Author's Note

So I did it! I wrote a thing! Now we see the aftermath of the siege of Ponyville. What will our great heros find? Time to find out!

Village Pillager

Trixie and Loreane were tired. After fleeing Ponyville they doubled back after the battle ended to see if they could find any survivors. That and they had no supplies to make a trip anywhere across Equestria. They had little food for four, especially two growing fillies. Loreane said it was too dangerous to go back, that and she knew the Abyss Watchers were thurough. They wouldn’t have left anyone alive. If they did it would be a miracle. But necessity overrode the risk in this case. They could forage off the land and survive but for the fillies sake, and Silver Spoons belly aching, the group decided they needed supplies anyway.

So the group doubled back to Ponyville making good time with a quick trot. Babs walked by their side with her warhammer ready but poor Silver Spoon didn’t want to see the carriage and death so she remained inside the wagon. As they traversed the streets of Ponyville they found nothing but death. Trixie and Babs saw no sign of the Abyss watchers that had fallen in battle, only ponies.

They found a few ponies they knew but most were faces they never seen before. It was devastation all around. Houses were burned to the ground, bodies littered the streets, and for the first time, Trixie, Babs, and Silver all smelled death.

Babs was barely able to look at the bodies as they traversed Ponyville, feeling a sick sensation in her stomach. She saw a few of her fellow classmates on the ground. Cheerilee even. The filly knelt down by the fallen teacher and touched her face. The mare's face was ice cold yet the soft silky feel of her fur remained.

Cheerilee’s back had several arrows in it, from what the group could gather was she shielded the children with herself to protect them. It made Silver sad, Babs knew Miss Cheerilee valued her appearance greatly always taking tentative care of her fur and mane. Babs always thought she was very pretty, but she would openly sacrifice everything for her student’s.

“She was one of a kind.” Babs whispered nuzzling the mare with Silver.

Babs then thought about the foals beside the mare. It was obvious she tried to protect them, but some simply didn’t have adequate protection. After all, Cheerilee was only one pony and there was at least ten foals around her. She just couldn’t protect them all. Seeing many of the foals missing gave Babs hope that some made it to the last train before it left, the few Cheerilee could protect. Babs scolded herself for being so weak, she wished she was here to save them, she wished she was stronger.

Babs felt her eyes brim with tears, and tried to wipe them away.

A shadow loomed over her. She quickly wiped her eyes and looked up to see Loreane looking down at her while Trixie unhitched her wagon and left it parked in a nearby alley. Silver Spoon peered out a window and saw Cheerilee and gasped. She then rushed into the wagon and out the door and ran beside Babs, dropping beside the teacher pony.

Loreane watched as did Trixie as the grey filly broke down on the spot at the sight of her classmates and Cheerilee. Babs tried to hold the filly to comfort her, but Silver Spoon screamed and pushed her away.

Babs gave a hurt expression as Silver clung to their former teacher. Trixie sat beside Babs and hugged the filly, while Loreane knelt by Silver’s side.

“Little one, don’t fret over the loss of your friends,” She said softly to the filly.

Silver sniffed trying to clear her nose so she could speak clearly. Her vision was a complete blur with tears, even with the aid of her glasses, she tried wiping them away.

“Why? Why wouldn't I mourn their loss?!” Silver asked alarmed by Lorraine's words.

Calmy, the Fire Keeper reached for Cheerilee and stroked the white and pink mane, speaking softly to Silver as she did.

“Tis not in life we reach eternity, Silver,” Loreane said. “Tis death. When all die they go to a happy place where men, ponies, and all other creatures go and play all day long. There is no war. No suffering. Only happiness and joy.”

Silver looked up at the human hopefully.

“Really?”

Loreane nodded smiling at the little filly. She then gave a gesture to Babs who was now talking with Trixie. The two were talking about taking supplies for the road. Babs then quickly ran off and disappeared around a corner into the town. The sound of shattering glass was heard moments after.

Trixie smiled proudly at Babs but then realized Loreane and Silver Spoon were giving her dirty looks.

“What? The towns abandoned. It’s not like they’re going to use this stuff,” Trixie shrugged.

