Chapters To Lancer I, Queen of the Republic of Cloudsdale,
Before beginning in earnest, I have to congratulate you on the fight. My dearest apologies that I could not sooner! News travels slow here.
It suprised me when I heard you restrained from killing her; the greys go passionately wild at these sorts of events. The other mare... her name is lost on me, but she couldn’t stand close to your name. I raise a glass to your future years of reign, my Grace.
I know you are a busy mare, so I will move to the crux of this letter quickly. Your colony of Everfree has been under threat of late, and expansion has dwindled to a halt. Without further assistance, I may be forced to dissolve it; the bits we spend may become too much for my treasury to bear if action isn't taken. The threats, of course, come from the natural location of Everfree and the monsters within, halting our progress at every turn, as I’m sure you’ve heard from the reports of monsters raiding, food dwindling, and the silver we mine only dribbling in.
I apologise for dampening the mood, but this does not mean that colonisation here is impossible; I can assure you it is very possible indeed, and as long as all of our best efforts remain in building the colony, you will find a mountain of silver from the mines. This could make your continuing rule a great age to be sung of.
If I may be permitted to act on these best efforts, we ought to focus on three prime categories, so as to construct Pegasopolis as successfully as possible. The first effort is predictable, since we have only started late last year. We are bordering on a population count of three hundred from my records, about half of which are miners. This is hardly the number for a full-fledged mining operation. In order to make our country rich from a silver mine, we need more miners. ‘Anypony that wants to be well paid and housed can find work,’ should be the new motto, and this could be popularised by artists, craftmasons, and so on, through beautification of the colony's cultural image.
The second issue are the other inhabitants. Sod the unicorn queen, it’s the monsters that truly dwell there, the real owners that need dealing with. Those who locals spin horror stories of, the manticores, hydra and the like. While I would be the first to proclaim any pegasus with a sabre can hold hoof to claw with devils, the issue stays that we are severely outarmed, and we may not have a sabre to spare before long. While we hold them off with palisade and fire for the moment, I fear a lack of lasting power, and would greatly appreciate fort experts to help us build on some defence stratagem and tech, something cheaper and less hungry than a standing army. You don’t have to remind me how the war affected our military, and from my understanding, it’s stretched enough as it is.
Our last, and surely largest problem, is sustainability. The horn-heads were smart negotiators, I'll give them that. They brokered us a small piece of land, such that the farms inside the palisade reap barely enough to feed fifty. While food from Cloudsdale supports us currently, it is simply too far for a long-term possibility. Unicorns have no taste for trading with us, and neither we should with them, and if they did, it would be nothing short of extortion on their behalf.
Even if we had the chance for an army, it would not stay fed for long. Even if we had more colonists, they could not be supported on thinly spread Cloudsdale rations. If we want to expand the colony to the point where we can provide a profit, rather than economic loss for the Queendom, we need an answer to the question of how we can sustain a locally and cheaply supplied food stockpile.
None of my subjects came up with an answer, and so I sent through letter to nobles and merchants alike a proposal, asking them to provide an answer for us in exchange for a large monetary reward. You can trust that the bits will come from my own coffers. The war was harsh to Cloudsdale, as I well know, but any and all aid you can muster will surely help to protect us. The food aid delivered to us weekly, and our survival because of it, is proof enough, and we all dearly appreciate it.
Of the proposals sent, we so far have had one reply in the span of two months, a cloth merchant from Windsley, South Hibernia.
The mare is trained, surely, and I have few doubts in her ability to satisfy the country. If I were to describe her, I would say she is 'promisingly ecstatic' to fill the role. To me, though, it was surprising that no other pony has yet responded. Putting my hopes in a single mare seems to be a great risk for the colony, but one we may be forced with.
If you decide to send aid in this field through one of your own merchants, I would highly appreciate it. The matter is, of course, rather important.
I will be open to any reply. If you have a question, I shall answer it. A decree? I shall follow loyally. The worst loss in a dire moment is communication, and I have made sure to stock Pegasopolis with chariots and messengers, ready to send message at a moment’s notice. If there are ponies you can trust with this colony, I will make sure to be one of them.
-Ignitus, advisor to the mayor of Pegasopolis, colony under the rule of the Republic of Cloudsdale
Berry waited in the hall outside the meeting room, adjusting her velvet beret to the most perfect degree. She had already knocked the door twice, and her agitation grew, waiting for a reply that took much longer than usual.
She heard the scuffle of parchment inside the room, followed by a partially muted voice. “Had to take care of my mess,” the mare said. “Come in.”
Berry branched her hoof out and pressed the door lever down. Once inside, she turned to see the meeting rooms long rectangular table, accompanied by all but two tucked-in chairs by the sides of it. The chair on the nearest end of the table was unoccupied, whilst a red furred mare sat on the one opposite, with a couple of paper notes strewn beside her. Both mares were far from each other, much too far for a practical interview.
Berry pointed at the untucked chair. “Err, do y’ expect me to sit there?”
The mare sat with her two hooves pressed together on the table. “No, of course not,” she replied. “We had a meeting not long before you arrived. Some ponies don't know courtesy.”
Berry understood, walking to a chair within reasonable talking distance of the other mare. After all, she’d worked with donkeys before, and they all acted the same way. “Hmph. Bane o' the world, them. Bad business is made from badder etiquette.”
The red-furred mare very slightly winced as she smiled. “If only etiquette were the worst of our problems.”
Not fully understanding the meaning, Berry chuckled it off. “Not sure I’d say the same.”
“Mhmm.... Care to introduce yourself?”
“The name's Berrytail, your highness,” she said, twirling a foreleg from underneath her purple jacket, bowing as she did so. “I'm the merchant t’ fix up your problem.”
“You can call me Embers from now on, I'm barely a highness,” the mare said. Berry took her seat close by. “My sister's the one in charge here, and she's mayor, not queen. Now, I wanted to have this meeting so we could clear up any confusion. You know the job well?”
“Right on. Your colony needs food, I'm meant to supply it. Gold thirty-kay in payment for my services.” The part that really got her in the letter was 'Thirty thousand bits' that could keep most ponies fed for the best part of twelve years.
“Food and water, mind. And you're reminded to do it in the most economically efficient way as possible, although,” she said, giving one of the papers a poke, “I've heard that the concept is already quite familiar with you. Remember that any payments you make in our name will tax your total profit.”
“Yeah, of course,” Berry said, imagining what thirty thousand bits would look like in bars. “Don't fret nor fear. I've got plenty of my own money to spend on any problems, I've even brought my company of servants. We’ll make sure this job’s done well.”
“Company of servants...?” While Embers paused, Berry glanced an air of surprise from her. “Were you told the risks?” she continued.
“One hundred and ten percent crystal-clear,” Berry said. They were definitely on the letter, but the meeting-pressure drained her of thought. “Wouldn't mind a little refresher, though. For clarity's sake?”
Embers looked down at her papers. “Monsters from the Everfree have been rife since...” Berry chimed out, remembering what it said on the letter. Something along the lines of ’Torches and walls to keep them at bay', and she knew what to do. Her mind hovered back to mare-made silver mines until Embers had finished, “...whatever time it is. Other than that, remember that the land around us in owned by the Canterlot Queendom, and that there's another group, seemingly not hostile, but not ponies either, that appear to be operating close by the other side of the river. Got it?”
They were all monsters at the end of the day; Berry couldn’t care less. “Check-check-check. One hundred and twenty percent. You can expect results soon Miss Windstrike, I can tell y'that for a fact.”
Embers smiled. “Great. You have a plan set up all ready, I bet. I wish you the best of luck.”
“And you too, Miss Embers. It's really kinda... therapeutic-like, to think I'm helping out an entire colony and, to further extent, the whole country. This silver's gonna make us all richer, and I know it. It's great to serve not only as a saviour to your colony, but as a guardian of our country just as important as the fightin’ ones.”
Embers chuckled. “Keep that up, and it'll sound like you don't mind doing it for free. Stay safe, Berry. Alicorns bless.”
Berry got up, bowed, and left the room to find her colleagues standing around the door, listening in shamelessly. The bulky stallion, Fanhorn, was first to speak. “What did they say, Berry? We in?”
“Oh, we're in alright,” Berry replied, smiling devilishly as she stood apart from them. “Those bits are as good as ours. Cha-ching , Fanny. We'll be sailing in money before the end of the month... You and Nest, I want the both of you to get the chests.” She pointed at the others. “Sweet, Juniper 'nd Shale, you can go find any tent suppliers across the colony and hire 'em. I'll be at the pub when you get back. We'll meet there and get this troupe on the tread.”
