Just over two years ago, behind the Canterlot castle, a young mare, with a white coat and a long, thick white mane that spiraled at the tips, was comforting a little filly, who was of similar appearance, but with a short straight mane, and flecks of black all over her coat. They had lost their parents two weeks beforehand. After witnessing the death of their parents through the crack of a closet door, the mare had been on her own to take care of her young sister. They left their house in fear, and when others found out of the death, they just assumed the two had died. Neither the mare nor her younger sister had known why or who killed her parents. They only knew that the killers...were not ponies.
The mare couldn't get the memory out of her head. Those tall creatures, that stood on only two hooves, invaded their home in the dead of the night. She only caught a glimpse of them through a window before they knocked down the back door. She had grabbed her sister from the bed near her own, and ran to her parents bedroom. She begged and begged for them to wake, but they took her warning lightly.
"Frostinilla, it was only only a dream," her mother murmured before turning over. She was too tired to notice the footsteps of the approaching invaders.
"Please mother!" she whispered urgently.
There was a bang on the door and Frostinilla pushed her sister into the closet and joined her. She closed the door most of the way, but left it open just a crack to avoid the click of the door shutting. Her parents had sat up in response to the banging against the door. It hadn't even taken a minute for the door to finally fall to the ground with a loud thump.
Frostinilla had to cover her sisters muzzle to muffle her whimpers. She was shaking in her grasp. Frostinilla looked out through the gap of the door. Her parents were scrambling out of the covers and off the bed. The strange creatures had closed in on them, backing them into a corner where Frostinilla had a clear view of them. The taller of the two creatures had been carrying a large axe. Her parents cowered in the corner, holding each other. For an instant, their mother looked over to the closet. Frostinilla turned her sister's head away to make sure she didn't see, and covered the filly's ears with her hooves.
The strange creature attacked the father first, decapitating his head in an instant. The deed was done before the stallion had a chance to scream. Frostinilla wanted to look away, but she couldn't. She stared as her mother bolted to the side and onto her bed. She watched until her mother ran to the other side, where she could no longer see her.
Both of the tall creatures lunged out, and Frostinilla heard the loud crash of her mother being taken down. She felt her little sister's body shake vigorously as their mother's screams filled the room. Whimpers escaped from the young filly, but they were lost in the sound of the blood curdling screams. Frostinilla managed to hush her with her hoof right before all sound had ceased.
A minute went by, without a peep from anypony other than the sound of light breathing. When the sound of footsteps broke the silence, Frostinilla held her sister tightly. She kept her hoof over her muzzle to keep her as silent as she could. She felt a bitter relief when the sound of their steps left the room. Still, they stayed in that closet for nearly an hour before they dared to escape.
When they finally ventured out of the closet, their parents were gone. Nothing was left of them but the blood smeared across the floors and splashed against the walls. Blood stains streaked their way through the hallway and to the back door. Their parents had obviously been dragged out of their own home. Frostinilla would never forget that day.
Behind the castle, she held her sister close, trying to forget the past events. They couldn't go home now. It was a few days before anyone realized that Frostinilla's home had been invaded and that her parents were missing. Everypony had just assumed that the whole family was killed or taken, and within a couple of days, the whole family was forgotten do to the approaching Grand Galloping Gala.
"We'll be okay, Vanilla Bean," Frostinilla told her sister, wiping the tears out of the young filly's eyes.
Vanilla Bean looked up at her sister. Fear was heavy in her gaze. Vanilla Bean had been having nightmares every night since their parents were killed. Frostinilla had a hard time keeping her hopeful. Frostinilla was not hopeful herself, but her young sister was too young to be so crushed. She did her best to cover up her pain, fear, and anger. She did it for her little sister's sake.
"I want to go home," Vanilla Bean sniffed.
"We can't go home," Frostinilla told her.
The hurt in her little sister's eyes struck her heart like a blade. The little white filly was shaking again, tears in her eyes. She didn't know what to do, but she wasn't willing to show it. If Vanilla Bean knew how lost Frostinilla was, the young filly would panic. Frostinilla needed to make sure her young sister felt safe. That was all that mattered anymore. All else was lost.
