Chapter 20: The Third Sign
It had been less than three months since the deal had been made, and Smithy was already showing signs of it. Doing what she could to conceal it in overalls, Smithy tried to go about her days as if nothing had happened between herself and another man. The longer the routine played out, the harder it got to hide.
Staring down at her slightly expanded belly, she couldn’t help wondering who the father was. If it was Bladire’s, she feared she would lose it to Stinking Rich, and if it was Stinking Rich’s, she was afraid she would lose Bladire.
It didn’t help that Stinking Rich came around fairly often to court her. She hated having to play the happy couple with Stinking Rich for her family, especially when he made her help the Faction of the Stud with petty crimes, slave trafficking, drug dealing, and money laundering. Other nights he would take her back to the ritzy condo where Faction was staying in Ponyville, taking those opportunities to take liberties with her. All this while her family thought they were having a few innocent nights out on the town. Her family was just thrilled to be seeing more of Stinking Rich coming around to court their daughter, not knowing anything about what had transpired between the two of them. They were content in thinking of their youngest finally having a very special somepony.
Pokey Oaks thought about this good fortune as he raked leaves in the front yard. He was pleasantly surprised to see Stinking Rich walking up the walkway with a mouthful of flowers, and eagerly put down the rake to greet him. “Howdy there, boy!” he said enthusiastically, wrapping a fatherly arm around the handsome pony’s shoulders. “What are ya’ll off to tonight? Dinner? Dancin’? Takin’ in a show?”
Stinking Rich smiled in a good natured way as he listened to the stallion’s innocent suggestions. He couldn’t believe how perfect this doddering old fool was. If only he knew what he and his daughter were really up to at night. “Well, I was thinkin’ maybe we might do somethin’ with y’all family tonight,” he suggested. “I’m thinkin’ a real nice dinner at Hay Bales 'round six sounds kinda nice. I’ll even bring mah folks along. Make it a big treat.”
Pokey Oaks was humbled to be invited to be a part of the evening. “Well, that’s mighty nice of ya,” he said, beaming proudly at the suave pony. “Yer such a nice young man. I’m glad mah baby girl got herself such a gentleman.”
Stinking Rich blushed as he lowered his head demurely. “Ah shucks, Mr. Seed,” she said, acting like the perfect young man. “Ya know what would make it even better though? If she’d let me take her hoof in marriage.”
Pokey Oaks’s jaw dropped at the idea. Running up to the young man with a huge smile on his face, Pokey Oaks began shaking hooves with him. The gesture almost knocked Stinking Rich off his feet. “It’d be a real treat to call ya mah son-in-law!” he beamed, feeling truly blessed to have the honor of being asked for his blessing before the proposal. “So when ya gonnna pop the question? I wanna see the diamond! Ya got it with ya?”
Knowing that things were going just his way, Stinking Rich threw an arm around his soon to be father-in-law’s shoulders. “How ‘bout tonight we all be surprised at Hay Bales? And keep it under yer hat now. Don’t wanna spoil the surprise!” he suggested, getting a naively enthusiastic nod from the older pony. This was just too easy!
What he didn't know is that Smithy had overheard the conversation from her bedroom window. She wanted to scream, cry, throw a fit, do anything, but with all the disreputable deeds she had done in the past few months, she knew that she had brought it all upon herself.
The Apple grandchildren watched their grandmother turn to a wedding invitation in the scrapbook. “I had to say yes,” she explained. “He had me surrounded by all them friends and family that it would of caused a scene if I’d said no. I just had to play along all night, feelin’ terrible to be tricked again…”
Stinking Rich had pulled all the stops on this proposal. The staff at Hay Bales had brought out their finest wines and ciders to make sure everyone’s heads were swimming in liquor and love. The engagement diamond that Smithy wore around her neck was huge, like a beacon to those around her that she belonged to him. He’d even managed to get Prairie Tune and his band to play for them.
