After waking up Indigo ate his breakfast, and went to the craftpony's workshop to make some things for sale to the caravans. This is going to be a productive day, he thought. After talking to traders about what they like best and working with stones for a while, he was getting pretty good at it. There are so many things that can be made from simple rocks. Some minerals, while not real gems, look quite good when polished, and are suitable for jewelry, like earrings and crowns. Some are strong enough to be made into some kinds of furniture, or even musical instruments. There were some pitfalls to stone crafting of course, as sometimes a stone would have an incursion in the middle, and break easily. Rocks are also quite brittle despite their durability, need to be handled with care, and can't be made to thin. But once you get the hang of all these nuances, rocks are a lot of fun to work it, and can be made into a cornucopia of decorative and useful items, like bowls, pots and mugs.
Carmine was walking towards the mines to make some stones into blocks. He noticed his fellow stone crafter, mason and dyer working on a stone harp. "Hello Indigo, good work today? Any inspiration for anything special?"
“Hello, Carmine. I'm making a stone harp. The caravan wants one. Are you here for these mugs? Or do you want to chat?" asked Indigo, continuing his work.
"I could use a mug, but a chat could be nice too, I'm just making blocks again, got to work for the community. It has been helping me lately to take my mind off all this nonsense." said Carmine.
"Yes, I made some blocks for constructions too. They seem easy compared to a harp, but need to be smooth to fit each other nicely... Wait, what nonsense?" inquired Indigo.
"Glyph came to me and said he found one of my foals, and then he shows me this zebra foal. I was really kind of scared by him." complained Carmine.
"What?!" Indigo puts his tools down, and turns around to look at Carmine. He frowns. "I haven't seen any zebra foals around, but there is a zebra caravan in town. They usually leave their kids at home, but maybe one wanted to be adventurous, and followed them. But why would Glyph bother you about it is beyond me."
"I know, he kept saying it was mine, and then he threatened me."
"That is really weird and unsettling. What did he do exactly?" Indigo frowns, "And what happened to that foal anyway?"
"I think he took her home with him. He said he was going to talk to The Baroness about me not taking care of my family."
"I really don't understand what's going on. I mean I know you're married to Ocean Breeze, and take care of all four of your foals, and none of them is a zebra, but these accusations are so outlandish, it can't simply be a prank. I think you should talk to Virtue about Glyph's behaviour and to the zebras about a lost foal. Or maybe I could talk to Kat, she knows Glyph." Indigo looks rather upset, his work abandoned for now.
"I know, but I don't want the speak ill of a military Pony, and what would I say to the Baroness anyway?"
"Well, you shouldn't let yourself be pushed around for no apparent reason, but I see your point. Talk to the zebras then. If they lost a foal, and want her back, the problem will solve itself. " Indigo frowns again. "Maybe she met Glyph, he asked where are her parents, and she led him to your door? Kids lie sometimes, and something like that could make a soldier very upset. I can't shake the feeling, that there must be a second bottom to this."
"Zebras,” Carmine says, “I don't know if I can talk to Zebras. The are... well you know... Zebras."
"Well, I've talked to them before. I sometimes ask them for feedback on the things I make, and so should you, really. They are a bit weird, and unsettling, but not so bad once you get to know them."
Meanwhile, behind some piles of items, a grayish Pegasus mare listens... pretending to be busy with moving things around. She manages to stay unnoticed by the two talking stallions.
"OK, but I just can't talk to them, not after this. I'm not some foal-napping Diamond Dog."
"If you don't want to ask them yourself, then I can. It's not a problem for me. At worst it will rule out one possibility." said Indigo. "Don't worry, I will ask politely, and won't mention your name."
"One weird thing though, the zebra foal had wings. Do you know any zebras with wings?", asked Carmine.
"Well, most of them are like striped Earth Ponies with freaky culture. Some have wings, and can fly, tough. There is a even zebra equivalent of Unicorn, I think. Wings would actually explain a foal getting lost, if she was flying and following their caravan."
"Then it must have been one of them Winged ones."
"So, do you want me to talk to them, or not? Because I'm rather upset by this whole situation, and want to see it resolved, so that things go back to normal.”
"Could you please talk to them for me? I'm sorry, but I'm really afraid."
"I already said, its alright. And you are too agitated to talk to them calmly, and might rub them the wrong way.” Indigo pauses for a moment. “Maybe I should see the foal first, tough. Speaking of which, I'm sure she is scared and lost, so don't be too mean to her, no matter what ridiculous lies she says."
"Well you should go to Glyph and talk to him, then." said Carmine.
"Maybe I should" Though I must be careful, not to upset him, or upset the foal, and piss everypony off. "Alright, the sooner I do this, the sooner it will be over." Indigo walks to the barracks. He rarely ever goes there, but Glyph is probably training with the rest of militia. Unless he is in his room with that foal. Indigo walks into the barracks, and sees some soldiers sparring, but not Glyph. He asks Naginata about him, and goes to his room.
