who are the most different, these three reactions are most pronounced and pursued with the greatest amount of zeal. I write these words as somepony who has experienced all three of these horrible things, and many more besides in my life. I wish to record them here so that if I pass, then my experiences won’t be forgotten by those I serve and repeated. Signed, Princess Celestia Intro “Is it almost over?” The stallion asked one of the earth pony midwives who were stationed around the door. His fur coat was an earthy brown, while his mane was black and messy. Both were streaked with mud and dirt as if he hadn’t yet had time to clean himself after his daily exertions in the fields. A grey wool cap sat snuggly atop his head, protecting his ears and skull from the leaching energy of the cold air outside. Dark brown eyes looked out from a face that carried the obvious signs of weariness from many hard years, yet it still possessed a spark of determination that spoke volumes about his character to those who met him. His name was Sturdy Till; he’d served four years in the Earthpony militia and had fought against several manticores, along with a daring attack on a hydra. During that time he’d earned a reputation for bravery and courage that had even managed to impress one of the pegasi officers assigned to lead them. However, at the moment he was just as frantic as any other husband barred from his wife during the miracle of childbirth. “The screaming has stopped, that has to mean something!” Sturdy told the midwife, who shrugged. “Whatever it means; it is not yet time for you to enter.” The midwife scolded. “But I’m her husband, what if she needs me?” Sturdy asked, his voice filled with concern. “If you were needed then Midwife Umbilical would call for you.” The midwife told him before going back to ignoring him. “This is ridiculous! My wife is in there!” Sturdy shouted. “Your wife is dead.” A harsh voice shouted back from behind the door. Sturdy was shocked into silence as Midwife Umbilical pushed the door open. The severe looking white earth pony mare walked towards Sturdy. Blood covered her hooves and her forelegs in thin streaks. Her silvery mane was soaked with sweat and her eyes were carved into hard spheres of grey granite. “But we have a larger problem.” She stated, shattering the shocked silence. “What do you mean a larger problem? How can there be a larger problem if my wife’s dead?!” Sturdy asked angrily as he approached the midwife. “I mean that she died giving birth.” Umbilical told him harshly. “And the larger problem happens to be your… daughter.” The midwife trailed off with a worried look on her normally stern face. “What’s wrong with her? Please tell me that she isn’t dead too!” Sturdy begged. There were already tears streaming down his face. He may not have seen his wife’s body yet, but if Umbilical said she was dead then she was dead and he had to be ready to protect his new daughter. “She isn’t dead, but there are… complications.” Umbilical told him, pausing every few words to visibly search for the right thing to say. That scared Sturdy. Umbilical had had mares die on her before, every midwife had. It was a fact of life even now that they lived in Equestria. If the grizzled mare was at a loss for words, than things were much worse than Sturdy could’ve thought. “What do you mean, complications?” Sturdy asked. “She is… a freak.” Umbilical answered slowly. “A freak?” Sturdy asked in confusion. “Yes, a freak. She has the wings of a pegasus and the horn of a unicorn. She is also much larger than a foal should be… which is why your wife now lies dead.” Umbilical said with a scowl. “She has the horn of a unicorn?” Sturdy asked in continued confusion. “And the wings of a pegasus. She is… remarkable.” Umbilical said in a quiet, thoughtful voice. “May I see them?” Sturdy asked as a tear rolled down his face. “Yes, I suppose it’s best for you to see them before we dispose of the bodies.” Umbilical said with a shake of her head. “But you said that my daughter was alive!” Sturdy protested. “Yes, but she is a freak. Her wings and horn are most likely vestigial and are almost certainly useless. She won’t live long before she becomes a burden, and with winter coming the village can’t afford another burden. It is either a quick death now or a slow death of starvation later.” Umbilical said with a solemn shake of her head. “No! If what you say is true then I’ve already lost my wife, you won’t take my daughter to!” Sturdy raged Umbilical violently. “I must do my duty to the village; I will not take joy in this act if it is of any solace to you.” Umbilical told him with a sigh. “Let me see her before you decide on anything!” Sturdy said desperately. “I already said I would.” Umbilical replied with a frown of annoyance on her face. She led Sturdy through the door and into the birthing room. Sturdy wasn’t capable of making any observations about what the rest of the room looked like, because he was too busy looking at the body of his wife. Her blue fur and cloud white mane which had stolen his heart ever since he’d been a foal were stained with her own blood and covered in sweat. Her eyes had been closed in respect and her wings had been carefully folded beneath her body. Sturdy’s vision became completely masked by tears as he gazed at his wife’s broken form. She looked so small now that she was dead, not at all like the smiling energetic mare he’d fallen love with. Her name had been Cumulus Breeze. Suckling at her teats was a filly that was completely unfamiliar to Sturdy’s eyes. A coat of snow white fur covered the filly, and two pristine looking wings grew out of her back while a short horn protruded from her forehead, just barely visible from where Sturdy was standing. However, the most striking thing about the filly was her size. She was bigger than most foals would be by the time that they were a year old. A bright pink mane could already be seen contrasting sharply with the whiteness of her coat. Suddenly, the filly turned away from the body of her mother to look at her father. Startlingly intelligent looking indigo eyes gazed into Sturdy’s, and the stallion knew that he couldn’t let Umbilical kill her. Something about the filly filled Sturdy with a kind of quiet fear, but he pushed that fear back and turned to confront Umbilical. “You’re not killing her.” Sturdy told Umbilical slowly to make sure that the midwife understood him. “Look at the size of her fool; she’ll eat ten times what a filly her age normally would. Do you really think you can afford to feed her?” Umbilical asked. “I’ll find a way!” Sturdy told her with the same look on his face that he’d worn when he’d prepared to face down a manticore alone, and cut off from the rest of his squad. “Fine, but do not come begging to me for food.” Umbilical told him with a disparaging look. Then her face softened and she sighed. “I’m sorry about Breeze Sturdy, she was a true delight.” “Thank you.” Sturdy murmured as he bent down to pick up the large foal who struggled gently against him in an attempt to get back to her mother’s teats. “Now what should I name you little one?” He asked the filly. The tears had stopped, and now his face was set with grim determination. “I would suggest something boring, she’ll need it.” Umbilical suggested. “How about Celery? Everyone likes celery.” Sturdy asked the little filly, who chose that exact second to coo at him. “Celery it is then.” Sturdy said with a small smile at the adorable filly in his hooves. “Where will you get the milk?” Umbilical asked. “The cows of course.” Sturdy replied. “You really think that they’ll share with you?” “They won’t let her starve, it’s not their way.” Sturdy told her. “If you think so Sturdy. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to prepare the body for burial.” Umbilical told him before she pushed past him and began to wet a cloth with fresh water. “Tell me when you put her in the ground; I’d like to be there.” Sturdy told her. “Of course.” Umbilical replied without looking up, before giving him a swaddling blanket which Sturdy thankfully wrapped around the small filly. If he hadn’t been so preoccupied with his thoughts, then Sturdy would’ve felt the inner heat emitting from the filly, instead he simply carried her out of the building and into the cold Fall air. “I hope she lives.” Umbilical said from inside the building. “That stallion deserves to be happy…” Then, she turned back to her work.