Loreane scoffed crossing her arms, giving Trixie a stern look.

“Trixie, it’s not about usage or even the fact these poor souls have passed away. It the principle,” Loreane scolded Trixie.

“Oh, what? So, Trixie should just leave all the perfectly good food go to waste?” Trixie firmly stood in place glaring at Loreane. “That Trixie should just, I don’t know, let all the useful items and supplies go to waste and be pillaged by some creep looking to make a few easy bits off the poor town? Yes, it’s a bit cynical even cruel maybe, but Trixie will honor those who passed on.”

Trixie turned to break into a small convenience store when Loreans words made her pause.

“You say that now Trixie, but remember a habit only needs a person, or pony to start before that one time becomes habitual. Tread carefully and don’t let greed get it’s hold of you,” Loreane warned the unicron.

Trixie silently nodded and went into a store and gathered several supplies for a long travel. She loaded food, metals, tools, and other necessities. These plus whatever Babs brought back surely would be enough to keep them going for a long while.

When she returned Babs was loading two crate full of supplies into the wagon quickly. She kept glancing around like she was expecting to see something out of the shadows. Occasionally there would be a sound of something falling but those were few and far between.

While Trixie and Babs collected supplies Silver Spoon walked around with Loreane to see if her family was anywhere to be found. They made a quick trip to the Silver Mansion where the gates were still sealed. Trixie told them to be careful and to call for help if anything came up and Loreane agreed to this with Silver Spoon.

Before they got far Babs grabbed hold of Silver Spoon and gave her katana to her. Silver regarded the sword with a melancholic look, then looke dinto Babs eyes, the filly smiled at her encouragingly.

“Take it with you. Use it to defend yourself if you must,” Babs said drawing the sword.

Babs then showed Silver the curved blades edge and placed it up against her nose to look down the blade.

“This Silver, is the sharp edge of the sword. It will only cut with this side and not the other. If you want to use the blunt edge remember you’ll have to beat whatever it is you’re fighting to submission,” Babs warned her slipping the blade back in the sheath, with a distinct *clink!*.

“I’ll remember that. Thanks Babs,” Silver said hugging the apple filly.

Silver then walked over to Trixie and hugged her too before departing towards her home in a zombie like fashion. Trixie and Loreane hugged and Trixie looked over at Silver Spoon.

“Stay safe, and keep her safe too, alright?” Trixie asked.

Loreane gave Trixie a confident smile and a weak thumbs up. Trixie grinned and began loading more supplies in her wagon with Babs as Loreane and Silver disappeared around a building. The two walked through Ponyville neither saying a word, for different reasons.

Silver was feeling rather lifeless, hoping her family was alright. Seeing the way things were she wasn’t feeling confident that her family would be alright. Loreane on the other hand was watching out for anything that might be drawn to this town's scent of death.

The mansion was massive in scale. Silver always boasted her family mansion was bigger than Diamonds. She really hoped that her friend made it out of town when all heck broke loose. She hoped her family was alright as well.

She opened the gate and walked slowly inside. The Fire Keeper stayed close behind the grey filly as she closed in on the main entry way. Loreane kept an open eye out for anything that might be a danger to them. Since everything that happened she was sure there would be trouble close by after so much death.

They passed by a large fountain which had a centerpiece of three ponies, Silver spoon, an unicorn, and pegasus, all mares reaching out with one hoof as water shot out of the hooves into the fountain base below.

Silver Spoon ignored the fountain and made her way towards the main doors which were closed surprisingly. Silver Spoon pushed open the doors with ease, they weren’t locked, and slowly walked into her home.

It was silent.

So silent.

It made Silver feel uneasy. Sure she lived in the mansion almost by herself it felt, but there were always sounds around. Ponies hooves clopping as they walked, voices from outside or down a hall somewhere, now there was nothing but the wind.

Silver cringed as she look down the empty halls at the threshold of her home. There was nopony home. No bodies either which made Silver’s heart beat faster. *Perhaps they all made it out alive.* Silver thought walking down the left hall and began an extensive search through the mansion with Loreane right behind her.

