The Private Scrapbook

by Cadabra


Chapter 11: Until We Meet Again

Chapter 11: Until We Meet Again

The next two weeks flew by as preparations were made for the move to the edge of the Everfree Forest. Sew n’ Sow and Pokey Oaks spent most of that time in a blur of excitement over last minute preparations for their move with their children. While making sure the essentials were in order was their top priority, they often stopped to daydream together about their plans for their new home. Often they were spotted gazing at the distant land from the balcony of their room like a pair of newlyweds looking to the future.

Happy Trails and Fairly Rich were busy making sure that they wouldn't lose track of each other or the money that the elite ponies of Canterlot invested in the property near the Everfree Forest. Since Fairly Rich was his father's apprentice, he felt it best to keep all money and documents safe at the Dodge City Building and Loan. Happy Trails couldn’t agree more, especially since the idea of traveling with that much money in a rickety wagon made him feel like a sitting duck for robbers.

Prairie Tune spent as much time as he could playing music with his new band mates in bars and ale houses in Canterlot. The band was planning on moving their tour out to Phillydelphia in a few weeks, which would give Prairie Tune time to get his family settled in before running off to join them. Given the short amount of time he had until he had to leave Canterlot, he was excited to live it up. When he wasn't practicing with the band or playing his guitar on his own, he was often caught drinking spiked cider, smoking cigars, or getting himself into trouble with the elites around Canterlot for deflowering their daughters.

Smithy was learning more about how to read a newspaper at the library, though she found Stinking Rich to be a condescending teacher. They were often shushed by the librarians for getting into arguments over articles they read. She could tell he liked getting into these debates with her to make himself look smarter than her, which drove her mad. The only reason she continued these daily newspaper readings was because she promised Bladire that she would share the news she was reading whenever she could.

Early in the mornings, Smithy could find Bladire trimming the hedge maze. She used those early mornings to sneak in time with her new zebra friend without being caught. Even after fighting with Stinking Rich over the supposed facts he found suggesting she stay away from Bladire, she couldn't fight how she felt. She just kept how she felt a secret to avoid further confrontation.

Though he was cautious at first to accept anything from Smithy, Bladire quickly warmed up to the kindness she was so willing to show him. Even after repeated warnings from his fellow slaves, Bladire could not help finding a connection with Smithy. He admired her tenacity, her morals, and her ability to sneak around the castle without being caught. So long as the pony who had bullied them before was no where in sight, he was comfortable with spending time with her.

Bladire treasured his mornings with Smithy, and not just because she brought him treats and news of the outside world. He had begun to feel a real kinship with this sweet little Smithy. She was free spirited, kind hearted, and even a bit reckless, so much like his long lost sister, Kizzy. Having Smithy around helped him feel a somewhat closer to the sister he had lost when he was forced into slavery, which made seeing her leave all the more difficult.

They had met up for the last time in the hedge maze just as they had every morning. Smithy had smuggled some muffins and a thermos of apple juice for them to share, and set it up on a picnic blanket with flowers as a special treat. “There ya are!” she exclaimed as soon as she saw Bladire in the maze.

The two hugged as soon as they saw each other, Bladire holding on a bit longer than normal. “I can not believe this will be the last time I see you,” he said sadly as they walked to the picnic blanket Smithy had prepared.

The two sat quietly, eating their muffins as they thought about what they would say to one another. Smithy felt bad knowing that Bladire probably hadn’t had a meal this nice in a long time. "Well, I read in the papers that Chairman Carpet Bag wants to run fer governor," she said, trying to break the tension.

Bladire looked at the article that Smithy had saved for him, unable to read a word of it. “He is popular,” he replied matter of factually, looking at the chairman posing for his photo in the newspaper. "It would be a fool's errand to run against him."

Wishing she had the knowledge to make talking about politics interesting, Smithy just stared at the paper along with Bladire. "I’m tryin' to understand this newspaper business," she began, feeling down on herself. "It’s just an awful lot to take in. I feel like I'm never gonna understand how the world works."

