Mine Manor was constructed fifteen minutes from Canterlot if by flight. One hundred yards from the base of a tall mountain, it's front faced the north, back to the south, to allow the sun and moon not to be blocked by the towering rock as they moved through the sky. A clear water river was within a five minute walk and the small town of Fillyton was a fifteen minute walk. Many of the rooms and furniture was made from the finest wood and cloth, no expenses spared. The layout of the house revealed a single large bedroom on the third floor. Six bedrooms, two studies, and two bathrooms on the second. A dining room, bathing room, kitchen, a single servants room, and other small pantries littered the bottom floor. The two studies on the second floor were separated, one on the west and one on the east. The eastern was used by Gold to conduct business and study. The west by Diamond to read or watch the sun set. Beneath the main floor was the basement. One large room housed various wine racks to the left, and on the right were shelves of old books. The two rooms, whose doors laid at the south west and east corners of the main basement room, laid empty currently.
Outside the grounds a pony could see the manor and its construction. A Victorian design with gold trim against brown paint. To the east a garden of flowers, fruits, and vegetables grew near a small hedge maze. On the western side a tennis court was built with high metal fences beside a swimming room with a smaller garden for parties. To many ponies without money this would appear to be a paradise home, but now for the Mine family it felt a prison for a curse they believed had fallen upon them.
Three days had passed since that fateful night. Smoke filled the eastern study from a finely made, lit cigar. Unicorn magic surrounded the long oval shaped, brown cancer log guiding to the lips of the rich stallion, Gold Mine. Rich, blonde hair pulled back into a stallion tail, he appeared normal for the day except the dark bags beneath his heavy, sharp eyes. The stallion rested on a large chair of red leather. Before him a grand oak desk far wider and longer than anyone could possibly need. The walls held trophies from sporting competitions, a few bookshelves, and a special shrine depicting the trophies, accomplishments, and pictures of his son. A massive window behind him, the sun at its ten AM position, almost blinding to anyone sitting in front of him. A front hoof reached forward taking a framed photograph of his son before him.
His son, Iron Mind, is a Captain in Celestia's guard. While at first Gold was disappointed he chose the life of a guard, his son's words told him it was the proper choice. “Do not worry, Father. What I learn in the guards will ensure that my eventually leading of the business will guarantee many years of success.” Gold's eyes went across his son's determined face in the picture. Iron stood, his helmet held beneath a crooked right foreleg, his armor gleaming in the peaceful noon sun. His coat, unlike his mother's and father's was, steel silver, groomed to perfection. Iron's hair was as black as the night, flowing down either side of his neck as the fashion for many stallions of the time. On Iron's flank a cutey mark of a sword and pick were crossed at their centers to a form an X. Gold felt nothing but pride when looking at his first son. He was glad he could not return home when he had received the false news of his mother losing their second child. Their second child...
Gold was pulled back into reality when he thought of Cursed Eclipse. A clear grimace formed along his features as he averted his eyes from the picture of his son and now let them rest on an Earth Pony who sat before him. His horn lit with magic returning the picture back to its spot on the desk before him. She was leaned forward-the way many ponies sat in chairs-in a red, leather chair similar to his but without the massive backrest. His eyes scanned over her, a cutey mark of a blueberry pie with a slice taken out of a corner. Her coat was a dark blue while her mane and tail were a lighter blue with a purple splash tossed in at random lengths. She had green eyes that seemed to be proud, intelligent, and kind. “Now, Miss Pie, as you are aware we contacted you to act as a nanny some months ago. The wet mare didn't work out, so we will be relying on you sooner.”
“Ah don't worry, Mr. Mine. Please call me Blueberry if you would like.” She held some respect in her tone of voice. She didn't demand the request, but made it to be polite for her employer. Blueberry was excited to get this work. Her family needed the money and any chance to be able to help out her relatives was something she was hoping for. The letter for her arrival came just yesterday. It requested that if she wanted the work she was to be there by the next morning. It took everything in her power to be able to pack and give her best wishes before she went. A broader smile crept to her lips remembering her three nieces hugging her goodbye, Pinkamena Diane Pie giving her a pet rock from the farm to hang onto. “It is absolutely no trouble at all, sir. I helped to raise my brother's three daughters. I know how to keep them out of trouble and discipline with love and affection!” Confidence warmed her voice, her right foreleg raised up proudly placing her hoof to her chest. “I will do everything in my power to not let you down, sir.”
A thick ring of smoke blew from Gold's puckered lips arriving at its destination in Blueberry's face. Normally he wouldn't be so shallow or cold to do such a thing, but his demeanor changed so quickly within the last few days. He had given all his best feelings and false fronts to the well wishers who came to wish he and his wife well. His foreleg elbows rested on the desk top and his chin came down to place itself onto his hooves. He rolled the cigar from one corner of his lips to the other. “Ms. Pie will be fine. Understand, the circumstances have changed along with terms to your contract. Your duties are a bit more simple than before. Simply put; I do not want to hear, see, or have to deal with 'it'.” He seemed disgusted to even consider the monstrosity anything but an object.