Giving her sister one last comforting hug, she told her sister, "Wait here while I go to the house to see if I can find any money for us to buy food."
"Don't go alone!" Vanilla Bean begged. Her pout tugged on Frostinilla's heart with a yank.
"I'm sorry, Nilly Bee." Frostinilla used her nickname, in hopes of easing her. "I have to go, and you have to stay here. Just don't move, okay? I'll be back for you soon."
"Why do you have to go back? What if they come again?" Vanilla Bean was holding her sister's hoof.
"I'm sorrry Nilly Bee." Frostinilla kissed her sister on the forehead. "Stay here."
Frostinilla galloped towards their home, leaving her sister alone behind the castle. She slowed as she passed the market and shops. It was late, but they were still busy. Ponies all over Canterlot were preparing for the Gala. Frostinilla kept her head low and trotted silently in order to avoid any attention.
She approached her abandoned home with caution. She had no idea who it was that invaded and was worried that they may come again. She never did know why they were there. Anger flared when she noticed a for sale sign in front of the house. Canterlot hadn't just forgotten them, they were moving on. They hadn't put any effort into finding out what had happened. Nopony had even considered that somepony else could be attacked in the near future.
The door wasn't completely closed when she reached it. The edge of the door was resting against the latch. With a soft push of her hoof, Frostinilla opened the door. Quietly, she entered her home. The dead silence was unsettling as she soundlessly made her way into the main hall of her home. It wasn't normal. On a regular day, Frostinilla would be in her room reading, while her mother would be in the kitchen, singing as she cooked. Her father would be in his study, reading reports from work, while Vanilla Bean knocked on her older sisters door, asking to play.
A cry stuck in the back of Frostinillas throat but she didn't let it out. She had something to do, she had a little sister to care for, and it wasn't the time for her to brood over her lost life. She needed to keep control of her emotions. Frostinilla had never been a strong pony, nor did she ever think she would have to be. Strength was never something to cross her mind, but now it was something that she needed. She needed to take charge of herself so that she could lead a safe life for her beloved sister.
As she was checking the kitchen drawers for money, she heard footsteps coming from down the hall. Her heart rate doubled as the sound approached the kitchen. Her breathing began to shake, and for a moment her vision blurred. She shook her head and steadied herself as quickly as she could. Just as the the hoofsteeps reached the kitchen, she cowered into the corner below the counter.
"Has anypony checked the kitchen yet?" A young mare's voice called to some other portion of what Frostinilla had previously thought to be an empty house.
Another pair of hoofsteps approached as another young mare spoke. "No, but I think Lemon Drop found something in the master bedroom."
"Oh, really?" There was a hint of excitement in the mare's voice.
"Yeah, you can go check it out if you want," the other voice said. "I'll look through the kitchen."
"Alright." The mare left with a rhythmic trot.
Frostinilla held her breath as she heard hoofsteps heading around the counter. She wasn't sure how to react. On one hoof, she didn't know who these ponies were or if they could be dangerous. On the other hoof, these ponies were in her home, they should be the ones feeling a need to hide rather than her.
Frostinilla pressed back against the cupboard door behind her as a unicorn came into view. The young mare, just about Frostinilla's age, looked down at her as she tried to appear small. The mare had a brown coat, and a light brown mane and tale, with a few streaks of glittery white. Her tail spiraled down and spiked at the tip. Her mane was short and all fell to one side and spiked at the bottom, and her horn was a sparkling white. She gave Frostinilla a suspicious glance. The pony didn't seem to know how to proceed, but she kept an air of calm. Questions lingered in her expression, but there was no surprise.
As afraid as she was, Frostinilla didn't want it to be obvious to the stranger in her home. In hopes of seeming more controlled, she asked, "Why are you in my house?" Her voice was shaky as the words escaped.
A hint of confusion crossed the mysterious mare's face. Instead of answering Frostinilla's question, she called to the others, "Hey, you might want to get over here." She kept an eye on Frostinilla, as if to make sure she didn't try escaping.
