Iron and Blood: We Dear Sisters

Pinkie wandered the streets of Ashmore, her watery eyes staring at the hollowed corpses of the buildings around her. Her body trembled from shivers that chilled her to the bone. Holding her tail to her chest, she played with it as she turned right down a smaller street, her tear-filled eyes scanning her surroundings. Several bodies caught her eye. She stopped and stared at a filly lying on top of a mare. Pinkie stared at the filly as she lay on her back screaming a silent cry to the sky.

Pinkie let out a squeak as she picked up her pace. Crying to herself she turned down another street and ran full tilt toward her destination. Getting to it, she stopped almost tripping over herself due to her shaky legs. Her pupils shrank to the size of pin needles as she stared at the destroyed shell of the bakery. Her throat tightened up as she laid eyes on the corpses of a mare and a stallion……

The train car bounced from the curvature of tracks as it roared through the mountains of the Yellow Tail Mountain range. Pinkie regained her balance in her seat as she kept her eyes on the floor. She stared intently at the planks of wood that made up the train’s floor. She traced the intricate patterns of the wooden fibers. Its many hills and valleys. She pictured her hometown nestled within the wooden valleys, safe and sound…

Again, the train car bobbed side to side from the changing landscape as the train worked its way through the mountainous terrain.

Pinkie righted herself. Feeling the training leveling out, she broke free of her daydreaming and looked at her family around the table they sat at.

She eyed her mother who sat across from her. She studied her mother’s stiff yet calm demeanor. It amazed, yet baffled her how she could be so calm after all that had happened. A part of her worried her mother didn’t have feelings. It was a silly thought. She saw her mother cry after her grandmother passed away two years ago. But still…. Her father was dead. Why wasn’t she crying?

Then there was Limestone. She could tell the past four days took a lot out of her. Her eyes were dry and void of tears to cry. They were bloodshot now and the only thing that told her Limestone was still reeling from the loss was her posture. It was stiff like an unmovable stone. Her crossed arms looked like she would cut herself in half.

Then there was her twin sister Marble who sat beside her. Marble was holding onto her for dear life. Pinkie could feel every tremble her body gave. She could even hear the small mumbling she was doing as she talked to herself.

On the other side of the train car to Pinkie’s left was her eldest sister, Maud, and her husband Obsidian. Pinkie eyed her sister looking down at her lap as she played with her wedding ring. Obsidian had an arm wrapped around her shoulder as he looked out the window watching the landscape roll on by as the sun shined the last bit of light as it dipped behind the horizon.

Rose Sapphire, Onyx, and their daughter Ruby sat in the seat in front of Obsidian and Maud. Pinkie watched as they comforted their daughter who was still shivering after all these days. She bit her lip. Marble and Ruby were similar in a lot of ways…. Sometimes, Ruby talked more than Marble…. Her smile left as she felt the train car yet again jerk against the curvature of the tracks.

“We should be there soon.” Cloudy Quartz told Pinkie.

“Why didn’t we stay and look for Pa?” Limestone asked, not looking up at her mother.

Their mother chewed on her cheek. “The Lieutenant said mine was destroyed….” She pulled Limestone into a hug. She felt her daughter tense up. Limestone was upset by the answer she gave, but she knew in the end a blunt answer would heal the wound faster than one that tipped toed around it.

Cloudy Quartz stared at Pinkie and saw that she was fidgeting with her fingers. “Everything will be alright sweetie…”

“No, it won’t!” Limestone growled as she got up and stormed out of the train car.

Maud looked at the closed gangway door to the vestibule. Feeling a heaviness wash over her heart, she stood up and followed her sister. “I’ll talk to her.”

Cloudy Quartz watched the door close behind Maud. Letting out a sigh, she pulled out her pocket watch and opened it. On the lid of the watch, she had a picture of her mother. ‘What would you do?’ She asked it.

“She’ll come around.” Cloudy Quartz looked at Onyx. “She’s a smart and strong filly.” He smiled. “If anypony can get her to come around its Maud.”