“ 'It', Sir?” Blueberry questioned finding his reference to be odd. Her expression held a perplexed thought as she leaned back, coughing lightly to escape the horrid smoke.
“Yes, It!” He suddenly shouted slamming a hoof against the desk. He leaned back some as smoke escaped flaring nostrils. “The child, the creature.” Collecting himself, Gold went back to his pose from before, resting his elbows against the desk and his chin to his hooves. “I understand that your family owns a rock farm.” He bemused with an extent of malice.
“Oh yes. Work is tough but I'm sure as an owner of mines you can unde...” Blueberry began to speak of possible connections the two pony's family businesses had.
“No I can't. Working a mine to produce profit is nothing compared to worthless rock farmers living off the government teat. Your pathetic farm does nothing but ruin perfectly good land which could produce something.” Magic opened a desk drawer besides him but his eyes stayed on Blueberry's. She was close to tears by his harsh words. Gold was loving every moment that he made her suffer. In a sick way it made him feel better about his own situation. “The contract is simple. Live here, take care of the little brat. You will be paid enough to keep the farm above water. If you tell anyone about the 'it', you will be sued, lose everything.” From within the desk a quill and a paper was slid in front of Blueberry. It was a list of her duties, what conditions were if she broke the contract, and her acceptance to not speak a word to anypony of this child. “And I sure would hate for you not to sign the contract.” The cruelty that Gold could revel in was sickeningly revealing itself. “If you don't sign the contract someone may just come along and find a reason to start a mine where a rock farm is.”
Blueberry's mind was flustered, a mixture of rage, hatred, and sadness poured through her body to the brim. If her cutey mark was eye daggers she would be firing them at this stallion in front of her. Her body quivered as she fought back the urge to say what was on her mind. Ears settled back against her blue and purple mane when she leaned forward taking the quill into her mouth. Some Earth and Pegasus ponies can manage to write with their hooves, Celestia only knows how they do it. Blueberry wasn't so lucky; she was a mouth writer. The contract was simple enough for her duties to care for the child until the child could manage on her own. She was at a loss though for what she may do now. She couldn't say no, not after Gold Mine decided to lay blackmail as a bargaining tool against her. When the tip of the quill touched the paper, Gold used magic to bring an ink pad resting next to her. Her signature signed on the dotted line, and then her right hoof dipped against the black pad. Her hoof came down against the paper next to her signature.
Gold offered her a tissue to clean off Blueberry's hoof. “Excellent choice. Now, go down to the cellar and tell me what changes need to be made. I'll give you a stipend to spend in town for supplies for 'it'. I have plans to make an outdoor wine cellar so all the things down there will be cleared out.” Gold grinned revealing his white teeth, once more leaning back in his chair despite a sting of uncomfortableness. The cigar, withdrawn with magic from his mouth, came to settle on the side of the ash tray. “Further more, you do not disturb my wife with any problems with the child. If something drastic comes up, only then do you bother me. A cook will arrive every morning at five to prepare meals. Your room will be downstairs. That creature never leaves the basement. Not to exercise, not for fresh air. The window in the cellar is enough.” His chair turned away from the gasping Blueberry. Staring out his window letting his grin lower into a half cocked smirk.
“What is the child's name?” Blueberry asked quietly as she raised from her seat. Her hoof cleaned, the tissue tossed aside into a small waste can. She came to place all four hooves against the ground as she began to turn towards the door. She'd go down to see this child he called a creature. “Please tell me you at least gave it a name.”
The name. The name that came to him as if magic, well, most of it anyhow. “Cursed Eclipse.”
Cursed Eclipse? The mare didn't bother to give him a look when she took the name to heart. There wasn't a way that a child could be a curse. Why would a father ever do something like this? She was downtrodden at the situation she now was forced into. Making the best of it was all that she could possibly do, for her and this child she was now to act as a mother for. The cellar door opened, she stared down the dimly lit stairs, careful when putting one hoof in front of the other. Blueberry's dark blue ears perked when she heard it. A baby's cry! Her foot steps hurried downstairs faster then she should have. The bottom step caught up to her causing her to stumble forward into the only ray of sunlight from the high window. But before her, in a small basket, laid the precious child she was to take care of. Her hoof reached forward drawing back the white blanket that covered the foal's body. The ash gray coat and blue gray mane revealed. It was a filly!
The small child was crying her eyes out. Who knew how long she had been down here alone. A few empty bottles were scattered about, at least someone had tried to feed her it appeared. The hoof scooped down to raise the little filly against Blueberry. She wanted to get a better look at her new tend. The pressure of movement from the filly's back against Blueberry made her curious. The blanket was pulled aside a bit more to reveal her wings. There was surprise, yes, from the Earth Pony, but not the revolt nor surprise that the doctor who delivered Eclipse, or her parents had for the filly.
Eclipse's cries were quieted when she was raised against the Pony's gentle embrace. Her eyes finally opened revealing glistening, glowing silver pools. Tiny hooves raised up trying to touch Blueberry's face in an act of making sure what held her was truly real. A serene smile slid over her lips when a giggle passed by the gray foal's lips.
