Belle sat on the stoop to the town archives, staring at the lines that rolling wagon wheels made in the soft dirt of Blue Shelf's village square. Her face was moist from tears, but her eyes were dead still. She breathed deeply, her body eerily calm.
A gust of wind blew at her brown mane, and then a pair of shadows crossed over her figure. Blinking once... twice... she looked up and squinted above her.
Kenna and Baxter stood side by side. They smiled nervously, a feeble attempt at joy. They had canvas satchels slung over their shoulders.
"We didn't think we'd find you here," Kenna said. "We're glad to see you one last time."
"Yeah!" Baxter exclaimed. "Odds are you were snoozing away in pegasus land—"
Kenna nudged him harshly.
He winced, his gaze falling elsewhere.
Belle blinked once more. "Uhm..." Her hooves squirmed nervously in the dirt. "What do you mean... last time?"
Kenna gazed at Baxter. She sniffed and put on a brave smile as she glanced down at Bellesmith again. "It looks like our talents are needed elsewhere, Belle. The Council of Ledo is moving us."
"Important business, it seems," Baxter added. "We've been told that firestarters like ourselves are incredibly qualified. Only the top magic practitioners are headed where we're headed! Erm... N-not that you're a novice at magic. I mean, you're good at what you're doing here... at least before the fainting and the sl-sleeping and... uhm..."
"Quite frankly, we don't have many options left when it comes to staying in Blue Shift," Kenna said. "We'd love to stay. We really do. But they've escorted so many ponies away as it is. There just isn't a real infrastructure anymore. They must not want this place to function anymore. It's all about the facility. It's all..." The female anteloupe clenched her eyes shut, took a deep breath and calmed herself. Eventually, she opened a pair of moist eyes and looked at Belle. "I just want you to know, in spite of all that has happened, in spite of how awkward things may have gotten, you are still the most remarkable pony we have ever met. It kills me inside to no longer have you as a neighbor. Your grace and eloquence will never be forgotten."
Belle nodded slowly. She smiled, but a tear trailed down her cheek. "Just the rest of me is forgettable, and that's nopony's fault but my own."
Kenna opened her mouth to reply, but had no words to give. She gave Baxter a forlorn glance before dropping her things, squatting down, and giving Belle a dear hug. She nuzzled the unicorn's shoulder and spoke in a wavering voice, "I don't understand why he did what he did. It's not like him. There has to be another explanation..."
Belle choked on a sob. "If there is..." She buried her neck in Kenna's shoulder. "Nopony is telling me."
"Everything changed after the Enforcers arrived," Baxter said, thinking aloud. "This place has always been regimental, but as soon as those beret-wearing goosetrotters came in, all the life around this place has been utterly stripped out! I don't get it! The Confederacy has always function through the power of its populace. Without couples, without workers and their beloveds, the spirit is gone! What do they expect us to be? Machines?"
"It makes no difference," Belle whispered. Sniffling, she gazed into Kenna's face and smiled warmly. "Wherever they are taking you, it has got to be a better place than this."
Kenna's face grimace. "I just wish there was something I could do. There's so little time."
"Then spend it doing what you can to stay together," Belle said. "Be honest with each other. Share your fears as much as your love. And most of all..." She lingered, her face tensing in pain as she added, "Share your moments, for they can go by so swiftly."
Kenna and Baxter exchanged glances. Before they could respond, there was a sharp whistle from behind. Several Enforcers stood by a wagon filling with ponies, buffalo, reindeer, and goats. They were glaring that way.
"Well... this is so long," Baxter said. He bowed his antlers and added, "Try not to stare down anymore manticores."
Belle smiled and whispered back. "I'll try not to."
Kenna and Baxter hesitantly turned away and shuffled off. They climbed into the vehicle on hovering manapanels. Not long after, the wagon resonated with a low hum and coasted away, around the corner. The anteloupes' faces vanished in a blur.
Belle wiped the tears clear from her face. With a sigh, she stood up and trotted slowly up the vacant hill leading towards her home.
And the emptiness inside.