Maud saw Limestone leaning on the railing of the train car. Limestone’s shoulders were slummed and her tail and mane flapped with the winds that were kicked up by the train as it roared along the tracks. “You know her?” A train crewman asked.

“Yes,” Maud looked at the stallion. “She’s, my sister.”

The stallion looked at the depressed filly. “Do what you need to do and get back inside. We are going over the pass soon and the weather reports are not looking good.”

Letting out a sigh, Maud opened the gangway door and stepped on the platform of the caboose. “Limestone?” She asked, resting her arms on the railing as she stood beside her. Limestone remained quiet as she watched the sleepers spewing from under the caboose. “What’s wrong?”

Limestone squeezed the fingers on her left hand. “How can Ma say everything will be fine?” She bit her inner cheek. “Nothing is fine! Sandy’s dead! The Cakes are dead! Pa… Pa’s dead!” She glared at her sister. “And Ma doesn’t even care…” Maud slapped her across the face. Limestone held her cheek as she stared at her sister with trembling eyes.

“Stop this right now!” Maud spat. “Ma does care, you really think she doesn’t care?” Limestone tried to speak, but Maud continued. “She’s trying to stay strong for the twins’ sake. For you even!” Tears formed around her eyes. “Even for me…” She placed her hands on her sister’s shoulders.

Limestone felt Maud increase her grip. “Maud… I’m sorry?” She was scared. She had never seen Maud cry before.

“We need to stay strong.” Maud looked into her sister’s green-colored eyes. “We need to help Ma... Pa’s no longer here. You need to grow up now and step up. Be strong for the twins.” Limestone nodded and timidly hugged her sister. Maud rested her head on Limestone’s and let out a sigh as she stared off into the horizon watching the valley their hometown resided in fade into the distance.

Steam poured out from the engine as the train slowly rolled into Willow Brook’s train station. With a final pitch to the breaks’ squealing, they disengaged and hissed as several rhythmic puffs of steam shot off.

Pinkie and her family slowly stepped out of the train car and walked along the platform. Pinkie looked on in awe at the number of Earthen soldiers mulling about the station.

“What’s going on?” Limestone asked as she eyed some civilians at a toll booth, frantically speaking with the ticket master.

“Looks like Willow Brook is a base of operations for the military.” Onyx brought his wife and daughter closer to him as several Earthen soldiers corralled them and their fellow town’s ponies over to a less crowded part of the platform.

“Ponies of Ashmore!” A soldier yelled out. “Welcome to Willow Brook.” He eyed the two hundred or so ponies. “We are aware that you’re the first wave to arrive from your town and we understand evacuating Ashmore is not what you wanted, but the town has become unsafe. Until we can rebuild its infrastructure, you’ll remain here for a short time until we can permanently relocate you further from the front.”

“We’re near the front?” A mare cried out.

“Why would you bring us here?” A stallion growled.

The soldier sighed. “Willow Brook is the closet city to Ashmore that can accompany all of you, now please, follow my stallion’s commands and let us get you some food and shelter!”

“What’s happening Ma?” Pinkie asked as they followed the group further into the city.

“We are going to get some food and have a place to rest our heads.” She stated as she motioned at Limestone to hold her twin sisters’ hands.

Cloudy Quartz stepped into the hotel room with her daughters. She eyed the small space. On all accounts, it was a cozy little room, with a warm hue thanks to the yellowish lightbulbs hanging from the ceiling fan. Letting out a sigh, she closed the door and set down their only suitcase by one of the beds. “You fillies take a bath and get dressed for bed.” She stated as she untied her bonnet.

Limestone stared at her mother, studying her stiff posture. “Yes, Ma…” She grabbed her twin sister’s hands and guided them into the bathroom shutting the door.

Cloudy Quartz let out her breath as she sat down on the bed. Her chest felt heavy as she rubbed her fingers against her bonnet. Her eyes stared blankly as she let out another heavy sigh. She took off her glasses with a shaky hand and sat them on the nightstand. Smacking her drying mouth, she took out a small pocket bible and opened it.