Possibilities ran through Frostinilla's mind. She had no idea who these ponies in her home were. She wasn't sure if they were a danger or not. It was possible that these ponies were involved with putting the house up for sale. She was afraid, but didn't really understand what kind of danger they could possibly be. She sat up straighter as two other ponies made their way over.
"What is it?" A mare, with a dull yellow coat and a bright yellow neatly kept mane, asked. Her question was answered as she caught site of the white pony sitting on the floor by the counter. She tilted her head to the side, as if calculating. Her mane was parted down the center and barely fell past her chin. Her simple, yellow tail swayed to the side. "Who is it?" she corrected herself.
"Who?" the original voice asked, in confusion and fascination. A milky brown coated pony trotted over to stand next to the yellow pony. Her dark chocolate brown mane was tied up into pigtails by multi-colored bows and her bangs fell messily over her forehead. When she looked down at Frostinilla, a crooked smile lit her face up. "Who are you?" she asked the frightened mare.
Frostinilla stuttered for a moment. She wasn't comfortable with the situation. It felt all too conflicting to her already troubled mind. These ponies seemed to be holding her to questioning, when they were the ones breaking into her own home. They waited for her response, but the unicorn that found her seemed to be losing her patience.
"Well?" she asked. She stood tall, with an air of importance.
"Who am I?" Frostinilla managed to say. She gained her voice as she went on. "Who are you? This is my home. I have more right than anypony to be here."
The brown, pigtailed pony gasped. "Really? You're alive?!" She gave a slight hop, and her crooked smile stretched into a full one. "Everypony said the whole family was gone!"
"Well we aren't," Frostinilla said, defensively. Lowering her voice, with a hint of spite, she added, "not that anypony cares."
The unicorn that found her rolled her eyes. "Nopony ever cares about these things. Not in Canterlot. They have a ball to prepare for."
Frostinilla stood up, gaining a sudden confidence. The thought of being forgotten over a simple high class gathering infuriated her. She wouldn't be forgotten for the Gala. "The ball doesn't change the fact that I still live here. It doesn't change the fact that I have been victimized far more than enough without your interrogation."
"Do you think you're the only victim here?" the unicorn snapped back. "Don't flatter yourself, hun. You're nopony special. Nopony cares. Canterlot will continue on, with or without you."
Frostinila backed up and bumped into the cabinet. Her ears drooped to the side. The anger in this strange pony's eyes was enough to crush all confidence that Frostinilla had. She looked up at the ponies before her. Each one seemed much stronger than herself. They stood tall, and none showed any hint of fear. Frostinilla didn't know why she even thought they would be scared. There were three of them and one of her.
"Who are you?" She asked in a soft broken tone.
"We are the Cupcakes," the yellow pony told her.
"We are like sisters!" the chocolaty brown pony explained. "I'm Chippy Chocolate!"
"And I'm Lemon Drop," the yellow pony added.
Frostinilla looked over at the unicorn. She was a little taller than the rest, but it was her expression that made her so intimidating. Frostinilla was expecting her to say her name, but it became obvious that she wasn't going to oblige. Instead, she walked away and headed back down the hallway.
"That's Cinnamon Twist," the yellow pony told her. "So who are you?"
In a soft, inaudible voice she said, "Frostinilla."
"Pardon?" Lemon drop asked.
"Frostini-," she said louder, but her name caught in her throught and she coughed. "Frostinilla," she repeated.
"Nice to meet you, Frostinilla," Chippy chocolate said, as Lemon Drop continued to look Frostinilla over.
"So, you said this is your home?" Lemon Drop asked.
Frostinilla nodded.
"Where are your parents?" the yellow pony asked.
Frostinilla was taken aback by the question. She didn't know the answer. She didn't know if she wanted to know the answer. All she knew was that her parents were both dead, but she didn't want to say it. She didn't want to have to say it out loud to these ponies she didn't even know. Even after witnessing the death, she didn't want to believe it. Tears welled in her eyes and she held her breath to hold back her cries.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-" Lemon Drop began, but Frostinilla shook her head vigorously. She didn't want the pity. She didn't want sympathy. It was the last thing she needed. Sympathy would only make her weak.