~~
The only bar in the colony was a ramshackle house that would've been out of a slum from any normal city. They had no mugs, so Berry was given a few bottles and milk jugs instead. She served the drinks around an empty table. Shortly after, Fanhorn and Nest arrived, whom she let talk amongst themselves. They were followed by the other three. When everyone was around the table, Berry focused on the first two. “Where’d you put ‘em?”
“Just outside. I have the keys,” Fanhorn stated.
The chests were way too big to be stolen easy, so Berry had no doubt they were safe. “Great! And the rest of you?” she said, turning to the others.
“I found a couple of ponies,” Juniper replied. “Near the… well, near the tents. I’ll show you the way. Their prices were both the same, fifteen bits per one-pony tent.”
Berry shouted, “Fifteen bits? They're robbing these poor foals...” she locked a hoof beside her chin, “but I guess there's nowhere else. Still, that's a ridiculous price for me.”
“I don’t think they do very well at shifting their stock. Just look at the tents outside. They stitch them from all sorts, not the browns and beiges they sell here.”
Berry listened intently, a first. “Tell the wretches they can carry the tents themselves for us at that price, we're going to need at least ten of them as it is, enough for us and a few spares. I'll pay them when they've done their job.”
Shale popped in warily. “They might not like that... and we really don't need that many tents. Where are we going, anyway?” she asked.
“The river,” Berry said, smiling behind her hoof at the mere thought of her own plan. “It's so simple. Pegasopolis needs food and water, and there's a river right next to ‘em. We make a farming camp, wall it up, use the seeds we got from Canterlot, and in a month we'll have a harvest to show 'em. Easy-peasy for us, and they don't have to spend any bits! Ah, the efficient use of arable land...” she said, brushing her fringe away with her free hoof, “hallmark of civilisation....”
“But that isn't our land, is it?” Juniper asked.
“Correct,” Shale said. “In fact, I'm pretty sure all the forests surrounding the wall of the colony are owned by the unicorn Queendom. Are you sure you thought about this, boss?”
Berry raised her head, waving her foreleg hoof in front of her, hoof limp. “Pff, horn heads, shmorn heads. At least I made an effort to study before we came out.” Thinking herself acting coolly, she swivelled around and looked at a table behind her, occupied by a couple grim-faced miners that had been grunting to each other quietly since she arrived.
“Hey, miner-stallion? You with the red cap.”
The other patrons of the pub had barely rose a word higher than her group. The stallion she called for turned his head, in short, out of sequence movements while his friends watched concernedly from behind. He made no effort to speak.
Berry cleared her throat. “Yeah, you seen any unicorns patrolling the forests since you got here?”
Once turned, it was clear to her that the dark around the miner's face was mine-dirt; if it weren't for the colony being founded for it's silver, anypony could have mistaken him for a coal miner.
He winced, and uttered, “I mine, I ain't gone out there for weeks.” As soon as he responded, his head shot back and bent low to sip from his jar.
Berry paused. “Well, yeah, so have you heard anything about the unicorns patrolling around? Y’know, keeping guard n’ such.”
He gave her a sidelong glance, keeping close to his drink. “Well it's unicorn-territ'ry, so I guess.” He shot back, and one of his friends murmured something under their breath that she couldn’t catch.
Berry, frustrated, noticed that Nest and Juniper candidly rose eyebrows out of the corner of her sight. Berry raised her voice, punching emphasis at the miner across the pub like a pushy advert.
“Well, yeah heard specific’ly where
The owner dropped a copper dish on her counter, the sound rattling through the pub. It caught Berry’s attention, her and everyone else’s.
“Look 'ere !” she growled. “We don't know anything ‘bout no horn-heads snoopin' the forest. Y'll stop badgering m'customers before I throw y'owt on yer face!”
The pub was silent. Berry placed personal restraint on herself from ranting back, and breathed slowly. Breathe it away, Berry, breathe it all away. Soon after, the miner got back to drinking, and the owner picked up her dish, saying something along the lines of “Prissy citybrew mare...”
Once she felt she could talk without full-on belting at somepony, Berry turned back to her group. Nest looked down, a hoof over her face.
“Seee?” Berry whispered. “No 'horn-head's in the forest. They're too caught up in everything else after the truce. We're in the clear. All we need to do is wall and brazier up to scare away the monsters. We can chop a few trees for all that, I brought a couple saws in the tool chest.” She raised her voice back to normal, “We’ll feed ourselves in the meantime with food herein Pegas each day. Before y'know, we'll have a colony for the colony, plus we'll be thirty-K richer.”
“How we splittin’ this up?” Fanhorn asked. “Don't think y’ ran us through that bit.”
Fanhorn was dear to her heart with his mind always drowned in bits. A branch off the tree. “Assuming it all goes to plan, I can give a share to all of you, that's like... three thousand bits per? I'll take whatever's left.”
“That's what... one and half year's wages?” Fanhorn asked rhetorically. “Sounds like pay fo’ me.”
She could hear that most of the others mumbled in agreement to her plan. The only one who didn't was Sweet, who stayed silent behind the rest of them like she always did.
Berry went silent, admiring the preparation into her plan, this hallmark of her own brilliance. She loved choosing the ones, even greedy ones, that had no proper education or a will to speak; they tended to cost the least.
She smiled over the table, forgetting the barkeep and regaining her voice. “Puuurfect. Take me to the camp-suppliers and I'll pay them. After that, I'll lead the way to the river which really isn't far from here at all, couple miles tops.”
She took a short sip from her jug and licked her lips. “We'll set up in no time. Take it from me; I've done it before.” She waited until the others had finished their drinks. “Everypony ready?”
The others nodded, placing their assortment of containers to one side and getting up from their stools. A couple looked up at her wholeheartedly, while the rest had a glint of silver in their eyes. She could work with both; she’d done it before.
“So concludes the first meeting, of the soon-ish to be a lot richer ponies.”
“You know, I used to live near a place similar to this.” Shale chatted to her freely as the six of them, accompanied by the eight new followers carrying folded up tents of dull colour, walked through the dirt road within colony walls to the chariots.
“We mocked it, called it slumvillle, and I always felt I lucked out when I saw the filth they lived in.”
“ ‘Least you have a better view,” said Berry.
The colony was rows upon rows of tents on lowlands, underneath magnificent cliffs going up as far as one could see. There were a few wooden structures standing out, the palisade for one, circling the colony like an ancient hill clan. Inside the walls there was a blacksmith, the pub, a town hall and a mining office, the largest building that she was told was only made to protect equipment, not ponies, from the rain that so often fell in Everfree.
“Why did they come out here anyway?” Shale asked, walking at her pace. “Why did Ignitus think this was a good idea?”
“For the same reason I do, silly,” Berry said. “Stop, and crane your head over to the mountain. That silver stash is incremental, important beyond everything, and the horn-heads ain’t found none of it.”
Shale looked at it as Berry checked her coatsleeves were fit. The rest of the group overtook them.
“They never found that? It's freaking huge!”
“And luck beyond luck, it's in the midst of hundreds of horrifying creatures that'll rip you apart in seconds,” Berry said. “Only a pegasus would dare explore it, so that's what happened, o’ course.”
Shale continued to gawk at the gigantic cliff face. “You've got a lot to learn,” Berry added. “One of the main things us merchants have to know is everything commoners don't. That’s what sets you apart.”
“If.... if you're certain. I'll try my best to learn.”
“I'll give you lessons when we get you back t’ Fetlos. For now, we got about thirty days to kill... well, s’pose it's a lesson in itself. Find the easy jobs for the most money, right? That’s lesson one. Now come on, go catch up.”
Shale nodded, and sped up to join the others. Shale was the most probable pony she would keep working with after the job, so it seemed like bad practise to stop Shale from getting to know the others. Before Berry could follow her, she felt a tap on the shoulder, and spun around to see one of the tent suppliers that was following their party.
“Are you the leader here, the mare who calls herself Berrytail?” the bright pink mare asked.
“Sure as claws, but you c'n call me Berry,” she replied.
“Waterfall,” the mare said. Berry half mistook her for spouting out a random noun, and took a split second to recall the strange names of foreign merchants. “It's a pleasure to meet you Berry. I talked to one of your friends before, but never truly got around to asking about the issue of payment.”
“Well, now you have, uh, Miss Waterfall,” Berry said. “No problem! I'm so pleased you were able to help us out. When we reach the destination for the camp, we'll dole it out there.” She reached into her jacket, pulling out a bag full to bursting. “One hundred and fifty, am I right?”
Waterfall shot a glance at the bag and visibly relaxed. “Ah, good. While we're not usually the ones carrying it... we're happy to help this once, for such a large order, when you clearly need more hooves for the burden.”
“Good that we agree,” said Berry stuffing the bag into her coat. She gave the mare a bow, and raced back to the front of the party.
