The silence of the foals

Luster, after flying for an hour and a half, she finally reached the west side of Fillydelphia. In the distance she could see a few buildings and the River Scheufill. She also could see the train tracks going north and then west. She reached the Girthens of Equestria.

Fillydelphia, just like Manehattan in the north and Baltimare in the south, served as the rearguard of the griffonian front. The city provided supplies to the ponies in combat against the griffons on the other side of the Celestial sea. There was a division of the Weapon stationed in Fillydelphia. The army, in order to raise funds, sold warbonds to the citizens, especially to the wealthy.

Luster passed by the Van Coat Library. She went north and started flying over the Mareket Street to the east. On the street there were a few ponies walking around. Some headed west and others south. She flew by the 10th Street Station; the train station. Many ponies were waiting there for a train that could take them further into Equestria. Luster landed on the Mareket Street. She was in front of the Mareket Bridge. Many ponies were there, crossing it. Some of them, when they saw Luster, stopped walking and stared at her; then resumed moving when Luster stared back. A foal, accompanied by his mother and pointing with a hoof at Luster, said: "Dammie, why is dat puwpwe pony haff wings and hown?" The mare shushed at her son and the foal looked away as they kept walking. Luster briefly smiled at the foal. She crossed the bridge.

After walking straight for ten minutes, Luster reached the City Stall of Fillydelphia. It was an enormous beige mansion. It had a high tower in the center. Also, it had dozens of windows. The style of the building was from the Gaithic era. Luster approached to the doors. Two Stablo agents were guarding them.

In Fillydelphia, the Stablo agents were colloquially called Ponice officers or simply Ponice. Also, following the hundreds of years old tradition, all the Stablo agents in Fillydelphia were only unicorns.

The unicorns looked at Luster with wide open eyes. "Go-good afternoon, commissar!" They said in unison.

Luster smiled warmly. "At ease, colts. May I come in?"

One of the agents looked down; then back at luster again. "We haff orders from de mayoress to not let anypony enter before two o'clock in de afternoon."

Luster batted her eyes. "I thought this was a building of the caval, not private property". The guards, looking at her, lowered their heads. She sighed. "Sorry, gentlecolts. I know you are just following orders". She cleared her throat. "Could you tell me what time is it?" She looked at the watch on one of the agents' forehoof.

The unicorn with the watch raised his left foreleg close to his face. "Uhm, it-it's a quarter to two, commissar". He took his forehoof close to Luster for her to look at the watch by herself.

Luster yawned, covering her mouth with a hoof. "Alright. Twenty minutes left". She stretched her wings, opening them widely. "Colts, do you know a good place to have lunch?"

The unicorn with the watch nodded. With a hoof, he pointed north east. "Yea, commissar. You follow the nord road; North Brayed street; for a block and den turn right. When you follow dat pad you'll see de Rearing Terminal Market on de left hoof. Dere, you can haff de Filly's famous: tofucake; or the roast soy sandwich".

Luster opened her eyes wide, listening to his accent. "Uhh, okay, thank you". She nodded at them, and they nodded back at her. "See you later, gentlecolts". She headed north of the city.

Luster passed by the City Stall. Before getting away from the building she looked at the north-west direction. From there, she could see the far away Filly's Museum of Art. To get there quick one had to take the diagonal road Benjamane Flanklin Trotway and walk past the Sway Memorial Fountain. Luster headed north for a block and then turned right. She started to walk east. She walked past minor buildings. After moving for a minute, on the left side of the street, was the Rearing Terminal Market. The building was a rectangular cube made of raw orange bricks. It probably had as many dozens of windows as the City Stall. Luster approached the doors and could see through the glass doors that the place was packed of ponies. She got close to the doors and with her magic she pushed them open.

The inside of the Rearing Terminal Market consisted of illuminated hallways with vents on the ceiling. Each one of the corridors was full of ponies grabbing products from the shelves on the walls. In the center of the place was a big kitchen with ponies selling food to the ponies on seats before the counter. Luster approached the counter and sat on a high chair. She had put her saddlebags next to her on the floor. She had to admit that she wasn't used to sit like that; the way like an ape would; but she wasn't uncomfortable at all.

