Sisters of Willowbrook

by Starscribe

Chapter 23: Appearances

Derek hoped she would get to spend the rest of the day with Charlie. But Miss Sugarcane seemed determined not to let that happen, not after their bizarre test results. Never mind that they both carried adult level knowledge from another world.

Either out of spite or the genuine needs of the school, she didn't see Charlie again until school actually ended for the day. Only when they were all filing out of their classrooms, did she finally get her first glimpse of her old friend.

At least the pegasus didn't try to avoid her. She clearly knew as many of the students as Derek, and she was walking alone. Charlie looked up, saw Derek watching her, and instantly hurried over to join her. Together they walked out of the flow of traffic, into a hallway of old-fashioned metal lockers.

"I thought they kicked you out or something," Derek whispered, as soon as they had found somewhere quiet to talk. The flow of other students hurrying out was constant now—children were more dignified than they were out on the street, but they were still young. Anything they did would be hard to notice surrounded by so many others their age. "Where were you?"

Charlie shrugged. "Second floor. Lots of winged ponies up there. What they taught us was... very weather. Seemed a little weird for teaching kids, but what do I know? I'm not a teacher."

Derek nodded grimly. "I'm not sure they want to teach what really matters. The class they put me in was all about history, then there was one about etiquette. I hope they cover reading and writing in the mornings or something. I feel so stupid being illiterate."

The crowd was already starting to thin, and a few teachers were staring at them now. Derek stepped out into the main hall, and Charlie followed her. They still kept back from most, walking together. It meant they couldn't say anything of particular importance. At least nothing that would make them stand out.

"I don't know if you're interested in... seeing me anymore. It could be a long time before I make any new developments. As awful as it feels, going to school is gonna help. I need to learn this stuff, and Iris is only around sometimes to teach me."

Charlie didn't look away. "I should blame you for this. It is your fault. But staying mad isn't gonna help. Whatever it takes to get back, I'll be there. As much as they let me..." She leaned in, whispering directly into Derek's ears. "I think the pony that adopted you is way more important than the one that adopted me. I'm barely allowed to even talk to you. I have to ask for permission, I can't ever go over to your place."

"Really?" Her nose wrinkled in frustration. "I'll talk to Iris about it. If I have to invite you over, then we'll just do it that way. I know you weren't into magic before, but you have to admit it's real now, right? You can help me now."

They emerged through a set of wide-open doors, then out onto the streets of Willowbrook. There weren't too many students, maybe a hundred in all, and most of them dispersed into the town without hesitation. There were a few adults gathered here to wait. Not Iris, she was obviously much too important for something like that. But Risk was here, along with the same servant who had brought her to class in the first place. The house steward, his father.

Little Risk looked up instantly, nudging the pony beside him and pointing at her with one hoof. But Derek pretended not to see, at least for a little while longer.

"I dunno if I'll be very useful," Charlie said. "You don't need to ask if I believe, of course I do! It just all seems too advanced for me. Like... hard math you have to do. I can work out appreciation and compound interest. But if I was the one in charge of making sure we ended up in the right world, I'd be afraid I was gonna get us lost. Or... turned into something even worse."

"I can't think of what that would be," Derek muttered, tucking her tail between her legs. "Bugs maybe. We're tiny and useless and girls, but at least we're not bugs."

Charlie fell silent as Risk finally trotted over to them. He took one look at her, then turned away again. He must've been attending the school just like he said, because he had a uniform too. Even if his was a vest and bowtie, covering nothing and serving no purpose she could think of.

"Lilac, the carriage is here. We shouldn't keep it waiting."

She sighed, then waved. "Cya, Firefly. I'll talk to Lady Vale about having you over sometime. I'm sure she wouldn't mind."

Charlie waved goodbye with one wing. "Let me know how it goes... Lilac. I don't think you'll need me, but I want to help if I can."

They left her there on the steps. There was nopony there for her, but Derek wouldn't let that distract her. Charlie was brave and capable, much more than she was. Maybe she just didn't need the help.

