The Facade of Borders

Chapters

The Beginning
New Faces
The Adventure Begins
Witches
Lady Luck
Love Sucks

The Beginning

Government. A staple of all society. A requirement to even be considered civil. Most social living organism manage to create some sort of government for themselves. It keeps creatures safe and builds a strong community. The problem with government is that it corrupts much too easily.

Coltsenia was a relatively small country a few hundred miles from the west coast of Equestria. The land was divided into five sections for the five main classes: nobles, servants, fabricators (blacksmiths, tailors, etc.), farmers, and miners. The nobles lived in large, luxurious stone castles, surrounded by the homes of their servants. The fabricators were the most educated besides the nobles, and lived in small cities around the castles, since the nobles were usually who they served. The farmers lived some distance away from the castles, and closer to the coasts of the country. The minors had it the worst. If taxes could not be paid, and there wasn’t any need for a new castle servant, ponies would be sent to the mines to work off their debt. It was harsh, and they usually lived in cramped huts with only just enough room to sleep for the night. The mines were deadly and unstable, claiming many lives over the years. Many of its workers were hopeless and barely alive.

However, one particular young miner was quite the opposite. A tall teenager with a warm grey-brown coat, paired with a cool grey mane and shining orange eyes, along with a black heart with a flame above it on her flank. Bright Burst was full of life and energy. She worked hard, too, yet almost never brought up anything of use. She brought up a lot of loose rubble full of rocks for her little sister, Lit Wick, to play with. She was too young to mine yet, so she stayed in their little hut all day. At least, that’s what she told her supervisors. In reality, she was making weapons for a rebellion, and she was almost done.

Lit Wick stirred in her sleep at the candles flickered a little too brightly for her. Bright pet her sister’s mane softly. “Shh… I’m almost done, sis. Then we’ll be safe.” She smiled as she used some wax to finish sealing the heart-shaped clay shell. She twisted the slightly frayed twine fuse coming out of the top. “This’ll do. It has to.” She sighed a bit. She curled around her small sister protectively as she waited for her cue.

Hours passed before there was a tapping on the wall. Tap. Tap tap. A pause. Ta-tap. A smile crept across her dust covered face. The door to her living quarters slowly creaked open, and a stallion entered. He was huge. Bulky and tall, with a buzzed mane and a bit of scruff on his stern face. He’d seem terrifying to anyone who didn’t know him. His silver mane and coat seemed almost glowing in the candlelight. Bright jumped to her hooves and hurried to embrace the goliath. “Heya, Chef!” She chirped softly. “I just finished. Are we ready to go?”

“The wagon is up front. Lit Wick can sleep there while you complete your mission.” He moved further in and slowly picked up the younger, sleeping filly. “She’s light. We’ll get her fed.”

Bright nodded and hurried out, taking the clay heart and hurrying out the door, holding the door open for Chef to leave with her sister. There was a wag waiting just past the guard, who had fallen asleep. Carefully, the group made it over to the wagon. Bright slipped under the cloth cover and nestled herself into the hay that was hidden underneath. Chef carefully handed Lit Wick over to her so she could hide her as well. With both fillies safely hidden away, Chef could begin their journey to the center of the country.

~*~

“Sugar!” A loud voice filled the castle. The marble floors and stone walls made any noise echo throughout the entire floor. The throne room was especially good at amplifying sound, since it was mostly empty. Heavy brown hooves tapped harshly against the tiles. The rhythmic pattern was interrupted by quicker, daintier steps.

“I’m sorry, sir. I got here as fast as I could but Pumpkin--” The fraile sounding voice was cut off.

“Oh, yes, your filthy little child is keeping you from your duties once again. I’ve no idea why we didn’t have the damn thing tossed out right away, but I assure you if this happens again, I won’t hesitate to make up for that mistake.” The owner of the first voice towered over the owner of the soft voice. He was tall, and rather robust. Clearly well fed. His brown fur was slick and without a single tuft out of place. His violet mane was in the same condition. It was mostly short, and came down to a curl at his snout. It was to the right of his horn, as to not obscure it in any way.

Coltsenia had no alicorns, and a very large earth pony population. Although earth ponies have their own magic, the magic of unicorns and pegasi was much more apparent, and advantageous when it came to proving whose in charge. This lead to any unicorns and pegasi being deemed nobles. In the entire country, there are maybe 20-30 unicorns and pegasi, and about 10 who are actually in charge. The cutiemark of a golden crown on the brown unicorn’s flank told exactly what his role was in this system.

The meek, pale-pink mare gulped. “Yes, sir. I understand. It won’t happen again.” Her head bowed down and her legs were slightly bent to make herself seem smaller compared to him, despite being almost as tall. “What can I do for you?”

“Well, I’m glad you finally asked. I’m dreadfully bored.” He smirked. The mare stared blankly, not sure what to do. “Let me rephrase. You’re going to entertain me.”

A burnt orange and brown stallion entered the room. “Ah. Sugar is here. I just wanted to make sure, since she was feeding our child. I came to see if I could help you at all.” The stallion glared.

“No one needs you here right now, Cinnamon.” The king responded, using his magic to pull Sugar closer to himself. Cinnamon stepped closer. However, a shattered window took everyone’s attention. There was something lit on the floor, It was heart-shaped, and had a shortening fuse. All three ponies jumped up but before anyone could exit the room, the heart burst into a deafening boom and roaring fire. The entire throne room and all its contents were absolutely demolished. Nothing survived.

An orange filly a few floors down shrieked and hid under a table. “Thunder!” She shouted. The maid watching her knew that it couldn’t have been thunder. It was too loud.

“Okay, Pumpkin, come with Auntie Tea Time. We’ve got to go now.” The pastel pink mare scooped up the filly. “We have to go pack.” She smiled a bit. She knew this day would come soon, but she had hoped her friends wouldn’t have had to perish along with the king. Sacrifices were made by everyone, though, and stopping now would make their deaths a waste.

Author's Note

Hope you enjoyed chapter one! Any advice? Let me know!

New Faces

The tall, poofy-haired teenage watched from the ground as the throne room burst into flames. She smiled at her work, scurrying off before anyone came to investigate.

“The mission was a success! No one could’ve survived.” She beamed proudly.

“No one. Including Mr. Spice and Ms. Beet.” The silver stallion frowned down at Bright. “I was informed on the radio that they were in the room, right by the king when it happened.” His voice was cold and quiet. It made Bright’s ears fold down in shame.

“I didn’t know, and if I’d waited any longer, I could’ve been caught!” Her voice cracked a little. She knew they were supposed to be part of their team, and that they had a child.