Silver Spoon walked through the hallway that was lined with portraits of several ponies in the Silver family. The oldest were first. The Silver family went back four generations it seemed to Loreane, based off the dates of the portraits. As they walked down the hall, the light from the moon shined through the windows, their bared frames cast dark shadows ver many of the portraits. This gave the false image that the ponies in the portraits were behind dark bars of some dark metaphorical prison.

It was sad to see. It made Silver Spoons ear droop against her skull. She then went to the other end of the hall past a fine dressed stallion earth pony, and beside his portrait was a pegasus mare in a fine silk dress with beautifully curled blonde hair.

Beside her portrait was another unicorn mare who was also grey and had amber eyes and long silver hair. Each of them looked happy in their portraits. Silver walked past them and down towards the end where a portrait of herself and the two other ponies from the fountain flanked hers side by side.

The first said, “Platinum Spoon, First daughter of Silver Collom”. She was a unicorn, dark grey and silver hair that was short and spiky. Unlike all the other portraits this unicorn, Platinum, was looking at the viewer with a cocky grin the whole time. Loreane thought it must have hurt othold her face like that for so long as to have your portrait painted.

Next in the line was Silver Spoon, the young metalic grey fill with her blue glasses, and perfectly braided silver hair. She wore her pearl necklace and had a warm smile on her face. She was a perfect little filly Loreane thought looking the painting over.

She then looked over at the next and last portrait which read, “Aurora Silver Second Daughter to Silver Collom”. Aurora was a pegasus. She had long silver hair and short spiky bangs. Unlike the others she held an item in her hooves rather than wearing something fancy. In her arms was an impressive greatbow with a single arrow allighting with the bow string and rested on Auroras cheek.

Loreane felt uneasy as Silver Spoon passed by each of them but paid no heed to them. Loreane thought the filly was really hoping her family wasn’t here now. Surely the fact the house was 100 percent intact showed it was a good sign.

Loreane walked up behind Silver Spoon and scoop her up from under her belly. Silver squirmed like a cat but quickly succumbed to the Fire Keeper’s gentle touch as she hugged the woman melting in her arms.

“Feel better little one?” Loreane asked Silver Spoon.

The grey filly nodded with more energy than she had when the first came in. A small smile crept on her lips.

“Yeah, thanks.”

Putting the filly back down Loreane and Silver continued to search the house, when suddenly there was a loud thud from one of the rooms. Followed by a loud sound of glass breaking. Silver bolted towards the sound leaving Loreane behind calling for the filly as she ran.

Silver Spoon rounded corner left, then right and right again before coming to the room she was looking for. She saw the door was slightly ajar with the moonlight flowing through it. There was a sound of rustling inside and a few grunt here and there from a low voice.

“Ah, such a fine bow indeed,” The voice said with a hint of greed to it. “Should fetch a fine price along with this the rest of my finds.”

Silver glanced through the cracked door to see another human. His clothes were tattered and dirty. He was on his knees and held Aurora's bow in his hand with a firm grip above his head. He wore a tattered thrall hat that was white dirty and longer than his own body, in contrast to his dirty blue tattered shorts and shirt and his simple shoes.

“Yes, this is a fine prize indeed!”

Suddenly the door behind him burst open and revealed Silver Spoon charging him with Babs blacksteel katana overhead ready to strike him down with righteous fury.

“Let my sister’s bow go you thief!!”

*Elsewhere in Ponyville*

He lurked in the darkness.

It what he was good at. He was a pillager of villager and villagers alike. A testament to the poor and wretched souls of the world. He always found great riches and made a profit for those he felt needed it or who had the souls and currency to do so.

True, souls were the currency of lords and undead, but gold paid just as well as souls for mortals. Especially ponies and griffins. He knew this as he lurked through the darkness, scurrying on his hand and feet like a common animal.

He always found the best wares in the aftermath of an invasion. As luck would have it he was passing by heading back to the badlands when the scent of death and cries of souls drew him here. Now, he saw only souls and money in the town once known as Ponyville.

A profit to be made easy, he claimed as he entered the town.

