The Private Scrapbook

by Cadabra

Chapter 40: Go Away Smithy, You’re Drunk

Chapter 40: Go Away Smithy, You’re Drunk

The Brotherhood of Steeds reached Canterlot by nightfall. Having found their regular hotel that was loyal to the Brotherhood, each member was eager to check into their rooms. The hotel manager was a zebra slave who had partnered with a pony who as glad to be used as a front man. The zebra had the money management skills that kept the hotel afloat, while the slave owner had the customer service skills needed to keep things reputable with hotel patrons. The two were good friends and appreciated what the Brotherhood of Steeds did to support their business plan. Because of this, Smithy and Crab Apple were always treated to a nice suite each time they checked in, complete with separate rooms, a Jacuzzi tub, and the best balcony view in the hotel.

The first thing Kizzy wanted to do as soon as they got to their room was jump in the Jacuzzi tub. “Bubbles!” she shouted as she turned the water on full blast.

Lizza held her hoof under the running water to make sure it wasn’t too hot. After that, she poured a small amount of hotel soap into the running water. It never ceased to amaze her how quickly that soap seemed to bubble up in that tub, so she made sure to use it sparingly. If Kizzy had done it, the whole miniature bottle would have been used and the bathroom would have been filled with suds. She’d learned that lesson the hard way the first time they were allowed this room.

Smithy watched the bathtub antics, wishing she could be involved. Even after five years of working as a slave liberator, she still kept her distance between herself and her daughter, worried that the truth would only complicate the little zebra’s ideas about freedom.

Smithy opened a bottle of wine from the room's mini bar and poured herself a glass to ease herself. She had taken to the comforts of alcohol over the past few years, and any chance she had to drown her sorrows she eagerly partook in. She sighed as she took a good long sip, thankful for the sensation that alcohol brought to her mind. It never ceased to amaze her that a drink like this was on the verge of being considered illegal thanks to new prohibition laws being lobbied in Canterlot. ‘To think them thistle flanked fuss buckets want this stuff outlawed when we can't get slave abolishion on the ballot,’ she thought to herself as she enjoyed the next sip, thinking about the articles she had read in the newspapers concerning the ban of alcoholic beverages around Equestria. ‘I hope them uptight ponies know how idiotic this whole thing is. Folks want their sips, and are gonna find ways to get it. Either way, we’ll still move moonshine outta Sweet Apple Acres, legal or not. Moonshinin’s good money.’

Crab Apple and Salty Ron were the last to enter the room with a tray of food. Crab Apple untopped the tray with an elaborate flourish. “Ta da!” he said, revealing an appetizing fruit salad. “Enjoy ladies. Me and Salty Ron here gotta get some news around town before we tuck in.”

While Smithy knew this was vital to their next move, she had a feeling it would be the same old news as always. “No news on Carpet Bag I’m gonna assume,” she said as she drained the last of her glass. “Fer a dirty politician, he sure knows how to keep his nose clean.”

Crab Apple nodded in agreement as he took a quick slice of honeydew melon. “I always check anyway,” he said as he went for another slice. “You never know if he’ll slip up one a these days. Da important thing we gotta find out is where da cops are lookin’ for us so we can avoid 'em.”

As the two ponies spoke, Salty Ron had snuck off to the bathroom to be with Lizza and Kizzy. Crab Apple could hear the three of them laughing and splashing. “Hey, love boyd!” he teased as he stuck his head in the bathroom. “You can make a splash when our work is done. Come on, we need intell.”

Kizzy pouted her disagreement as she stuck her head out of the suds. “But I have made him a beard!” she protested as she turned Salty Ron’s sudsy face around.

Crab Apple couldn’t help laughing at the soapy adaptation of facial hair. “It suits him,” he said as he handed Salty Ron a wet washcloth. “But he’s got a lotta work ta get done tonight. I’ll bring him back when he’s done, okay?”

Smithy poured herself another glass of wine as she watched Crab Apple put a dollop of suds on Kizzy’s nose. It was just too much cute to handle right now. She swallowed a mouthful as Crab Apple and Salty Ron walked out of the bathroom.

Crab Apple turned to say goodbye to her as she drained the glass. “Ease up on dat stuff, would you?” he said, his brow knitted with concern. “I don’t wanna find out you accidentally fell off da balcony again like last time you got drunk. We almost lost you dat time, remember?"