Blueberry was moved to tears. How could anyone hate a child like this? She appeared too sweet and peaceful. Even if her wings were nothing normal, even if she had them along with a horn, she was still just a child, not something to be named Cursed. The glow in her eyes looked like shimmering pools of moonlight. The blue mare had never seen anyone's eyes glow naturally as they did. The words that were spoken before by Gold Mine readily entered her mind. A surge of justice went through Blueberry Pie's veins as she turned on her hoofs and rushed back up the stairs with Eclipse in tow.
Back inside Gold Mine's office, the Stallion did not expect to see Blueberry back so soon. Eyes narrowed at the sight of her when he saw that she had brought the foal with her. “What is that thing doing up here? I told you it does not leave the basement.” His words were bitter cold, drenched in hate and malice. Gold's hooves clacked together in a dissatisfaction. “Never the less, did you even take a chance to see what it would need down there?”
“This foal is not an it! It has a name despite the way you handle it.” Blueberry snarled in response. She wouldn't stand for this sort of treatment, but when Gold now smiled at her outburst, the realization that she was powerless set in once again. “I didn't get a good look. If what I suspect is true, then we'll need bathing facilities, some furniture, clothes, toys, and other necessities. I need milk at this moment though.”
The power was a drug to Gold right now. He didn't have total control over Blueberry but what he did have was enough. “Fine, I will contact construction companies to begin preparation tomorrow. Until it is all finished, keep the wretch in your room. For now.” The brown unicorn turned back around in his chair facing the window. He glanced up at the sky before him, at his property. “Since I was aware you would be signing the contract I made arrangements for a carriage to be here at noon. It is now eleven thirty. Please put the creature away and prepare to leave for town. Money is waiting for you at the door to buy some things for It.”
Defeated, Blueberry retreated from the study for now. The door shut with one of her hind legs. Once again she had looked upon Eclipse, staring at her pretty eyes. Since she had taken the child into her leg, she had not heard a peep from her except for the initial giggle. Eclipse now suckled on her right hoof watching the blue mare's face. “It'll be alright, little Eclipse. I can see you're not a cursed pony.” Blueberry whispered.
Her attentions were taken up when she heard hoof steps down the hall. Her head raised up seeing for the first time the wife of the household, Diamond Mine. Diamond Mine looked tired, worn out, no sleep was had for the past 3 nights and barely anything was even eaten. Her clear colored mane was frazzled and messy, as the once stunning filly was now a shadow of her former self. When she came to pass Blueberry, and her eyes came upon Eclipse, the mare shrieked. Diamond reared back on her hind legs. “Why would you bring that creature up here!” She screamed at Blueberry and Eclipse. Her forelegs came down, hooves prepared to crush the foal held by Blueberry. “Die! Die! Die!”
Blueberry had only seconds to react. She dropped down against her free forward knee, tucking Eclipse beneath her body. The blows struck across her back in quick unison. She wouldn't let someone harm this child just for existing! Her ears picked up the sound of the study doors opening. The voice of Gold attempting to calm his wife.
“That is enough, Diamond.” The stallion spoke using his magic to stop his wife from further damaging their employee. An arm around his wife's shoulder, he turned her around to guide her to the stairs to their bedroom. A quick, knowing glance was shot back to Blueberry as if reminding her of the consequences if she tries to do anything outside of their agreement.
Eclipse had begun to cry. Tears stung as they fell down Blueberry's cheeks during the attack she suffered through. When Gold pulled Diamond off it gave Blueberry a moment of reprieve to collect herself. She only looked at Gold for a moment enough to see his eyes. She wanted desperately to just run with the child, but she couldn't abandon her family. With the wealth Gold had tracking her down would be easy. She resolved herself to find some way through this for Eclipse. The filly raised upwards, she cooed and gently shushed her as she began to sing, “Hush now, quiet now, it's time to lay down your sleepy head.” She gently lulled the child to calm while making her way back downstairs, and into the room she was told she would have. Laying the foal down onto her bed, she assured Eclipse she would be right back as she ventured to get her saddle bags from the door.
Upon returning, Blueberry found Eclipse fast asleep on the plush bed. The blue coated mare lowered her bags down, stepping towards the slumbering, horned and winged foal. Down close to the child's ear she whispered, “I promise you, Little Eclipse. I will do whatever I can to make your life here a little easier for as long as I can.”
~*~*~*~
The next two weeks passed by as if in a nightmare. At times the moment passed by quickly, and others Blueberry wished they would hurry and go away. Every day that she wasn't playing, feeding, or other ways taking care of Eclipse in her room, she was in town buying necessities for the foal. Construction workers came in droves to start the outdoor cellar behind the manor, to prepare the bathroom in the cellar, or to move and construct furniture as it arrived. Still dreary, cold and lifeless, the cellar had gradually become a home for Eclipse, thanks to Blueberry. Upstairs, the Mines seemed to spend days fighting, days of Gold subduing a hysterical Diamond, and other days in deathly silence.
On the final day of the two weeks, Blueberry stood next to Eclipse's crib staring down at the little Alicorn with gentle eyes. She raised her head to look upon the work she had done to the cellar to make it a home. Despite her best efforts to fill it with cheer, toys, books, and love, she knew that it was still a prison cell for the little foal.