They walked down a short hill, passing old trees along cracked pavement. The buildings here were made of only the finest materials, surrounded by wrought iron fences. Even so, there was something... unwelcoming about them. Maybe it was the slightly overgrown look of the plants, or the dust preventing her from looking into their windows.

The carriage waited just at the bottom of the hill. There were no others—apparently no other student warranted that kind of personal attention.

The steward opened the door for her. His smile seemed genuine. The two workmen seemed eager to start pulling.

The steward didn't get inside the carriage himself, but shut the door behind her, sealing her alone into a space big enough for four. He climbed up onto an external bench near the front, along with his son. With a word of command, they started moving.

Derek gave up trying to sit comfortably in her stupid dress about ten seconds later. She wanted to tear the whole thing off, maybe wear one of those vests Risk had. She twitched and struggled for a few minutes, trying to reach far enough back to undo the collar. But she couldn't—this dress was so nice because it had to be put on with help. Or... by a unicorn. Derek simply wouldn't be able to remove it on her own.

"What are you doing?" Risk whispered through the window. She sat up suddenly, tucking her legs under her in her best attempt at sitting dignified.

"Nothing," she lied, staring back through the opening at him. But her mane was a mess, her tail caught uncomfortably under her. It wasn't a very convincing lie.

Risk frowned at her. He was silent for a few more seconds, watching the spot beside him. But here in Equestria, there were no headphones for his father to be wearing that would stop him from overhearing. There were no phones either, so she couldn't keep in touch with Charlie. "How did you like your first day at Whispering Willow?" he asked.

"I didn't see much of it," she said. "Mostly they had me in a boring room taking a dumb test. I don't have records to transfer from anywhere nearby, so I guess it makes sense. It's just annoying."

"That does sound boring," he admitted. "Normally Whispering Willow is very... challenging. The common families want to send their little fillies and colts there, but it always ends in failure. They just aren't able to... meet the school's high standards."

Derek rolled her eyes. Yes, it was definitely what kind of family the other ponies came from, and not the education they had before arriving there. Clearly those couldn't be connected at all. Equestria might be a whole new world, but the list of similarities grew a little longer all the time.

"I just hope they plan on teaching more magic. I don't care about how to put on dresses, or sit up straight, or remember the last names of ponies I've never met. That seems like such a waaaaste."

"Those are all important skills for a young mare of your station," the steward said, turning briefly to look at her. He could probably afford to look away from the "reins", considering the two guards pulling the cart were doing all the directing themselves. The extra seat was probably just to keep an important servant close to the noble pony they worked for.

"The Whispering Willow Academy is used to cases like yours—occasionally even the purest families produce an errant child of another tribe. And the obvious, there are plenty of ponies in Equestria who do not hold so strictly to the promises they make. I know it may seem dull to you now dear, but those lessons will serve you well into adulthood. If House Vale has no other heir, you will inherit it one day. It will be important for your sake and every other member of the household that you can serve as a good wife to whatever stallion that happens to be. Highborn ponies have high standards."

Her ears pressed flat to her head, tail tucking between her legs. She slid backward along the bench, until she was up against the wall, as far from the window as she could get. "That'll never happen. I'm not gonna grow up, and m-marry someone. That's so gross I... can't even..."

The steward smiled knowingly, turning away again. "You would not be the first to think such things. Speak to Lady Vale if you're troubled over it, young mistress. I promise it will not seem so unpleasant when the moment arrives."

She wanted to tell him—to spit in his face that she knew perfectly well all those mysteries of growing up he was so smug about. She wasn't upset for the reasons he thought.

But when she tried to come up with the reasons, she struggled to remember. There was something about being with other people that was desirable. She hadn't had a girlfriend when they came over like Charlie did. In the past, sure, but she hadn't been living with someone since University. Whatever was so interesting about it, obviously couldn't matter more than magical study. She kept learning magic, but hadn't kept dating.

"They should still teach me magic," she grumbled, folding her forelegs across her chest in frustration. "That's what I want to learn."