Smithy remembered that fall all too well, and it was no drunken accident. She was tired of running from the law, tired of making her mother and son wait for her to finish breaking the law to come home, tired of living a lie in front of her own daughter, and above all tired of being alone. The jump from the balcony had felt liberating, as if all her troubles fell away with her, only to return ten fold as she hit the ground in a painful heap. The back alley doctor who treated her told her that she was lucky to be alive, and that if she hadn’t been drunk she might be worse off since the alcohol had loosened her muscles up enough to cushion some of the impact.

Smithy dismissed Crab Apple’s concerns as she set her glass down. “Ya worry like an old man,” she replied. “If I get somethin’ in mah belly I’ll be alright.”

Crab Apple grabbing the wine bottle in his teeth and poured it out in the sink to prevent Smithy from drinking more. “I worry like a friend's supposed ta do," he said sternly, watching Smithy scowl over the wasted wine. “You know what dat stuff did ta my dad. I don't want da same thing happenin' ta you."

Smithy stared hard at her partner, not sure what kind of argument she could come up with in her defense. "Big talk fer a moonshiner," she muttered under her breath as she walked away.

Crab Apple sighed and rolled his eyes at Smithy, worried about what kind of mess she had become over the years. It wasn’t that he didn't care about her, because he did. He hated watching her suffer from the stress he put her under, but she knew what she was getting herself into from the get go. He had offered to let her quit the fight against slavery several times so that her life could return to normal, but her stubborn streak prevented her from quitting. While he admired her dedication, he couldn't help wondering how much more fight she had left in her, or that he had left in him.

The two men left, slamming the door behind them. The minute the door was closed, Smithy opened up a fresh bottle of wine. “Girls!” she said as she peeked her tipsy head into the bathroom. “Ya hungry? We got fruit salad!”

Kizzy bound out of the tub, soaked and covered in suds as she ran for the bathroom door. “I love fruit salad!” she exclaimed as she tracked soap and water all over the room. “What fruit is it? I hope there is bananas!”

The lack of bananas was slightly disheartening to Kizzy, but so was the force in which Lizza picked her up. “Dry off, child!” Lizza exclaimed as she wrapped Kizzy up in a towel. “You are making a mess in this nice hotel. Apologize to Mrs. Rich.”

Smithy hated that Lizza still referred to her by her married name after all these years, but listened to the simple apology that her daughter gave. “Don’t ya worry none,” she smiled as she handed Kizzy an oversize bathrobe. “Now eat yer fill before bedtime.”

Kizzy did not have to be told twice to eat. She filled a bowl to overflowing with fruit before sitting in an overstuffed chair to enjoy her meal. Smithy smiled at the joy on the child’s face as she finished off another glass of wine.

By the time she drained another glass of wine, Kizzy had eaten all she could. Lizza had only indulged in one bowl while Smithy had picked through the rest.

Kizzy could no longer suppress her yawning as Lizza scooped her up. “I do not want to sleep yet,” Kizzy protested as she was carried into another bedroom.

Lizza cooed into the child’s ear as she lay Kizzy down in bed. “You will feel differently soon,” she sighed as she covered the child in blankets. “This is a nice bed, is it not? Very warm and soft, like being wrapped up in a flower, just like your bees.”

Kizzy looked at the crisp white sheets as she lay in bed, thinking to herself as Lizza surrounded them around her. “Do you think the bees miss me?” she asked as Lizza kissed her on the head.

While Lizza hated the bees, she knew how much they meant to Kizzy. “I am certain that they do,” he said as she blew out the oil lamp. “You are their queen bee. How could they not wish to see you soon?”

Smithy could hear the two zebras talking in the other room, and emptied the wine bottle into her glass as soon as she heard them singing 'Follow the Drinking Gourd' together. She downed the last of it as soon as she saw Lizza walking out of the bedroom. “Care fer a glass?” she slurred her offer as she uncorked a fresh bottle of wine.

Lizza shook her head as Smithy poured herself some more wine. “No thank you, misses,” she said, turning away the offer. “Perhaps you should also think to stop soon. You will make yourself ill, misses.”

Smithy snorted at the concerns as she swallowed a mouthful of wine. “I ain’t misses nobody,” she slurred. “I ain’t married anymore, remember? Mah husband’s dead!”

