Chapter 1
Unscheduled Cargo
Opening the door to the Jubilation Customs and Immigration Building (annex B) was normally not an issue. But today was River’s turn to bring the coffee, and as she lacked a unicorn’s magic or a griffon’s tail, or even a pegasi’s dextrous wings, she had to clumsily maneuver the swinging glass door open awkwardly while trying not to spill the half dozen hot cups in the tray clutched in her teeth.
“Woah. Somezebra wanna help River out?” she heard as soon as she got the door open a crack. There was a stampede of hooves, and an earth pony with a greying golden mane got there first, swinging the door wide with a hoof.
“Dearest River. You brighten the entire morning with your offerings of sweet coffee and your even sweeter presence.” The others in the office were giggling as he spoke, and she was rolling her eyes even before he finished speaking.
“Shove it, Steel,” she managed, even though she was grinning too.
“Here, lemme help you with one of those,” he said, glancing at her heavy saddlebags. She handed him the coffee tray, and he started moving towards the break room. “Guys, River brought coffee! In the breakroom!”
The other zebras poked their heads out of offices, cheering with gratitude. River laughed and followed the office’s sole earth pony in, pausing just long enough to drop off her saddlebags in her own office before meeting up with the others.
“Easy day today?” she asked when they had all gathered. The others nodded. There were no major passenger ships scheduled, only small merchant vessels and the like entering the busy port. It meant very little paperwork for the customs agents.
“You do have that one captain scheduled to come in,” Steel Drill warned. “What was his name? Velvet Frill?”
“That plot hole,” River spat, and the other agents laughed ruefully. “He thinks that just because he flirts with every female around, we should all just bow down and let him do whatever he wants.”
“You could always just have him taken into custody,” one of the other agents suggested, but River was already shaking her head.
“He’s too clever. He knows we’re watching him, so he’ll never make a mistake large enough for us to catch. And if we did, it would always be ‘oh, I’m sorry, must have been a minor clerical error, let me adjust the numbers and pay the right taxes.'” She growled. “I don’t think I’ll ever catch that smuggler. I’ll just have to keep putting up with him flirting with me. It’s shameful! I’m over twice his age! What am I supposed to do with a stallion that much younger than me?”
“Don’t break my heart, River!” Steel Drill moaned theatrically. “You won’t date stallions younger than you?” The other agents laughed. Some even blushed. It was no secret that Steel Drill had been chasing after River. The silly old earth pony had been a widower for a decade now, and River’s own dear husband had passed nearly seven years ago, as well.
“Hush, you,” River teased, the striped fur on her face turning pink. “Now, all of you, let’s finish up and get to work. Just because it’s an easy day doesn’t mean we can’t work hard, and get caught up on back paperwork.”
The agents dispersed to their own offices. Steel Drill followed River to hers, loitering briefly at the door.
“Look,” he said, looking at his hooves. “I know you’ve never actually told me no to all my flirting. I just wanted to say, that if you want me to back off I will.”
River paused, looking at Steel. She was a bit surprised. She’d never said no because she’d never really thought to say yes.
“You were serious this whole time?” River said. Steel rolled his eyes and nodded. “S-sorry, I didn’t realize. Steel, you’re ten years younger than me!”
“Eight years, River,” he corrected with a smile. “You’re only sixty one. Don’t give yourself extra.”
“Okay, eight years. But I’m old.”
“So? I’m old too! We both have kids and grandkids. That’s a lot in common.” Steel shrugged. “Look, I’m not suggesting anything really serious yet, okay? Just…” he waved a hoof in the air. “I’m not getting younger. And you’re funny, you’re smart, you’re a great mom and grandma, and I think I’d like spending time with you outside of work. Could you think about it?”
Could she? She wasn't a filly any longer. But what did she have to lose?
“I’ll think about it,” River said. She glanced at the stack of papers on her desk significantly. “Can we pick this up at lunch?”
