15th Hematite, 222
Lattice was sitting by the riverbank, upstream of the bridge, enjoying the natural scenery on the other side from the shade of a tree. Unbeknownst to her, a shadowy figure loomed overhead. It was in search of one particular pony and had finally found its target. Reducing its altitude, the beat of its wings slowly became apparent against the background of bird calls. This was followed by a sudden “thunk” when it touched down on the hard exterior of the bridge, then a yelp as lattice jumped in surprise.
“Oh, uh… hey. I didn’t hear you coming, Silver” Lattice fixed her mane before continuing. “Nice performance yesterday, by the way. What brings you out here?”
“Sorry. Sneaking up on you wasn’t a part of my plan, heh,” he answered as he trotted closer to the earth pony, “Oh, why thank you! I’m glad that the response has been fairly positive so far. Actually, that’s kind of why I’m here. It feels a little awkward for me to ask you about this, since you’re so new here and with some of our resources running so thin…”
The bat-pony then scraped at the ground a bit with a hoof, “I’ve heard that you know a few things about making clothes. I’m not saying that I need anything immediately, but I thought it would be a good idea to go ahead and get your opinion on the matter. What do you think about making a pair of matching uniforms, one for Tunda and one for me, for us to wear at our next singing performance? I assure you I’ll pay you back, but when and how is up for debate.” Silver scratched the back of his head anxiously, never having had a straight conversation with Lattice before and therefore not know what she would think of the idea.
Lattice beamed at the prospect of working with cloth again. “I’d love to, Silver. It’s not terrible working on road and foundations, but it’s not the same as tailoring.” She frowned. “Actually… I have some bad news,” she said, downtrodden, “I wasn’t able to bring enough material of any color with me to make an outfit. I’d expected the town they sent me to to have some to buy with the money I have, more than enough to set up shop if there’s actually a way to do so.” Lattice sighed sadly before continuing, “You’d have to find your own fabric if I’m going to make you matching outfits.”
The stallion relaxed at hearing her enthusiastic tone, but sympathized with her lack of material, “Yeah, that’s what I was afraid of.” He waved a hoof dismissively, “Ah, it’s no big deal. It’s not like Tunda and I are some world-famous musicians on a tight schedule. At this point in the time, the suits are more of a luxury than a necessity. If we have any luck, maybe the next caravan will have some cloth to sell. If not, maybe Tunda could plant some cotton instead, if this climate is suitable. It’s still nice to know that you’re up to the task.”
“I don’t know how to process it into thread, and there isn’t a loom nor do we have the parts for it here. As nice as a silver loom would be, it’s not practical.”
He trotted ever closer to the mare, perhaps a little closer than she is used to, “I guess we’ll just have to throw that one on the ‘to do’ list with the other half-million things we need around here, eh?” The gray-furred pony gave a light laugh, “Yeah, the mine is mostly chugging out lead and silver right now, isn’t it? I’ll fix that in time. I’m always on the lookout for novel minerals.”
“...Novel minerals? What do you mean?”
“Any kind that I haven’t found yet, really. I can already think of a few delicious varieties that would serve us well. Nice, electrum-colored cubes of pyrite would be great for smelting iron. Dark, metallic gray lumps of hematite would work for the same purpose. Or if you want copper, you’d go for some brassy-brown chalcopyrite crystals.” Without even thinking about it, he put a hoof on Lattice shoulder while he extended his other foreleg out towards some imaginary motherlode underground, “Just imag—”
Lattice stiffened at the contact, taking a slight gasp.
The miner instinctively withdrew his hoof, “...sorry. Sometimes I can get a little chummy without realizing it. ” His mind jumped back to Fargo’s testimony in regards to her behavior, “I’ll let you have your personal space, although I am curious. Have you managed to make any friends since you’ve been here? I ask because I kind of get this feeling that something’s bothering you about being in Shadytrails. Is that right? I’m sorry if this is something that you’re not comfortable discussing. We can forget about it if you’d like.”
“It isn’t Shadytrails that’s bothering me per se, it’s why I decided to come here…”
Silver paused for a moment, then proceeded with the obvious question, “So...why did you come here?”
“Well, have you heard of Buckington? I used to… I used to have a successful store there... before I decided to leave,” she said, her voice wavering.
“I do think I’ve heard of it before, but all I know is the name. I’ve never been there myself.”
“Buckington is the capital of the Duchy of Neighcia.” Lattice took a deep breath to compose herself. “The duke’s son ‒ I didn’t recognize him at the time ‒ he approached me on the street one evening.” She paused, taking moment before continuing, “he wasn’t subtle in what he wanted, but he was alone. He was rather weak, so I just told him no, and ignored his promise to find me…” she trailed off into silence, making eye contact with Silver.
He leaned back a bit, letting that sink in. Silver had a fairly good idea that he knew where this was headed, “Hey, it’s alright. It’s just us here. No reason to be ashamed of talking about it.”
Reassured by his understanding smile, she continued. “The next evening, he showed up at my house with proof of identity and a group of guards… The‒they… The guards in Buckington were... “ Her voice wavered. “It’s no secret that they were more fit to be inside the prison cells than outside, but… but…” She stops, before blurting out, “They held me down for him, with a smile! And one of them…” The traumatized mare let out a few stifled sobs and a whimper. “He took his horn and… cast a bunch of spells on me... “ She takes a few more breaths, trying to hold it together a little longer, before saying in a quiet voice, “[size=8pt]I‒I don’t know what they did… and it scares me,” she said, interrupted by another whimper, before embracing the stallion in a hug.
Eyes bugged out of Silver’s head when he received an embrace from the very mare who freaked out at him for simply touching her shoulder. He accepts it, though, returning a hug of his own, “Little wonder you’ve been having such a rotten time. I would have never imagined.” He’s at a bit of a loss for words, having never encountered a situation quite like this one before. He goes with his gut, “Well, that guy can’t hurt you now. Not here. Not ever again.”
She smiles, one of her most genuine since that night. “Do you really think so?”
“Definitely. He’s got no authority here. I can’t really see somepony like him trekking all the way out here anyway.” Silver contemplates a solution, “If you wanted, you could tell Ms. Hookbill about the Duke’s son and she could make some arrangements to hide your identity or give you special protection. That is, if you think it’d make you feel safer.”
Lattice Frame looks up into his gaze, before pulling him closer and locking lips with him.
If Silver’s eyes bugged out before, they were practically copper saucers now. He jerked back reflexively, “Wh-wha...where did that come from?!” That was probably the very last thing he was expecting to happen when he first showed up at the bridge.
“Oh goddess I‒I’m so sorry! I‒I don’t know what came over me! That...” she stammered, too flustered to form a full sentence, but still taking a step back.
The fanged pony is silent for a moment, trying to process the situation. He had to admit that he had never met somepony who was a victim of such abuse before. Perhaps these kinds of emotional rollercoasters were normal for them? “Oh it’s...it’s no big deal. You really did surprise me, though. That’s not really something that happens every day…”
“Oh, well I‒uhh… I’ll just be going then.” She takes a few steps back before turning and trotting off, mumbling to herself, a her face engulfed in a deep blush. Silver stays, sitting on the bridge in shock as she trots off.
The baffled stallion rubbed his lips. I think I need to talk to somepony about this. Maybe Rosewood or Tunda would be able to explain to me what just happened. Then again, maybe I shouldn’t mention it at all. It could be embarrassing to Ms. Frame. I could just keep her name confidential, though. What to do, what to do...