Ghost of the Everfree

by David Silver

45 - A Town Jailed

The town rose into view with their marching. It wasn't terribly far, the hills and trees having hid it from any appreciable distance. Apple Bloom edged closer to the mare that had adopted her suddenly. "So, any idea what it's like in there?"

"Nothing good." The mare sighed softly. "Why I was trying to hurry back. I didn't think it'd be this bad."

Bloom glanced to where she could see Scootaloo and Sweetie marching aside a different couple. They had scattered among the ponies, but the crowd had been quick to throw a protective arm over them. It was among the ponies they had tried so hard to save that they were safely escorted into the town.

"Alright." There was the horse rider, voice booming. It wasn't magic, just shouting firmly. "Those of you who already have a place of dwelling here." He directed a hoof at the ground. "Here." He moved along the crowd. "Those of you who do not, here. Quickly now. We're almost done."

The crowd split like a dividing amoeba. Apple Bloom's mare nudged her towards the 'live here' portion. The other crusaders were headed elsewhere. No words were shared between them. Apple Bloom just followed her 'mother' as if that had always been true. "Welcome home," barked a new pony, clearly Everglow in origin. "We are not idiots. We want the people who live here to function here. You will be returned to your place of living after a short interview. Provided you supply some use to the town, you will not be harmed."

Apple Bloom inclined her head and dared to raise a hoof.

The pony snarled at her. "Keep your foal in order," he demanded of her 'mother.' "This is not the time for questions, not from any of you at least."

Apple Bloom went quiet, lest she get her adoptive mother in trouble.

As he had promised, they had no questions for Apple Bloom at all. Those were all thrown at her 'mother.' "Name? Profession? Place of dwelling?" They went down a list, scribbling with mouth-held markers the answers they got. "One child?"

"One child." The mare gently drew Apple Bloom closer with one arm.

"Mmhmm." He took a quick scribble. "Are you practicing your profession currently?"

The mare perked up. "Of course. They expect me to--"

"Mmhmm," he casually cut her off, making a note. "Return to your home. A soldier will be by after the seventh bell to insure your food supplies are sufficient. You are permitted to visit the water tap twice a day. I suggest bringing a bucket."

"Um... thank you." She slipped around him, leading Apple Bloom away. "Doesn't he know?" she asked in a whisper. "We have pipes. I don't need to 'go' to any taps to get a drink."

Apple Bloom giggled at the silly mistake, but a thought came to her. "What if the pipes were damaged or somethin'?"

The mare paled a little. "I hope not! Let's find out." She cleared her throat against a hoof. "I understand you're not actually my foal, but you are very welcome to stay... or not. I can't tell you what to do."

Apple Bloom tipped the hat she wasn't wearing. "Aw shucks, ya hit me like a real nice mare. Um, since yer offerin', 'magine I'll be stickin' around until this mess is cleared up."

Walking through town, they could see hints that the conflict had washed over it. some of the buildings were damaged, a few were even brought down in fire and debris. Fortunately, the mare arrived with a sigh of relief in front of her one story cottage, unharmed. "Maybe I was lucky to not be at home when this... happened." She opened the door and waved inside. "After you."

Apple Bloom dashed inside, safe for the moment.

---

Diamond glared, standing next to Silver as they waited to be processed. "Let me do the talking."

Silver swallowed thickly. "Do you think the others are alright?"

"There are no others." Diamond took a step forward with the line. "It's just us. We've been here before. We're doing it again. Stay calm, let me take the first step. We'll make it."

Silver trembled, but kept glued to Diamond's side. "Alright... Glad you're here."

Diamond tapped her rump to her friend's. "Hey, chin up. We're together. We can do this. Everglow couldn't tear us apart the first time. They want a rematch? Fine. We're ready."

Silver brightened at those bold words, even daring a smile. "Yeah... Yeah. Alright. We got each other."

"Next!" demanded an Everglow pony mare. She watched two step up, and frowned. "Next, as in singular..." She looked between Silver and Diamond. "Do you... What is your relationship?"

Diamond threw an arm over Silver's withers, drawing her closer by the neck. "This is my sister. Some sort of mistake must have been made."

The mare raised a doubting brow. "What mistake do you imagine that is, foal?"

Diamond locked eyes with the mare, challenging her without word to a battle of wills. "We are the foals of powerful and rich ponies. We're way more valuable as prizes."

The mare shook her head, perhaps trying to jostle loose the new thoughts intruding on her. "You look..." Her eyes raised to Diamond's glittering tiara. "You, both of you. Are your parents aristocrats?"

Silver nodded quickly. "Oh, yes." She turned to display her cutie mark.

Diamond huffed, but did show hers as well. Two marks that clearly set them apart as wealthy little fillies. "They will pay handsomely if we're kept safe and comfortable."

"I need to consult with someone." The mare rose and strode away, leaving them.

Silver leaned in towards Diamond. "Did you just trick her... into thinking the truth?"

Diamond smirked at that. "It wasn't her truth. She wasn't ready for it, and would have easily looked past it. I just made it... more obvious."

Silver curled a hoof to her chin. "Huh... Glad you have that... thing... Luminace is way more, like, straight forward about it."

The mare returned with a stallion at her side. She pointed at the fillies. "Those two. They're children of some local aristocrat."

The stallion stopped in front of them with the jingle of his metal armor. "Hm." He looked from one to the next and their brands of destiny. "The Author was not subtle in your brands."

Silver colored. "H-hey..."