The band recently made a new record with the help of a new band member, a pegasus girl named June. Smithy had to admit to herself that she was surprised to see this girl hanging around as long as she had given her brother’s track record with women.
The Seeds and the Rich’s had gathered around and cheered to the good fortune of their children, too wrapped up in the festivities to see the bitterness in Smithy’s eyes or the look of victory in Stinking Rich’s. Talk of profits, babies, and where the happy couple would live took up much of the family’s talking. All Smithy could think about was how this news would effect Bladire.
The band struck up an enthusiastic tune and called out to the families to get up and dance. Taking the opportunity to be nearer to his bride-to-be, Stinking Rich reached for Smithy with a romantic look in his eye. The coos and cat calls from friends and family were more of an encouragement to say yes than her new fiancé’s request to dance. The band whooped and hollered their congratulations as they strummed up their latest single that was taking the radio by storm:
We got married in a fever,
Hotter than a pepper sprout,
We've been talkin' 'bout Canterlot,
Ever since the fire went out.
We’re goin' to Canterlot,
And that's a fact.
Yeah, we're goin' to Canterlot,
Ain't never comin' back.
Stinking Rich laughed giddly at the song as he do-se-doed with his new fiancé. “Reminds me of the night we danced at the Box Social, don’t it, baby girl,” he suggested as they promenaded around the room, his breath reeking of liquor.
Smithy held her breath to keep from saying what was on her mind, and to keep the smell out of her nostrils. The last thing she wanted to think about was the night he had set her up into the life she was living now. All eyes were on them as Stinking Rich impromptuly dipped his bride-to-be during the dance. Smithy held onto him for dear life as he leaned her back, trying not to look nervous about the possibility of being dropped on the floor. Stinking Rich picked her back up to her feet, planting a big kiss upon Smithy’s lips after letting out an excited “yeeha!”
All the attention made Smithy feel worse than ever. She buried her face in Stinking Rich’s neck, hoping that the crowd would just find it as a sign of endearment instead of a desperate desire to hide. She was grateful to hear her brother’s band starting up a slow song, hoping that the music’s mood could help conceal her shaking. It felt like she was trapped as she danced with her new fiancé, the sensation of his arms around her feeling like a set of chains.
She could feel him giggling at her behavior, which just added insult to injury. “I thought brides were supposed to be happy,” he joked meanly. “And now ya won’t have to be so scared of that bulge in yer belly.”
Smithy’s hoof flew protectively to the growing infant that lay trapped within her, which just made Stinking Rich laugh all the more. “I knew it weren’t all them fancy dinners makin’ yer belly bigger! Looks like I weren’t too careful with ya after all! I sure hope it’s a boy!”
Smithy’s reactions had confirmed Stinking Rich’s deduction that his new fiancé was pregnant. The fact that he’d been so clever even for being so drunk made Smithy blush angrily. She couldn’t stand being around Stinking Rich any longer. “Excuse me,” she said in a low, frustrated whisper. “I gotta go freshen up.”
Smithy ran to the women's restroom, her chest heaving with emotion. She broke down and cried, hoping for a moment's peace without friends or relatives gawking at her.
Instead of getting the peace and quiet she craved, her hysterics were interrupted by her sister-in-law, Sunflower, coming out of one of the outhouse stalls. "Smithy?" she asked, grabbing some toilet paper to dab at her sister-in-law's eyes. "You okay, honey? What's got you so worked up?"
Knowing what a gabbing gossip Sunflower could be, Smithy did everything in her power to calm down. "Ain't brides supposed to get emotional?" she lied, purposefully blowing her nose as grossly as she could to get her sister-in-law to back off.
Sunflower chuckled at the reaction. "Oh, a couple of crocodile tears are one thing, but you're bawling like a banshee," she explained, hugging Smithy like a crying filly. "Now come on. I'm worried about you. Besides, how am I supposed to get you to ask me to be a bridesmaid if I don't help the bride?"
Smithy pushed Sunflower away. "I want some time alone!" she hollered, fresh tears pushing their way out of her eye sockets. "Can't ya get that through yer thick head! Just... oh, forget it!"