The chariots and their drivers were dead ahead, leaning on the palisade, bored. The charioteers over her and the party as they approached.
“That palisade will cause more flight impalements than it scares monsters,” Shale commented, glancing at the top of the wall, “And I'm not a great flyer. We're all getting a chariot, right?”
“Of course, of course,” Berry reassured her. After all, she'd be flying by chariot as well as all the other ponies that had to carry heavy stuff. There were only three others that weren't, including herself, and four could just about fit in one chariot, which was lucky, because she wasn't going to pay for another. “I’ll request four. Uh, go talk to Sweet, or something.”
Shale looked at her curiously. “Why?”
“She’s a hoot.” Berry brushed past her. How was she meant to tell a full-grown pony to be social, anyway?
She approached one of the charioteers, and he stretched, leaving the palisade and giving her a nod. “G'day, ma'am.”
“Hi. I want a four-chariot trip to the river a couple miles south. I'd also like for two of them t’ have return tickets tomorrow, at morning.”
“The river,” the charioteer repeated. “Why would you want a trip there? Apologies, but I'm not sure there's a safe landing spot for us to land, and we certainly haven't cleared one out.”
Berry huffed, “Tch, it won't be a hassle, honestly! How about if you drive your chariots out there for full price, see if there's a clearing, and if there is we pay an extra half the total?” Berry had certainly seen a few on her way to the colony, and she thought getting the stallion some travel experience would do him good to make quick work of later returns to the river.
The stallion looked over the party once more, and shrugged. “Seems good to me. Standing cost first. That'll be eighteen bits.”
Berry whispered the party details to the stallion before paying him, and he snapped the others into action. As they prepared, Berry turned toward her party to find Waterfall stretching a single hoof out at her, concerned.
“Uhh m, Miss Tail?” she spoke, “I don't mean to confuse you, but I and my fellows are going back today, not tomorrow. An easy mistake to make, I'm sure.”
Berry raised an eyebrow at her. “Hmm? No, I'm not mistaken. Those two are for us.”
“You... didn't pay for us? Those rides are expensive.”
Berry looked at her still curiously, and raised her bag of a hundred-fifty bits. “I agree. Would y' like me to pay from this instead?”
Waterfall frowned at the gesture. “You'll pay for us to travel out, but not to come back?”
Berry looked on sturdily, unconvinced by her plea. Waterfall eyed her with distrust, as if she were going to speak out, but decided not to. Berry was comfortable with the notion that they wouldn't sell another ten tents for a long while, not at fifteen bits apiece.
Waterfall fled to her colleagues. There was a small talk, from which she came back sighing heavily before she spoke. “ ... I suppose we'll fly back, then.”
~~
Getting seated took barely any time, hooking the chariots up with chests and tents too, and before long they were flying.
Spears of blues and whites flew past them as the chariots picked up speed. Berry, accompanied by Sweet and Shale, were far ahead of the fleet, and she directed the two chariot drivers to the approximate destination she wanted, shouting orders and pointing hooves while the drivers nodded back at her. Everfree had barely ever been charted, so a map at the ready was out of the question.
Berry heard Shale behind her mid-journey. “Hey! Berry?”
She turned expectantly. “Yeah?” she shouted back, against the wind.
Shale was lying at the back of the chariot, a hoof over the rear side as if she had been looking behind. “It looks like we've lost a couple of the chariots past that last cloud! Think we could slow down a bit?”
To show her response, Berry almost shook her head, then realised she would lose her beret and grasped onto it instinctively. “Nah. Don't worry! I told the two one-ways to go e-x-t-r-a slow, so they know where to go when they fly back!”
“You're a real... you're not very nice, you know that?” Shale shouted back.
Berry laughed. She remembered years ago when she insulted her employer, who promptly fired her the next morning. Shale was not as bold, it seemed.
“Just trying to help!” she replied, and glanced at Sweet, who said nothing, huddled in her seat with her own hooves wrapped around her for warmth. Satisfied with her compatriots, Berry turned back to the charioteers.
~~
It took minutes for them to arrive at the river, which had a surprisingly long and clear open space, perfect for landing away from the trees. Berry knew she had seen something like it on her arrival. In fact, both sides of the river as far as the eye could see was devoid of anything but mud, grass and multi-coloured flowers, at least for the first ten or so hooves away from the water. The only exception was a broke tree about half a mile away, fallen over shattered on the grass surrounding it.
On the whole the river was pretty, something Berry realised about seemingly all of Everfree. Caused by a lack of civilisation, most likely.
“Maybe when I'm far richer I'll keep a holiday place over at Pegas,” she proclaimed departing from the chariots. No one seemed to care, and she stared afterwards at Sweet, waiting for an answer. The sugar-white mare nodded in some kind of agreement.
Berry muttered, “You never fail to disappoint me, Sweet.” She waited for the other chariots to arrive. Once they did, she paid the chariot drivers the extra fee.
“Easy pay, right? We’ll be going over here pretty frequent over the next week or so. If we can keep being flown in here, I’ll keep payin’. Assuming we do it for a normal price next time.”
The driver whom she made the deal with spoke up, “That’s generous of you, Miss Tail, perfectly reasonable.” He looked around, nodding to himself. “Yeah… the landing ground here is surprisingly well suited for a landing spot. You picked a good one. We’ll be here for the pickup, then?”
“Exactly. We’ll be lookin’ forward to it tomorrow. Alicorns bless.”
“Same to you, ma’am.”
The driver walked over to the other charioteers. Berry parted too, and approached Waterfall as she was stepping out. “Marvellous day for camping, isn't it?” she said.
“Yes, I suppose. This is where you are staying for the night?”
Berry looked down the river. “Yeah, more flat than over there, less tree coverage than over that way... seems like a perfect spot. Y'don't mind setting them up for us, do y'?”
Waterfall frowned at her awkwardly. “Umm, yes...? I do. I think we've spent enough effort today, you should think.”
Berry perched a hoof on her shoulder. “C'mon, Waterfall. It won't take long.”
Waterfall brushed her hoof off. “Frankly I don't give a toss... and don’t touch me again. We are merchants, not slaves. I want my fifty as much as Willow and Brisk, and I think you ought to pay us now so we can leave.”
Berry scoffed. “Huh! Well, pfh… What's this about? You were fine back at Pegas.”
“Back at Pegasopolis, you didn't tell us a thing.”
Before she could continue, somepony interrupted. “Umm… excuse me?” said one of the charioteers, raising his voice.
“Yeah?” Berry asked, ignoring Waterfall to turn towards him.
“Um.... just wanted to say, we're leaving as soon as everything's off.” The tents and equipment were being hauled off as they spoke, with both the merchants and Berry's group assisting.
“Oh!” Berry said. “Don't worry 'bout it. Just remember for the two to come back here at morning, kay?”
“Two....hmmph,” murmured Waterfall under her breath.
“Uh... yeah,” the stallion said. “That’s all. Alicorns bless.” He walked to the back of his chariot.
Berry turned back to Waterfall, posing a sneer. “Didn't tell you a thing, eh...? Did I say anything about Ignitus?”
“What does this have to do with our deal?”
“Oh, nothing... just that little bit about him asking me to help, y'know, feed the entire colony,” Berry remarked, checking her hoof. “I'm sure he'd mind a lot about the one last chance of gaining food for the colony to be wasted on such a, well, trivial thing such as a lack of encampment. The idea that a common pony would dare refuse the colony's saviours, on account that their idle little hoovsies couldn't get up to build a tent...”
“Come on!” shouted one of the mares in Waterfall's company, shifting tents out of her chariot. “She’s just another of them snobby merchant types. Take her bloody bits and help these gits with their tents. No point arguin'.”
“I've heard your sales are through the roof as it is,” Berry added, grinning.
Waterfall spat. “Hold the bits,” which Berry did, taking the bag out of her coat. Waterfall snatched it, wore the cord of the bag around her neck, and sulked her way to the unbuilt tents lying on the ground.
~~
The mood was tense for the duration of the Waterfall’s stay. Sorting piece by piece on the grass, fitting poles together and attaching the cloth, standing them up and hammering the pegs, her party made them all. Shortly after the chariots had left, the merchants were done and gone. They walked into the darkness that coalesced with the forest surrounding, with nary a word spoken.
By dusk, Berry’s camp had finished their first orders. Fen had gathered some wood, and the others worked together and fixed up a crude farming plot. Berry told Juniper to start a campfire between some gathered rocks in the centre of camp, warding off creatures. She hadn’t brought the party any food to cook, the intention to buy breakfast at Pegas, so Berry left them to her tents and slept the night with no issue.
At morning she woke early. Feeling a need to get active, Berry got out of her tent. She walked to the chest marked by a crimson leaf, left near where the chariots were, and dragged it into the middle of camp. Afterwards she proceeded to enter Fanhorn's tent, waking him up as she entered.