“I’m not upset with you, Little Burst, I’m just…” He trailed off and sighed. “I’m sad. They were good friends. And poor Pumpkin, must be terrified.”

“Yeah. Having your parents blown up isn’t exactly ideal.” She mumbled. Her parents had died in a mining accident, where one of the lanterns broke in a rather combustible section of cavern. “Listen, we’ve all made sacrifices and there’s nothing we can do!” Bright huffed and hauled herself back into the wagon. There was a beat-up radio with a microphone waiting for her. “Attention dock crew, gathering others. Give us a 3. We’ve felled the giant successfully.”

As she spoke, Chef hooked himself onto the wagon and started for the small houses that laid in front of the castle. “Anyone there is who’s going. We can’t wait for stragglers.” His voice was cold and quiet. It only took about half an hour to trot to the huts. Ponies were waiting outside.

Among those who were waiting was Tea Time, the pink maid who left with Pumpkin. She was a bit chubby, and had a mane that swirled nicely above her eyes and tucked into a nice bun just below her ears. Her warm brown eyes were kind and could soothe any soul, including that of the filly she held in one arm.

Pumpkin was a skinny young filly, just learning how to speak. Her palette was clearly the inspiration for her name, as she had an orange coat and green mane, with green eyes to match. She was quiet while in Tea Time’s arms, unable to understand the situation. Next to Tea Time was a grey mare with a slightly swollen belly and a blue mane. Her magenta eyes looked around for the cart through the veil of cigarette smoke she was blowing out. Beside her was a kind looking stallion. He had a red coat and an almost black mane. The two were very close, and the stallion kept glancing at the mare’s stomach.

There were other ponies and other wagons, all waiting for their leader to arrive. As Chef trotted up, they wasted no time getting everyone and their things crammed into the wagons. As soon as it seemed there were no loose ponies, Chef lead his parade of slaves away from their prisons. He had traveled the route many times and needed no map to lead them to freedom, he just had to be sure they made it in time.

Days would go by and he would not stop. The other wagons would change driver, but Chef kept marching on. He was quiet and never complained, and didn’t even look like he needed to rest. Bright would often have to convince him to slow down to get him fed. They went on routes between towns and cities, avoiding as much contact as possible. Eventually, however, they would see their destination. The sea sparkled like the hopeful eyes of many of the travelers, and huge boat stood waiting to welcome them.

“Remember, we will spend months aboard the ship and we will have one stop in the Pine Islands. We cannot stop anywhere else, for there is nowhere else. If you cannot make it, then do everyone else a favor and stay behind.” Chef was stern, making sure to clearly get his point across. “Midnight, you said you have about four months, right?”

The grey mare let out a thick cloud of smoke. “Yes, sir. I should make it to shore.” She smiled a bit as her stallion rubbed her belly.

“I think we’re set, then. All aboard!” Chef shouted. He stood to the side and watched as pony after pony dragged their hungry bodies onto the ship. “Just a few more months, everypony. You can do it.” His voice was low, and no one heard. He knew they knew, though, and didn’t need to be reminded.

After everyone had boarded, he noticed one pony was missing. “Bright?” He looked around. She was still huddled in a pile of hay.

“I don’t know if I can do it. I…” She shook her head and sighed. “I don’t want to be the one to go mad, you know? I’ve never been sailing.”

“Neither has anyone else, Bright. You’ll be fine.”

“And what if I’m not, huh? What if I go crazy and you have to throw me overboard and I drown and die a horrible death and the last thing you remember about me is how I went crazy and you had to kill me?!” She was shaking and put her hooves over her face as she started to cry. “I don’t want to die!”

“Bright, stop! You are brave and smart. You are the last person I expect to go mad. I think of you as my second in command. I need you there if something happens to me. Plus, who would take care of Lit Wick? She needs you, Little Burst. I need you.” He slowly moved her hooves away and looked into her eyes to assure her that he was being nothing but honest.

“You promise, Chef?”

He nodded. Bright smiled. She knew it meant just as much as his word. He gently held her hoof as she jumped down from the wagon. Before she could board, he picked a few straws from her big, tangled mane. She giggled and grinned at him before running aboard to join her sister. Chef smiled to himself as he followed her in.

The ship was crowded as everyone huddled between boxes down in the hull. Sleeping became the new regular activity, as the time seemed to pass much faster, and hunger pains seemed to grow slower. Their one stop lasted only hours before once again the sea rocked the travelers unevenly and spontaneously. Seasickness spread to most at some point, but most recovered within a few days. It felt as if they would never arrive, until one day they felt the rocking and swaying halt, and a crew member came down.

“We’ve arrived. Or at least, you have. Rest of us got a few more miles ‘til the docks, but you won’t get found out here.” He laughed a little as he lead a weary parade of pale and shaky ponies up to the deck and down into the beach. The sand was warm, but the air was cold. It felt much like home to them.

Stronger ponies began hauling a few of the boxes into the sand while Chef did a body count.

“12, 13, 14… I think I counted wrong. There’s two more ponies than we left with. We have little Eris…”

Midnight Heart slowly stepped forward. “She joined us a bit earlier than I expected.” She smiled as she cradled a tiny foal in her arms.

“That’s still one extra pony.” He looked around. His eyes locked on a small white mare with a pink mane that perfectly matched the color of Tea Time’s. “You.”

She squeaked and looked around. “Me?”

“Yes. Where do you come from?”

“Oh, you know...around. I’m uh… just a neighbor…” Her coat started to turn a light shade of pink. Not just her cheeks. Her entire coat.

“I knew it! You chamiliae have always been tricky. Couldn’t live with your own tricky species, huh?” Chef stared down at the little pony.

“N-Not at all! I just wanted to travel..!”

“Travel on your own supplies, you leech, we only brought enough for us. And if you think we’ll house you as well, you are sorely mistaken.” The other ponies watched on as Chef scolded the shivering mare.

“I-I ate my own food on the boat, I promise! And I was planning on—“

“Leave. These ponies have enough struggles looking after their own. We got you here and now you can go and live somewhere else, but not here.” He snorted a bit. The mare nodded slowly and started to walk away. The other ponies muttered quietly amongst themselves. Satisfied with his work, Chef turned and went to board the ship again.

“Where are you going?” Bright ran up him, almost panicked.

“I have a job waiting elsewhere, Bright. I’ve got to go.”

“And leave me and Wick? We don’t know these ponies.”