Diamond rolled her eyes. "There are layers. Anyway..."

"Anyway," echoed the stallion, deeper and less jovial. "You are our prisoner. You are not to leave the town or even think about it." He thrust a hoof at Diamond, then Silver. "Come with me." He led them away from the other orphan and lost foals that were being interviewed. "We have an orphanage assembled. Are you averse to the company of your peers?"

Silver flipped an ear back. "You say 'peers', but, like, I doubt you mean that. Still--"

"--We can handle other foals just fine," quickly assured Diamond. "We'll keep them from making noise."

The stallion perked subtly. "Ah. Good. Are your parents native to this town?" He arrived at what looked to be more of a warehouse than much anything else.

Silver peered skeptically. "No. They're from Ponyville."

The stallion tossed his head at the heavy closed sliding doors. "Go on then. But tell me who we should claim to have."

"Diamond Crown." Diamond pointed back at her tiara. "Not subtle."

"Not subtle," agreed the stallion. "Inside." He hooked a hoof in front of Silver. "Your name?"

"Oh, like..."

"You are taking a long time for that." He scowled at her. "The truth."

"This has been, like, a super stressful day!" Silver threw up her hooves with a huff. "Fancy Spoon." She pointed at her own cutie mark. "It's right there."

Diamond swatted her. "Silver Spoon. She's frazzled."

"Very," petulantly agreed Silver. "You--"

"--Enough, inside." He pointed all the more firmly. "Now." The two fillies rushed in, just pausing long enough to get the door to slide open with little grunts of effort, then vanishing into the dark before he closed it behind them. "Damn foals..."

Silver wheeled on Diamond the moment they were a few steps inside. "What was all that about?! You gave a secret fake name. I figured, like, I should too. Why'd you tell him the truth?"

Diamond winked. "Because one of us has a thing worked out with our dad, and the other does not. That name will tell him all he needs to know. If your dad was told 'Fancy Spoon' was in trouble, they'd just get confused, and maybe tell them they have no such daughter, and then our cover is blown wide open."

Silver crashed to her haunches. "Woah, really? Like... you two have a secret code... or more?"

Diamond shook her head slowly. "We've both been to Everglow. We learned things, and we both want each other safe. So, yes, we swapped a few codewords, just in case. Diamond Crown? I'm safe, but in a dangerous place. I've got things under control. Don't come running after me."

"Wow." She barely got that out when a bright light spilled over them, a mare approaching with a priestly habit and a bit of a confused expression, her steps loud on the metal floor. She was from Everglow at a sight.

"Children." She held out a hoof as she came in closer. "You don't want to linger here in the entry. All your friends are further inside. Come, with me."

Silver perked her ears, recognition growing by the moment. "Are you a priest?"

The religiously-dressed mare snorted, recoiling in surprise. "Oh! I'm used to you Equestrians not knowing much of that... I am." She inclined her head. "How do you know about that, little one?"

Silver's ears colored at the tips, realizing maybe she shouldn't have said that... "I heard another pony that visited Everglow, um, like, that's where you're from, right?"

The priest only seemed to relax. "Yes, little one. Now, come. You're not too late for dinner." She gently nudged them forward, to emerge from the gloom into a well lit room. There were about a dozen foals of varying ages from yearlings to about the same age as Silver and Diamond. "I hope you can make some friends. I know this is a hard time for you all."

Diamond waved at the priest, getting her to lean in, making eye contact easier, mind touching on mind. "Do you really care about them?"

The priestess recoiled at the question. "Of course! It would be against Lashtada's decree to see a scrap of harm done to the next generation. It is the most sacred task of this generation to create and safeguard the next generation, that they may do the same." She made some kind of holy gesture, looking devoutly in prayer a moment. "May All Lines Be One."

Silver clapped gently. "Oh! Lashtada! Praises unto her, ally of Luminace."

The priestess' eyes widen. "What bottomless pools of wisdom stand before me, garbed in such small bodies. You know of Princess Luminace, caretaker of books and guardian of friendships?"

Diamond waved to her partner in crime. "She loves Luminance. She could go on for hours."

"I, like, really could," admitted Silver without going into the fact that she was a warpriest. "I love her, but I heard Lashtada's pretty good too. If you're with her, you must be good."

"I am so gladdened to hear that." She gently rubbed the top of Silver's head with her Everglow hoof. "I know this is not ideal... But for a foal without a parent, the community must rise to the occasion. You are safe here, this I swear, or may Lashtada strip her bounty from me."

Diamond chuckled softly. "Well, you seem nice... So what's up with the grouches outside? The soldiers don't share your outlook."

The priestess sighed heavily. "No... No they don't. I'm sorry. Go on now." She shooed them away. "Make some friends. Community is what will last through the day."

Author's Note:

Did you expect a Lashtada priest? Who better to run an orphanage?

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Comments

[badninja]

Diamond is showing her brains here. She outsmarted her party’s cleric.

[Booster Spice]

looks like certain foals have got ins with help and assistance here, rolling good, unless the whole set up is due to some lord or collection of pwoerful Houses going through a bunch of expensive Oracle casting to make sure theyre covering as many variations as possible?

Hopefully its just somone with far too muc power and resources hearing about the Equestrian incidents and thinking heres an untouched land that cant possibly stop us?

[redmar]

It's good that Diamond plannned for such an occasion.

[howard035]

Interesting twist with the Lashtada priest being part of the occupation. It's like in Golarion where Sarenrae's priests care for the orphans her soldiers create.