Glad to see that he was not the only one feeling overwhelmed, Bladire began folding the paper into a shape to cheer up his friend. “You have made progress, but you are not alone in how you feel," he said, folding the paper into the shape of a frog. “The wise shamans of my village would often say that they too did not understand the world, only they did not have the benefit of newspapers like you do."

Glad to hear that even wise old zebras were just as confused as she was, Smithy was contented to watch Bladire make the paper frog hop. “I don’t think anypony suspects us of meetin' up in the morning,” she said optimistically as she went for a second muffin.

Bladire nodded quietly as he too went for seconds. “You have done well,” he said with a happy mouthful. “For this you have my eternal gratitude. I have enjoyed the time we have shared together.”

Smithy was glad to know he hadn’t been punished yet. “I hate havin’ to keep our friendship a secret like this,” she said. “Folks are too mean to ya. I wish Princess Celestia’d just let ya come with us. Heck, we could be neighbors!”

While the idea certainly sounded nice, Bladire knew that it was little more than a pleasant idea. It was a challenge to uphold this friendship of theirs. For some reason that neither of them understood, a friendship between a pony and a zebra was seen as inappropriate, even taboo. Still, he enjoyed seeing Smithy smile at the dreamed up possibilities.

After swallowing a mouthful of juice, Bladire began to grin as he handing Smithy something. “It belonged to Kizzy, and I want you to have it,” he said eagerly as Smithy unwrapped a braided cord necklace with an onyx charm. It was a simple thing, yet beautiful at the same time.

Smithy was sincerely touched by the simple gesture. “Oh Bladire, are ya sure?” she asked, knowing how much he missed his sister.

Bladire smiled as he strapped it around her neck, careful to hide it under her shawl. “You remind me so much of her,” he said as he admired the gift around the filly’s neck.

Smithy eagerly hugged Bladire, hating the idea of never seeing him again. “This can't be goodbye,” she began to cry. “Why don’t ya just run away with me like the night we met?”

Bladire held his crying friend to comfort her. “I want to, but I am afraid,” he replied, remembering the pain he endured after he was captured.

Smithy used the end of the picnic blanket to wipe her eyes. “Maybe we could smuggle ya out in a box?” she suggested, trying to come up with a plan on the spot.

Bladire shook his head. “The guards will be checking for stolen property," he answered, hating to disappoint his friend. “I have seen other zebras try this method with failure being the result."

Dissatisfied with her previous plan, Smithy tried thinking of a new one. "How'd ya escape the first time?” she asked, hoping for inspiration.

Bladire thought back to the night he met Smithy in the alley. “I had only been in this land for a few weeks," he began, Smithy paying full attention to what he was saying. “I had spent every night trying to escape, which is why I was in chains. I was able to pull a weakened stone free from the wall I was chained to, and climbed the gate that surrounds the castle."

While the story was exciting on its own, Smithy was still curious for more information. "Do they still chain ya up?” she asked.

Bladire shook his head. “With Alabaster's help, I have recently been kept from the chains," he answered. “I owe a great many things to Alabaster. While he is strict with me, his guidance has helped me to stay safe in this land. Though it is he that warns me against our friendship. He tells me frightening things about what a friendship like ours can lead to."

Smithy was hurt to know that Bladire's mentor was making him so afraid of their friendship. “Ya ain’t gonna bring him with ya, are ya?” she asked coyly, watching Bladire shake his head in response. “Than why not run off tonight? Me and mah family are gonna be campin' out in the mountain woods tonight. Ya can meet us there, and we'll smuggle ya the rest of the way."

Seriously contemplating the offer, Bladire couldn’t help smiling. “Do you think that it will work?” he asked, a spark of excitement creeping into his voice.

The moment was cut short as Smithy heard her father calling out her name. In a panic, Smithy and Bladire wrapped up their picnic. Throwing the contents over his shoulder, Bladire smiled one last time at his friend. “I will clean this up,” he explained. “You must go to your father before he worries.”

Taking in one last hug, Smithy sighed before letting go. “See ya tonight,” she said excitedly.

Bladire was touched by the genuine words, but knew that hiding was too much of a priority for him to linger. “Your friendship has meant more to me than you will know,” he said as he planted a kiss on her cheek before he ran off to hide.