“Wha... Oh, uh, miss Tail? That you?”
The stallion was under a blanket littered with crumbs. He tended to bring his own emergency food when he got peckish.
“Yeah. Do y' mind throwing over the keys for me?”
“Uh, sure,” he replied, and slowly got up, pointing at his rucksack. “It's in the back.”
She dug deep and found them— two shiny bronze keys with hardly a scratch. She took them, got up and whispered as she closed the curtains. “We'll move for breakfast in a bit, don't get too comfortable.”
She made her way back to the chest, unlocking it, and flipping the top over. Inside she unravelled a few layers of cloth, finally locating the prize; a basketful of colourful seeds, each with what looked like a faint glow emanating off the shell.
A noise caused her to turn, seeing the head of Nest poke out of her tent.
She waved at her. “Hey, come over. We're gonna start planting these.”
“Oh, uh… now, miss Tail?” She yawned. “Shouldn't we wait for everyone else?”
Berry shook her head. “That’s submissive talk. If we get this set up, we get to go sooner. Don't know about you, but I’d love t’ get out here as soon as possible.”
“Eh...” Nest took her time, but finally came out to help. Berry, not wanting her purple coat stained with filth, gathered the others to make short work of the planting before the chariots returned.
“Those seeds are our silver.” she said, sat on a stool next to the others in the pub, eating a hearty sweet potato souffle . “Now they're planted, we just have to wait. I bet, hmm... ten, fifteen days we have to stay here. Yeah, couple of weeks tops.”
She pointed a hoof at Fanhorn. “If you lead the making of the wall around it, it'll be done in half that. Nothing big... maybe half a tree's length for the palisade, about a third with the trees we see around here, so it'll keep the monsters out.”
“Your thinkin’ a bit optimistic if you think we can do that with six, well, five ponies,” Fanhorn said. He turned to Shale. “Hey buddy, you ever used a hacksaw before?”
Shale quivered. “I'm not really that sort of stallion.”
“Thought so.” He looked to the others in sequence.
“Nope.”
“Nuh-uh.”
“Yeah,” Sweet answered. “A year ago.”
It took him by surprise. “Huh, well.”
“Well what?” Berry chuckled. “You should talk more with the party, Fanny. I don't hire strangers so they can sit alone and look pretty. Sweet's a friend of a friend's daughter, and lived with donkeys for, well,” she grinned, “a while.”
“R’gardless,” Fanhorn said, “We need proper help to make someth’n that quick. From what I heard back at th’ colony, sounds like we’ll be hit well soon before that.”
“And you know what’ll happen when a couple manticores come trying to catch a meal?” Berry asked. “We’ll fight ‘em off. Pegasus are the hardest things in Equestria. There’s a reason we beat the horn-heads in the war. Manticores are what… lion-height? A couple of flying pegasus can kick the thing down, and they’re scared deathly of fire. It ain’t a problem.”
Fanhorn didn’t respond. Once they finished their meal, and had a while to buy things or do whatever else in the colony, Berry paid the flyers for another two-way trip to the camp, twelve bits.
Twenty-four bits later, as well additional food, tinderboxes, and a couple rolls of cloth for better mattresses, Berry saw the camp really start to build up. Fen and Sweet led efforts making the wall border both sides of the river. Shale kept care of the farming plot, which saw tiny stems arise that day.
With everything solved without her help, she spent third day documenting her work and dozing until she was interrupted by Shale, bursting through the tent and blinding her dark-loving eyes.
He was pale, like as if he saw a ghost. “Berry! We got a re-”
“Whaa-?” she shouted, regaining consciousness. She heard shouts and barking in the background. “In Tartarus are you doin’? Get somepony else to do it! Git!”
“No you really, really don't understand Berry. You need to get up now. We're under attack.”
Berry grimaced. “From the Everfree? Blaziers… fire torches, get ‘em, scare ‘em off. They’ll run faster than you c’n catch.”
“I, uh…. I don’t think that will work. At all. Really, it’s big, and I think Fanhorn already tried it.”
“Right... get to the equipment chest as quick as you can. Where is he, him ‘n and Sweet?”
“That isn't gonna work, Berry,” Shale insisted. “Fan says we need to get galloping. It's a hydra.”
Berry's felt her eyes go globelike, shifting away from him, thinking him mad. “A... h-hydra?”
“And so begins the second meeting of the, uh... let's keep it short.”
Once the terrifying creature had destroyed tents nearest to the river, the rest of the party, thankfully, were easy to locate and physically unharmed. Berry rejoined the rest of her party, and they hastened to the closest border of the forest.
The hydra, rightly renamed scylla by Fan for the several heads of dogs it contained, thrashed about uncontrollably. It obliterated the walls, the farming plot, and by the time they started the meeting, the scylla seemed to have got bored. It sunk into the river, disappearing under a bout of bubbles. The only inhabitants near the river were a group of what Berry assumed were Everfree breeds of hairy cow. She spied on them through the flames of a hastily crafted fire that she and the rest were sitting around.
“So, as a proficient leader and esteemed merchant, I know that our priority, right now, is to place blame... so why wasn't I told ANYTHING earlier?”
Nest glanced at Fan to her right, then at Sweet. “You two were closest when it happened.”
Sweet didn't respond, looking at the floor.
“Listen,” Fan started. “When I saw it rising out the waters, I shouted out. If you think I was supposed to fight it, you're dead wrong.”
“I'm pretty sure I told you as soon as possible, Berry,” Shale said. “There is nothing we could've done about it, really.”
“Not trying to change the conversation or anything,” Juniper added, “but who told us we shouldn't settle on the river?”
“I agree, let's not change the conversation,” said Berry quickly. “The thing is we, or I, didn't get any info whatsoever about a massive skill-thing rampaging through the river. The blame, clearly, goes to Pegas.”
“Yeah, I agree,” Fan remarked. “Folly on 'em for not figuring it out. Can we leave now?”
“I’m not a fan of big scary serpent-dogs either,” Nest added.
“Oh, we’re not leaving. Not til we get the bits.”
“Can we actually talk about what we need to do, then?” Shale asked.
“That's what I'm getting to,” Berry said. “The colony leaders Ignitus, Embers, and mayor Naphtha didn't do their job to research. My plan, foremost, is to get the army down here and sort this out.
“Now I know what you're thinking, but I know how to do this. The army ain't out of the question since I've got contacts, friends who'll help us out. They can get rid of the beasts for us, and we'll be able to get this farm back to what it is meant to be. Sure, it'll take a bit longer, but that doesn't mean it won't happen.”
Berry decided not to mention expenses. They weren't going to pay for it, obviously; the army pay, which she would no doubt be asked of, was her problem. She remembered the line from Embers, “Any payments you make in our name tax your profit.” It wasn’t something she liked thinking of.
If it turned out that sending a squad from Cloudsdale would cost too much, she could always change her tune. The expense still worried her, that and her seeds, which she would have to buy more of too. They weren't easy to get hold of, though her issue was not the time, but the money spent, the loans added onto her already fragile wealth... was it worth it?
“Permission to speak without you throwing whatever I say into the trash?” asked Shale.
“Don't count on it. Speak.”
“I think, personally, that we should cut our losses before they grow on us.” Berry half suspected her of mind reading. “This is ridiculous,” she continued. “...we're trying to provide food to a group that live nowhere near civilisation, fend monsters off every day, and their only resources are trees and a special sparkly rock. Was it ever going to work?”
“That 'special sparkly rock' is what bits are made of, Shale. And what about the half a year they've stood up so far?” Berry pointed out. “The Pegas lived on rations, true, and it probably won't support more than it has without closer imports, but hey, nopony's starved yet. They might if we don't help 'em, sure, and we might be out of a job too.”
Shale couldn't reply. Neither did anyone else, showing what she knew as dumbstruck faces. Berry thought odd that they didn’t reply, but took it as a victory, small as it may be. She began to get on her hooves, having sat for a while, saying “Well, good that's settled. Next order is to get back to Pegas, I'll send a letter, and-”
She bumped into someone as she got up. Fan was sitting right next to her. She turned around, “Oh, sorry, I didn't-”
The cow-like monster, bursting with muscles and far taller than her, looked at her just in front of where Fan should be. She saw them near the river, and assumed it walked over while she was unaware. Sweet was opposite her side of the fire, stood up, and leaning in a defensive pose, scuffing her hoof on the dirt.
Berry screamed, jumping a heartbeat while backing away from the beast. “What the? Uh...” She looked at Sweet and Juniper, who were staring back at her.
“Little help?”
“There's... more behind you,” uttered Sweet.
Berry looked behind her. She saw at least another dozen of varying sizes but similar colour, standing in a mismatched line.