Lizza shrunk back at the sound of Smithy’s insane laughter. “Please, misses,” she said as she caught Smithy from falling over. “You will wake the child. Mr. Crab Apple will not be pleased to see you behaving like this.”

Having been lead to a couch in the room, Smithy plopped down comfortably. “He ain’t mah husband neither,” she protested. “We’re just friends, remember? Partners if ya will. Ain’t no hanky panky goin’ on with us, mind ya! Not like y’all with Salty Ron.”

Lizza blushed at the mention of Salty Ron. “He is very kind to me, misses, and we care deeply for each other,” she said as she brought a blanket to the couch. “For once in your heart, you are wise to distance your affections from Mr. Crab Apple. The two of you do fine work together. A romance would only complicate things.”

Smithy drained the last of her glass as she leaned against a plush pillow. “Ya think he likes me?” she asked like a starry-eyed teenager.

Lizza rolled her eyes as she took the empty glass out of Smithy’s hoof. “You are a good friend to him, misses,” he replied half-heartedly.

Smithy shook her head drunkly as she watched Lizza. “No, I don’t mean that,” she said, holding up a nearby copy of the Hoofington Post. “I mean really like me, like the picture in the newspaper. Like a special somepony on Hearts and Hooves Day.”

The photo in the newspaper had nothing to do with Hearts and Hooves Day, which only helped confirm to Lizza that Smithy was drunk. “Keep your friendship, misses,” she advised as she took the newspaper away.

Smithy sighed as she looked at the ceiling, a far away look in her eyes as she stared at the detailed trim that lined the ceiling edges. “Crab Apple sure is good with Kizzy,” she mused. “Too bad mah son don’t like him. I sure wish mah boy was nicer to his sister.”

Lizza rushed up to her charge, resting her hoof against Smithy’s mouth. “Hush now,” she said nervously. “You do not need Kizzy to hear you.”

Smithy burst out laughing at Lizza’s caution. “Yer so greedy with mah daughter,” she bellowed. “Kizzy was mine before ya took over. She ain’t got nothin’ to worry her, so why don’t we just tell her I’m her mama? Can’t hurt nothin’!”

Lizza was so desperate to quiet Smithy that she slapped her hard across the face. “Her freedom depends upon our silence!” she hollered back, eyes hard in anger. “You wish to talk of greed? She has no life here in Equestria, even if she knew you as her mother. She will have a life of freedom in Zebrica, and we do not want to confuse her anymore than she already is. Do you understand me, misses?”

Smithy hit Lizza in the head with a pillow, making her fall to the ground. “Iffn’ yer so worried ‘bout Kizzy’s freedom, than why ain’t ya gone and took her back home on one of the boats yet?” she asked. “All the other zebras went on the first boat back. Ya could of gone too, and took Kizzy with ya.”

Lizza bit her bottom lip as she looked up at Smithy. “I stayed for Salty Ron,” she admitted. “Kizzy would not go without me, so she chose to stay as well. I regret my choice, but I can not stop my love!”

Smithy felt a sadistic thrill at making Lizza cry. “And ya call me selfish,” she declared. “Ya called me all kinda greedy fer lovin’ Bladire, and fer tryin’ to smuggle y’all to freedom. Ya said I was selfish fer havin’ Bladire’s baby, so ya took her so nopony’d suspect I loved me a zebra. Ya stayed 'round so ya could have some hanky panky with another zebra, keepin’ Kizzy even longer. The only reason I ain’t pushed ya outta Equestria mahself is ‘cause I love bein’ ‘round mah daughter, not that y’all are gonna let me admit it to her! Kizzy ain't some stupid ziggler. She's mah daughter!”

The argument was cut short at the sound of little hoofsteps. Both women turned to see Kizzy standing in the hallway clutching a blanket, her little face screwed up in confusion. “Misses?” she asked. “Is it true? You are my mother?”

Smithy burst into tears as she said yes, running to the child and throwing her arms around her. “I’m sorry, baby!” she bawled. “I had no choice! I kept quiet ‘bout it fer yer safety!”

Lizza threw Smithy to the floor. “Leave us, misses,” she commanded, staring hard down at the green pony laying on the floor. “I will explain everything to the child.”

Smithy looked up pathetically at Lizza, whose stare could have bored right through her. “You are drunk, misses, and in no shape to discuss anything. We will talk in the morning when you are in a condition to speak. Now leave us.”