//------------------------------// // Debt // Story: An Alicorn's War Crimes // by Mysti Kitty //------------------------------// The following day proved to be more difficult than the last for Lavender and her tiny passenger. She'd kept going through forested areas at a brisk trot all night, and even into the day. She'd made sure to stay under the blissfully dark treetops, in case there were any Pegasi scouting in the sky above. The foal had remained unusually quiet for most of the day. He remained tucked under her cloak, sometimes asleep and sometimes just staring at everything around him. She'd checked many times to be sure that he was indeed still breathing, and that he wasn't too cold or too hot. She had only taken care of foals once or twice, so she couldn't be sure, but she felt as though something was off. By the time the sun was setting, Lavender began to register just how tired she was. Even being an Alicorn, her physical strength would fail without nourishment or rest after a while. She found a particularly dark area of the forest that brushed up against some sort of slanted cliff-side. Under the overhang, there were no trees, but the branches practically met with the edge of the cliff above them. It was almost like a cave. She decided it would be good enough and stepped into the small clearing. She cleared the ground of sticks and pebbles as best as she could, before she sat down on her rump with a sigh of relief. Using her magic, she lifted the child off of her back (before he could slide off) and slowly rotated him around in the air in front of her. She was checking for any sort of scratches or bruises, and she checked to see if his diaper was still clean since the last time she'd cleaned it. It was, so she sat him down in front of her. He giggled with excitement and began to look around at his surroundings before crawling towards a particularly interesting rock. She kept an eye on him while lifting her cloak off of her back, as well as her saddlebags. She set them in front of her and lifted her wings, stretching them. A few of the joints popped softly, and she hummed for a moment in bliss. The toddler was still sitting with his rock a couple of feet away, so she turned her attention to her saddlebags. With a murmur, Lavender cast a spell that would light the end of her horn with a small white light source. Opening her saddlebags once again reminded her of all of the treasures that she had been able to find. She removed her horseshoes and placed them on top of her folded-up cloak that sat beside the saddlebags, before reaching inside and rummaging through them. The first thing she reached for was one of the ribbons. It was white, and from what she could tell it was very sturdy. She reached her other hoof up to feel her mane and grimaced. It was knotted and wildly untamed. She set the ribbon down and began to work through what she could with her hooves. Meanwhile, the foal now stared up at her horn. The light was fascinating, and one of the first lights he had seen in forever. Well, probably not, but he was a baby after all. He reached his tiny hooves up towards it, and found that he couldn't reach it. "Unnn!" Lavender blinked and looked down at him, still messing with her mane. "Hmm? My horn?" She leaned down as best as she could, allowing him to see her horn more closely while she continued her work. The foal squealed, reached up, and slapped both hooves on either side of her horn. He immediately stuck it into his mouth. The older pony squeaked with surprise at the sensation, and the foal released it in a matter of seconds. He had not enjoyed that taste. Lavender raised her head back up, restarting her spell. I know horns are sensitive, but I didn't know that they're-- Wait... Yes I do, she thought with a frown. Chasing her thoughts away, she turned her attention to the child. He was making unhappy grunts at the taste that lingered in his mouth, no doubt a result of trying to eat her light spell. She watched him shake his head, sticking his tongue out. She felt a small smile tug at the corner of her lips, but nothing else. She resumed her work on her mane, finally picking up the ribbon once more to tie the end of a braid. That should keep my mane from getting any more messy until we get to a more... permanent shelter. Or at least until I can get a bath. She had already begun braiding her tail, and was halfway done once she realized that the foal's stomach was growling loudly. No wonder he had begun to gnaw furiously at her hind horseshoe. Wait, where did he--? When did he get that? She let out a huff of air and worked quickly to finish her braid and tie it. Once she turned back to him, the sun had fully set and the only source of light they had was the tip of her horn. The foal was quick to realize it, and he voiced his concerns by sitting safely between her front legs, resting against her belly. She stared down at him