Indigo figured it would be a bad idea to confront Glyph unprepared, so he made up a quick pretext. Reassured, Indigo knocks on Glyph's door.
"Who is it? You can come in, the door's unlocked." Glyph is sitting in the middle of his room watching Friesden fly around.
Indigo opens the door to see Glyph playing with unfamiliar striped winged foal. "Hello Glyph.." he stares for a moment.
The amber coloured and periwinkle (light blue) striped foal flies in circles, faster and faster. She’s almost dizzy...
"Hello... um... what's your name again?" Glyph asks, cocking his head and trying to remember. Friesden eventually has to land to keep from banging into something.
"I'm Indigo." He keeps observing the foal, noticing details, and trying to remember her as well as possible.
Friesden totters on the ground, slightly off balance, with the first hint of a smile Glyph has ever seen on her face after her father...'forgot'...her.
"Right, Indigo. I was just playing with my little Friesdizzy here. What did you need?" Glyph walks over to Friesden, putting a hoof out to steady her. She almost steadies herself, but eventually gives up and rolls over onto the floor.
The strange foal didn't even notice Indigo, which was good. Now for the pretext. "Do you know where I can find Kat? I need to talk to her about something. She wasn't in the barracks." Indigo
observed, that the proportions of the foal’s body were more akin to a pony than to a zebra, but he hasn't seen all that many zebras, let alone foals, so he couldn't really decide.
"No, I don't know where she went... I think she was planing to come by after her patrol to play with Friesdizzy here." Glyph smiles and pokes Friesden's stomach. She giggles a little, though the smile doesn't grow any more.
Ah, all right, I'll catch her later then." He couldn't help but smile at the laughing filly. "See you later, Glyph". Well, at least Glyph doesn't look upset now, and he sure seems to care about this filly, so she is in good hooves. But wasn't Friesden the name of one of the foals that run around here? Why would he call this filly Friesden? I may not know all the foals around here, but I’m pretty sure, I’d remember one with stripes.
"You sure you didn't need anything else?" asked Glyph.
"I um... Maybe later, I still have some work to do before sundown". There was no point in asking Glyph questions now. "See you later." Indigo left Glyph's room.
Glyph quickly slips out the door. "Indigo, one more thing..."
Indigo stopped in the corridor, somewhat stunned. "Yes?" Okay, this just couldn't go as smoothly as I intended. what does he want? Of course he isn't stupid, and knows why I'm here. Is he going to yell at me? Tell me this is my foal?!
Glyph moves outside and motions for Indigo to follow. "Keep your voice down," He says quietly. "I don't want Friesden to hear this."
Not good Indigo complies.
"You... you're one of them too... have you talked to Carmine?"
Really not good "One of whom? I occasionally talk to Carmine, he is a mason and stone crafter and dyer, like me. Why?" Indigo backed up a bit, looking tense.
"Has... um... Kak ya mogu eto slovo... Has he mentioned Friesden at all?"
Very bad. Did he just speak in devilpony to me?! "He mentioned you yelling at him." Indigo whispers, looking afraid.
Yelling... what? I didn't yell but... so he still doesn't... "So... he still won't clam his foal then? I... I did want a foal but... to have her kicked out of her family..."
Indigo tries to compose himself, and reason with Glyph, even tough it looks like a lost cause. "Um. Glyph. I'm pretty sure, I haven't seen a striped foal around here. What is it about her being Carmine's daughter?"
"Well... that's the thing... from what I can gather, she's not Carmines foal... just Ocean Breeze's..." Glyph awkwardly shuffles his hooves, seeming uncomfortable about the subject.
Indigo looks taken aback, and very put off. "WHAT?" He exhales, then laughs, then whispers "You mean his wife cheated on him with a zebra? But that's... How can that be... even hiding a foal like that... she would have to dye her coat... I'm sure I would remember striped... I don't..." He stops talking, and just stares, visibly stunned.
"I'm just guessing... but I was there, I saw Friesden try to talk to her family... and that... that... Rogatyĭ prinosyashchiĭ smertʹ, I saw him deny her existence... When I saw her stripes though... She was all wet, I think she had just climbed out of the well..."
"I'm really confused now," said Indigo. “This sounds crazy.”
"So he's still... still refusing to acknowledge that she's his foal? Not... not even a small hint of it?"
"Well, I... if his wife cheated on him, this is a very bad way to find out about such a thing. He might have snapped... Have you asked Ocean Breeze about it?" "And do you want me to believe this craziness?" Indigo asked, more angrily?
Friesden has heard some shouting and is currently trying to decide whether to go out or not.
