Crescendo: An Ordinary Journey
It's not fair...
How did I get stuck like this... right here...?
I don't want to die... not today... not the way I am...
Somepony... anypony...
Get me out of here!
My day had been going great so far. Well... as great as it could get for somepony like me.
I woke up, walked to my job at the market and right then, I found a penny. Sales went well, too, I was fascinated by how well things were going! Now, serving five customers total for a day may seem like a job not well executed, however, living in a smalltown like mine, I learned that when your population is well over, oh, say one or two hundred, one starts to appreciate every sale one can possibly make.
"You wanna haggle?" a customer asks me, holding a pear. I honestly don't feel like loligagging around today, despite how well it's going for me, so I shake my head from side to side as clear as I can.
"No, sorry, not in the mood." I said, waving a hoof for added clarity.
The customer, a stallion who looks exceedingly wealthy for small-town standards, gives a playful nudge in a 'come on' motion.
"What's it gonna harm ya?" he continues pressing.
I sigh and raise a hoof. "I'll lose patience, profit and motivation. Besides, a pony of your wealth, visually speaking, would hardly need to haggle for cheaper prices."
"Yeah, but it's my lucky day today, I figured a good cheap pear would be JUST the thing."
I can't convince this bloke to leave me alone unless I do, can I? I mean, I earn little as is, I don't need this. Any of this.
"Sorry, sir, but I'm not going to do that. Celestia only knows that I've got a father I need to take care of, so a lowered price on something as elementary as pears is just not in my list of things I want to do today, do you understand?" I explain to him, trying to sound as social and reasonable as possible. However, this seemed to have not worked at all as the customer simply scoffed, rolled his eyes, turned his tail to me and walked the other way.
Perhaps it would have been better, had I haggled.
The day that I described as "going well" turns out to be utter hell. I haven't made profit at all later that evening, meaning that I'm now coming home with money from this morning's sales. What a drag.
The train station is filled with busy workers, checking their watches, waiting to get to Trottingham to do what I'm assuming is their big business job, seeing as though some of these subjects are wearing collars and ties.
I look at the timetable, then the clock as I see that the train should be arriving shortly. One thing I've always been proud of is my timing. If there's one smidget of something I'm good at, it's being lucky when it comes to being at the right place at the right time. It's how I've managed to go through life nicely so far.
Lost in thought, I didn't see the train approaching until it sliced the wind right in front of my face.
Shrugging, I saunter on, looking at the business ponies around me.
Nearly all of them are unicorns, very few earth ponies wearing the suited uniform that seems to be going on with them. No pegasi are among them, as expected. You don't spend your life in the clouds just to remain on the ground for the rest of it, right?
Being an earth pony myself, I enjoyed seeing earth ponies take on jobs normally a unicorn would do.
It makes me happy because it shows devotion and hard work would beat magic any day of the week.
I look out the window and see the tunnel coming up. It runs right through a mountain, which means it's gonna be about twenty seconds at full speed to get to the other side. I wonder why I didn't go on to study physics. Would have helped out a lot more. Probably would've worked in Canterlot with all these fine twats. Could've put in a good word for my father then, but then again, retiring means not going to work, so it'd be best if I leave that be.
The tunnel engulfs the train in darkness, only the candles mounted on the walls giving us light so we can see what we're doing.
Very clever, that. I like the candles.
A rumble rides through the train, unsettling the passengers, including me. Normally, this doesn't happen.
Another rumble causes some of the "big bizzers" to grow frightened.
A bump, a crash and a tear, then a colt's worried cries as the cart we're in starts to hit the walls .
Everything happened in a flash.
As I come to, I open my eyes. Twice. Once more to be sure. I couldn't see anything, so I'm assuming I'm in a very dark room or I've gone blind. Would be inconvenient, it would. Though according to the train wreck in the distance that still holds candles inside, the second can't be true. Thank Celestia.
I try to get up as another stallion helps me out. I would have questioned why if it weren't for the immense searing pain in my leg.
Oh, joy of joys. I can't walk on my own. Perfect.
"Can you tell me what happened?" I ask the stallion gently, trying not to sound panicked.
He shakes his head. Seems my eyes adjusted a bit already. "No, I was hoping you could tell me..." he replies, a bit of desperation in his voice.
My brain is still trying to process the situation at this point, unsure if what I'm witnessing is really going on. I see a few of the business ponies crouched over, holding their heads or torsos to quench the pain a little or to stop a bleeding.
"What's your name?" I ask the stallion, trying to at least make this situation a little more bearable.
"Live Wire. I'm an electrician down in Canterlot central station," the kind earth pony said, "who're you?"
I give a forced smile, looking up at him. "I'm Crescendo, I'm a market vendor."
It's still kinda hard to see him, so I squint my eyes to get a better look in the semi-darkness, however, my eyes still haven't fully adjusted yet.
We reach the lot of ponies and I can see them all bunched up, trying to maintain contact. Good idea. It would keep us from going insane too easily. That's nice.
I could see the silhouette of a pegasus stallion stand up.
"Hello?" he calls, "I'd just like to ask you all for your attention..."
