Ghost of the Everfree

by David Silver

48 - Mother Would Approve

"I had meant to ask." The Lashtadan priest got Dry alone a moment. "How old are you? Equestrian ponies have almost no concept of the notion, it seems, but you are an Everglow native, so I hope?"

"Sixteen, ma'am." He inclined his head up at her. "All grown up."

"That is a lie." She gently set her hoof on his nose. "You have so much more growing to do, both in body and in mind. But, for a ghost pony, that sounds like a young adult to me." Her eyes darted to Dry's little filly friends. "Are they young adults as well? From where I sit, they seem like larger children."

"I... am at times unsure."

"But still you would dance with her." She sat up with a hum. "So much growing to do. It is perhaps much to ask, for one so young." She leaned in, nose to his cheek. "I am happy for you."

"Y-you are? You sounded like you... were upset at first?" Getting a proper read on the priest was a challenge at times, and he hummed in thought of it. "Are you?"

"I am confused, but my patron smiles on you. Let All Lines be One. If she is inviting you to dance, I will not stand in the way of a new family, especially one with such obvious love and care between you two. Just... be careful. She is young in body. You don't want to harm her."

"N-no!" he squeaked out loudly enough to draw so many eyes. "I would never want to hurt her."

"Exactly the answer I hoped for." She rose to her hooves and stood up properly. "Just remember, that a foal with a foal, can lead to injury." She brought up her hooves to clop them gently together. "Even if lines should brush together, it will be for naught if she can't handle the trials placed before a mother."

"You can stop, like, bothering him." Silver had arrived, eyeing the priest suspiciously. "We're not doing anything. Like, sheesh, let a filly enjoy being a filly." She nipped at Dry's ear, tugging him just enough to face her. "Stop worrying about that. I'm not a hussy anyway. We're doing nothing until we're married."

The priest watched at Silver made her huffy exit. "I didn't expect she'd even know that word."

"Me neither," admitted the blushing Dry. "Um... That settles that, I guess." He burst into a brief fit of giggles. "She knows what's best for her. I'm glad she understands."

"I am happy." She nodded at Dry, waving him towards her. "I have taken enough of your time."

"Thank you." He nodded at her and scurried off to rejoin his two filly friends. "So, um, what's the plan?"

Diamond snickered, hoof over her mouth. "Before or after you get dating advice?"

Silver swatted at her friend. "Cut that out. Alright, Dry, it's time we got out there and started fixing things."

Dry inclined his head towards the priest, speaking to another foal. "She doesn't want us to go. Um, I don't think she's being mean about it. She's scared. I can understand that. She doesn't want any foals hurt, and we're foals, so..." Even if he wasn't a foal, technically!

Diamond rolled her eyes. "We're foals that know how to take care of ourseves. Hold on a moment." She trotted right up to the priest, drawing her attention in just the approach. "Hey."

"Hello." The priest smiled gently at Diamond. "You look like you have something important to say. What is it?"

"Glad you can see that." Diamond waved back at the others. "We're checking out the town. This is not a question. Be back later."

The priest was still a moment, save for nudging a foal back towards the others to play. "I can't protect you outside these walls." She huffed an exasperated noise. "I can barely protect you within them."

"Yep." Diamond turned from her. "We're in danger out there. We're in danger in here. Not much different, so we're taking our chances." She flicked her tail at the priest, walking back to the others. "That's settled."

"You didn't have to be that rude..." Dry could see Diamond's words had pierced the priest. "She isn't an enemy."

Silver pointed where they had come in. "Well, it's done. Let's get out of here without stirring up anymore commotion."

They fled, one by one, trying to be subtle about it with varying success. To their credit, only one colt followed them. "Where ya goin'?" asked the foal with a curious look. "We're supposed to stay inside."

Diamond pointed back towards the other children. "Head back inside. We came here to deal with this, so just trust us."

"You're not an adult," noted the colt, wielding their keen perception. "What're you gonna do?"

Dry cleared his throat a bit more loudly than he needed to. "We are trained adventurers." He clopped his hooves together with a few soft words, leaving them glowing with the power of his god. "Leave it to us."

"B-but... you..." Dry was not a unicorn. But he had cast a spell. The two conflicting facts wrestled in the foal's wide eyes. "Wow... Um... Good luck." He dashed back towards the others and away from the confusing magic-wielding earth pony.

Silver bumped against Dry. "Good job. Let's get out of here."

Diamond swatted at Dry's hooves. "And put those out. We don't need any more attention."

"Right." Dry emerged with the fillies into the dark evening of the town. Fortunately, the guards weren't paying too much attention to the orphanage, probably assuming the priest was doing her job. Surely she wouldn't let random foals stray away, right? "That way." Dry pointed off into the city.

"As good as any other." Diamond took point, leading them into the cover of alleys as they advanced. "Think the others are alright?"

Silver quirked an ear. "I, like, hope so! They're adventurers too. Let's have some faith."

"You got enough for both of us," laughed out Diamond. "What was that?" All three tensed, trying to hear the sound.

Steps, hurrying closer. "Hey!" It had a familiar face attached as Apple Bloom hurried towards them. "Found ya!"

"Did I hear Apple Bloom?" Emerging from another shadow came Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo right behind her. "And you found the others!"