“They’re good ponies, Little Burst, you’ll be okay. Besides, I don’t want you to stay long. You should head north, there’s a little town. You can use it to find a train station. Take you and your sister into the city and find an orphanage, get adopted by a rich Equestrian couple. These ponies, they’re too old-fashioned to join Equestria right now. You, however, can handle it.”

“I don’t want to go to an orphanage! They won’t let me stay, anyways, I’m nearly full grown. I want to stay with you.” She looked down and kicked at the sand.

“I can’t take care of you. Go, do what I say. Tell them you are 16 and must stay with your sister. They will understand. Life here in Equestria is good and I can promise you’ll enjoy it.” He smiled and slowly embraced Bright Burst. She held onto him tight.

“I trust you.” She murmured as he slowly let go. She watched as he disappeared into the group of crew members preparing to disembark once more, leaving the Coltsenians left on the shore to start their new lives in Equestria.

~*~

The little color-shifting mare sighed and mumbled to herself as she ventured into the nearby forest. “What’s his deal? All I did was hitch a ride. Not like I was hurting anything. Oh well! At least there are no wolves in Equestria.” She giggled to herself. She shifted shades to a much earthier green to allow herself to blend into the surrounding foliage.

“Oh, Echo, we’re going to have such a great time. Once I find a place to live, I’ll make plenty of friends. Home is great and all but I need adventure!” She rambled on about her plans to have the most friends any Chamilia had ever had. “Tricky species, huh? More like friendly! I’m sure he didn’t mean it.” She sighed. The day soon turned to night, and Echo found that her own voice didn’t keep nearly as good of company as she thought. She was rather lonely as she curled up in her freshly made nest of ferns. “Goodnight, Echo…” She said, but there was no reply.

Author's Note

Sorry it took so long! I tried to finish before school started, but I hit a wall at some point and didn't know how to continue.

The Adventure Begins

Not all that wander are lost, but Echo sure was. She had gotten up early to continue trekking through the wood. She, of course, was lost physically. That didn't matter to her, though. She was too lost in thought. She hoped her family didn't miss her too much. She had left in quite the hurry, after all, and chamilia families are very close. However, their definition of family differs from most ponies’.

Chamilia live in small groups with maybe 25 ponies at the most. Echo’s family had 15. She knew everyone's name, their family, their occupation, and so on. Then again, there isn't that much to remember when nothing happens outside your family’s plot of land. Everyone worked in their little clearing in the dense forests of the Pine Islands.

Some jobs included herding Woolwillows (colorful and fluffy chihuahua-sized sheeplike creatures), tilling the land, planting seeds, tending to the crops, and Echo’s job: watching the young ones. She loved to make the little ones laugh. It was hard for her to decide to leave. She can't forget the talk she had with Dove, the elder.

“I think I want to leave with the next boat.” She stated firmly and confidently.

“Oh? Alright, well I heard one might come soon, so you'll need to tell the foals.” She shifted in her uncomfortable wool-covered wooden chair. Chamilia were known to be very against materialism.

“W-Wait...what? I didn't think it'd be so soon. I could wait, but it could be a while before another ship comes by!”

“Echo, I know you. If you wait, you'll never leave. That begs the question, then, how bad do you really want this? If you leave, it could be years until you return, if ever.”

Of course she'd return! Dove was just old and cranky. So Echo left. She said goodbye to all the the foals and all her friends and snuck aboard the ship. That was a rather easy task. Chamilia, along with their clear fur that acts like prisms to change their color, have a small bit of magic to change their appearance. She would look taller, and a bit more colorful than her white-on-white normal self. She mimicked the mane of a rather pretty pink pony she saw also board the ship. Her plan worked perfectly until she was found out and exiled.

“Those Coltsenians are pretty rude, huh, Echo?” She mumbled to herself. Using a slightly different voice, she responded, “They sure are! But we'll find our way out of this. We have to, or else we'll never go home!”

“But… So what if we don't?”

“That's a good point, Echo. What if we don't?”

“Well…” She hesitated. “Well then we won't see anyone from home.”

“But you already said your goodbyes!”

“Okay, Echo, you're not helping anymore. Goodbye.” She huffed and shook her head, as if she was shaking away the ghost of her other self.

She remained quiet as she made her way through the woods.

~*~

Several tents sat neatly on the beach as simple huts were being constructed behind them. All was quiet besides the sound of the waves and a crying foal. Her crying mixed with the bright red sunrise told everyone in the camp that it was time to wake up. Phoenix took it upon himself to do the headcount as sore and sleepy bodies inched out of their temporary homes.

“Where are Bright Burst and Lit Wick?” He asked. Tired eyes glanced around camp. Even their tent was gone… and a small wagon.

“Must’ve left early.” One mare mentioned. They all knew Chef’s plan for them, but had expected them to at least say goodbye.

“Well, that was their choice. We need to get started, who knows how cold it will get.” Everyone agreed, and Phoenix began delegating tasks. It was hard work, especially for only 10 ponies, but Phoenix knew they would soon be joined my more escapees. This group was only the initiates of a massive movement for freedom.

~*~

It was just before sunrise when Bright Burst left with her sister. She didn’t care about anyone else in the camp. There was no reason to. They were only names and faces she could recognize. None of them had helped her, except Chef.The plan was simple. Get deep into Equestria, find an orphanage, get adopted by a rich Equestrian family that would take her and her sister.

“Sissy, I’m hungry.” A sleepy filly whined from under the canvas of the tent.

“I know, Wick, but we gotta keep moving, You wanna find a home, don’t you?”

“Why did we leave everyone?”

“They’re not ready for Equestria like we are. Shut up and go back to sleep.” Bright Burst loved her sister, of course, but she needed some peace and quiet. She looked down at her compass and sighed. ‘Chef better be right about this town…’ she thought to herself. ‘A bucking map would’ve been nice.’

The walk was long, but easy. There was a thin trail that lead them through the forest, though it was hard to get the wagon through at times. The pine trees towered over them, but it somehow felt safe. Bright had been worried about feeling homesick, but everything about Equestria was so welcoming, it reminded Bright of the myth of the Lotus Eaters. The trees around them began to grow sparser, and more spread out. The pine covered ground began to show small sprigs of soft, green grass. Bright felt her heart pound faster as they slowly left the trees behind. Up ahead, The now setting sun softly illuminated a town. No, not a town...a city. It was a small city, but the biggest one Bright had ever seen.

“We’re almost there, Wick!” Bright’s short legs were sore, but she found just enough strength to run into the city, taking only a brief moment to notice the sign, “WELCOME TO TALLTALE.”