Smithy ran out of the women's restroom, ignoring Sunflower's concerned calls. She ran out the back exit to avoid seeing too many more friends and family. While she realized that not returning to the party would look suspicious, all she could think about was how horrible it was to keep her feelings locked up for the rest of the evening. She knew she would find Bladire at the condo where the Faction of the Stud was staying, and she just had to tell him what had happened. She knew that he was the only one who would understand her.
Bursting into the condo, Smithy was glad to have found Bladire tidying up the living room area along with a few other slaves. The other slaves were shocked to see the hysterical green pony throwing her arms around one of their own. “What am I gonna do now, Bladire!” she wailed, not noticing the other zebra’s confused reactions. “He asked me to marry him! In front of everypony! And he figured out I’m pregnant!”
Seeing how uncomfortable the rest of the zebra slaves were starting to get, Bladire lead his crying companion into the bedroom that Stinking Rich was using so that they could have some privacy. “Shhhhhh. Still yourself now,” he said gently, trying to keep a calm demeanor in spite of the news he had just heard. “Breath, my dear one. Please, tell me calmly what bothers you.”
After several deep breaths, Smithy explained everything that had transpired that evening, explaining the set up she had been placed into and just how he had figured out she was with child. It didn’t help that he’d been taking advantage of her body multiple times since the night he had taken her by force in the Everfree Forest, using his charms with her parents and with the town to get his way. Smithy hated him for how manipulative he was with her, and how powerless she was to say anything.
Bladire held Smithy as she spilled her feelings out, trying to think of a solution as he listened to the tale of woe. “I feel that this is not as badly as you fear,” he said optimistically.
Smithy choked on her sobs as she heard the zebra speak. “Not as bad!” she bellowed, angry to see Bladire trying to suddenly hush her. “Mah worst fears are comin’ to life here! How in Celestia’s name is this not as bad!”
In an attempt to help her see the silver lining in this situation, Bladire went to Stinking Rich’s safe. Being the silently observant type, Bladire had watched his master fumble with the combination enough times to know it by heart. Ignoring the several treasures kept within the safe, Bladire made for the one most precious to him. “You remember this?” he said, pulling out the contract that Smithy had signed. “You know what will nullify it, do you not?”
Shaking her head, Smithy took the contract from Bladire. “Will burnin’ it make it go away?” she said, glancing over the worst pieces of paper she had ever had the misfortune of coming across.
Taking a frustrated breath, Bladire sprawled the document out on the bed. During his time in Canterlot, Bladire had learned to read. He had kept that fact a secret from his master for fear of his life, especially since he had heard of zebras being killed for that skill. “Here,” he said, pointing to the bottom of one of the pages. “The contract is void upon becoming his wife. You can gain your freedom by accepting his proposal.”
Rather than helping make sense of the situation, reading the loophole just made Smithy cry all the more hysterically. “Have ya lost yer marbles!?!” she hollered, beating her hooves so hard on the bed that the contract papers flew everywhere. “He’s a bully! And a thief! And a mobster! And a trickster! And he’s a two timin’, low life, manipulative slime ball! And ya want me to marry him!?! What’s got into yer head!!!”
Knowing that the screaming would surely attract the neighbor’s attention, Bladire did the only thing he could think of to quiet her. “Hush! Now!” he yelled, feeling terrible for having to shake Smithy so hard. “You must listen before you judge me, and forgive me for what I must say. But when it is said I only hope that you will understand.”
Watching Smithy rub her pained shoulders and look up at him with those big, wet, scared eyes made Bladire feel all the more terrible for his concocted plans. “As his wife, you will become a slave owner, which will mean that you will own me. By owning me, you will allow me the freedom I need to find a means for us to escape. I can not find a way on my own, but together we will find a way to be free. I need you to play along, only for a short time.”