He sounds like he has a plan.
I'm all ears.
"I know this situation is grim, but I need to know how many of us packed any foods or drinks."
"That makes sense," I chime in, "what've you got planned?"
My tone was a bit shaky, I realise. Perhaps I was taking this all a bit less well than I'd like to admit. Then again, I've not been in a lot of crisis situations before, by which I mean none. Flankfort's population of two hundred-and-something means that many a crisis would become as big as a crickety old house falling apart, even so, that's only happened once as well.
The stallion cleared his throat.
"I think that if we start moving soon, we can reach the end of the tunnel and get to help." he explained to the group.
A mare worded in at the last portion. "Are you nuts? We're only halfway through, at best! We're never gonna get to the other side."
"Not if we keep sitting here, we won't. He does raise a good idea." Live Wire said.
My eyes finally fully adjust and I can see everypony nodding towards him in the dim lighting now. Live Wire looks to be my age, maybe a year or two older than I. He's got a really long purple mane which doesn't quite suit his short tail. His coat appears cream coloured. Hard to see with all this darkness.
Those who can stand on their own help those up who cannot, which proved quite a quest. A lot of the passengers had injured their entire backsides in the crash, so two unicorns had to carry them with magic.
One unicorn broke his horn in the accident. Poor bloke will never be able to cast a spell again.
As a stallion asked around for anyone with medical experience as we walked, it turned out the only one who did suffered blunt force trauma after hitting her head on the side of the train, rendering us without capable hooves.
I stumble over a rock in the darkness, the light of the cart being but a star in the distance now, yet, I can't see light ahead. Either it's night time or we still have a very long journey ahead of us...
Most likely both...
As I get up from the ground, I cough up a lung, due to all the dust in this dark and filth-covered cave.
Once again I cough. And another time. And another.
All out of the blue I can feel a metallic liquid on my tongue.
Blood. That's strange... I feel fine aside from the aid I need for walking.
Then I notice my hooves feeling sticky.
I realise that I fell into a puddle of somepony else.
Feeling sick, I arch over and empty what little there was in my stomach onto the ground. The burning sensation in my throat, the tears in my eyes, the gut-wretching smell... and the noise...
You could've identified that sound from the other end of the cave and felt sick, I swear it was all that bad.
"You okay?" Live Wire asks me, obviously very concerned. He tightens his grip around me and I swear he was so close to copping a feel.
Not being one to leave worrisome behaviour unappreciated, I stand back upright and smile at him, saying: "Yeah, thanks. Sorry to make you carry me."
"What was I supposed to do?" he replies, "Leave you there to die?"
I consider this for a while, then tighten my grip on him as well, shaking my head whilst chuckling, the burning feeling coming back to haunt me yet again.
Buck that feeling. Buck it to hell.
10 minutes inside the tunnel
I still can't see light. We're all starting to show fatigue, and I don't even know if some of us probably already fell. It's hard to tell.
Live Wire starts holding my hoof, muttering somethings that I assume are meant to cheer me up, it's too frantic to tell.
He's starting to cry, so I crain my neck up to look at him.
His face... it was so done with everything...
I mutter to him, saying: "It's okay to take a break and let the others go without us."
"Okay...", he says.
We sit down by a nearby rock, big enough to support the both of us, he grunts as he lets himself slowly droop down to the floor. His arms are loosely wrapped around me.
"I can't...", he stammers, "I can't go on..."
I take his hoof, which causes him to look up at me in one swift movement.
"I know. Me neither."
20 minutes inside the tunnel
I'm still holding his hoof, trying to have a rough idea whether he's still alive or not, each pulse reassuring me of the prior.
A forced inhale and a painful clearing of the throat later, I pop a question: "Say... Live Wire... would you... consider dating a stallion... at least once...? You know... before you die..."
"This is neither the time, nor the place to be asking that kind of question.", he responds in a shaky voice.
Sighing, I squeeze his hoof gently.
"On the contrary... I think it's the perfect time."
I hear another grunt from him. ยด
"In that case... no... I wouldn't consider dating another stallion..."
I nod, completely understanding the answer he gave me. It isn't common for Canterlot folk to be running with 'the other crowd', but in the very least I hoped this one was. He must think I'm a weirdo. Or worse... a freak...
"However...", he continued, "I would gladly consider dating you... not just some other bloke..."
Taking a minute to let that sink in, tears start forming in my eyes as I begin to sob, hugging him tightly.
30 minutes inside the tunnel
"Hey...", I inquire, "do you think they'll be back for us...?"
Live Wire gives no answer.
"Live Wire?", I ask again. No answer.
One last time: "Hey... Live Wire..."
I pull myself towards him. "Please don't do this to me... we're gonna get out... we'll have a house together... and foals... a colt and a filly... we'll take them to school... a-a-and take them to prom..."
Tears run down my cheek as I collapse. "Live Wire... please... respond..."
Finally, exhausted, haven given up all hope, I lay there, next to Live Wire, unwilling to move away.
I won't let him go.
He's all I have.
Author's Note
That's the whole thing, folks. Might write more short stories as I do this.