The first one between her and Fan roared, drawing everyone's attention. He spoke into the fire, not looking at anypony in particular. “Wawipik, son of Pikkilo, is the chief you speak to now. Why, featherhooves, did you anger the riverdogs? Speak quick.”
“A-anger it?” Berry asked, shocked to find the beast was capable of speaking. She aimed to look tough against Wawipik, raising her muzzle. “It attacked our camp!”
Wawi arched his head back to her. “Foolish featherhoof, the riverdogs dwells in peace. She angers when those disrupt her, and only that way. This,” he raised a hoof at the destroyed remains of the river camp, “Angered her. She will be trouble for our travel across the river for three suns. Explain your reason.”
“A... uh, a farm. D'you understand what a farm is? Y-... you do eat plants, right?” She pointed at a bunch of daisies surrounded by long grass. “Flora?”
“We eat from the plains, yes. Continue.”
“Well, uh, we needed to farm. For our home nearby. It’s that simple, we just needed, and still need, to feed and water ourselves, as I'm sure you need too.” She stood up, donning a forced grin. “See? Really no threat to anypony. Now, if you’d mind stepping back to your friends…?”
“You will feed elsewhere. This is her land, not yours. She settled here first, just as we have settled on the other side of this lake, and the plains beyond. You will retreat to your shelters as your second punishment. Your first,” he said, his eyes rising just above eye level, “is your wear, so that you personally remember. I want your hat, and the rest.”
Berry blinked at him in disbelief. The purple velvet cost hundreds. “My clothes? You're... not serious, right? You want my coat? I'll freeze! Surely there's a better way. Maybe you want a talk with the colony mayor, straighten things out?”
“Your talk is pointless. I have made my decision, and you will follow it.”
“B-but...” she stuttered, walking back.
Wawi kept stepping closer as she did so, within breath-smelling range. It smelt of dung. “My tribe solves dispute with honourable combat. Some will call me too merciful for giving frail lambs a choice. Do you deny it?”
Berry’s eyes darted between Wawi and the other cow beasts. “Uh, I... please, this is ridiculous!” Wawi stepped closer.
“Berry,” Shale shouted. “Say no, please say no!”
“...No !” Wawi stopped moving toward her at the word, but towered above waiting. She halted too and gulped, her face painted red as she took of her hat, offering it to him. “...T-there, see? Is that what you want?”
He glanced at the floor and back up to her. “Other wear, too.”
She placed it on the floor, tortured that she had to dirty the beautiful cap. Next was her coat, which slid off as she lightly bit on to pull it down. Naked, she felt a horrible chill pass through her.
Wawi nodded to one of the others, whom she assumed was female, who bit onto the garments and slung them on her back, walking off to merge into the crowd with the purple velvet draped over her greasy, brownish hair. Berry winced.
Wawi narrowed his eyes at her. “I shall leave for now. So will you, forever. Warn those who live in the walled settlement close by... not one of you is born to live here. Do not expect the pleasantries of speak again. We will fight next time.”
The hulking masses of muscle turned, and left as abruptly as they entered.
~~
The way back to Pegas was awkward, with light concealed by the trees, and the roots tripping up those that didn't watch out.
“They ain't getting a single drop of that river,” Berry said, gritting teeth. “This means war.”
“Uh, I don't think that's a good idea, Berry,” Shale said. “Couldn’t we, you know, opt for a safer and less ‘fighting terrifying monsters’ approach?”
“No time for that. I'm going straight to high command with this, and we’ll sort ‘em out good. If they think they can soil my clothes, my status, they have another thing coming.”
Fan shrugged. “Eh... we're stayin’ for longer?”
“Oh yeah,” Berry replied. “ Wawi's gonna be my new hat.”
~~
Berry went to Advisor Ignitus first. He was the unofficial 'head' of Pegas who dealt with the rules and actions of the colony firsthoof, and was eager enough to talk with Berry as soon as he could.
“Ah.” The greying stallion stared at a pot of flowers in the middle of the table after Berry detailed the day's events. “It sounds like you encountered the local bison population. My condolences for your clothes.”
Berry was given some spare miner's cloth in the meantime. Itchy, disgusting things. “I may never see my clothes again, Lord Ignitus. They’re threatening t’ start up a fight. It's time you sent an army to deal with that kind of threat.”
“This encounter was the first we've had with the bison to date,” Ignitus said, stroking his beard. “It is strange to see a clearly intelligent society so against civilisation... but to answer you, Berry, I don't have an army. When you step outside, look around. Do your eyes catch a bastion of defence, held strong by spears and hoof alike? Not a chance, unless you're mad, blind, or both.”
“Then we'll send for one,” Berry stated.
“Damnation,” Ignitus spluttered, eyes narrow. “Do you understand the cost of what you are proposing?”
“D' you know the cost of Pegasopolis?” Berry replied. “Cuz I'm pretty sure a mountain of silver's worth more than a hundred soldiers' monthly wage. It's the only way we're gonna make this sustainable.”
“I had my thoughts that we had enough bloodshed from the war. I didn't chance a single thought that a merchant, of all of us, would be the one to renew it.”
The door to the meeting room opened, drawing their attentions. The doorpony entered the room and spoke.
“Sorry for interrupting my lord. Ma'am, Lady Naptha wishes to talk to you.”
Berry glanced at Ignitus. “You don't get 'em to bow, huh?”
He sighed, a hoof firmly on his cheek. “We make them pay respects in their job, not pointless gestures,” he muttered. “Hasten yourself to join the mayor. Give me some time to think this disaster over. Go on, leave.”
“Alright,” Berry said standing up. “But before I go, I ask to remember what you're risking, my lord. If the Crystal Empire lost their mountains, they'd have nothing to trade. Canterlot owns the unicorn range, Manehatten has tonnes of iron-bearing rock under it's wing. Cloudsdale has... clouds, and ‘til we learn how to mine them, we're pretty broke.”
Berry left the stallion in what she assumed was deep thought, letting the doorpony lead the way outside of the town hall.
“So, uh, where do meetings take place if the meeting hall is occupied?” Berry asked.
The mare chuckled. “Where else? Over a saucer of Pastur's finest cider, no doubt.”
She'd noticed the new delivery of food from the excess of boxes and barrels near the chariot hub, but no pony seemed at the least interested. Common knowledge told her that the food was rationed, so she presumed that Ignitus kept everyone's suppers lean to make it last. Unfortunately, no new cups had been ordered. Berry let the doorpony leave as she entered the pub, finding her way to Naptha's table. The mare was younger than her sister, and had a lighter complexion. Rather than a drink, she had a clay statue in front of her.
She spoke as Berry sat down. “I heard you were having a meeting with Ignitus.”
“My lady, I’ve just come back. There are only five ponies on the planet that could've told you. May I ask who it was?”
Naptha looked at her plainly. “None, actually. This little beauty told me.”
On closer inspection, the statue resembled a cactus, with the spines drawn out to merge with an arch surrounding it. Berry was confused by her statement. “Excuse me, your highness?”
“This fine thing was brought to me by one of the mares posted on the walls. She said it was left by a group of bison, not long ago. Though I haven't seen one personally, I've heard stories that those tribes send these sorts of things as a message, to forewarn danger.” She looked down at the statue. “She told me she saw your party enter the colony just before the bison arrived. After that, I was finding you. The leader, from what I’ve been told.”
“Sounds like a scary omen. We'd better get prepared for the fight.”
Naptha looked at her curiously. “I agree to do something, but not the way you are. If you are thinking that we should send for spear forces, you are dead wrong.”
Berry thought to laugh at her, but knew better. She had the feelings that the mare was new to her station, and she deserved to be given benefit of the doubt. “My lady, there ain't a strong enough military presence in the colony. If this statue presents danger, then how d'you think you're going to defend against them?”
“With information. We do not know how large our enemy is to begin with.”
“That information won't do anything by itself, and it's all the better to keep ourselves safe with soldiers,” Berry said. “Besides, I saw close to twenty or so at the river. You said yourself that you’ve heard stories of these... bison. I bet there’s plenty more.”
“But this is the point I am trying make, Berrytail, merchant of Hibernia; we don't know much about them, really not enough to make a safe judgement. I know more about you from a brief introduction than I do them… my understanding is that they eat the same as us, and they live in tribes. That is all...” Naptha eyed her. “But it says a lot, doesn't it?”
“You're saying that if they eat like us, they must have something to eat.” She shook her head instinctively. “I get it, your highness, but I don't know if it's really in our best interests, nor theirs. I think that whole 'foreseeing danger' thing is evidence enough, don't you?”
“I think it is evidence that they have no reason to like us yet. I think there is plenty of reason to see that it is in our best interests, seeing as the miners need food. Not only that, but I think sending troops over would cause more problems than it would solve. I do not want unicorns to think we are starting a war again, do I?”