“I’m happy with that,” the greying stallion smirked, then turned to the rest of the office and yelled. “Hey guys, she didn’t say no yet!”
“Get out, you rascal!” she mock-scowled, and he retreated, chuckling. She ducked down, hiding her face as she heard the laughter of the other agents, even though she knew they couldn’t exactly see her.
What was the silly stallion thinking? A relationship, at their age? Maybe he was handsome, and good at his job, and an excellent parent and grandparent himself, but she was old. So was he, though not as much. She sighed. Romance was a young zebra’s game.
River distracted herself by diving into the paperwork at her desk. Cargo manifests. Tax records. Inventory reports. Other zebras may have found it all boring, but River never had. There was a magic to numbers that defied explanation. Every tally mark, every digit, represented bits and pieces of the lifeblood of Jubilation, the city she loved. This was its pulse, it’s heartbeat. And she loved hunting down the viruses and germs that liked to try to sneak into her city’s bloodstream.
Like Velvet Frill. He was good, but not perfect. She knew she’d said she thought she’d never catch him, but that didn’t mean she’d stop trying. He’d been smuggling into her city for years, and somezebra had to fight it. Recently she’d been hearing that he’d gotten involved in more sinister smuggling, illicit substances like cocaine. She’d wanted to flay his feathery hide the second she’d heard.
“There’s no proof,” her daughter in law, Spear Dart, had confided in her a few months back. “But everybody in the guard knows he’s doing it. We’d love to pin him to a wall, but we just can’t catch him.” River remembered the pegasus had been fluttering her wings with agitation when she’d told River about it.
But maybe there was proof here. She had the entire set of everything the griffon pirate had brought in over the last three months, including tax records as well. She was going to go through things with a detective’s eye, looking for the slightest hint of discrepancy.
River had buried her nose in the documents when there was a knock on the door. She jumped; she’d been lost in the numbers. Steel Drill was there, with a look of concern on his face.
“Hey,” he started. “Just got a courier from Annex A. They need extra pony power down there.”
“What happened?” River stood, ignoring the creak in her muscles from sitting too long.
“Looks like a passenger ship. Large one.”
“There wasn’t one scheduled until tomorrow!” River protested. Steel was shaking his head.
“It wasn’t a scheduled one,” he grimaced. She flinched. Unscheduled passenger ship meant refugees from the Diarchy. It meant ponies that were probably half starved, terrified, maybe even beaten. Unicorns fearing for their lives. Pegasi and earth ponies that had fled their homes and families to avoid persecution, either because of what they believed or who they loved.
River stepped towards her friend and rested a hoof on his shoulder. Steel glanced at her gratefully. It had been decades ago, but sometimes she still caught the haunted look in his eyes as he remembered his old life across the sea, and his own harried, terrifying voyage in the hold of a smuggler’s ship. He’d told her the story.
“C’mon. It gets worse.” She followed him out of her office, and noticed everyzebra else was packing up supplies to leave as well. “The ship was attacked. Diarchy patrol ship caught them just outside the bay. Jubilation navy responded, but not before the pony smuggler’s ship was already sinking.”
“Mercy…” River exclaimed. Her heart pounded. “Wait, the navy?” Her daughter in law was in the navy, part of their elite air patrol, made of griffon and pegasi expatriates. Was Spear Dart safe?
“I don’t know any more than that,” Steel whispered, his eyes apologetic. “But when I heard the news they were pulling in those poor wretches in rescue boats. The Crystal Empire embassy has offered some housing, but we need to get them processed as refugees first. The quicker we get that done, the quicker they can start to feel safe again. Or maybe, for the first time.” The last part was muttered sotto voce, and River reached out to squeeze the poor dear as tightly as he could stand.
Jubilation Customs and Immigration (annex A) was a block and a half away from annex B. The zebras (plus one earth pony) galloped as quickly as they could to the other building. It was short and squat, with wide windows. River imagined it was supposed to look both open and practical at the same time. It came off looking like a box with holes cut in it for windows. The six of them rushed inside the back door.