A waiter from behind the counter approached Luster. He was a young earth pony colt with black hair and a gray coat. He was wearing a white shirt with a bow and a black vest. He smiled at Luster. "Good afternoon, ma'am. Would you like to order?" He put a menu card he had been holding on the counter.

Luster cleared her throat. She grabbed the menu and started to analyze it. She looked up at the waiter. "Uhm, well yeah. I was suggested to try the uh..." She looked at the menu and back at the waiter. "... The tofucake. That's what I'll have". She put the menu back on the counter. The waiter put a hoof on the menu and slide it off the counter. "Well, would you like a drink, ma'am?" He looked at her with a smile.

Luster rubbed her jaw with a forehoof. "Uhm, what do you suggest?" She was looking him in the eyes.

The waiter clicked his tongue. He looked behind him for a second and then back at Luster. "Well, would you like to try our regional beer? It's called Yearling". He winked at Luster with a smile.

Luster opened her eyes wide. She shook her forelegs. "No, no. I can't have alcohol now". She tapped the counter twice. "I'll have an alcohol-free apple cider, please", she said.

The waiter nodded cheerfully. "Perfect, ma'am. I'll bring your order as soon as possible". He turned around and started to head to the kitchen.

Some minutes later, the waiter came back with the tofucake and the apple cider. He put the food on the counter before Luster. He wished her bon appetite and went to serve other costumers. Luster took a bite of the new type of food for her. It was delicious. She devoured her meal shamelessly. She was an alicorn and needed to eat a lot after all.

Some minutes later, Luster called the waiter raising her forehoof. The waiter approached her quickly. "Yea, ma'am?" He said.

"I'd like the bill please", Luster said with a smile. With a forehoof she softly rubbed her belly. She had eaten a pony's brain size of food.

The waiter nodded. "I'll get it for you right away, ma'am". He turned to his left and approached a register. He started typing on the machine. A paper with printed data came out of the machine. He grabbed the paper with his teeth. He turned right and approached back at Luster. "Here it is, ma'am". He put the paper on the counter before Luster.

Luster grabbed the bill with her magic. She opened her saddlebag on the floor and took out a bag of bits. She took a look at the bill. On the paper was written:

~Tofucake: 1 silver bit(s)

~Apple Cider: 2 bronze bit(s)

~Service: 2 bronze bit(s)

~War tax: 1 bronze bit(s)

~Total: 1.5 silver bits

Luster looked up at the waiter. "Is it okay if I pay with gold bits?" She said.

The waiter opened his eyes wide. "O-of course, ma'am. Forch-nately, we have change for dat!" He said with a smile. Luster nodded. From her bag of bits she took out a single gold bit with her magic. She put the bag back in her saddlebag. She approached the bit to the waiter's reach. He grabbed the bit with his teeth. He turned to his left again and approached the register. After a minute, he came back to Luster with another bag of bits. He put the clothbag before Luster. He looked up at her. "Here's your change ma'am. Eight point five silver bits!"

Luster gave him a smile. "Well thank you, fine colt". She grabbed the bag of bits with her magic. Then, she opened her saddlebag and put that bag next to the other. She closed her saddlebag. She looked at the waiter. "Excuse me, do you have the time?"

The waiter turned around. With a hoof, he pointed at the clock above the doorframe to the kitchen. "Well, according to our clock, it's five minutes past two".

Luster opened her eyes wide. She got off the ape-seat, jumping from it and first landing on her hinds. "I really gotta go now". With her telekinesis, she lifted her saddlebags from the floor and put them on her back. She looked at the waiter for the last time. "Thanks for the excellent service, colt". She smiled at him, closing her eyes for a second.

The waiter smiled back. He raised both of his forelegs and rested them on the counter. "Danks for your preff-rence!"

Luster nodded and turned around. She passed the corridors full of ponies and pulled the doors to the exit. She was heading south west; back to the City Stall. "That mayoress better be there", Luster thought aloud.