“The horn-heads are too far from here to see a peep, if y'don't believe me, ask somepony here.” She gestured to the other tables. “It's... all good to think about making friends, your highness, but this is frankly ridicu— in the end it's the choice of Ignitus, and myself. He'll judge what's the better choice, and, no offense, but I know my trade, and I know what's best for a trader. Seems like he does too.”
“Now,” Naphtha said firmly, raising a hoof. “While Ignitus sent the letter, he does not hold the key to your pay. Though he does most of the work, and I thank him for it, he appointed me as mayor. I'll tell him when I'm right and he'll obey. He's obliged to do so. You'll do what I say, and I'm telling you not to hire and additional soldiers, to protect you, the colony, or anyone else as long as you stay.”
Berry felt sudden anger course through her. “So the letter was a lie to begin with?”
“Your job, as of now, is to gain food for the colony without using violence. Would you prefer not to do it? I agree that you had your fair share, angering the local tribes and that... we could always find somepony else, and I could oversee your time in jail for disruption of peace in that provoking river scheme of yours.”
“I see how it is,” Berry said. “I'll do the job. But y'haven't made this easy on me or your colony, your highness. You’ll be the one they look to when we’re driven out of Pegas by a bunch of monsters.”
“Very good.” The mare waved a hoof at her. “You may leave now.”
~~
Berry despised being given rules to work her job, especially by somepony who'd never made a bit in her life, she bet. It wasn't worth it to go back to Ignitus. He wasn't even calling the shots anymore; no, her job was decided for her, and now she had to stick to it like a fly on a web. Arguing further would be pointless. She almost felt similar to Fan, wanting the job to end.
But there was pay. Maybe. Naphtha seemed to hint that it was still a possibility. No, of course she'd be paid. Ignitus was a stallion of his word, and even if Naphtha was to deny her, Ignitus would overrule her if he deemed it wrong.
But to deem it wrong, she needed him on her side. Suddenly it was worth seeing Ignitus.
Berry hopped along to town hall, and pushed open the meeting room door. He was there still, and looked up as she rejoined.
“So you've had some time to think, huh?”
Ignitus grumbled. “Yes... your proposal is expensive, but may, perhaps, defend us better from the monsters, and not only your friends in the river. I assume you shall try to make me pay for it, correct?”
“No, actually... the plan was that I did.” She knew he wouldn’t agree to it any other way.
Ignitus perked up. “Humph. Very well then, I suppose there's no reason to stop you.”
Berry sighed. “Precisely... Out of curiosity, you wouldn't happen to know anything about Bison culture, would'ya?”
“No, of course not. I suppose the lady wants to know?”
“Well....” she petered off. “Not exactly. There has been a change of plans, though. Mayor Naphtha happens to like 'em.”
“Oh?”
“Yeah. She pleaded for them to be saved when the soldiers come. Naturally, I knew it couldn't work. The bison are the ones provoking us, after all, and they've a habit of taking things they don't own. Now, I thought to myself: why upset the poor mayor mare?” She started talking sidelong to the mayor. “And then, I figured it out. Why send soldiers at all? The river was my first mistake, not the bison. Turns out, the bison are our solution... and I need to know all about 'em, anything you have.”
Berry turned back to Ignitus. His posture was ambivalent, and she couldn't work out if he'd seen through her lie.
Ignitus huffed. “My knowledge is the best you'll get, and all I can tell you is they live in the great plains to the south. Nopony gives a rabbit's whiskers about the bison here. They hardly know them, after all. Sounds like you need a book from the great library.”
Berry perked up, excited by the words. “Great library, you say? Heh, and I thought I'd seen everything there was to offer here.”
He scrunched his mouth. “You have. It's in Maredon, a city to the west of here.”
Berry's heart plummeted. She swore the words were familiar, and they were, the Great Library of Maredon, a prize wonder of the unicorns. Getting in there as a pegasus after the war was hard enough, but trying to buy a book about bison, who just so happened to border the land your queen took in a peace deal? It was impossible to negotiate a price.
“There's gotta be another place.”
Ignitus shrugged, his hooves facing up. “How should I know? I've heard next to nothing about these bison tribes but that they like purple velvet. The horn-heads try to keep up a presence of knowledge half the time, and that library would be your best bet. You could try zebra territory, perhaps.”
“Y'know three words I learnt from travelling in zebra territory? Dehydration, giant scorpions. No... I think Maredon's the only chance I'm gonna get, and it's probably the only place that's written the book I need.”
“It's a shame I don't know anymore, really,” Ignitus said. “I was meant to explore the bison lands.”
Berry's eyebrow rose. “How’d that turn out?”
“Back when the war was fully undergo. I was an explorer, a scout for the army. There was a big plot of land beneath Canterlot-owned territory on the world map, and my team was told to explore it. We split up, covering more ground, me taking the short straw deep into the middle of Everfree. When I found our silver mountain, I reported back as quick as I could. Now I own the mountain, fancy that.”
She smirked. “Y' aren't the type to let an opportunity pass.”
“No, I suppose not,” Ignitus said. He looked towards the door.
Berry noticed, and got up from her chair. “It shows. I'll have that book in no time, m'lord. Y' can bet on me to get this over n'done.”
“I hope so,” he replied, looking back at her. He was going to speak, but stopped himself, pausing awkwardly for a moment.
“The river cost us enough time already,” Ignitus muttered. “Stay safe.”
The basement floor of the pub was dripping wet, and reeked of earthy mould. It was something of rarity; walled with stone, it was the closest thing to home like her own cider cellar. She didn’t drink profusely, it wasn’t her style, but a cautiously growing supply for get-togethers made her that much more favoured over her competition. It also tasted pretty good.
Berry was clawing through her personal chest, the one she kept hidden. It wasn't brimming with bits anymore. It held enough bits to keep her healthy, but she had to be wary on how she spent it. No luxury lunches 'til she got paid; that had been her duty for at least a week. For herself, anyway.
Turning around, Berry walked out of her rented room, climbed up the staircase and out of the building.
“Juni!” she exclaimed having found her, wrapping a hoof around the mare's neck. “Y'said she'd be coming today, huh? Want something nice from the lettuce stand? Ooh, I heard the new fruits arrived, too. How about some?”
Juniper waved her hoof at her. “I'm flattered, really! I don’t think we should do it today, though. Not today. Your extra rations have got me an eye or two from the one in admin. I think she hates me.”
Berry chuckled. Embers would hardly hate her, she doesn’t seem the type. Not sure about those miners, though.
She tried to push her luck, hoping for a chance to buy that cider. “Her? Nah... but you're probably right. I mean, if you think it's not worth it.”
“More food is always worth it... or it is, mostly. Yeah, I think I’m fine for eating today. I don't have a clue how you can cope, sharing all this food with me.”
Oh glorious luck, she thought, and smiled back at Juniper. “Oh, I’m fine. We're friends, right?”
Juniper smiled back. “Of course. Well, I'd go so far to say you made this tolerable, even if we have been stuck here for the past few days! Waiting for ma's a right pain in the flank. Ma's always been slow.”
“They always are. Heh, I'll go check out the fruits, then. See ya!”
“G'bye Berry,” Juniper said.
Berry let off a sigh of relief as they parted ways. The last day. It's okay, you can do it. Her patience was wearing thin, but the reward! Oh, it would save so much time and money. All she had to do was endure Juniper's friendship.
It was difficult. Shortly after her forage into the fruit stalls she had popped half the cider, while Juniper walked up and sat beside her. She started chatting away about the beauty of Everfree, or something. Rather than try to suffer a two-way conversation, Berry decided to keep her quiet.
“Y’wanna go do some of that sightseeing you’re always askin’ for?”
“Do I ever? Of course!”
She paid for a single chariot, touring as far as their fliers would dare. Juniper, at least, was eager to go. The charioteers weren’t. “It's dangerous so close to Maredon, and the border-forts,” one told them. “A skilled magician can ground a chariot in seconds.”
“A buddy of mine,” Berry started, finally finding a talking point she could appreciate, “he's a jute merchant just north of Canterlot. Same thing happened to him during the war, and he didn't get out of jail for a year or so. They did it to anypony that'd be a benefit for the Republic should they let 'em go.
“Y'can guarantee I was dead scared hearing that. I'd been all over the place, alicorn's know how I dodged 'em.”
The fliers either couldn't or didn’t respond, having turned their backs on her to focus moving their vehicle. Juniper was still looking over the side, awed by whatever it was she liked so much. It felt to Berry that every action Juniper did was in stark contrast to hers, just to be annoying; and if that were the case, she did a damn good job at it. Berry sat disgruntled in the back until they got back to colony dirt, after which Juniper praised her for joining her on the trip, and Berry headed to the pub as quickly as possible.