Of course, Bright could only stumble her way through speaking in Ponish, and couldn’t understand what the sign said. She trotted her way into the city, past bustling mares and stallions, too busy to pay her any mind. She looked around for anyone who might be able to help her. She walked up and down streets filled with the sound of busy hoof steps and music she had never heard before. It was loud, and fun, and seemed to have a mind of it’s own that begged you to dance with the notes.

“H-Hallo!” She called out to a mare. She stopped and looked at her.

“Listen, kiddo, I don’t got any change and I’m already late for my spot. I’d invite you in, but you’re a bit young to swing with the grownups.” She winked at her before heading into the building.

Bright snorted a bit. Too young for some music? She went to enter anyways, briefly forgetting about the wagon on her back. She was halted by a whistle.

“Ay, kid! Whaddya think you’re doing?” A large stallion in some sort of blue uniform asked as he approached her.

“I going to go shwing.” She smiled wide.

“Not with that wagon. And you ain’t old enough for a swing joint like that. What, they ain’t got laws were you come from?”

Bright resisted the urge to argue. “Do you know vhere I can go? Me and my sister need home.”

“Damn foreigners keep dragging their kids here and leavin’ ‘em.” He rolled his eyes. “They gone or what? You lookin’ for ‘em, or do we gotta put you in the orphanage?”

“Ve need… more into Ekestria. T...Train?” She was pretty sure that was the right word. She had never seen a train, but knew that it would be faster than walking.

“If it gets you outta my city… You got train money, kiddo?” He saw Bright’s face turn pink as she shoot her head. “Listen…” he sighed, “this ain’t a city for kids, even foreign ones. I’ll get you more inland, but you ain’t never met me. ‘Specially if you go and start stealin’ or causin’ trouble.”

“Yes! Tank you!” She squealed. Lit Wick popped her head up and rubbed her eyes. She had been sleeping for most of their trip.

“Gah! There’s two of ya?! Little monsters… let’s get you the hell outta my mane.” He grumbled as he lead them to the train station. Bright sat on the ground as the officer talked to the ticket pony.

“Listen, you owe me a favor anyways. Plus, I don’t want any more’a these foreigners in the city. Just gimme the damn tickets or the next time I find you wander ‘round drunk as one’a dem pirates, I’m sendin’ your ass to jail.”

“You always did have a soft spot for kids. Fine, I’ll get ‘em outta here.” The pony slid over two tickets. The officer handed them over to the fillies.

“Don’t let me catch you here ever again. This ain’t a good city, and these ain’t good ponies. Especially not to foreigners. Be safe, and try and lose the accent.” He gave them an almost sympathetic look before heading back into the heart of the city. Bright felt bad about just leaving, but she knew there was nothing she could do for the officer, except take his advice. She was quiet as she boarded the train with her sister. As she handed the tickets over, she noticed the officer had slipped them a couple bits. Just enough for a little something to eat on their ride to find their new home.

Author's Note

Wow so I think this is my favorite chapter so far. We’re really getting into the full story. Jumping around will be very common, especially as our characters spread out. I absolutely loved writing the last section!

Witches

The train squealed to a halt as it pulled into the station. Bright Burst yawned and rubbed an eye, sleepily reattaching the wagon to her back before stepping off. She heard a quiet snore from the wagon, which put a small and drowsy smile on her face. The path into town was dusty and covered in pebbles. There were a few faint lights coming from the heart of the town, but the two were already passing some small buildings.

They slowly entered was seemed to be the town centre. A mare slowly approached them from the shadows.

“You two look lost. Kids shouldn’t be out this late.” She smiled a bit. Something about her was...unsettling, to say the least. It was hard to tell whether she was wearing smudged eyeliner, or if the bags under her eyes were just that bad. It could've been a combination of the two. Her coat was pale and looked cold to the touch, yet neither of the fillies wanted to test that. Her mane was a wild purple mess that matched her eyes that scanned the girls up and down

The most unusual parts of her, however, were her horn which curved back, and the small wings on her back that looked incapable if flight. She grinned down at the fillies and tilted her head. “Don’t you know there could be strangers lurking about?”

“Are not you a stranger?” Bright rolled her eyes a bit, trying to shrug off her uneasiness.

“Oh, right. I'm Seance. There, now I'm a friend.”

“Well, Seance, I am looking for the orphage.”

“Do you mean orphanage?” She snickered at her ignorance.

Bright's face went red. “Y-Yes. There. Please show us.”

“Well...I guess you did say please.” She giggled and started to walk away. Bright followed hesitantly. She noticed a small black cat was quickly padding alongside the mysterious mare. Even in Coltsenia, those were signs of bad luck.

Their walk lasted for quite a while before they reached a large house. It leaned slightly to one side, and the paint was peeling off the old wood. A few toys laid abandoned on the lawn. Bright slowly reached the door and knocked loudly. It creaked open, and an older mare was standing there, drowsily looking at the filly and her wagon.

“Are you a runaway?” She held back a yawn.

“Um… No, my parents are...dead…” She glanced around, looking for the pale mare that brought here. She was gone.

“Alright… I suppose you're looking for a room? I'll let you stay tonight until we get everything sorted. Leave that wagon outside.”

Bright blushed, feeling bad that she seemed to be disturbing the poor mare. She removed the wagon and helped her sister out. Carrying the smaller filly on her back, she entered the warm house. The mare lead them up a flight of weathered, stained stairs.

“You'll have to stay in Nova's room. She's a bit...off...but it is what we have.” She figured the fillies wouldn't mind, considering it was this or the street. They came to an old door, decorated with two pictures sloppily taped up. They were drawings done by what was clearly a young pony, maybe younger than Lit Wick. One was of a blue pony with a purple mane, and the other was of a pitch black pony. There didn't seem to be a face on it, or even a mane. Being rather exhausted, Bright Burst didn't seem to notice at all. She slowly opened the door and looked around the remarkably bare room. It had a few more drawing scattered across the floor along with some markers, and four beds, one of which was clearly occupied. As Bright trotted in, the mare closed the door.

Moonlight lit the room fairly well. Enough for Bright to find a bed to her sister and herself. She carefully tucked her sister in before getting in her own bed. She fell asleep almost instantly.

Sunlight filled the room only a few hours later, waking up Bright. She saw her sister, who was sleeping peacefully, and the other filly, too. The fourth, supposedly empty bed looked particularly...slept in, for an empty bed that is. Bright tried to ignore the fourth bed as she got up, stretching her sore legs. She looked out the window, which gave her a good view of the town. There were already a few ponies trotting about. As she admired the quiet and friendly feeling of their soon-to-be new home, there was a knock on the door.

“Come in.” She said in a stage-whisper-esque voice. The mare from last night opened the door.