as he gnawed on the shoe, and lifted him wordlessly into the air in front of her. He didn't struggle that time, for some reason. She settled on her stomach down on the soft, grassy earth beneath her. Then she floated the foal down to sit against her side, near her shoulder. Hopefully my larger figure will be able to supply him with enough heat... she thought as she removed the blanket from the saddlebags. It was heavy from what she could tell, even if it was rolled up tightly, and looked to be of good quality. Lavender unrolled it with her magic, and was surprised that it was much longer than she had thought it would be. She was able to drape it over her back entirely, and there was enough blanket space left over to slip the excess underneath the foal's body. Can't let the cold ground get to his tiny legs, she commented in her head, using the blanket space from the other side to tuck underneath herself as well. It was almost like a cot that ponies would use in the military. Thoughts of war crossed her mind, and she grunted, pushing them away once more. Instead, she reached into the saddlebags and retrieved an apple. "Are you hungry?" she asked, looking down at the foal. His little muzzle peeked out of the blanket, and she saw his eyes sparkle at the sight of it. She grinned, just faintly, and focused on the apple. She cut two thirds of it into thin slices with her magic, thanks to a spell she'd read in one of her books while she'd been walking earlier. A slice floated gently down to the foal, and she watched as he eagerly devoured the sweet fruit. She didn't let him eat the peel, however, so that was tossed to the side. Slowly she fed him the rest of the slices, watching him purr with delight. She could feel his tiny wings wiggling against her body occasionally. As she fed him the last slice, she was worried that he'd need more. But as she tossed that bit of peel away, his eyelids drooped and he silently yawned. Lavender sighed with relief and took a bite of what was left of the apple. Her stomach rumbled as she chewed, and she registered just how hungry she was. She finished it off easily, but as much as she wanted to eat the other ones, she knew she couldn't. She looked down at the tiny foal, who was fast asleep against her warm body. He needs a name... I didn't see anything in the house that would have given me one, though... She certainly didn't want to name him after his parents. She blinked a few times, watching him. She stayed that way for several minutes, though it seemed like hours. Can I really do this...? Can I raise this foal? Can I live peacefully, undetected, among those ponies? She bit her lip, thinking about everything that could (and probably would) go wrong. ...I have to. I have to raise him. I'm the one that turned him into an orphan... It's my responsibility now. She nodded silently, to herself. If he ever finds out, he'll surely hate me. But the only thing I can do to make up for what I've done is provide for him. I'll make sure his foalhood is good. I'll make sure he never goes without a motherly embrace when he needs it... Oh, what am I saying? Can I really do this? She looked up, expecting to see the sky, but only saw the darkness of the looming cliff over her head. She stared up at it for several heartbeats. She then looked down once again at the foal. She let out yet another sigh, and rested her head down on the ground. She curled up around the child. Regardless of her decision, she'd keep him warm tonight. Morning arrived too soon, and the two were off again. The forested areas seemed to stretch across Equestria in their favor. They traveled this way for a couple of days. She knew enough magic to keep him warm, and she may or may not have found fruit orchards to steal a few meals for them. She knew it was wrong, but she imagined those ponies would have given some of their stock up for the little foal. She tried to make sure he was full each time they ate, before she ate. She liked to think she was getting better at this: raising a foal. He seemed to be doing alright now. Maybe he was accustomed to her scent. By the third or fourth day, she wasn't sure, they reached a small town. She had wanted to place as many miles as she could between herself and that mansion, but she knew that if she didn't sleep in a real bed soon, she would go crazy. This town wasn't that big; It was the first town she'd come across. Which meant a traveler would be big news... She had to stop, though. She just had to. So she did what she could to appear calm as she stepped towards the first few buildings. This town was so small that it didn't even have proper pebbled roads. She'd be remembered, she just knew it. She sighed mentally. Then she began her search for the town's inn. There had to be one. It didn't take long. There was an enormous cottage with a large wooden sign depicting that this was what she was looking for. Finally... I'm