“RIVER!” shrieked the annex A supervisor, a middle aged zebra mare with a panicked sort of look. Her name was Tall Grass, and she was just starting to show her most recent pregnancy. “You are a blessing! Thank you so much!” she was practically sweating from stress. “Let me find you and your team desks.”
The annex A team had set up a dozen temporary desks in the middle of the huge, central room of annex A. It was usually divided by cubicles, modular walls on wheels that could be moved about to make room for more offices when necessary. The cubicles and their contents had been hastily packed into one of the storerooms to make room for the chaos that was sure to descend.
“Set your team up here,” Grass was panting with anxiety. “You can have this desk, and…”
“Tall Grass!” River summoned up her stern grandma voice. Grandmas had to have lots of voices. “If you don’t sit yourself, girl, I’m going to take over for you. You’re six months pregnant! Relax! With B team here, you’ve got twice the agents. We’ll get through this.”
“Right. Yes. Okay.” Tall Grass was practically panting.
“Would somepony get Tall Grass some water or something?” River called out (using the ‘I’m the boss grandma’ voice this time). One of the annex A agents nodded and rushed over to the water cooler. “And make sure she’s sitting. Poor girl’s gonna stress herself into the hospital.”
“Look, River, I’m not…” her protest was cut off when one of her coworkers pressed a paper cup into her hooves. River merely raised her eyebrows, and Tall Grass shrank, sipping at her water.
“You set up right here next to me. That way I can be sure you’re behaving yourself.” River ordered. She had no authority over the other zebra, but Tall Grass did as she said anyways. It was incredible what you could accomplish with a commanding voice and clear orders.
On the other side of her, Steel Drill was smirking. He leaned over just enough to whisper. “I really go for girls that take charge.” She ignored him, but she knew her cheeks were red.
The doors burst open, and a marine zebra burst in. He found Tall Grass and rushed over.
“They’ll be here in a minute,” he called out. “Your team ready, Ms. Grass?”
“Of course we are,” she said, more confident than she had seemed even a few seconds ago. She sent a grateful glance River’s way. “Send those poor things in.”
The first ponies in weren’t refugees, but marines. Mostly zebras, they marched in hauling probably what was left of the poor ponies’ luggage, setting it along the walls. They were followed by the sorriest group of ponies River had ever seen. There were nearly fifty of them, and every single one was soaked to the bone, shivering with fear. Their eyes darted about the building like cornered animals, and they huddled together in family groups. Some of them even looked wounded. River clenched her eyes against the sudden tears.
A flurry of movement in the air above the refugees caught River’s eye. Spear Dart floated over the refugees, coming to a landing just in front of the desks. River immediately saw the bandage about her forehoof. It was small, but there was the slightest red stain. She narrowed her eyes. That girl should be in a hospital.
“Okay, ponies, your eyes this way here!” she called out. She’d always had a strong voice. It went with her strong personality. River smiled up proudly at her, though Dart was facing the refugees. “Everypony please. Quiet for a moment. Welcome to Jubilation.
“First of all, you’re safe. There’s nothing the Diarchy can do to get you here. I know your trip has been hard, and you’ve all suffered. But I have some things to tell you before we can get going with your paperwork.
“The Crystal Empire embassy here in Jubilation has graciously offered twelve small homes, usually used for ambassadors’ staff, for you to stay in for one month. Food will be provided for you during that time, as well as career counselling for those of you who would like it. You may not know this, but the Crystal Empire is always open to refugees from the Diarchy. Many of you will want to continue on there.
“For those of you that do not, Jubilation is also an option. As you can see,” she pointed to herself, and River could hear the smile in her voice, “many ponies make a home here among the zebras, and grow to love it.