Smithy stood in shock as she watched Bladire disappear around a corner. She reached up to the spot where he had kissed her on the cheek, blushing as she gently touched the spot as if to see if the kiss was real. Her parents had kissed her cheeks dozens of times, and even some adults had planted an endearing kiss there, but this kiss felt different. There was something so sincere about it, so loving, she couldn't quite put her hoof on it. All she knew is that she liked it.

Smithy was so wrapped up in her own thoughts that she didn't even hear her father coming. She felt his own sloppy kiss fall upon her cheek right where Bladire had kissed her. “Well there ya are mah lil’ darlin’!” he exclaimed. “I’ve been lookin’ everyplace fer ya! What’s the hold up?”

Smithy could see that by now Bladire was long gone, far away from where her father or anypony would find him. “Just gettin’ in one last look 'round before we go,” she lied with a smile on her face.

Pokey Oaks tussled his daughter’s hair lovingly, making her bangs crocked. “Well, day light’s a wastin’,” he explained. “Time to head 'em up and 'em move out!”

Smithy faithfully followed her father out of the hedge maze, watching him curse at the wrong turns he had made and laughing as she made suggestions. She had hoped that Bladire had better luck finding his way out, thinking to herself how resourceful he was for being able to see her so often. As she and her father crossed the maze threshold, she couldn't help looking back into the maze and wondering if they would ever see each other again.

Smithy followed her father to the front of the castle where the family wagon was packed and ready for their journey. Princess Celestia and Chairman Carpet Bag stood near the wagon, watching as the guards inspected it for contraband. The guards emerged from the wagon, reporting it clean.

Celestia noticed the two ponies approaching, and smiled as they bowed before her. “I came to wish you all safe travels,” she said, gazing happily upon the Seed Family. “I eagerly await news of your safe arrival."

While Pokey Oaks was more than ready to get a move on, he stopped for a moment to pay his respects. “I can’t wait to write to ya 'bout all the good news," he said optimistically as he strapped the wagon's harness to his back.

Pleased with the attitude, Chairman Carpet Bag ordered the guards to open the castle gates. “We will be sending mail carrier ponies weekly,” he explained. “I for one look forward to all that you have to say about your new home. I have a good feeling that you won't be disappointing me."

With the gates wide open, Pokey Oaks grinned from ear to ear like a free man. "We'll be seein' y'all!" he exclaimed with an elated whinny as he trotted out the gates with his family. “Everfree, here comes the Seeds!"

Smithy waved at the regal princess and her chairman as they rolled out of sight, hoping to catch a glimpse of Bladire as they traveled out of the grand city of Canterlot. She was really looking forward to seeing him again, and to no longer having to sneak around being friends with him.

Sitting on top of the wagon was her brother, Prairie Tune. He was strumming up a tune on his guitar for the family to sing along to. "Come on Seeds, y'all know this one!” he exclaimed as he struck a few chords on his guitar.


I've been everywhere, man.
I've been everywhere, man.
Cross the country bare, man.
I've breathed the city air, man.
Of travel I've had my share, man.
I've been everywhere!

Ponies waved the singing Seed Family on as they passed street after street on their way to the mountain woods. The excitement of the music even got a few of the Canterlot elite to tap their hooves in enjoyment. A general sense of excitement was felt from anywhere that wagon rolled all throughout the day.

By early evening, the Seed Family had finally reached a point in the woods where they could camp out. The sun was already setting in the west when they set up a camp fire to make dinner. Smithy rushed through her meal, too excited about reuniting with Bladire.

As the meal wrapped up, the rest of the family was looking forward to a good night's sleep. Pokey Oaks wrapped a loving arm around his wife's waist as they watched the stars come out with their children. "Why don't y'all youngins camp out under the stars tonight?" he suggested, his wife giggling like a school filly. “Me and yer mama wanna talk over some stuff tonight alone. Nothin' bad, mind ya. Just some private stuff between us."

Sew n' Sow's girlish giggles were enough to tell the kids what Pokey Oaks meant by 'private stuff,' but Smithy didn’t care. She was hoping for a chance to be by herself anyway. Meeting up with Bladire would be easier that way.