Nestled in between the pages were several sepia photos. Taking out one, she brought it up to her face and stared at the young couple within. They smiled back at her, an eighteen-year-old stallion with sideburns and a sixteen-year-old mare with round glasses standing in front of a decorated pine tree.

Tears rolled down her face. She felt numb as her eyes trembled. A sob slipped past her lips as she brought the photo closer and kissed it. She felt her emotions boiling and placed a hand over her mouth, trying to mask her cries as she kept staring at the stallion in the photo.

“Is Ma, okay?” Pinkie asked as she stared up at Limestone. Limestone kept her ears to the door as she stared off into space. “Why is she crying?” Pinkie asked again. Frustrated that her sister wasn’t answering she tried to open the door.

“Don’t!” Limestone growled as she grabbed her arm. Pinkie stared at her sister her eyes trembling at the glare she was giving her. Noticing that her sister’s emotions were breaking to the surface, Limestone let out a raspy sigh. “Ma just needs some time alone.” She softened her voice. “Now finish getting undressed, we need to get to bed.” She ushered her sisters toward the tub.

Pinkie and Marble slowly nodded and slowly undressed as they wandered up to the tub. Limestone sighed as she placed her ear to the door once more, continuing to listen to her mother’s cries.

Maud sat on her bed as she looked out at the city’s horizon. Far in the distance, she could make out the faint glow of war. The distant crack of artillery and rifle fire barely made it to her ears. Looking down at her lap she pulled out a stone from her dress’s breast pocket and looked at the item in her hand. It was black in color and had harsh edges, but was light and porous like coal. Her father had given it to her after finding it in the mine he worked when she was six years old. She felt her chest get heavy as she ran her fingers along its rough surface.

Obsidian stepped out of the tiny restroom and saw his wife sitting by the window. His eyes caught the distant fighting and sighed. “Reminds me of our honeymoon.”

Maud looked up at her husband. “What do you mean by that?”

“What’s outside the window.” He pointed at the window as he sat beside her. “What’s that?”

“Something my father gave me?” She handed it to him. “It’s called a Jet.”

“What is it?” He eyed its shape.

“It’s a mineraloid, a type of low-ranking coal,” Maud stated in a monotone voice. “Derived from wood.” She hummed the last words as she remembered her father’s words when he described the object to her all those years ago.

Obsidian hummed. “How’s your mother and sisters?” He smiled. “And Cheerilee?”

Maud turned her attention from her lap to her husband. “My Ma and sisters are alright, they’re just heading to bed, long day… As for Cheerilee, she’s at the bar downstairs, calming her nerves.”

“Never took her for a drinker.” He mused.

“She’s a mare of mystery sometimes.” She hummed as she looked at her husband studying his rich blue eyes. “What about yours?”

“They’re alright.” He handed her back her gemstone. “They’re trying to calm my sister. A lot for her to see in four days.” A flash drew their attention causing them to look out the window. “Still don’t like being this close to the front.” He fidgeted with his fingers. “If an Unicorpian airship got through, what’s next?” He asked mostly to himself.

Maud kept her eyes on the distant light show. “Nothing good…”

Obsidian kept silent as a distant crack tickled his eardrum. “In the morning I’m going to get us out of here.” He pulled her into a hug. “It's not safe. The sooner we leave the better.”

“Where to?” Maud looked at the ceiling fan as it slowly spun.

“Somewhere far from the front.”

A stallion wearing a blackish-purple uniform sat in the bushes several yards from one of the main thoroughfares into the city. He glared at the Earthen soldiers patrolling the city. Clearly, Willow Brook was on curfew. No civilians in the streets. “What a shit show this is going to be.” He pulled his binoculars from his eyes and stared at the stallion wearing a similar uniform.

“A shit show?” He questioned.

“Yeah, intel said that most of Earthen’s stallion-power was at the front.” His friend spat.

The stallion laughed as he put his binoculars away. “I say it more like easy pickings.”

“How so?” His friend asked as he checked his rifle.

“Because, my friend, divide and conquer.” He smiled as the bassy low rumbles of landships sounded off behind him. “Divide and conquer…” His horn ignited in a soft blue glow.