There were many valuables he found. Fine silk, gems from a former dress store called ‘Carousel Boutique, a rare luxury commodity called zap apple jam (easily thirty bits per jar he could carry), and many expensive pieces of jewelry and a wealth of books and tomes from the Castle of Friendship. He knew he was in for a big payday soon.

As he made his way through Ponyville he was drawn by the magnificent sight of two neighboring mansions. He soon came to realize they belonged to the Rich and Silver families. Powerful wealthy families in Ponyville, and true to their lavish homes, inside were priceless items jewelry and fine dining wares.

He pillaged the panries for foods, the rooms for boots and shoes, jewelry again and perhaps his greatest find a Diamond Tiara from a filly who was clearly a resident of the first mansion he found, due to large portraits of herself and family he’d found in the streets of Ponyville earlier.

As her went through the Silver Mansion he had to pick her way into the home. The windows were all barred and the doors too strong even for him to break. So, he went back to the try and true method of a hair pin and lock picked the doors open.

A small task for himself, after all all the best items were usually kept under lock and key. Though he was surprised by how simplistic the looks got as time went on. Earth ponies were such simple creatures and needed simple things, if a bit lavish for his tastes.

Opening the door he slowly crept inside on all fours like a common animal. His thrall hat cringing in every direction as he took in his surroundings. It was indeed a great find this mansion was, and he congratulated himself internally as he crept through scanning for anything of value. Of course everything in this house was expensive and over priced for what it was, but he could easily turn a profit with his many disguises. What he was looking for was something of great value for his, ‘selective clientele’.

He began to pick things as he went. Silverware, fine china, a couple of bottles of wine, tonics, and to his surprise a special tonie blessed by the gods themselves stored away with common wines like it was worthless. This would definitely make him a profit.

He took the the blessed bottle and slipped it into his knapsack and scurried out of the cellar and through the house. He then came upon a hall decorated with elaborate portraits of previous and current homeowners. He went down and looked at each portrait as he scurried on the floor. Each portrait told its own story. Some Good some bad, but all ended with wealth for the next generation was entitled to. It made him sick to his stomach to see this long line of family and the wealth they felt entitled to. Sure The first ones were seeking their fortunes more than likely, but he held only a slight resentment to those down the line. Until he came upon the portrait of a one Aurora Spoon.

This pony was a gem among the family of royalty rich snobs and elites alike. She was an archer and a proud one. Though she herself was modest, her bow was a work of art. It was a rare treasure that he didn’t see for nearly ten thousand years.

It was a finely craft dragonrider greatbow, a fancy one too. Unlike the smaller dragonrider bows, this one was easily the size an average human at nearly six feet tall. This pony by the look of the portrait was easily a giant among the ponies, a rarity for a pegasus.

Under his thrall hat, a smile crept on the man's face as he sought this rare treasure. Surely such a thing would be in some elaborate display case. He searched high and low, low and high, high and low, until he had nearly searched every room on the first floor and all the cellars and basements, ten in all. *Why are there so many basements in this mansion?* He wondered as he opened yet another door entering a fine little library. Like the rest of the house he was met with lavish velvet rugs, large velvet drapes over the windows, and finely decorated aged oak bookcases with all assortment of tomes, books, and scrolls.

Unlike others he found in this mansion this one had the prize he sought. In the center of two large bookcases was a single weapon rack. On full open display was the prize he sought. The Dragonraider greatbow. He reached for it and lifted the bow up in his pale hands.
He fell to his knees and looked at the bow with a smile under his hood.

“Ah, such a fine bow indeed,” He said with a hint of greed to his voice. “Should fetch a fine price along with this the rest of my finds.”

He let his hands slide over the bow shaft and gently caressed it. He felt the engravings on the dragonbone, which the bow was made form. It was a very old bow, aged by thousands of years, and to his trained eye, refurbished several times over.

“Yes, this is a fine prize indeed!”

Suddenly the door behind him burst open and revealed Silver Spoon charging him with Babs blacksteel katana overhead ready to strike him down with righteous fury.

“Let my sister’s bow go you thief!!”

He barely had enough time to register in his brain what was going on when the blade suddenly stopped but an inch from his neck.