She wondered away from the campsite to wait, looking up at the full moon with hope in her heart. It was a full moon just like the one the night they had met. She remembered how he wanted her to run to the mountains with her that night so that he could escape, and now they would have their chance.

She leaned against a tall tree, making herself conformable against the soft moss growing on the side of it. She breathed in the quiet mountain air, having forgotten what quiet sounded like after months of living in Canterlot. It was peaceful, like the forest already knew how the world worked but kept it hidden like a buried treasure deep within its roots.

Breathing in the comforting scents of nature, Smithy reached for the necklace Bladire had given her. It was still hidden under her shawl, reminding her of the secret plans that she and Bladire had made for reuniting. The feeling of the stone against her hoof made her feel better, as if things were going to be as smooth as the onyx hanging around her neck.

Smithy sighed contently as she began thinking about what it would take for Bladire to escape. She imagined him wearing the same dark cloak he wore the night they met in the alley, only without chains to burden him. She thought about him scaling the castle gates on his quest for freedom.

She wondered what it must be like to have your freedom stripped of you, imagining what kind of elation Bladire would be feeling as he left the castle behind to run through the alleyways like a ghost in the shadows. She imagined the moonlight playing off of his cloak the way it did when they met, giving him a mysterious appearance as he galloped through the background.

She wondered what route he would be taking, envisioning a dangerous and exciting one filled with obstacles he would have to dodge like a hero. She wondered what he was going to face in the dead of night in Canterlot, dreaming of gruff guards, tall fences, barking dogs, and secret hiding places.

Her dreaming turned to the edge of the Canterlot, where Bladire would dive into the woods on his quest for freedom. He would bound effortlessly through the thick underbrush, slinking his way through the moonlight woods where no guard would ever find him.

He would use his tribal skills to track her down, finding her waiting for him with open arms. They would embrace like old friends, and she could almost feel him kissing her on the cheek just as he did when they parted in the hedge maze.

Smithy gasped as she felt a big wet kiss hit her cheek, opening her eyes to see her father in front of her, surrounded by daylight. “We've been lookin' fer ya all mornin'," he said as Smithy rubbed her tired eyes.

Taking in her surroundings, Smithy was disappointed in herself for falling asleep. She looked around, trying to find Bladire only to realize that he was not anywhere to be seen.

Smithy rushed back to the camp site with her father, hoping that Bladire had found it in the middle of the night and was waiting for her there. No such luck was had as her mother and brothers embraced her.

Smithy slowly picked at her breakfast, bidding her time for Bladire to emerge from the woods to join them. The stalling was only making her mother more and more aggravated. “Yer gonna need yer strength iff'n we expect to get to our new home by tonight," Sew n’ Sow coaxed, only to get a disappointed grumble out of her daughter. “Quit yer belly achin'. I know ya had yer fun in Canterlot, but we got a lot of work ahead of us. We can't do this if we ain’t gonna work as a family."

Smithy wished she could say how she felt, but how could her mother understand? She began to stuff food into her mouth to keep from crying too much, not even caring about what it tasted like.

Sew n' Sow rubbed her daughter’s back as she ate. “Slow down now, darlin'," she chuckled at Smithy’s crocodile tears. “Yer gonna get a belly ache eatin' like that."

Letting out a big hiccup from eating too fast, Smithy began to cry out loud. “Oh mama!" she bawled, her mother throwing her arms around her and holding her tight.

Sew n' Sow rocked her hiccuping child to calm her down. “It’s alright," she said, cooing gently like mothers do. “Why don’t ya just take it easy in the back of the wagon fer a while."

Letting her mother lift her into the back of the wagon, Smithy lay hiccuping and upset. She reached under her shawl for the necklace, touching the smooth onyx stone longingly as if she could be touching Bladire right now. "Where are ya?" she said in a whispered hush, looking out the wagon window as the rest of the family cleaned up camp.

All too soon, Smithy could feel the wagon jerk forward towards its destination. As they traveled further and further down, she could see Canterlot hanging off the side of the mountain like a wart on a pretty pony’s face. Could Bladire really still be there, tangled up in chains again all because of her?