All the foal warriors came in close to exchange hugs and smiles. It was a joyous moment. Dry clapped so quietly it was hard to hear. "I am very happy, but we must be careful, and hidden."

Silver snickered softly. "Well, that's your, like, specialty. Where's the best place to lay low a moment?"

Instead of looking at the buildings around them, Dry was focused on the other fillies. "Where were you?"

Apple Bloom pointed to herself. "A nice mare adopted me fer the moment. Stayin' wit' her."

Sweetie copied the motion. "Me and Scootaloo are--"

"--staying with a Rarity fanboy." She laughed at the mental image of the stallion. "I think he loves Rarity a lot."

Dry pointed at Apple Bloom. "Her mare sounds like a better option. She is acting as a mother, not a happy fan. She is less likely to become a problem for us."

Diamond sat up. "Alright, I'm impressed. That was, legit, some good thinking right there. So we head to the temporary Apple Farm. Let's go." She looked to Apple Bloom expectantly.

"Follow me." Getting the message, she fled with the others behind her, weaving through the city in starts and stops. The guards were looking around, most in strict patterns and formations. This made sneaking past them possible, if a nervous affair.

"Stop." They'd been spotted. A mare in chain armoring was trotting towards them. "Children, where is your parent?" Her eyes swept over the lot of them. "Not all the same parent, I would imagine."

Apple Bloom laughed nervously. "Ah, no. They're stayin' wit' me." She pointed to herself. "Ah was jus' seein' 'em back home."

"It's past curfew." The mare scowled at Apple Bloom in clear reprimand. "I will have to inform your parents. Go on." She became their escort, seeing them directly to their house. "Ma'am." She let the children filter inside, her attention on Apple Bloom's caretaker. "Don't let your foals out after curfew. It's for their safety as much as anything else. You don't want them to get hurt, do you?"

The mare nervously laughed. "Of course not! Thank you so much for bringing them home for me."

The guard nodded her head. "Keep a tighter leash on her, and see that her friends get to their homes in the morning. Do you have sufficient water for them all?"

"A-all good," assured the mare with a nervous smile. "I have a nice supply. No dry mouths in this house."

"Excellent." She turned to leave, but paused. "Do they have enough food?"

The mare started. "They should... Um, ma'am? Sorry, if this is a bad question... But why are you so curious?"

The guard snorted softly. "I may be a soldier, but I'm not heartless. I have a colt back home." She sighed with memory. "I pray each day he's alright, where I can't see him... Please, I know they can be trying, but keep your children close, and praise whatever gods you hold dear that you can."

"Of course!" The mare closed the door behing the guard and slumped against it. "That... was stressful. How did you go and... split? I was sure there was one of you before..." She looked over her expanded collection of six foals. "If you keep doing that, I'll drown in foals."

But she smiled. "It's good to see you all back together again." Clearly, She knew the rescuers from the train. "Did you get into any trouble, besides that guard?"

Apple Bloom closed in for a hug with the friendly mare. "Thanks 'gain fer being so gosh darn nice. We really 'ppreciate it. Ya know the others?" She waved back at the rest of her crew.

"I've heard stories." She nodded to each little pony in her house. "Each doing their best in a very... unfortunate time... trying to get us all to safety. I owe you more than you could ever owe me, I promise that. Now, I can pay back a little by getting on dinner. Wicked little foals, eating so late." But off she trotted to get that done.

Silver clapped lightly. "Good call. She puts out, some, like, serious mom energy. The good kind."

Diamond hopped up onto a soft couch. "We all good some intel today. Let's share, but also get down to things. This town can't stay in their control." She huffed. "And where are the adults?!"

"Cooking."

Diamond clopped a hoof to her face. "I don't mean the local ones. Where's Twilight? Where's her friends? Where's Celestia and her guard? This place should be a battlefield, not an awkward occupation. They have soldiers, sure, but not nearly enough to mount a serious battle with us, so where's the serious battle?"

Silver angled her head. "Are we upset that isn't, like, actually happening? That sounds like a mess..."

Apple Bloom waved a hoof in the air. "Ah got an idea." The others looked at her. "Right, well, they ain't monsters. Most of 'em seem alright even... Now, 'could be wrong an' all, but ah think they're waitin' to see what happens when they go native." She looked to Dry at that.

"Oh, um..." He rubbed his Equestrian cheek. "Will it happen to them quickly enough? It took a while for me..."

Apple Bloom took on quite the smug look. "It already happened to 'least one of 'em, their druid. Ah bet he tried to shapeshift and came out an Equestrian. Done heard that's how it happened wit' Tree Hugger."

"You know Tree Hugger?" came their host's voice from the kitchen. "Dear thing she is. A little spacey, but a real treat."

Scootaloo laughed at that. "Small world. Alright, so... they're waiting for them to mellow out a little maybe, then what?"

Author's Note:

New Mom knows a few things! Who could have guessed?

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Comments

[redmar]

A surprise that the mare knows Tree Hugger but I doubt Tree is in a position to help the town at this point.

[Booster Spice]

Going the Tree hugger route?

Gives new meaning to, come to Equestria, we have Cookies.

Very intresting, fully proscribed rigid patrol pattern, and then random interaction? Someones using teh advanced rule book, not just the Noble House bluff playthrough?

Wont be any sewers to patrol in a town small enough that every house can comfortably use Earth Closets, Composting Toilets?