He was staring at this blade made of fine steel. It was the steel of the Iron Keep and the Alonne Knights of lod. A blacksteel katana. He’d hoped that one day he’d see such a fine beauty of a weapon up lose but never this close.

Suddenly he looked at the holder of the blade, a small grey filly who he recognized from the portraits earlier, her hooves held the katana shakily trying to strike him down, but was held back by a pair of equally powerful hands. Human hands. This surprised him greatly to see human hands holding the filly back, and had his hood been removed all would have seen the shocked look on his face when he looked to see whose hands they were.

“Ah… Fire keeper. It’s been so long. I thought you were dead,” He said.

Lorena gently rubbed Silver SPoons shoulders, calming her greatly. Silver sheathed the sword and looked up at her with a frown.

“You know this creep, Loreane?” She asked the Fire Keeper.

“Yes, he’s an old friend of mine,” She ne to the man who was now sitting cross legged. “Silver Spoon this is Greirat, thief and merchant of many talents.”

“Oh, you’re making me blush,” Greirat said to the woman.

“That being a moot point,” Loreane said in a scolding tone to Greirat. “Can’t you part with it? This bow?”

Greirat tapped his chin thinking it over. He then set the bow before him and pulled out a little diamond encrusted tiara and held it up. Silver Spoons eyes went wide at it.

“I guess I could part with it, though a bow of this vintage and type is really rare to find in such good condition,” He then looked at the tiara again. “Then again, a diamond encrusted tiara made from the purest silver will be easier to sell, even if the bow would turn a heftier profit.”

“NO!!”

Both Greirat and Loreane looked to see Silver Spoon tear ridden eyes glaring at them both.

“That tiara was made by me! It was a gift for my childhood friend!!” She tried grabbing the tiara but Greirat held it out of her reach as Loreane took hold of the angry filly. “ANd that bow is my sisters! A creep like you has no right to take them!!”

As Loreane tried to calm Silver Spoon down Greirat sighed under his hood. He then placed the tiara on the floor beside the bow and spoke softly to the filly, still in Lorene's arms.

“I see. Well, it is of no use to your friend little one,” He said with little empathy in his voice. “Was your friend a tiny pink, kinda chubby earth pony. Tiara cutie mark, light purple and with swirl hair and tail? If it is, I’m afraid she’s dead.”

Silver heard the words the man spoke. It rang in her ears like a taunt that would never go away. It was as if the world was conspiring against her and Diamond for all their past sins against their fellow ponies. Again Silver began to tear up and buried her face into Loreanes breast sobbing into her. The woman glared down at Greirat who shrugged.

“What? It's the truth.”

“Greirat…” Loreane shook her head petting Silver Spoon. “She was a sheltered filly like most ponies in the world. It was cruel of you to say such a thing to a child.”

“Yet, here we are among a town of death,” He pasued pointing to Loreane. “Wait, you’re suppose to be dead. How are you alive?”

“Not important. What is, is what we’re going to do about this.” Loeane said gesturing to the bow and tiara. “Surely you can part with these trinkets in exchange for whatever else you can carry from this fillies home?”

Greirat didn’t even miss a beat before saying, “No. I will only part with one or the other.”

Loreane gave the man a pleading look. “Please Greirat, will you not do this one act of charity for a wretched soul who’s lost her family and friends?”

“No.” Greirat replied simply. “But, if you were to buy it I can give you a reasonable price. For our friendship of course.”

Loreane frowned at the man, but his logic wasn't unwarranted. He just simply saw things as they were. The dead had no claim to their worldly possessions, but that still gave him no right to take from this filly what little she had left. Though they had nothing left and there was no bartering with the notorious thief and pillager. She looked at Silver Spoon and after a lengthy conversation t=with the filly it came down to a simple choice. Would she keep her family heirloom bow or the item of her greatest friendship she ever had?

What should Silver Spoon keep?

A. Diamond Tiara’s ‘Tiara’

B. Keep her sister’s Dragonrider Greatbow

C. Kill Greirat, he’s a greedy bastard anyway (Loreane will probably be pissed off though)