"They won't do that, silly." The steward didn't even look back at her this time. He spoke with amusement, like Derek might've done to one of her younger patients when they confessed some elaborate delusion to her. "You're only an earth pony, you can't learn magic. They wouldn't waste the teacher's time by putting you in a class like that."

There was no hostility in his voice, but each word might've been a blade aimed in her direction. She could barely even process what she was hearing. "But the mistress..." she argued. The words didn't want to come. "She said she would teach me..." But how much of that could she even say around strangers? The steward must know everything the family did, but there were the guards pulling her, and random ponies passing them on the street outside...

"The mistress might have meant the lore of magic," he continued. "Or maybe the history. It is a strange thing to imagine, but I suppose an earth pony could be a scholar. But without a horn, you could only ever read about it, never perform any of it yourself."

She sunk further into her seat, and didn't argue with him. It wasn't just that he was older, and sounded so confident in what he believed. He had no reason to lie, which meant there was no reason for her to hope.

Was she lying to keep me compliant? Iris Vale seemed so nice. But maybe that was an illusion too. Maybe she just said what Derek wanted to hear.

Comments

[Level Dasher]

Yeesh. Yeah, that last thought is certainly plausible. Though at least there's a possibility of Lilac getting to have a 'playdate' now. Or so we can hope.

[minibox]

Not only goddesses but ponies as well. They're going to have to learn how to live as both to fit in.

"Second floor. Lots of winged ponies up there. What they taught us was... very weather. Seemed a little weird for teaching kids, but what do I know? I'm not a teacher."

It'll make sense later on.

"I think the pony that adopted you is way more important than the one that adopted me. I'm barely allowed to even talk to you. I have to ask for permission, I can't ever go over to your place."

You'd think the cult would want them in equal settings and just have Iris look after them both. If only to keep them in one place.

Derek rolled her eyes. Yes, it was definitely what kind of family the other ponies came from, and not the education they had before arriving there. Clearly those couldn't be connected at all. Equestria might be a whole new world, but the list of similarities grew a little longer all the time.

The closer Earth and Equestria are 1:1, the more likely the sisters aren't really special. Just very unlucky.

It will be important for your sake and every other member of the household that you can serve as a good wife to whatever stallion that happens to be. Highborn ponies have high standards.

Best case is that they both go home. Something not as great are them becoming the new god princesses of Equestria. But the "bend over and think of Equestria" route is certainly one of the bad endings.

"The mistress might have meant the lore of magic," he continued. "Or maybe the history. It is a strange thing to imagine, but I suppose an earth pony could be a scholar. But without a horn, you could only ever read about it, never perform any of it yourself."

It should be discouraging if not for the fact that Derek has even more access to magic as an earth pony now. Things should theoretically be easier now.

Was she lying to keep me compliant? Iris Vale seemed so nice. But maybe that was an illusion too. Maybe she just said what Derek wanted to hear.

Maybe, though the old gods and goddesses wouldn't be described as such if they were impotent. It'll take a while but there's no doubt the cult will attempt to teach the sisters magic.

[Burgesse]

I'm going to guess that tempers will be tested in the near future.

[ponepony]

"They won't do that, silly." The steward didn't even look back at her this time. He spoke with amusement, like Derek might've done to one of her younger patients when they confessed some elaborate delusion to her. "You're only an earth pony, you can't learn magic. They wouldn't waste the teacher's time by putting you in a class like that."

She's an earth pony in the cover art itself yet for the entire time I thought she was an unicorn for some reason. This caught me by surprise.

[Fluttercry12]

He did magic as a human he'll do it as a earth pony too

[Lexiebommel10]

Fuck that if you could do magic as a human then I'm sure you could as a earth pony shit even delve into all the secret and lost magic of your own tribe

[RandomCommentor]

I imagine earth pony magic as a kind of weaker version of earthbending.

[Luckyfanisaac]

"They won't do that, silly." The steward didn't even look back at her this time. He spoke with amusement, like Derek might've done to one of her younger patients when they confessed some elaborate delusion to her. "You're only an earth pony, you can't learn magic. They wouldn't waste the teacher's time by putting you in a class like that."

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