Frostinilla took a deep, shaky breath. She took a couple more. When she was finally pulled herself together she wiped her own tears away, thinking of Vanilla Bean. Vanilla Bean was her life now. She was her sweet little sister that needed protecting. "I'm sorry," Frostinilla said. "I just don't know where my parents are."
Discomfort was all over Lemon Drop's face. "You don't have to apologize," she said. She didn't know what else to say. She had questions to ask, but she didn't want to push anything on the young mare. She could tell that she was pain. Anypony would be in pain at a time like this. That was something that all of the Cupcakes understood. Lemon Drop looked down at Frostinilla. Her forehead was creased in worry and thought. She seemed to be calculating again.
Frotinilla managed to bring out another question. "Why are you here?"
Lemon Drop snapped out of her thoughts. Now she was the pony to look confused. Frostinilla awaited an answer, but all that came out of the pony was, "well, you see," and a few awkward laughs.
"I think you should tell her," Chippy Chocolate said. Her face was all seriousness now.
"What?" Lemon Drop turned her head to the chocolate brown pony. She said nothing more, but there was warning in the way she glanced at Chippy Chocolate. Frostinilla felt uncomfortable. She felt as if she was treading into territory she didn't belong in, yet, it was them that broke into her home.
"I-" Frostinilla stood up. "I don't care anymore. I don't live here anymore. I just need to check for something, and I'll be out of here."
"Wait!" Chippy Chocolate stood in front of Frostinilla, keeping her from moving forward. "Where do you live then?"
"I-uh," Frostinilla was lost. She hadn't planned on meeting anypony in her home, and she certainly didn't plan on telling anypony about her living condition. She was on her own now. Nopony but her sister knew anything about them. How would three other ponies knowing of the situation affect anything? What if they told others that two ponies had been living on the streets? Frostinilla didn't want that. She didn't want a new family. She was old enough to live on her own, but just barely and it wasn't herself that she worried over. She was worried that somepony might try taking Vanilla Bean away.
"You're homeless," Lemon Drop said, as if giving Frostinilla information that she didn't already know.
Frostinilla said nothing in return. She simply looked down at her hooves.
"Come with us!" Chippy Chocolate suggested with a new smile.
"Chippy!" Lemon Drop snapped.
Chippy Chocolate's smile vanished. "What?" she asked with a pout. It wasn't as sad as Vanilla Bean's pout, but Frostinilla still thought her face looked like a little filly when she used that expression.
Lemon Drop seemed conflicted. She was looking at Frostinilla with concern, but she didn't seem to know what to do. She sighed heavily before saying, "I'll be right back."
"Wait!" Frostinilla put a hoof on Lemon Drop's shoulder as the yellow pony turned around. "I really don't need a place to stay. I'm fine. Really, I am."
The pony looked back at her with sad eyes. "No you aren't." With that she walked away, and Frostinilla's hoof slid off her shoulder and fell back to the floor. The pony walked down the hall.
"I really can't stay with you guys," Frostinilla told Chippy Chocolate. "I've already been here too long." She knew that Vanilla Bean would be worried sick about her.
"Where do you have to go?' Chippy Chocolate tilted her head. "You're homeless."
Frostinilla sighed. She evaluated the situation, wondering if telling this pony about Vanilla Bean would be alright. Deciding to learn more about them, she asked, "Where are you guys going, anyway? You all live together?"
"Yup!" Chippy Chocolate said cheerfully. "Like I said, we're all like sisters."
"Like?" Frostinilla asked. "So then, you aren't really sisters?"
Her question slightly dampened the pony's smile, but she still had a cheerful tone when she said, "Well no, but we've been together for over a year now. At least, I've been with Cinnamon Twist for over a year. She's been taking care of me for a long time. She isn't much older, but she's strong. She knew how to keep us both safe. Lemon Drop joined us about half a year ago. She's a really great addition to our pack since she's so smart." Chippy Chocolate's smile was wide again.