The original plan to drown in more drink was stifled at the door. Berry had sight of an older pony, of similar colour, but a darker shade to Juniper’s, and sitting exactly where Juniper’s Ma was meaning to. The older pony sat with crossed legs on her chair, picking dirt out of one of her rear hooves.
“Ma!” Juniper exclaimed, apparently having followed suit. “Look, she's on the far side.”
Berry lightened up as she confirmed it. She couldn't help but grin, that her torture was almost over. “So she is. Wanna join me?”
“Of course. I haven't seen her in weeks!”
Berry presented her hoof ahead of them. “You first.”
“Me? What for?” Juniper rose a mocking grin. “You aren't nervous, are you?”
“I wouldn't let 'ya waste lovely family bonding over some petty job, right?”
Juniper beamed at her, and raced towards the table. When the two met, her mother looked up, and Juniper lurched over half the table to wrap her mother in hooves, dragging her head and shoulders in for a hug. The mother showed restraint at her gesture, but it could just have easily been shock, and eagerly returned the embrace with a squeezing hug of her own soon after. “It's good to see you so energetic,” the older pony said. She shifted her legs off her chair with difficulty, trying not to bump into the mare on top of her. “How's... the work?”
“Oh, it's boooring! Well, I say that. We've been waiting out here for days, but it was a mad reason, you'll never believe it. A scylla attacked us.”
Berry could only just make out the mother's brow peaking, an inch above the hulking, hugging mass of Juniper. “Scylla? The... beast with heads of dogs, and the body of a ...serpent?”
Juniper ended the hug, and slunk on a nearby chair. She flung a hoof playfully. “Don’t worry. Nobody died, I don’t think.”
The mother shook her head, now able to move freely. “I'd call you a bad liar if it weren't for where we are. Tartarus be damned the Everfree's a dangerous place, from what I've heard of it. But it looks like you're safe and well, and I only have one pony to thank.”
Juniper gestured at her as Berry walked towards them. “And here she is.”
Berry nodded. “It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Miss.”
She nodded, and leaned onto the table. “And yours mine, Berrytail. Call me Pepper.” Her eyes narrowed. “Certainly, you couldn't have picked a better place for my young mare to stay.”
Berry could tell that this mare was someone she knew, but wasn't sure where from. “Well, heh, hmm... Sure is a lovely view.”
Juniper briskly nodded. “We went sightseeing this morning, ma. You wouldn't believe what it looks like, those mountains, like a quill drew a straight line all the way to the forest. There's a waterfall too, beautiful like the rainbow falls back home.”
Thank the alicorns for you, Juni .
Pepper appeared unfazed. “Is that so? I'll have to check them out sometime quick, before a scylla attacks me.”
“We could check them out tomorrow, if you like,” Juniper said.
Pepper smirked. “As nice as that sounds, I'll have to decline. Many other jobs to be done, you can imagine. My line of work has taken habit of hiring the best.” She paused, looking at Berry’s dull miner clothes, and directed a sidelong glance at her. “Fashion's a bit stale over here in Everfree, merchant?”
Berry glanced briefly at her own clothing. Brown, weathered, torn at the holes. She blushed. “Yeah, I'm sure... how 'bout we talk about the job? Get this all cleared up from the get-go.”
“Of course,” Pepper said, turning to her daughter. “Juni, I'll be just a second. That okay?”
“Sure, of course, Ma.”
Juniper smiled at both of them and got off her chair. Berry saw Pepper watching as she left the pub, the thumps on the dirt quickly drowned out by casual patron-talk.
“Why'd you get her out?” Berry asked. “It's not like we need to make this private.”
“I get her to stay away from my working life,” Pepper said, still watching the door. “Something about a mother who steals for a living doesn't seem like the best example.”
“No, I s'pose not. Your choice, though.”
Pepper scowled at her, and hushed her voice. “I wouldn't expect any less of a response from you, Berrytail, merchant of Hibernia. How did you lose your wear? I assume you had something better than a sack to wear, unless, well...” she looked into her eyes curiously. “You're not into one of those Griffon sects, are you?”
Berry looked at her oddly. “‘Scuse me?”
Pepper shook her head. “...You know, nevermind. You're probably one of those types who does all they can for the sake of bits, their clothes included.”
Berry eyed her carefully. “If y’ must know, they were stolen.”
“Better me than them,” Pepper chuckled. “What's this stealing job then? That's all I've heard about you so far. Well, that and my daughter.” She adopted her most sincere look. “Thanks for keeping her... pleasant. It's coincidence that we both have met, what with her making her own living and that, and it seems like she’s fine.”
Berry was pleased to see Pepper’s temper had started to better. “The job's as simple as you get. I need a book from the Maredon library, specifically one about bison culture.”
She saw Pepper's eyes light up at ‘book’. “Some light reading for you?” she asked. “What a strange request. You know, I can't read myself.”
“You can’t read? Or y’can’t read yourself ?”
Pepper glared. “That’s a stupid question.”
Berry shrugged. “Sorry, thought we were on the same boat there. You started out insulting me, then y’started thanking me. Weird stuff.” Pepper didn’t respond. “Uhm anyway, yeah, it’s a weird one alright. It's good pay, too. Three hundred bits.”
Pepper scoffed. “A thousand for the book.”
“ 'Scuse me?”
“That's what I want. No less. You should know the thieves rate.”
Berry couldn’t believe her ears, it coming from somepony who seemed to be a professional. “The thieves rate is nothing but a rumour, a breezytale for paranoid shopkeepers... I'm not owing you ten times the rate 'til you give me ten books, n' that's the only reason.”
“I bet scyllas were breezytales to you,” Pepper said, smiling. “There's truth to some breezytales.
“Listen Berrytail, you've dragged me out here. You want a thief? You'll pay for a thief. I don't mind catching up with my daughter and leaving in the morning if that's what you want. I'm sure you can find some sneak in an alleyway to do your dirty work, but don't expect her to be reliable. She'll probably ask for the same fee too... and you'll be back where you started.”
“And what about your own reliability?” Berry snarled. “How’re you better than anypony else ‘round here?”
Pepper grinned like she'd heard a joke. “Because I'm old, Berrytail. You know many cutpurses that live to forty six?” She paused, glancing at the door. Berry looked over too, seeing nothing but the slightly-opened woodweave door.
“No normal featherbrain knows a Scylla without seeing one. You know how I know? Years ago, I was told to steal a statue from some wealthy Canterlot house with the name and features. They'd hardly heard a peep before I disappeared, and I did it in broad daylight.”
“Bet you didn't ask them to pay ten times the price,” Berry remarked.
“Well, of course. Exotic items such as a golden statue are a bit hard to price, and chances are the recipient wants to make some sort of profit. Books are easy to price, even if they're costly for somepony like yourself.”
“Ridiculous's a better word,” Berry muttered, doubtful of her prices. The mare was talented enough to sound professional, at the least. “You're thinking I'm made of bits. We have to compromise on a better price. Maybe... seven times? That gives you enough for months and more.”
Pepper glared at her. “Are you trying to insult me?”
“I’m trying to pay you a reasonable price. Tartarus, I’m lying. Even seven times ain’t reasonable. I’m trying my best to be pleasant, Pepper, but you’re the unreasonable one.”
The older mare had gone back to looking unfazed. “Not for me. Ten times is what I’m asking for, and ten times is what I’ll get if you want me to do this. This deal is over unless you make yourself reasonable, which I'm starting to think is impossible. I should have known it from the start. Ignorant merchants that know nothing about paying their fees.”
Berry couldn’t believe the irony of a thief saying a merchant, of all ponies, couldn’t pay their fees. “You’ve got to give me somethin’ to feed myself ‘round these parts. Eight times, then.”
Pepper got off of her chair. “I'm leaving to find my daughter.”
As Pepper started walking out. Berry made to get her back. She was one of her last options, maybe the last. “I've been paying her well, y'know? Ugh.... Can't y'see what I've done for you? Negotiate a little! C'mon... anything less than a thousand?”
Pepper looked back, smiling at her. “You merchants, you're all pathetic, aren't you?”
Berry found herself starved of smart ways to draw her back. Unless if force her. She shouted out. “Hey! That daughter of your’s gonna be in deep trouble with a horde of what they call ‘bison’ around here. Without that book, ponies ‘round here won’t have a job to pay them. The colony’ll be abandoned, or they’ll all starve.”
Berry looked to that barkeep. “Y’hear that? This mare, the one standing by those doors, is the one way you’ll be keeping your job ‘round here! In fact, all of you! And she’s walkin’ out!”
Silence reigned through the pub. Pepper stood frozen by the door. Ponies glanced at her, then Berry.