“Whatever option you pick, the government of Jubilation requires that the proper paperwork be created for all of you. Don’t worry, this process is neither difficult nor long, but it is necessary. In order to be officially recognized as refugees from the Diarchy, we’ll simply need you to fill out some papers, and verbally declare your desire to leave the Diarchy because of persecution or other hardships.”
Dart turned and motioned to the tables of immigration agents, all set up with stacks of forms, quills, and inkpots. River took a moment to glance significantly at Dart’s bandage and scowl. Dart smirked at her and winked. “As you can see, we’re set up to begin the process as soon as possible. Please form orderly lines. As soon as you are done, marines will help you with your luggage and instruct you where to go. Good luck, and again, welcome to Jubilation.”
The announcement ended, and Dart flew to a landing next to River, pulling her into a quick hug.
“Ugh! You’re soaked! And wounded! What happened? You shouldn’t…”
“No time, Mama River,” the cheeky imp interrupted with a grin. “We have work to do. Just wanted to make sure you knew I was safe.” Like her name, she darted into the air again and began gently directing the trembling mass into sensible lines.
The first refugee was a pegasus, probably a decade older than River herself. He was withdrawn and closed off as she helped him fill out his paperwork, then patiently listened as he said the words out loud that would give him the protection of the Jubilation government.
The second was a young couple, a pair of mares that kept nervously touching each other. River perfectly understood that; the Diarchy had probably brainwashed these two poor souls for years, telling them their love was sinful. Each hesitant caress was followed by a flinch, a darting glance of shame.
“You two lovebirds don’t need to hold back on my account,” River told them gently. “Go on. You’re safe now. You can even kiss her if you want.” They laughed nervously, and one even leaned over for a quick peck, which River applauded.
The third was a mother and her colt. She was an earth pony, and he was a tiny unicorn. It was clear why they were here. The Diarchy had declared unicorns anathema centuries ago. It was a miracle this tiny little colt had survived without his horn chopped off.
“Welcome to Jubilation, you two,” River said, pointing at the chairs set up in front of her desk. “Have a sit. Let’s get you started. What’s your name, ma’am?”
“C-Cinnamon Toast,” she stammered. She was young, maybe only twenty or twenty one. Her foal couldn’t be more than three. She had red fur, and a light brown mane. Her huge blue eyes were terrified. River reached out and took her hoof, patting it gently.
“There there, Miss Toast. You can relax,” River handed her a quill, and slid the single sheet of paperwork over to her. “Go on and fill this out. I’ll need your name, your cutie mark, and what you did for a living before you came over.”
“T-that’s it?”
“There’s also the bit here about why you claim refugee status, and if you’ve been convicted of a crime,” River mentioned. “Not that it matters, because Jubilation doesn’t recognize Diarchy courts or their pronouncements.”
“Um, okay,” she said. “Um, you know my name. I used to be a baker. My cutie mark’s two pieces of toast.” She scrubbed her face with an embarrassed whimper. “You probably could have guessed that, I’m sorry…” The foal was looking up nervously at his mother, his own blue eyes full of tears.
“Now don’t you apologize, sweetie,” River said (this time it was sweet grandma voice). “You’ve done nothing wrong.”
“I-I guess, for criminal stuff, um…” she scrubbed at the tears in her eyes again. “I guess I’ve been convicted of h-harboring a unicorn.”
“You know what we call that over here?” River snorted. “Basic pony decency. Not a crime. Poor thing, you both must have suffered so.” Cinnamon Toast nodded and sniffled as she finished filling out the form. “Now, legally, I need you to say that you’re leaving the Diarchy and entering Jubilation as a refugee. Out loud. It’s a silly thing, but we have to…”
“I, Cinnamon Toast, am leaving the Diarchy behind forever.” Her voice was stronger this time, more confident. “I can’t live somewhere where they’ll hurt my son just because he’s different.”
“Hear hear,” River cheered softly. She slid another paper over to Cinnamon. “Now I assume you’re going to fill one out for your son.”