"Oh," Frostinilla said, trying to piece it together. She was a little envious of how this pony spoke of Cinnamon Twist. She seemed to look up to her a great deal. Frostinilla wished she could be such a role model for her younger sister. "So, where do you all live?"
"At Cinnamon Twist's place! It's a pretty big place, but nopony bothered moving in after her parents disappeared. Everypony just thinks it's haunted now. That's part of the trick though. We want to keep-"
"Wait," Frostinilla interrupted, "what happened to her parents?"
Chippy Chocolate went silent. She had obviously said more than she had meant to. She looked down at her hooves and fidgeted with them.
"Well?" Frostinilla pressed, feeling like she was finally learning something that would make a difference.
Chippy Chocolate kept her head down, but looked up at Frostinilla with her big brown eyes. "Probably the same thing that happened to yours," she said. "We're all orphans. Just like you."
Neither pony spoke until Lemon Drop returned with Cinnamon Twist. The yellow pony looked uncomfortable and Cinnamon Twist was clearly frustrated. Chippy Chocolate looked back to see them, and stepped to the side so that the angry pony could stand directly in front of Frostinilla.
"You can stay with us," Cinnamon Twist said, "but you will have to prove yourself useful first."
"I can't stay with you," Frostinilla said again. "I've already been here too long. I've said that before." Frostinilla was just thinking that she should have just left and gone back to her sister, but she felt powerless in the situation. It was as if part of her was holding her there, waiting to see what these ponies had to say or show.
"Too long? Where in Equestria could a homeless pony possibly be going?" Cinnamon Twist asked.
"It's not about where I'm going!" Frostinilla snapped. Cinnamon Twist had a way of bringing sudden bursts of anger out of her. "It's about who I'm going to!"
"Huh?" Chippy Chocolate put in.
Frostinilla went silent. She didnt' even realize what she was saying until she said it. "Huh?" She said in return.
"Who is it that you have to go to?" Cinnamon Twist asked. She glared at Frostinilla with cold eyes.
Frostinilla didn't know how to respond, but she didn't have to, Lemon Drop did it for her.
"She had a sister," Lemon Drop pointed out. "Probably still does."
"Where's your sister?" Cinnamon Twist asked.
"I have to get going," Frostinilla mumbled.
"We could give your sister a place to stay," Cinnamon Twist said. You aren't protecting her by turning us down. We are being very generous here."
Frostinilla thought it over, but she felt too pressured to make a decision. She wondered if a place to stay would cheer Vanilla Bean up. It probably would. Anything was better than the streets. Summer was coming to an end, and Frostinilla had no idea how she was going to keep them warm until the end of winter.
"It's now or never," Cinnamon Twist said. "How often do you think you will be offered a home with a warm bed and food to eat?"
"What am I supposed to do?" Frostinilla asked.
"Tell us anything strange that you might've noticed before or after your parents disappeared?"
"Why?" Frostinilla asked.
"We think we know who might've taken them, and we also think they weren't ponies," Cinnamon Twist said.
Frostinilla was caught off guard, "What?"
Cinnamon Twist only glared at Frostinilla, waiting for her to give her the information she wanted.
"How would you know that?" Frostinilla asked, panic rising in her voice and striking her in the chest.
Lemon Drop was the next to speak. "Did you see something?"
Frostinilla didn't say anything. She didn't understand. How could these ponies know about that. Chippy Chocolate's words came back to her. Cinnamon Twist probably lost her parents the same way. She wondered if they had all lost their parents to the same two hoofed creatures.
"We've been looking for these creatures. Your parents aren't the first to be taken," Chippy Chocolate explained. Her face was solemn as she spoke. "They come here and take ponies, and we don't know where they go or where they came from. We are trying to find out. Nopony but us knows about these creatures. It was pretty obvious to us that the disappearance of your parents was related. We think that you can help us, so if you know anything, please tell us. We really want to find these creatures, and put a stop to them."
Frostinilla mulled it all over. "And you will let me help you?" Frostinilla asked. "You will let me help you put an end to them?"
All three of the ponies nodded.