sure the foal could use some actual rest, too. My fur's flat where he's been sleeping. Thinking of him, she glanced back at the tiny pony. He was sleeping once again, nestled on her back without a care in the world. So she directed her attention on her task at hoof as she opened the door to the inn. It was a well-lit room; The windows let in plenty of light. She glanced around at the humble space. There was a desk, and... that was pretty much all there was. There were two doors, and she guessed that they led into the areas with rooms. She didn't know where the pony came from, but suddenly an Earth pony trotted her way into the room and stood behind the desk. "Can I help you?" she asked, with a twang of an accent. Lavender cleared her throat. "I'm..." She hadn't spoken in days. "I'm looking for a room, for a night or two." "You've come to the right place, sugarcube. You got the bits, and you got a room for as long as you need. We don't got visitors around these parts very often." The Earth pony studied her. "You some kind of big city folk pony? You look like an actress. You act in plays?" "Oh, yes," Lavender responded, nodding eagerly. "And I'm on my stop to the next town. My nephew and I are exhausted..." "Oh you've got a lil' darlin' with you! Yes, you two look plum tuckered out." With that, Lavender paid the humble pony for two nights. She very much wanted to get moving as quickly as possible, but she knew one night of relaxing would not be enough. She was led to one of the bigger rooms; She'd only paid for a normal room, but the Earth pony insisted on letting her and the foal stay in the bigger room. The "little darling" deserved some space to play, she had stated. And Lavender wasn't about to complain. The bed was big enough for even herself to sprawl out on it. There was a table, floor cushions, a rug... It was the most comforting thing that Lavender had seen in a long time. She almost teared up, but kept her composure until the Earth pony left. As soon as she did leave, Lavender broke into tears. She felt a little safer in this space. Everything had caught up to her as she levitated her saddlebags onto the table. She placed the foal onto the bed, folding the provided blanket over him so he was warm enough. Then, she collapsed onto the rug in a heap of sobs. What am I doing here?! I should be back home... I should be with my mother and father... I should be with my tribe, or any other tribe for that matter! The Divines don't watch me in this land... How did I let myself get into this mess?! She looked over at the sleeping foal for a moment, then buried her face in her hooves. I killed a child's parents. He'll never know his mother, or his father... I can't take him to an orphanage... I'd be condemning him to that life that I created for him! Oh, just strike me down now... She stayed like that for a long while, trying to keep her crying as quiet as possible. Everything just crashed on her, one thing after another. She didn't keep track of the time as she simply cried all of her frustrations and emotions out. As if all of that could take her pain and sins away. She didn't care as her stomach growled at her, or her limbs that were aching for some real rest. She did, however, take notice when a tiny hoof touched her leg. She flinched immediately, springing up and smacking whatever it was with the tip of her wing. She heard a cry, and realized she'd very well near harmed the child. She cursed herself as he started crying, and she wiped her own tears away. She lifted him into the air as she stepped onto the bed. He kept crying, but she made herself comfortable as he floated there. Once she was in a good spot, she floated him over to him as she cooed gently. "There, there..." She placed him between her forelegs, as she was laying on her side. "There there, little one... I'm sorry for hurting you, my dear..." She spoke softly, as she imagined her mother would. The thought immediately brought tears to her eyes, but she pressed the foal gently into her neck as she nuzzled him. "Hush now, quiet now..." she murmured into his ear. His crying was beginning to quiet down as she did her best to lull him into feeling safe once more. "You'll be alright... Everything's alright. Everything will be okay... You're safe, here..." She felt as though she was speaking to herself as well. No matter what had happened, no matter what she'd done... she would make things right. She would pay back her debt. "There now, little star-sleeper... I need to give you a name, don't I...?" She spoke softly still, but that thought was very abrupt. His crying had softened into sniffles. She looked down at him, seeing his blue coat and green mane. "Your name..." She gently stroked his mane with her hoof. "Your name... Your name is Skybolt... Does that sound right? Skybolt..." She hummed, nuzzling the top of his head. "You'll be safe. You will always be safe, here with me."