The Alleys of Ponyville: Short Stories from the Noireverse

by PonyJosiah13

Caretaking

"'Wanted: Assistant Caretaker,'" Flash Sentry read the advertisement out loud. "'Maintenance of Church and Cemetery Grounds. Gardening, Cleaning, Basic Home Repair Skills Needed. No Experience Needed.'"

Joyful Sound nodded. "That will work, dear."

Flash sighed. "It's too bad that Hedge Trimmer can't do the job anymore," he lamented.

"We all knew her arthritis would catch up with her sooner or later," Joy said. "I just hope she enjoys her retirement."

"Doesn't change the fact that Clean Sweep can't take care of this by herself," Flash replied, his comment punctuated by a loud creaking and gurgling from the pipes behind the old church's walls.

"Somepony will come, dear," Joyful replied, sweeping her hoof across the pew, the wood worn smooth by years of being sat upon. Her son's hoof went to her, giving it a warm squeeze.

The door to the sanctuary behind them suddenly creaked. Hooves trod in, their step slow and cautious, as if the visitor was unsure they should be there. "H...hello?" a quivering female voice called out, echoing off the sanctuary walls.

Joyful Sound turned and greeted the visitor with a warm smile. "Come and sit, sister," she invited, patting the seat next to her.

The hooves shuffled closer, pausing next to the pew. Joy heard Flash give a small gasp of recognition, but said nothing.

"What's your name, dear?" Joyful asked.

The mare swallowed before answering, her voice quivering a bit. "Rough...Rough Diamond," she finally admitted. "Um...hey, Detective."

"Hi, Rough," Flash said quietly.

Joyful patted the pew next to her. Joyful hesitated, then slowly sat down next to her.

"I...I'm not sure I should be here," Rough admitted.

"Why not?" Joyful asked. "Do you feel you don't belong?"

"Well..." Rough shifted in her seat. "I've...I've done some bad things. I've...stolen. Hurt ponies. And my old..." Her voice shuddered with grief. "Coltfriend...Winged..."

Joy's hoof slid towards the mare, bumping against the cold limb. Rough Diamond retreated for a moment, then took Joy's hoof in her own tentative grip.

"He...he wasn't a good pony, either," Rough admitted. "Maybe if he..." She sniffled. "I shouldn't be here."

"Then why are you?" Joyful prompted.

When Rough's reply came, it was in a voice so quiet that Joyful nearly had to strain to hear it. "I didn't know where else to go," she admitted. "I mean...my coltfriend's dead, I got my eye carved out...what else am I going to do?" She sighed. "And why should you care? I'm...I'm nobody. A crook who works a shit retail job to eke out a living and used to hang out drinking and doing drugs with mobsters." She snorted. "Took nearly dying to get me to reflect on my life."

Joy smiled at her. "You feel you don't belong here, and yet you came here," she said. "What do you think that means?"

"That I have a guilty conscience and trying to drink away my problems wasn't working?" Rough mumbled.

"That you felt called here nonetheless," Joyful replied. "Yes, you've made mistakes. Poor choices. But so does every child. My son here has caused me plenty of grief over the years, but it hasn't stopped me from loving him."

"Mom," Flash whined. Rough let out a feeble chuckle.

"But it is never too late to turn your life around," Joy replied, placing her other hoof over Rough's, the little limb cold and trembling in her grasp. "Just as I love my son, so are you loved by the Holy Mother."

"Well, that's nice," Rough admitted. "But how's that gonna help me?"

"It won't, not on its own," Joyful replied. "We can provide you comfort, shelter, guidance, a loving congregation, but we cannot do anything for you that don't want to do."

Rough was silent for a beat.

"Ponies don't come to church looking for a quick fix or some magical words that will instantly fix their problems," Joy continued. "Like everything beautiful, making a better life for yourself and others takes work. There will be difficulties, setbacks, mistakes. A garden needs pruning and watering, a house needs maintenance and repairs. So too does a heart need self-care, repair, and reflection."

"What if I'm just broken forever?" Rough whispered, as if fearing the answer.

Joyful Sound smiled and squeezed her hoof. "Dear, no one is broken forever."

Rough sniffled and Joy heard her wiping her face with a fetlock. Then the paper that Flash had set out rustled.

"Caretaker, huh?" Rough asked. "Were you trying to tell me something, Pastor?"

Joy chuckled. "Perhaps I had work on the mind," she admitted.

"Well...I used to help out with my mom's garden," Rough mused. "And besides, retail sucks."

Joy beamed at her. "Flash, I don't think we'll need to run that advertisement after all," she said to her son.

Author's Note:

After I finished Case Twenty, I found myself thinking that I couldn't just leave Rough Diamond where she was. Like with Steamed Carrot, I decided to give her a bit part to show her starting to recover from the trauma of what happened to her. Hey, maybe they should meet in a later chapter!

Regardless, enjoy this little short snippet of how she came to the church and was welcomed with open arms.