“Good morning. I came to wake you all up for breakfast. After that, you'll fill out some paperwork and we'll get you ready for adoption. You may call me Ms. Joy, by the way.”

“Is...your real name..?”

“It's what you may call me.” Ms. Joy looked a little offended before leaving their room. Bright shrugged and went to wake her sister. As she turned to the bed, she saw the filly sitting up and staring at her with pale yellow eyes.

“Uh...hallo…” Bright said hesitantly.

“Are you my new roommates?” He voice was soft and distant. Her eyes seemed eerily vacant and dull.

“Y-Yes, I am Bright Burst, and my sister is Lit Wick.” She held back a shiver.

“I'm Nova, and that's Shadow.” She said, gesturing to the supposedly empty bed.

“Oh? Is it a…Imagine...friend?” Bright struggled to find to find the right words. The filly's blank face suddenly turned grim, almost angry.

“He doesn't like when ponies call him that.” The room went quiet, and suddenly seemed much colder. Lit Wick whined softly as she sat up. The mumbled something in Coltsenian.

“Hallo, Wick, let's eat.” Bright spoke quickly and rushed her sister out of bed and out of the room. Nova soon followed, her expression turning cheerful and light as she trotted down the hall.

~*~

After days of walking (and occasionally running) through the woods, Echo finally made her way out. She had been absolutely terrified by Equestrian wildlife. It was so much more different, more hostile. She looked at the trail that was laid out in front of her. Knowing her luck, it'd lead her back into another forest. She decided to take a peek down the path to confirm her suspicions. Instead of seeing more trees, though, she saw a set of colorful caravans and tents. Echo glanced around and made her fur the color of a flower, and her mane the color of a tree. Her eyes shifted into a sky blue. With her disguise activated, she made her way down the path. As she got closer, she could hear laughing, and singing. She smelled smoke and food and the heavy scent of herbs and oils.

A filly glanced at Echo and gasped. She was rather funny looking. She was a light purple-pink, aside from her chest, rear, and hooves, which were a purpley brown. Her chest and rear had a feathered line of teal green. She had tiny wings the same color as her hooves with the inner feathers the same shade of green. Her poofy mane was almost the same size as her entire body. It was a vibrant lilac with a dark purple streak. Poking out of her mane was a curved horn. Of course, Echo had never seen all the types of ponies that inhabited Equestria. She assumed this was normal.

“Hiya! I’m Echo!”

The filly stared for a moment before calling out, “MAMA!!!!” Her eyes glanced around, and it seemed she was gone in the blink of an eye. An older green mare came trudging out.

“Da, Hum? Are you hurt? Oh! A guest! Privet, traveler.” The mare had a thick accent, sounding like she came from Marescow, and a horn similar to the fillies. She had no wings, however, she did have a puffy cat tail. Her curly blue mane had light streaks, showing her age. “My name is Charm, but they call me Mama.” She smiled kindly.

“Oh, how nice! Are you traveling, too?”

“Oh, yes! Ve are gypsy, ve travel and do shows.” She gestured to the array of wagons and caravans. There were many mares, all of them with curved horns and either wings, cat tails, or snake tails. “Ve are vhat are colled ‘vitches.’ You don’t look like you are from Equestria.” She smirked.

Echo blushed and looked around. “O-Oh, well, yeah. I’m from the Pinelands.”

Mama nodded slowly, understanding. “You are free to join us for a vhile.”

Echo’s fur turned bright pink. She squealed softly. “Oh, yes! I’ve been so lonely, and you all look so friendly!” Mama chuckled at her excitement.

“You vill have many friends.” She started to leave, going back into her caravan. Echo trotted further into the circle of wagons that was their camp. She saw a small fire, and went to settle down beside it. She was slowly approached by the filly again.

“So Mama told you, huh?” She asked. Although she was calm, she spoke quickly. Echo nodded in response to her question. “And you’re not scared? You don’t think we’re freaks? You’re not gonna run away? Or hurt us?” The questions flew out of her mouth rapidly, causing Echo to turn purple and yellow in confusion. She quickly shook her head.

“I would never! You all seem like lovely folk, and I love meeting ponies.”

“Oh, ‘cause my mom and dad said they were fine with how I look but then they didn’t try to stop all the ponies who wanted to hurt me where I used to live and I got hurt really bad and I was in the hospital and they said I might not make it ‘cause I couldn’t move and tell them I was okay but I got better and my mom and dad let Mama take me so they wouldn’t have to worry about me.” She explained, barely even taking a breath. Echo could only stare. “Ponies kinda scared me now ‘cause I can't tell who’s good or bad but you seem nice, I like you! My name’s Hectic Hum, but you can call me Hum!” Echo giggled softly.

“Nice to meet you, Hum. I’m sure we’ll be good friends.” She hugged the filly, who was shaking a bit.

“Mama says I need to work on relaxing, and that I’m living life too fast. But I like going fast. When you’re fast, nothing can catch you. In this world, you gotta go fast or make everyone else go slow. Going fast is easier, but technically I can do both. I have pretty strong speed magic. All witches have a special magic type, that’s what Mama says. Hers is charm magic. My big sis, Jest, just does small tricks and stuff. Like a mime! I dunno if it’s magic, though, she doesn’t speak Ponish well and I can’t speak whatever they speak in Prance. She’s nice, though. I hope someday I can know everyone super well but Mama wants me to focus on finding an act so I can join the show for real.” Hum’s rambling seemed like it would never end unless Echo stopped her.

“You remind me of the foals I watched back home. They loved to tell me lots of stories, even though I was right there with them. It was pretty funny.” She giggled. Hum laughed, too. It was followed by a yawn. It seemed that her energy wasn’t infinite. Echo softly pet her mane, letting her fall asleep in her lap. She missed the feeling of helping foals and having someone depend on her. It was nice to have something that resembled her home. When she was sure she was fully asleep, Echo carried Hum to Mama’s wagon so she could lie in bed. Mama sighed happily as she looked at Echo.

“You are a good mare, Echo. Ve vill be happy to have to wit us.” Her words made Echo feel warm and truly happy. For the first time since she boarded the ship, she felt like this trip wasn’t a mistake. She felt like she belonged in Equestria.

Author's Note

I am sorry for the delay, but school is a thing that happens and I got swamped. Please leave any constructive criticism in the comments!

Lady Luck

Bright Burst and Lit Wick scarfed down their barely warm porridge. It wasn't great, but the two didn't even seem to notice. Nova eventually joined the table with all the other foals. They all chatted with each other as they ate, though nopony paid much attention to the new comers or Nova. Ms. Joy watched them from the head of the table, slowly taking bites from her own breakfast.