He hated himself for thinking of this plan, knowing what all he would have to put Smithy through in order to gain his freedom. He had to turn his eyes away from that soulful gaze of hers that seemed to eat away at his heart. Glad to be distracted by the tidying of the wayward contract papers, Bladire went about picking up what felt more like a terrible idea than a precious commodity.
The moment was cut short at the sound of the condo’s front door slamming open. The place was instantly filled with the sounds of whooping and hollering as the boys of the Faction of the Stud made their way in. Gathering up the papers and Smithy, Bladire ran to the closet. “Hide!” he whispered fearfully, shoving Smithy to the corner before he stuffed the contract back into the safe and slammed the door. “Whatever happens, stay where you are!”
The door of the bedroom swung open, revealing a very drunk Stinking Rich. “Toby!” he hollered, smacking Bladire hard on the rump. “What are ya doin’ in mah closet ya shifty ziggler? Puttin’ stripes all over mah good clothes?”
Thinking quick on his hooves, Bladire grabbed a nice pair of shoes in his mouth before turning to his master. “No sir, Master Rich!” he said with false enthusiasm. “I am looking for those shoes you need shined! You sure know how to scuff up some shoes, Master Rich!”
Stinking Rich leaned in close to the pair of shoes, eyeing them over. Bladire put on a huge grin as his master examined the scuffs, swallowing back his anxiety as the drunken pony laughed. “Boy, yer always lookin’ fer somethin’,” he said, much to his slave’s relief. “Say, while yer at it, why not add a pair or two on that shine pile. I know I got some real bad ones in here needin’ a good shine.”
Bladire felt his stomach tying in knots as his master stumbled to the closet. He closed his eyes as the closet door swung open, expecting to hear screaming. Instead, all he heard was rummaging.
Stinking Rich emerged from the closet with a pair of boots in his mouth. “There’s them boots of mine!” he proclaimed as he tossed a pair of glossy black boots on the floor. “Why don’t ya give them shoes to Tess fer the night. She’s a right good shiner, and we’re gonna want fer ya to entertain us!”
As Bladire bent down to pick up the glossy boots, he spied a pair near the back of the closet shaking. Concealed by an oversized coat and wearing the shaking boots was Smithy. Relief swept over the zebra as he took both pairs of shoes out of the room, using his tail to close the door behind him.
The other four Faction boys were sprawled out on living room couches and chairs, swigging on mugs of cider and smoking cigars. They cheered as Stinking Rich lead his slave out before them. “Who wants to see this ziggler dance?” Stinking Rich exclaimed, getting an eruption of cheers from his fellow ponies.
Bladire hated doing this, but knew that if he was going to keep his skin and his girl safe that he would have to do as he was instructed, even if it meant humiliating himself in front of a bunch of drunken, ignorant ponies.
Getting up on his hind legs, Bladire began to tap his hooves on the hardwood floors, all the while wearing an obnoxious smile on his face. The boys began to holler their approval over the impromptu soft show number. “Up on the table boy!” a bright orange unicorn ordered, zapping at Bladire’s hooves with his horn to make him jump.
The pain of the zap made Bladire leap up on the coffee table, which got the crowd chuckling. The unicorn zapped at Bladire’s feet again, getting a thrill out of how high the zebra jumped. Another dark green earth pony began to throw cigar butts at Bladire’s feet to keep the dancing interesting. Bladire tripped over one of the cigar butts and fell upon the table, the force of the fall making the coffee table break in half.
Stinking Rich smacked his slave in the face. “I gotta pay fer that ya reckless ziggler!” he yelled. “Now clean that up, ya ingrate, and apologize to Beamer and Dice fer spoilin’ their fun.”
Smithy had snuck up to the bedroom door to witness the whole thing through a slightly opened slit. She was angry to have to watch Bladire limping away from the broken table with a piece of debris in his teeth. The only thing that made it worse was watching the Faction boys laughing at the whole thing while throwing cigar butts at him.