The barkeep muttered something under her breath, and walked out from behind the bar towards her. Berry watched her, anticipating the fallout.
The barkeep put her arm of the back of Berry’s mane, and wrapped it around to the front of her neck. She spoke sternly, “Right. I asked y’ the last time, you’re going out.” She held on tight, pressing hard Berry’s airpipe.
“Cah.. What ?” Berry tried to halt, attempting to grip free of the mare’s hoof, but the barkeep was crushingly strong. She was being dragged. “Bu… but your jobs. Your last hope to keep-”
The mare kept walking her out. “I told you I’d throw you out. We’re very good thank you, without none of you’re mishap. Don’t come again.”
~~
“Tch… ha! You made my week.”
Berry grunted. Her neck hurt, and she’d been flung face-first into mud. She lied on her belly, face out, and trying to avoid eye-contact with some grinning watchers. Will I still have my room? I better still have my room.
“You’re a… hmm, convincing mare, Berrytail. How about this? I'll cut it down fifty bits, provided you can pay me.”
Berry sighed remorsefully at the petty cut, but she couldn't think of getting better from the stuck-up mare. Said stuck-up mare would laugh at her if she tried. “I can pay you once you've done the job. Only then.”
“Of course, of course... I can do that.” She stuck her hoof out. Berry grabbed hold of it, bringing herself up. Flakes of mud flew off in the breeze, and other larger chunks plopped down. “Provided you drive the chariot to Maredon. Be seeing you.”
She walked out, leaving Berry fuming. “'Drive the chariot to Maredon... pff.” She stomped over to the main building, got herself refitted, and began waiting for the barkeep to calm down, drinking a new lemon cider at the side of the main path through Pegas. She reminisced back to the days when she didn't have to deal with terrifying monsters and ridiculously expensive thieves on a day-to-day basis.
~~
Both parties had formally agreed, albeit disgruntled, to the job. A few hours before their trip, Berry asked to use the meeting room, alone.
The entry was granted by Embers, who sat in the small reception room at the front of the building consisting of a desk made of used ration crates. “It looks about time,” Embers remarked. “Before you ask, I'd recommend Marietta's Wardrobe in Manehatten. Everypony knows it, and you won't be disappointed.”
“Thanks for the advice, but I'm not writing to buy new clothes. I ain't giving up on those overgrown cow-thieves yet, wherever they are.”
“Suit yourself. Don’t worry about your room, by the way. The mayor herself sorted that one out.”
That didn’t sound right to her at all. “She… helped me?”
Embers nodded apprehensively, her ears falling. “Well, yes, you’re helping my sister out directly. Why would you think otherwise?”
“Nevermind.”
“What's the letter for?”
The meeting room was the only place in the colony where there was a stock of parchment. When meetings were over, the only colonists who entered the room were those who wanted to write home.
With that in mind, Berry glanced over at Embers. “It's important stuff. Home stuff.”
Embers looked curiously at her. “Home stuff? Huh... well, better get on with it. The messengers stop taking requests at noon. And I know how long it takes some ponies to write a letter home. Make sure not to hog all the parchment.”
Berry walked to the room, and took a sheet of parchment and a quill when she got there. With quill in teeth she wrote the request neatly for military assistance, of any kind, to the highest representative she could think of. The one that came to mind was named Rodellia Weaver, the high-ranking mare in charge of a fort in Cloudsdale. “Huh...” I supplied her soldiers at Lake Neighagra with a big cut, gambling she'd pay it off later. If there's anypony I know, she's the one that's closest to Lancer's lances, and maybe she'll return the favour.
Having finished writing, she walked out of town hall without attracting attention, her letter sealed and hidden in a purse strapped to her side. She headed to the mail area near the chariots. She posted the letter, giving specific details on who to give it to with the mailpony.
~~
“And you're still sure you want me to drive the chariot? Positive?”
Pepper chuckled. “You're one of the few merchants I know who’s got a funnybone, Berry. Now go on, get the ropes and fasten them tight. I'm sure neither of us want you breaking off and me plummeting to earth.”
Berry looked over that chariot, only imagining how heavy it would be for her. If only donkeys had wings. Berry glanced at Pepper. Oh, right.
She checked the ropes attached to the front of the massive vehicle. “This is my first time, Pepper. This ain't as worth it as you may think when you're bumping this way an' that.”
“Oh, don't be so coy,” she replied. Berry heard the hoofsteps on wood boards behind her. “The turbulence is meagre unless you go really fast. Trust me, I've made enough speedy escapes to know as much.” Two more stomps on the wood. “It's a sturdy thing too. The Cloudsdale military make great balance in their chariots, and this is certainly one of 'em, you can tell by the patterns of columns, air-races and the like. I'm seen much worse.”
Berry thought she'd tied it right, but the knot frustratingly came loose on the left
steel rod. She cursed under her breath, having to tie it up again. She heard Pepper. “So, I saw you a mare out not too long ago. What was that about?”
“Nothing you need to know,” Berry muttered, forcing the rope to overlap with varying success. She looked up. “Were you spyin’ on me?”
“Merchants aren't the only folk who know everything they aren't supposed to. But no, I was just curious. If I were spying, I'd get somepony else to do it. Oh, if my vision was what i' t'were...”
“If it was what it was, y'might have gone off with your pay the instant y'heard about it. Don't think I don't know you're type.” The rope finally got into place, and she gave it a couple of hard tugs to make sure.
“Oh, don't be so sure I haven't.”
Berry looked up at Pepper, with her hooves lazily perched on the back of a seat in front of her. They met eyes. “Excuse me?”
Pepper grinned. “Come now. You really think I'd help you if I had the money? Besides, you're paying my daughter. Why would I steal from you?”
Berry grunted. She didn’t want to be thrown in mud again. “Whatever you say.” She turned her back on Pepper.
The take-off was the part she feared second-most. She had seen others do it before of course, but doing it herself was a whole other issue. The thought of how ridiculous the situation was, her compromising a lift to thief of all ponies, stuck strongly in her mind. She decided to stay silent, lest she provoke Pepper to cancel the job, and tried to pull all her focus into the task, pulling a weighty box off the earth, by herself.
They'd picked out the smallest they could find, a two-seater, but even that seemed like a monumental task. By herself she'd only worry about lifting herself off the floor. A few minutes of tough wingwork and failures, and she managed to launch off the ground, steering far away from the wall on her right and the tents everywhere else.
The ropes around her dug tightly into her chest and shoulders as she flew higher, and the colony steadily left her view, replaced by trees and vertical mountains. She was distraught, exhausting herself from the effort of a great heavy burden behind her, and the wind caught her throat. She gathered a few short breaths before giving a great sneeze, obscuring her sight for a moment.
“We're higher than trees,” Pepper barked at her through the wind. “Level out, you should be able to steer better at this altitude. And for alicorn's sake, long, same-length flaps. Match it with your breathing, oh, and slow your breathing. I don't want you wearing out half-way.”
Berry only realised it when she said it, remembering the charioteers who guided her party to the river. They looked a lot calmer and cooler than she did, she bet, but they had been practising their skill for years, rather than making fortunes. She slowed her flaps, levelling out as Pepper suggested. She was still aiming a bit higher to avoid the trees she thought were a bit too close for comfort. Berry tried shouting it out to Pepper, but the constant intake of wind, and hyperventilation from the exerted effort prevented her.
Before long, she gave a split glance below, checking if she was far enough above the trees. The very sight of her distance from the ground struck her with pangs of fear. She sped up and stopped looking down for the remainder of the trip.
The sensation of pain from the ropes numbed until her only thoughts were about flying, the risks of not flying, and the orders Pepper told her. She drove herself into a state of half-consciousness, feeling herself ebb away bit by bit, the only sounds from the mare behind her and her own breaths, the only things existing being the treeline and herself, and a growing ache that came from where the ropes once were and through the bones of her wings. She couldn't tell how long it had been since she started.
There was something new, something in the distance, a silvery white in contrast to the greens and greens and blues and aches that were her world. She could hear herself panting ever louder, and then she heard a voice. “Descend.”
~~
She laid sprawled out on the floor, eyes closed, mouth wide and panting. I did it. It’s done. We’re through. The grass never felt so good, but that didn't stop everything from hurting.
The smarmy voice spoke from above her. “How was your first chariot-ride, Berry?”
She opened an eye. Of course it was Pepper. She'd seen her yesterday, and... she was on the chariot, wasn't she? Of course she was... Pepper made her do it. The feeling of spite engulfed her like a loved one rejoined. “Never... agai...”
Pepper laughed. “You know, I've never seen a pegasus quite so unfit as yourself.”
“Yeah, pretty sure I'll be taking us on the return ride if I want a thousand bits from a live mare.”