“Once you two finish, we'll get paperwork sorted out.” Her voice was calm and quiet. Her entire personality seemed subdued and tired. Bright only nodded in acknowledgement of her statement. “After that, you can go play with the others. Tomorrow, you will take assessments to figure out what level of schooling you require. Then you'll attend school everyday except weekends. You can choose to attend Celestial or Lunar churches, or neither.”

Breakfast passed quickly and quietly, and soon Bright found herself alone in a sparsely decorated office with Ms. Joy. Lit Wick was allowed to play, since there wasn't much she could do anyways. Bright did her best to fill out various pieces of paper that she barely had time to comprehend. After it was all settled, Bright had a decision to make.

“Alright, tomorrow is Sunday so you much choose if and where you will attend Church. Celestial Church is held in the mornings and Lunar is held at night. Those are your options.”

“You've forgotten the True Peace.” A voice came from the doorway. Wasn't that door closed? Bright didn't even hear it open.

“Diamond, what are you doing here? And what are you talking about, children cannot join your...organization.”

“Sure they can! Well, I mean, this one can. She's a rather special filly, and I think she knows why.” She smirked, trotting into the room and placing her hooves on the back of Bright's chair. “She could be a very valuable member of the team, plus make some bits while she's at it.” The mare giggled. Bright turned to face her. Her fuchsia coat was well cared for, as well as her hot pink mane, that had a single streak of dark reddish pink through it. It was cut short at her neck and trimmed across at the bangs, similar to a certain princess. However one side had a longer bit of hair hanging down by her stunning crystalline blue eyes.

Bright's jaw dropped as she stared at the stunning creature. She was the most beautiful mare she had ever seen. “I… I'll join!” She smiled at Diamond.

“Very good.” She pushed some of Bright's mane out of her eyes. “Every Sunday, I will come and retrieve you. Welcome to True Peace.” She set her hooves back down on the floor and winked to Ms. Joy before leaving as silently as she entered.

Ms. Joy frowned at Bright. “You have no idea what you signed up for. Diamond Dust...she...takes care of bad ponies. She stops by to ask about how some of these ponies end up here, and she makes sure ponies who harm others never do so again. You've got a life to live and you shouldn't waste it hiding from guards.”

“I think...that is what want. I help rebellion in my home, and I can help one here.” She smiled shyly. Ms. Joy shook her head.

“I can't stop you. But please, be careful.” She got up and left her office, clearly distraught and concerned.

Bright hurried after her, not wanting to be alone. She went to find her little sister, who was talking to Nova in the front yard. Just past them, she spotted Seance spying under the shade of a tree. Bright growled and marched out of the yard and over to the curious mare. “Vhat do you vant?”

“To help with your little problem. Unless you enjoy sleeping with a cursed filly.” She snickered.

“Cursed? That is not real. She is just crazy.” Bright shook her head.

“No, she's cursed. That demon is bound to her pretty tightly. Nothing a little exorcize can't fix.” A grin slowly crept upon her face.

“What is running around going to do?”

“Not exercise. With an ‘o’. A ritual of sorts.”

“Oh! Yes, friend from old country can. I don't trust you.”

Seance leered over the filly who was just barely shorter than her. “Watch your mouth or you will find I have done irreversible and disgusting things to that weak little mind of yours. I am trying to be generous and that is how you speak to me? You're a nasty little maggot and I would hate to hate to have to put you back in your place, but I won't hesitate to. This is my world. Remember that.” As she spoke, it seemed to get colder. Her voice got deeper and softer. It cut like harsh winter winds.

“F-Fine! Do the ritual!” Bright took several steps back. Seance stepped closer.

“At midnight tonight, open your window. I will be there and we'll get that demon out of Nova and into my collection.” She cackled as her horn sparked before she disappeared.

A shiver when down Bright's spine as she quickly ran back into the protection of the rickety old house. The two foals followed her.

“Who was that?” Nova asked, grabbing Bright's tail.

“That vas Seance. She vill help.” She yanked her tail out of her small navy hooves. Lit Wick huddled close to her side, making Nova frown.

“Oh… Well, we're not done playing! Come on Lit!” Nova started to walk off, but stopped as she saw Lit Wick wasn't moving. “Lit Wick? We were having fun!” The room started to feel colder. The walls seemed to close in. Clouds blocked out the sun. “That's not fair!”

“Lit Vick is scared! You aren't helping!!” Bright wrapped around her sister protectively. Slowly, everything returned back to normal.

“Please?” Nova whimpered. Lit Wick slowly left her sister and went to the smaller filly's outstretched hoof. “Thank you!” She giggled, suddenly smiling wide, as if the whole thing was an act. Before either sister could consider that, Lit Wick was dragged off to play with Nova in another room.

All seemed fine and normal until Sunday arrived. Most of the foals were up with the sunrise and were bustling around. Older fillies did their makeup, young colts struggled to tie bowties. Everyone seemed to have something to do. Except the few that slept in. There were strict orders to let them sleep all day, as they would be at church all night. Lit Wick and Nova seemed to be the only two that had nowhere to be. Even Bright Burst was trying to tame the tangled nest of hair she had for a mane.

“I'll be gone all day, so behave, okay? Listen to Ms. Joy. And be careful of that filly, she still scares me,” she told her little sister. She spoke in Coltsenian of course. Lit Wick nodded softly.

“Bright! Ms. Dust is here for you!” Ms. Joy called from downstairs. Bright kissed her sister's forehead before running down.

“You look wonderful, Bright Burst! Hurry, now, we mustn't be late.” Diamond giggled as she took Bright's hoof to pull her out the door. The wall felt long and the path was confusing. Bright's once neatly groomed mane was beginning to frizz again.

Soon, they came to what seemed to be a casino. They entered around the back and hiked up a long, twisting set of concrete stairs. At the top there was a narrow, claustrophobic hall with a spotless frosted glass door at the end. There was gold curly lettering on it that read something Bright couldn't quite read, between the font and the unfamiliar words. Diamond opened the door, which revealed a very neat and clean office. It smelled heavily of flowers. Behind a tidy desk was a very large green unicorn, with an orange curly mane that covered most of their face. They had lighter green spots on their coat and well cared for golden hooves.

“Hello, dears. Is this the tiny terrorist I've heard so much about?” She smiled a bit, but the exact nature of her smile was hard to tell.

“Yes. Little Bright here sounded very interested in our organization when I went to meet with her.” Diamond spoke almost immediately, signifying to Bright that she shouldn't try to explain anything for herself.