“Okay,” Cinnamon said. “This is Chocolate Chip. He’s three. What do I…” she pointed awkwardly at the spot on the sheet about profession and cutie mark.
“Just leave ‘em blank, dear. They’ll see the age and know he’s too young.” River glanced down at the colt. He was a milky brown, his fur the same color as his mama’s mane, with a darker chocolate colored mane himself. Like most of the other refugees, it was plastered to him with seawater. He looked a bit like a drowned kitten, and it took all River had not to rush around and cuddle the piteous little thing. His wide, terrified eyes kept darting around the room, to the soldiers, to River herself, and to his mother.
“Um, I think that’s it,” Cinnamon Toast said, passing the paper back to River. She glanced over it quickly with her trained eye.
“That’ll do fine,” she said with a nod. “Now, young man, can you tell me what your mother said?” Chip whimpered in fear, shrinking back, and his mother scooped him into her hooves. He twisted his neck to bury his face in her shoulder. “Don’t you be afraid, dear. Mama can help you.
“Just say what I whisper to you, okay?” Cinnamon Toast said encouragingly.
“Kay,” he whispered. She leaned down so her lips were right next to his ear.
“I, Chocolate Chip,” she whispered.
“I Chip,” he repeated.
“Am leaving the Diarchy forever.”
“Leaving ever!” he stammered.
“So that I can be safe with my mama.”
He froze, his mouth open. River waited patiently, but no more words came out. Tears leaked at his eyes, which suddenly clenched shut as he let out a terrified wail.
His mother looked shell-shocked as she glanced between River and her foal, trying desperately to shush him. River’s heart broke as the foal started to jabber.
“I couldn’t say the words, now they’re gonna make us go back!” he wailed. Cinnamon shushed him, patting his back desperately while cooing comfortingly. It wasn’t working. River stood up, moving about to comfort the poor thing, when suddenly a hoof held her back.
“Sorry, I overheard. Did you say your name was Chocolate Chip?” It was Steel Drill. He knelt down, eye level with the foal, and held out a hoof. He was holding a cookie. The foal stopped his wail long enough to sniff loudly, right as Steel lifted the cookie up under his muzzle. “That’s a great name, kid. Does that mean you like cookies?”
Chip’s eyes found Steel. Steel was grinning as he held the cookie up.
“I have too many, see, and if I eat any more I’ll get fat. I’ll blow up, just like a balloon.” He puffed his cheeks out comically. “I don’t suppose you know anypony that can help me out, and make this cookie disappear, do you?”
Chip didn’t say anything, but he pointed at himself with one hoof.
“You can? Great. Thanks, kid. You’re doing me a real favor.” Steel waited as Chip tentatively nibbled at the cookie. It almost broke River again to watch as he oh so carefully took the tiniest of bites, savoring each tidbit. Any other foal would have simply scarfed the whole thing down.
“Now, I know you’re scared, but wanna know what?” Steel said, whispering as if he were telling the foal a secret. Chip nodded. “You’re afraid you didn’t say it right, but you did. You’re in. Congratulations!”
“Really?” he mumbled. River nodded.
“Yes you are, young colt. You and your mama are safe now. Welcome to your new home.”
“Thank you,” Cinnamon Toast breathed. “Thank you both.”
“Just our jobs, ma’am,” Steel nodded. “Good luck to you.”
* * * * *
It took until after lunch to get the entire group fully processed and settled in their new temporary homes. As the annex B team wandered back to their office, River sidled up to Steel.
“You really wanna go out with me?” she asked incredulously. The image of him kneeling before the foal, offering the cookie, burned in her mind for some reason.
“Without a doubt. You, River, are the most wonderful and beautiful zebra I’ve ever laid eyes on.”
She snorted. “You need glasses.”
“It’s true!”
“Okay,” she rolled her eyes. “Where’d you get the cookie?”
He laughed. “Take me out for drinks and I’ll tell you.”
“Deal,” River giggled.