Spring and Spanner

by CodenameOne

9 - Shadows of Hate

Act III

Ich verspreche

Chapter Nine

Shadows of Hate

Saturday came, and Spring Blossom awoke, groggy. She rubbed her head, still feeling tired. She got out of bed, and just as she was about to make her bed she heard a thud, and the sound of Spanner trotting out the backdoor. She pushed her door open, and headed into the kitchen. She heard the shed door open, and she looked out the window into the backyard. She watched as Spanner dragged out a big metal drum, and tossed it onto the lawn. He went back into the shed, and came out carrying some firewood. He up righted the drum, tossed the firewood in, and went back into the shed.

When he came back out, he was carrying a red metal can, which he sat down on the lawn. Spring watched him pick up the film reel that the mystery pony had given him and toss it into the drum, and he picked the metal can up again. He pulled off a lid, and tipped the can over. A thick stream of fluid came pouring out into the drum. He poured and poured until the can was empty, and then he threw the can in. He lit a match, and tossed it into the drum.

Spring gasped as a massive WOOOSH of fire erupted from inside the metal drum, and Spanner Wrench stood in front of it, staring into the flames. She dropped down and trotted uneasily away.

There was something very weird going on, and Spring badly wanted to know what it was. She knew now that her dad didn't like that pony that had come to visit, and now that he was burning the film reel he'd been given, she also guessed he didn't like the pony who'd given the speech in the video. But why?

She poked her head into her dad's room, wondering if she could find something that would answer her questions. Nothing was really out of place in her dad's room, though his bed was unmade. The white screen was still over the window, though the projector had been put back away in its box, tucked partially under the bed. Spring got down low, and looked under the bed. There was a safe built into the floor, which she knew about already, and nothing else. Spanner had said that only more coins and silver bars were in the safe, and she didn't have the key anyway.

Spring stood up and frowned. The stallion that had come to visit had a cutie mark of a spear sticking out from behind a shield, and the movie her dad had been watching had ponies in uniform marching together. Was her dad a soldier? That couldn't be it, she figured, since he had a normal job in town, but maybe he used to be a soldier?

Spring felt like she had a few of the pieces, but the puzzle itself didn't make sense. Her dad, the mystery visitor, and the pony giving the speech in the video all spoke that same language, and if Spanner had been a soldier before, then was the visitor his leader? Had her dad fought in a war?

Deciding that only one pony could help her she decided to go back to the orphanage. She trotted back out into the hall, quickly checked that her dad was still standing by the fire, and headed for the front door. Only Miss Ginger could answer her questions.

---

Miss Ginger wasn't at the orphanage. According to the pony at the front desk, Ginger had gone into town to run errands. The pony at the front desk offered to take a message for Ginger, or go find one of the other caretakers, but Spring decided she couldn't wait. She thought about running into town and tracking Ginger down, but decided instead to go home.

It just didn't make any sense to her, and she felt like crying. She hoped that things would go back to normal, but she didn't really know if she could do anything to make that so.

She trotted into the house, feeling down and dejected. "Dad....?" she called, and there was no response. She checked each of the rooms, and there was no sign of Spanner. She looked out the kitchen window and Spanner wasn't out back, either. The fire had gone out, the drum completely blackened. She slowly trotted outside and noticed the straw pony on the ground, its wooden skeleton cracked and smashed in several places, and fresh tears welled up. The baton that her dad had been using to beat the straw pony was on the ground next to it, the wood chipped and scratched in many places.

Spring lied down on the grass and began to cry softly. She lied there like that for a long time, the stress of it all too much to bear. She was alone, with nopony to help her, and she felt lost. There had been days like this for her before, many years ago. When she lost her birth father, when Morning had been adopted, when she'd been feeling sad and afraid of living in the orphanage forever.

Eventually, however, she'd learned to handle it all. When Spanner had adopted her, she'd been the happiest she'd ever been in her life. She loved Spanner, he was such a nice and caring pony, Spring knew it. She wouldn't want anypony else in the world to be her dad, no matter what happened, so she had to help Spanner.

Sniffling and getting to her hooves Spring trotted back into the house and into her room. If Miss Ginger wasn't around to help her, then she'd just have to help herself! She wasn't sure how she was going to do it just yet, but she knew she was going to do something.

She looked around her room, trying to find something that would give her an idea. She looked at her books, but they wouldn't be very useful. Prancey Drew was all about solving puzzles or mysteries about lost treasures. The Hardy Bucks books were all about camping and doing stuff that only colts would want to do, and Spring wasn't sure why she even had any of them. They probably all belonged to Patchouli anyway.

She pulled open one of her desk drawers and began pawing through the newspapers she'd saved that had pictures of Morning Glisten on the front page. She'd never actually read the articles in them, so maybe there was something there that could help.

She pulled out the newspaper from when Morning had just been adopted by the three Princesses, and it said the story was on page three, so Spring turned to it.

***

'Homo Princesses adopt helpless filly'

'We here at the Virtuous Equestrian Society newspaper company are very sad to announce that the many rumors surrounding sightings of Sunset Shimmer, the captain of the Twilit Guard, being spotted in the village of Hollow Shades apparently have merit. From the halls of Small Steps Home for Orphaned Ponies the degenerate Princesses have taken custody of a young filly.'

'As one would expect, too, Miss Shimmer and her 'partners' aren't very good at being parents, either, as just today when they brought the young filly home she was quickly lost. When she was eventually found by a local reporter, instead of thanking him, Princess Twilight verbally berated and insulted him. Very poor conduct for the princess of friendship, but given her lifestyle changes of late it's hardly a surprise.'

***

Spring frowned. She didn't recognize some of the words, but it was clear that this article was being mean to Morning's mothers, so Spring set it aside. The second newspaper was from the Princess Summit that Morning had attended, and actually had an interview with Morning in it. She turned to the article and began to read.

***

'Exciting tales from the Equestrian Princess Summit, including interview with Princess Morning Glisten!'

'Our correspondent in the Crystal Empire has finished his story on the Princess Summit held this year in the Crystal Empire, and we're excited to bring the story to you! Here at the Equestrian Herald we have a great deal of respect for the Princesses and their work to extinguish bigotry in our country, and our correspondent, Pewter Inkwell, was all too happy to conduct an interview with the Princesses' adopted daughter, Morning Glisten!'

'Inkwell: Let’s start with today. What did you think of being part of the Princess Summit?'

'Morning Glisten: It was strange. There were a lot of ponies there, and uhm, I kept expecting them to ask me to do something.'

'Inkwell: Was it a little scary having all those eyes on you?'

'Morning Glisten: A little… but I told Flurry that I would look out for her, so I had to be brave.'

***

Brave. She had to be brave. She was brave, Spring Blossom knew that. Morning Glisten was a brave filly, so Spring would have to be as well! She put the newspapers back in her desk and looked out her window. She took a moment to water her flowers before she closed her windows and got on her bed and began to think about what she'd do. She still wanted to ask an adult like Miss Ginger for help, but if she couldn't then she still had to be brave to help her dad.

Spring set her chin down on her pillow and closed her eyes. It had been a tough day, and she needed a moment to rest after it all. She kept trying to think of ways to help Spanner, but found herself slipping away, and before she knew it she'd drifted off to sleep.

Comments

[Krickis]

Pfft the VES article got a laugh out of me. I loved that and the inclusion of Morning's interview prompting Spring to action. Very interested to see what Spring does from here, but clearly Spanner is in good hooves!

[CodenameOne]

10888971

Yeah, 9-years-old, doesn't know much about the world, but Celestia help whoever tries to stop her from helping someone in need!