“Mm. Good. Does she know what we do here?”

“Not yet. I figured you might. And then, we'd also have easy access to the right tools in case she declines.”

The large pony chuckled. “I don't think she will. She looks like a brave young girl who could use the money.”

“Money?” Bright's ears perked up. “Yes, sir, I need money!” She smiled wide until one of Diamond's dainty hooves slammed down on the table.

“Sir? Can't you read? Can't you see? Lady Luck is no sir.”

“Calm yourself, Diamond. I will admit I am not the most feminine. Plus, I think little Bright Burst can't read. At least not Ponish.” She reach over to stroke Bright's mane. “Such a good girl…”

“Vhy are you...very big?” Bright tilted her head. Lady Luck giggled.

“Well I wasn't always a mare. Though, that's not important.” She lightly tapped the filly's nose. “Our organization is most ladies, whether like you, or me, or Diamond. Most of them also have other jobs as covers, but that won't be necessary for you. Plus those jobs usually aren't appropriate for someone of your age. If you join, you'll been given an assignment every Sunday. You'll have to week to complete it. You will have a device to contact either the organization if you're in need or a cleanup crew once you've finished your assignment. You—”

“Vhy vill I need cleanup..?”

“Stop interrupting!” Diamond growled at her.

“You're being more disruptive than she is, dear. Let me handle this or I'll have to ask you to leave.” With that, Diamond settled back down, a light blush on her face as she looked down. “Now then. I'll get to that in a while. We'll keep your bits here, and you can access them any time. Having them in a bank could cause suspicion. There's also the matter of that dreadful home you're staying in. If all goes well I'll be adopting you, and you and your sister will live with me. Leaving in the dead of night could cause a lot of trouble for you. I will provide any resources you need to your preferred method.”

“Preferred method..?” Her eyes were wide with confusion. She could only understand parts of what she was saying.

“A weapon, dear.” She grinned.

“I-I like...um…” She didn't know the word, so she showed her. She put her hooves together before throwing them apart in a eide motion.

“Ah! Explosives. Do you prefer to make your own?” The mare showed and unsettling degree of acceptance. Bright nodded softly. “I'll arrange for that my dear.”

“Can you say vhat I doing?”

“I would love to, dear, but if I tell you and you choose not to, I'll have to delete your memories, which is absolutely dreadful for me. Headache, fatigue, and all that…” She fluffed her mane. “Though I do encourage you to say no if you must. That goes for any situation, remember that.” She mentioned the last bit with a serious and almost grim tone. “Anyhow, let's recap. You get pay, a home, all your resources in family in exchange work work—”

“But vhat—”

“Let me finish! Work that I will explain right now. It's much like what you did for your country, though to a lesser degree. Equestria has a lot of bad ponies, and the princesses are too busy with their quarreling to do anything about it. We are the ponies who run Equestria. We keep everyone safe. Sometimes, that means getting rid of those who hurt others. Bright, I want you to kill bad ponies and help protect your new home.”

Author's Note

I've been pretty dead but hey here's an update! Woo!

Love Sucks

“Can you believe it?”

“What?”

“Oh my holy sisters weren't you listening?!”

“Yeah, but I don't see all the fuss. Your boss sassed you in front of a kid, so what?”

“She'll never respect me! And she wants to adopt the little gremlin, and her sister.” Diamond sighed and sipped on her glass. It was filled with ice and a dark caramel liquid.

“DD, I love you like a sister, but your weird crush on Lady needs to stop. She's way too old for you, even if she wanted to date. Which, need I remind you, she's not.” The mare said that in a calm and almost condescending tone. Her blue coat was much like Lady's with it's lighter spots. “Do you like me, too, DD? If I had a curly mane and some platform shoes, I'd look just like her!”

That comment earned her a smack on the arm. “First of all, I don't have a crush. Second, just because you're a mare with spots doesn't mean anything. She a unicorn anyways. You, my dear Cassy, are a mud pony.”

“Hey, bonehead, you can call me Cascade if you're going to bring out the slurs. You're lucky no one's around. With everything that's happened recently, you could end up in a few fight.” Her annoyed tone slowly melted into grim and slightly fearful.

Diamond lightly tugged the white ends of her dark blue mane with her magic. “Hey, relax. I'm a big girl, and I can care for myself. Now go fix your makeup before your man gets here.” She gave her friend a quick hug, knowing she'd have to leave soon. It wasn't long until she was left all alone at the only bar left in town. “Why do you do this?” She asked the bartender, running her hood around the rim of her glass.

“Do what? Bartend? It's more of a hobby, but I'm sure you knew what from my spotty working days,” responded the orange stallion.

“I mean why do you keep this all secret? You're a guard or something, aren't you? It's your whole job to shut places like us down.”

The stallion chuckled, causing Diamond to blush softly. “With the princesses’ feud causing riots and all, they don't really screen who the let in. I'm a guard because I actually want to protect ponies. I'm here for the same reason. Too bad Lady won't let us stallions into the fun part, ah?”

“Yeah...heh… I've talked to her about that though. She says if I'm willing to do all the screening, she'll consider!”

“Then let me be the first to be screened. I'd do a lot of good in your little operation.” Her flashed a cheesy smile that made Diamond giggle and roll her eyes. The nearby clock started to chime.

“That's my cue! Don't forget you rehearse your interview~” she teased before heading out. As the bartender set his focus on cleaning the glasses the mares’ glasses, her noticed the sound if heavy, unfamiliar hoofsteps. He turned to face their owner, finding that it happened to be a rather massive green and ginger pony.

“Before you say anything,” Lady started, speaking lowly, “I am aware that this is unlike me. However, I've come to realize that I have some...prejudices. I am many things, but I do not wish for ‘hypocrite’ to be on that list.” She waited a moment to calculate her next words. Thinking she was finished, the stallion opened his mouth to speak only to be stopped by a harsh, hissing shush. “Civil Strike you are an impatient stallion and I am a very precise mare so I need you to rein yourself in so I can properly articulate myself. Now… I want to apologize for my behavior towards you. I have had so many bad experiences with stallions, and you know this. It's why my little program exists. However, I have come to realize that treating you like all other stallions is unfair and cruel. To make up for this, I would like to add you to my crew.” She had finally stopped talking, but Strike took another extra moment just to be sure.

“I would love to, and I fully accept your apology.” He offered a crooked smile. He knew Lady had a rough past, and that her trust was soiled by too many abuses.

“Good. You'll be working alongside my daughter Brought Burst to be sure she does not get injured.” She turned and went to leave, only to be stopped by a rather nervous cry.