One of the other zebra slaves, a young female about her age, approached the wreckage to help clean it up. As she grabbed a table leg in her teeth, she noticed a stocky beige pegasus eyeing her. “Say there, lil’ darlin’,” he said, reaching drunkly for the zebra’s flank. “Yer awfully cute fer somethin’ with so many stripes.”
Stinking Rich laughed as the pegasus began to touch the zebra, even as she backed away uncomfortably. “Like what ya see there, Tumbleweed?” he chuckled as he jumped up on the sofa.
Tumbleweed nodded lecherously at the pretty zebra slave that he was pawing at. “She don’t look broke in yet,” he said upon further drunken examination.
The zebra tried to suppress her shuddering at the bad touch, closing her eyes and turning her head away. She felt another pony pawing at her lips, which made her eyes pop wide open.
Tumbleweed shot his russet colored unicorn friend a dirty look as he poked him in the side. “Back off now, Tater!” he said. “Ain’t enough of this one to go 'round.”
Tater laughed at the comment as he examined the zebra’s face. “She looks like she can take two of us,” he said as he put a hoof in the slave’s mouth. “One’s just gotta take the front while the other takes the back. Beamer, Dice, and Stinking Rich can have a go after us.”
Stinking Rich shook his head. “No thanks y’all,” he said with a broad smile. “I’m gettin’ married, remember? I’d rather get mah baby girl in here and give her the business anyway. Y’all can have all the fun ya want with Lizza here, mah treat. I’m gonna wait fer mah woman and make it proper like.”
Dice shook his head as he reclined on the easy chair. “Where’d that pretty lil’ thing go off to anyway?” he asked.
Stinking Rich shrugged his shoulders as he laid back on the sofa. “Dunno,” he said while putting his hooves behind his head. “Don’t matter though. She’ll be comin’ 'round in no time. In the mean time, why don’t ya get that purdy ziggler dancin’? I shouldn’t touch, but I sure can look!”
Smithy turned away from the door crack. She was disgusted thinking about what was going to happen to poor Lizza. That zebra girl didn't deserve the treatment she was about to endure, and just thinking about it made Smithy's stomach turn over. Surely the sound of her stomach getting upset would attract attention. Running up to the nearest window, Smithy leapt out so that she could puke in peace, letting loose before she could make it to the trash cans.
Limping out with a bag of trash in his teeth, Bladire noticed the next mess he would have to clean up. “We need to get you out of here,” he said quickly, looking over his shoulder to make sure the coast was clear. “The Faction will stay busy with Lizza long enough for you to get home. Now hurry.” Bladire hated himself for thinking of the other slave girl as a means of escape, but there was precious little time for that now. He was just grateful to know that Smithy had found a way of escaping from the closet on her own.
Smithy could only nod miserably as Bladire lead her away to safety. “That poor girl,” she whimpered. “We gotta get her away from here too. Do ya really think ya can find a way to freedom? And do ya think that girl can come with us?”
Bladire leaned close to the upset pony, nuzzling her wet cheek. “Look into the sky, my dear,” he encouraged. “The stars form a pattern, don’t you see? Like a drinking gourd. We must follow it’s directions to freedom, to the edge of this land. We will travel by boat to Zebrica, and find our freedom there.”
Smithy stared up at the constellation, having a hard time putting the pieces together. “How’d ya think of followin’ The Big Dipper?” she asked, tilting her head sideways as she looked up into the sky.
Bladire could see the confusion on Smithy’s face. She was a simple pony, which was something he found endearing about her. “As a slave, I can not freely speak with others,” he explained. “We sing to pass messages along. This song tells one the path to freedom with the aid of friendly sailors, using the stars to guide us.”
Apple Bloom listened to her grandmother crooning the song that Bladire had taught her so long ago. “So where’d it lead to?” she asked.
Flipping to another page with the answer, Granny Smith showed a worn map of Equestria. “It leads right here to Horse Shoe Bay in Baltimare,” she explained, pointing to all the doodles and plans etched into the map. “Course comin’ up with the plans to get there was half the challenge. In order fer everythin’ to work, I had to get married first.”