"Alright then." Frostinilla told them of what she saw. She told them that one of the creatures had an axe, that they came and left through the back, and even told them about seeing her parents killed through the crack of a closet door. She went through every detail of it, and the ponies sat and listened. Lemon Drop and Chippy Chocolate cringed when she explained that her father's head was chopped off, but Cinnamon Twist was unfazed. Frostinilla kept herself calm as she spoke. She kept her tears and cries back even though it caused her throat to hurt and eyes to sting. By the time she finished, she realized that she was shaking.
"I'm sorry," Chippy Chocolate said, her eyes glistened with the pain she felt for the pony she just met.
Frostinilla just took a deep breath. She didn't have anything more to add.
"Go get your sister," Cinnamon Twist said. "Bring her back here. We will finish looking around, and then we will all go home."
Frostinilla did as she was told. She didn't know these ponies, but what better choice did she have? They didn't seem dangerous, and they would help her find out about the creatures that ruined her life. She said nothing to Vanilla Bean about the ponies. She only said that she found somewhere to live. She would explain the rest later.
When they reached the house, Vanilla Bean looked confused. "I don't want to go back in there," she said, choking on her words.
"You don't have to, Nilly Bee," she told her young sister. "We just have to wait."
"You actually don't," Cinnamon Twist stepped out from the side of the house. "We finished not too long ago. We can go now. Follow us."
Lemon Drop and Chippy Chocolate came to the front of the house as well. They walked beside Cinnamon Twist, and Frostinilla followed with her sister.
"Who are they?" Vanilla Bean asked, curiously.
"Friends," Frostinilla told her.
Her young sister didn't ask anymore questions. She trusted her more than Frostinilla knew. They took a back alley behind some houses. Frostinilla looked around in awe. This was the higher class side of Canterlot. Frostinilla had only been to this part once. It was when she was a young filly and she went along with her father on business. She didn't much care for it then, but now, after being on the streets, each house looked like a castle to her.
The ponies led her and the filly through another back road. It was darker there, and the farther they went down, the fewer houses there were, but the bigger they got. The last mile was empty of homes, until they reached the very end. They stopped at a gate, and Cinnamon Twist went through the dirt. She found a key and unlocked the gate.
They walked another half mile. Dead trees were scattered across the land that they passed. The grass was long and twisted. Frostinilla could hear an owl from somewhere in the distance. Her sister pressed to her side as they walked down. She was shaking. Frostinilla gave her a reasuring, "we'll be ok."
Her little sister only nodded, but she continued to shake, huddling against her sister as they went through the dark yard. Frostinilla halted when they reached the house. It wasn't a house, it was a mansion. Some bricks were cracked and vines grew up the walls uncontrolled, but beyond that, it looked magical. The mansion was made of beautiful white brick, and the roof was a sparkling brown. Hundreds of windows were scattered across the front of the home, and the main entrance seemed to be three stories high.
Cinnamon Twist pushed one of the doors open, and beckoned the rest inside. Inside, the home seemed even more magnificent, even with the dust and cobwebs. They had entered a large room, that really was three stories high. Frostinilla was sure, because two layers of balcony were before her. A spiralling staircase stood at the back, leading to each floor.
Cinnamon Twist looked to Lemon Drop. "There's a double room on the second floor at the end of the left wing. That should be big enough for the two of them to share."
Lemon Drop nodded, then turned to Frostinilla and Vanilla Bean. "Come on."
They followed her up a flight of stairs and all the way down to the left. The home felt like a maze, but they only had to continue straight. Lemon Drop led them down and opened the door. She didn't enter, only nodded to them. "You can go in, I'll leave you alone for now." She smiled. "We'll wake you up for breakfast."
Frostinilla thanked her, and entered the room with her sister. It was beautiful. The walls were white and the floor was carpeted in a soft pink fabric. Vanilla Bean smiled for the first time since the event two weeks ago. She ran right for the pink canopy bed at the right, leaving Frostinilla with the white one at the other side. Frostinilla smiled and enjoyed her sisters laughter as she jumped on the bed. For now at least, it seemed that she made the right choice.