“W-Wait! Thank you, but I don't think I'm the most qualified babysitter—”

“Good. Because you are not one. You are a stallion of the True Peace, and you are a protector of your sisters in justice.” She stomped a good down harshly before continuing on her way back to her office.

Strike wiped his brow with his cleaning rag, leaning against the bar and sighing. “Protector, huh? I can try that.” He mumbled before taking and deep breath and returning to his dishes.

~*~

Diamond adjusted the tight white boots on her small, delicate hooves, making sure they were completely covered. She hummed to herself as she toyed with a small baggy that was filled with a couple ounces of a shimmery white powder. Her hips swayed as she made her way down the filthy street towards a neon sign clearly advertising ‘Mares!’ Before she reached the front door, she turned down the alley and went to the back.

She smiled at a large dragon blocking the thick metal door. “Evenin’, luv. My clients in there?”

He flashed a toothy grin as he nodded. “They's expectin’ a dance Ms. D. You gonna give ‘em one?”

“Maybe. If they're nice~” She winked before trotting in. There were two stallions waiting for her. “Hello, sirs! I think you two dropped something.” She giggled bubbily as she handed them the baggy. The greasy looking men took it happily and started mumbling about how to split it. Diamond rolled her eyes as she slipped past a curtain. “Give me just a moment! I've gotta change~” She sat at a vanity and flashed her reflection a rather disgusted face. ‘These bozos are disgusting. I'll just let them do their thing.’ She thought to herself as she glossed her lips in the mirror.

The stallions split the powder between themselves on the table, and rolled up small pieces of paper. They used the paper tubes to snort up the substance. Though, instead of the usually rush of pleasure, they felt a burn, and a sting. Both coughed hard. Hard enough, in fact, that they couldn't put up a fight when Diamond came up beside the first stallion and slit his throat. Leaving him to bleed out, she repeated the process to the second stallion. She admired her work a moment before going back to the vanity. She opened a drawer and pulled out a folder with two papers and two pictures inside.

“Let's see, let's see… Oh my, trafficking ponies?” She sighed and shook her head. “Haven't you heard all the stories of stallions like you going missing?” She called out. “You really should watch out more. You're basically asking for it!” She giggled and trotted back out. She went and opened the door.

“They're all yours, luv.” Diamond smiled kindly at her dragon bouncer. Before he would enter, she trotted out and decided to head home. The dragon smirked and went into the room. Meat wasn't very abundant in Equestria, so he'd have to take whatever he could get.

While the dragon cleaned up her mess, Diamond started on her way home. It was a small apartment, pretty far into the more unsavory part of town. She was quick to get in and flop down on her old and torn couch. “Nothing like being home all alone to relax…” she purred to herself. Though the relaxation last only a minute before the felt the blanket of loneliness fall over her.

~*~

Darkness covered the pine forest like an ocean, seeping into every corner of every inch, all except the beacon of light that was the fire of the traveling witches. Their wagons, too, were dimly lit. Dimmest of all was the faint green glow emitted from a wagon that smelled heavily of herbs and age. A young light green serpentian witch sat watching the tiny white pony sip at an odd tea, that didn’t taste very good at all. That was evident from the look on Echo’s face as she tried to choke it all down. As soon as she finally finished, the witch took the cup with her magic and swirled the last drops around with the herbs that had settled at the bottom. She turned the cup upside down on the small table. The contents now under the cover of the cup glowed faintly before she lifted it. The once dark green muck had turned rusty orange. A small gasp came from the witch.

“What is it, Miss Tea Tree?” Echo asked, breaking the silence.

“This is the second time I have gotten this reading… If I understand correctly… Beware the rust colored stallion. You could be in serious danger.” She started to clean up, being careful with the old wooden table.

“Rust colored stallion? Like, any rust colored stallion? How am I in trouble?”

“I only know what I told you. I… I doubt it will be too concerning anyways, we’re almost to town and as long as you avoid any suspicious orange stallions you might live a long and happy life.” She flashed a gentle smile, though she seriously doubted her words. Echo, however, believed her completely.

“Sounds easy enough. This was fun! Thanks for the reading, Miss Tea Tree. And the ride, but I think I’ve thanked you all every night I’ve been here.” She giggled and turned a cheerful shade of yellow before exiting the wagon to hunker down with Charm, or Mama as she has started to call her.

Though only with them for a short time, the travelling witches had treated Echo kindly, and she started to consider them close friends. It was a sign to her than her time in Equestria would be well spent. Despite being so comfortable, she would have to leave them. She wanted to explore on her own, maybe meet more travelers, or maybe not. These plans filled her mind as she slept curled up on a warm pile of rags.

~*~

Civil Strike opened the door to his home after finally leaving the bar after his talk with Lady. Instead of getting to relax, however, he was greeted by a fanged creature hissing and pouncing at him.

“Donna!” He yelled loudly, roughly shoving the attacker. The deep purple and blue bat pony whimpered as she flopped on the floor.

“Hey, I was just trying to play around!” She slowly brought herself back up an stretched out her leathery wings before folding them back at her sides.

“Sorry, but it was a long day. We’re getting a bit old for that kinda thing, too, don’t you think?” Strike asked as he quietly made his way to the couch.

“I guess so, considering I’m Donna now. What happened to Bella? Or BB? I loved BB!” She flashed a wide, fanged smile.

“I called you BB when we were in highschool. I feel like Donna fits a mature mare like yourself better. I mean, no professional s going to call you Ms. BB. They’ll call you Ms. Belladonna, or Ms. Bloom.”

Belladonna sighed and sat on the other end of the couch, looking down into a lap. “But… Strike, this is a relationship, not a professional endeavor. What happened to you? You never want to have fun anymore.”

“Babe,” he sighed, “I grew up. And you should, too. We can’t act like teenagers forever.”

“Well why not?!” Her voice rose slightly, and quivered just barely. “We can have fun, Strike! Holy sisters, I’m so… sick! I’m sick of you acting like being an adult means no more fun. This… This isn’t working for me. I’m going to find somewhere else to be.”

Civil Strike stared at the teary-eyed bat, unsure of what to do. He wasn’t even sure how he felt. “Are you sure that’s safe? We don’t have much of a night life outside of crime here.” His voice was calm and steady, which seemed to upset the mare more. She was already heading for the door.

“Yes I am sure.” She huffed. Her long blue mane helped hide her face, but her voice made her emotions painfully obvious. “Goodbye, Strike.”

He didn’t even have a chance to respond before she slammed the door.

Author's Note

Sorry it took so long, writing is honestly not top of the list priority for me right now