He doesn't believe me... of course he doesn't... Glyph sighs, looking defeated. "Fine, you don't have to believe me, just... don't mention this to Friesden please. She still hopes her father will come and pick her up... I haven't talked to anypony about it, but Stiletto said she was going to talk to Virtue... I just had to focus on keeping her safe. And as happy as I can... I'm her father now, at least until Carmine comes to his senses." Glyph sighs again, looking back at his room. "Although... even though I hate the thought of her being abandoned... I still love being her father...
I'll miss it if she goes back to her real family."
Indigo nods. "Look, I'm rather upset about this situation, and want it resolved, and without making anypony too upset. I'm willing to give you the benefit, of the doubt. I'll come back shortly" Indigo frowns, and starts to leave. Stiletto is involved in this? I should have known.
Friesden builds up the courage and goes out the door, just in time to see Indigo walking away. "G-g-g-glyph? Can we go and see dad?"
Indigo turns, and says "Carmine is busy making stone block for the warehouse, and there is some commotion outside. Nothing to worry about, but you are safer here." With that he walks away.
Glyph nods, "Yeah... but we could always go somewhere to play if you want malyutka."
"Oh. How long till I can see dad?"
Indigo walks straight into the dining hall, to get enough food and drink for a lunch for three, as well as some candy (carrot slices with honey), then walks back to Glyph's room.
Meanwhile Stiletto flies in and lands on the complexes' upper level. She waits at the top of the stairs for an opportunity to confront Carmine.
"I...I just want to see dad... I just want him to like me again..." said Friesden.
"I know... but until you do... can you try to be happy as my little Friesdizzy?" Glyph moves over and hugs Friesden. "Just a little bit?"
"O-o-o-okay..."
Indigo made the trip as quick as possible. With the candy in his saddlebag, and food on a tray, he walks back into Glyph's room. "I brought you lunch."
Friesden mumbles a bit. "'Thank you."
"Wow, thank you Indigo..." Glyph looks over at Friesden, a flash of sadness in his eyes. "Come on malyutka, lets eat..."
Indigo eats his food quickly, and waits for them to finish. Friesden makes slow progress on her food, her head facing the door as if waiting for somepony to walk in. At some point Indigo looses his patience, but doesn't show it. "So Friesden, want to play a game? I'll ask you riddles, and for every one you answer you get candy."
"Riddles?"
"Well yes, you don't like games? Or candy?" Indigo pulls out a jar of carrot slices with honey.
"Okay...” Should I ask what riddles are?
"That could be fun, I bet you'd be good at it too Friesden." Glyph smiles, trying to encourage her.
What follows is a series of questions such as "Who is Virtue's husband", "What colour is Rondel", and "Where is the place, where Flux makes rocks into metal". for every correct answer Indigo floats a slice of carrot, and moves it around the room with telekinesis, for the filly to fly up and catch. Friesden gets most of the answers correct, but doesn't understand some of the questions. After the candy is exhausted, Indigo says "Well, I hope it was fun, because this exercise is good both for your body and mind. I need really to go now, tough". He looks at Glyph, shrugs, then nods, and collects empty dishes.
Glyph nods back, having understood the intention of the game. "Well it was nice seeing you Indigo."
"Bye". Indigo walks back to the kitchen to drop the empty dishes. Well, I suppose I should still talk to the zebras anyway. I promised Carmine. With a frown he walks towards the depot to find Sekashi.
Carefully choosing his words Indigo inquired Sekashi about the caravan, zebra foals, flying zebras and zorses. She was quite surprised at the subject of the conversation, and made a joke about him clumsily hitting on her, so he was forced to explain that there is apparently a zebra or a zorse foal in the camp, and asked for her discretion. He learned that the caravan had no foals with them, what the name for flying zebras is, and that zorses are possible, but their stripes are usually white. Sekashi wanted to see the foal for herself, but he persuaded her out of it. The filly could be upset to see a zebra, let alone be questioned by one, and some ponies seemed already on edge about this situation. None of them wanted another caravan incident, so Sekashi agreed to wait. Indigo once again apologised for the topic of the discussion. He now has much fewer doubts about Friesden. It was pretty clear the caravan had nothing to do with her, and that she was in Dawnpick for some time. Besides, Sekashi wouldn't lie to him, would she?
He returned to the craftpony's workshop, but Carmine wasn't there. Oh well, a lot happened during this day, and he had some thinking to do. What should he do now? Find Carmine? Talk to Ocean Breeze? Go to Virtue’s office, to check the census, look up the name Friesden, and read about the laws on divorce, adoption and dispossession of a bastard? Technically handling situations like this was Virtue’s responsibility. Indigo only got involved because Carmine asked him. Maybe letting other ponies figure it out, and hoping for the best is not such a bad idea? He still had some work to finish today, and already wasted the whole morning. Nothing like working on a nice harp to take his mind off all this trouble.