I can't say I've ever felt more alone than I have right now. Here on a quiet train heading who knows where, leaving a house I hope I never see again, listening to the droning of the tracks as we plough onward.
I couldn't stop staring at my hooves. What was wrapped around them, were two iron bands; relics to remind of the hell I'd endured for as long as I could remember... a final memento of a life I no longer wanted to live. They still felt odd on my wrists.
I turned to the side and stared at my transparent reflection in the window of the train. My brown hair fell sloppily over my face, slightly obscuring my tan eyes. They seemed so hollow and empty, like the person they belonged to had lost their will to live. My face was expressionless, but there was just something about that couldn't hide the hurt. I looked as depressed as I was, and I couldn't hide it. I could only cover my pain in silence.
I felt my stomach lurch slightly as the train began to slow to a stop. A chipper voice over the intercom sparked to life.
"We are arriving in Apploosa, ponies who are departing, get ready to disembark."
There was a small rustle as several ponies in the car rose to their hooves and retrieved their luggage, before shuffling up to the front of the car, where an employee in uniform was directing the small crowd of ponies. I heard a voice outside of the train yell "All Aboard!", followed by another crowd of faceless ponies shuffling inside. I cast my glance back out the window, looking out at everyone still boarding the train. My eyes glazed over each of their features before simply resting my head back. Ponies shuffled past, before the voice overhead sparked to life once again.
"Welcome aboard, fillies and gentlecolts, welcome aboard the Equestrian Expressway!"
The overly cheerful voice annoyed me slightly.
"Our next stop will be Ponyville, which we will arrive at in approximately one hour and fifty-two minutes! Bathrooms are in the back of every car, and the lunch and observation decks will be open for the ride. Have a wonderful day everypony, and thank you for choosing E.E."
Ponies began finding their seats all around. In my mind, I hoped no one chose to sit next to me, hopefully the look on my face would keep anyone considering at bay... but as if the world had to toy with me one more time, a mahogany colored Pegasus took a seat next to mine. She seemed a bit stout for a mare, with a what looked like a pale red carnation stuck amidst her blue mane. She wore a few pieces of jewelry, a few thin bracelets on her left leg, and what looked like a dainty brass medallion around her neck.
She shuffled in place an awful lot, looking around somewhat goofily, before her gaze settled on me. She donned a small smile before she waved her hoof. "Hi," she said somewhat awkwardly.
I paused for a second, staring at her oddly, before returning my gaze to the window.
I could still hear her fidgeting in her seat a little bit, before she tapped on my shoulder.
"Hi!" She said again, her tone cheerful and enthusiastic. "I'm Looksie Daisy! But you can just call me Daisy," she scooted a little closer, her blue eyes widening a little. "What's your name?"
I really didn't want to talk... but I guess it wouldn't hurt to say hello.
"I'm Rust," I said flatly.
"Hi!" She said for the third time. "Nice to meet you Rust. Where are you from?"
She seemed pretty eager to converse. "I lived in a small town a few miles outside of Dodge City,"
"Ooooooh," said the Pegasus, swinging her legs over the edge if the seat. "I live in Apploosa! Well, used to," she said picking up a large suitcase. "I'm moving up to Ponyville. Where are you going?"
To be honest, I hadn't really thought so much of a destination. I was far too focused on just leaving. I turned to the mare and sort of half shrugged.
"You're not going anywhere?" She said as she cocked her head a little to the right. "But you're on a train, I don't think you can really stay in one place..."
I just shrugged again. I didn't care where I ended up, and I really didn't want to talk. I was about to turn around again, but I heard her enthusiastic voice once again.
"Where did you get those bracelets?"
I looked down at my hooves out of instinct. I'd nearly forgotten they were there.
"I made them," I said.
Daisy's eyes widened in surprise. "You made them? Is that what your special talent is? You make bracelets?"
"Uh, sort of,"
"Wow! That's so cool! I wish I could make bracelets," she lifted up her hoof. "I'd make bracelets like these because they're so pretty. Can you make bracelets like these?"
"I guess I could, I dun-"
"Wow, I wish I had your talent. It's so..." she waved her hoof in around in search of the right word. "So versatile, you could make small bracelets, thick bracelets-" she trailed off into a mutter.
I lifted my hooves, feeling the foreign weight of the metal as it pushed gently to the ground.
"Do you wanna know what I do?" she said excitedly.
"Uh, sure?"
She dipped down and opened the suitcase before pulling out a paintbrush with her teeth.
"Em eh pnter!" She mumbled through the brush, before dropping it back into the suitcase. "I'm moving to Ponyville for some inspiration. I'm tired of that boring old desert," she said with a small scowl.
She was still kicking her legs excitedly. She hadn't stopped moving since she got on the train.
"You don't talk too much, huh?"
"Not really,"
"Are you sad?" She said with a small scowl. "Why are you sad?"
I looked up at her. There was no point in avoiding it. "Been through a lot these last couple weeks or so," I said, my voice sounding more downtrodden than I had hoped.
Daisy cocked her head to the right once more. "Like what?"
The last thing I wanted to do was talk about it. I'd have to force my mind to revisit all of the horrible things that had made me as I am right now... but something about her felt easy to open up to.
I let out a long sigh, my mind preparing to relive the trauma.
"My father decided that I was more trouble than I was worth. I tried to tell him to stay, but he had his mind set on leaving..."
Daisy's ears folded against her head. "What about your... other parent?"
I couldn't help but puff a little in amusement from her awkward phrasing.
"She left too. They both did. We all left," I said, letting my head droop slightly. "We were all sick of each other, and it's still a little fresh on my mind is all,"
Daisy's legs swung limply from the edge of the seat as she listened. "I'm sorry, Rust," she said, her tone a little sadder.
"I won't bother you if you want to be alone right now, I could change seats," she said, a little nervous. "I've been told that I talk too much sometimes, so I'm sorry if I've been chatty or annoying or-"
"No, no it's fine. I feel a little better now that I've had someone to talk to,"
"Oh, really?" she said, her eyes lighting back up. "Could I cheer you up some more?"
I let out a small chuckle. "Sure, why not,"
She reached back in her suitcase, pulling out several brushes and a small wooden object, along with a couple containers of paint. She grabbed a little canvas with her teeth and jumped out of her seat.
"Fllw mrr!" she said, before jumping out of her seat and trotting quickly to the back of the train car.
I shuffled out of my seat and trailed her through a few cars, before arriving in a compartment lined with large windows on either side. There were a few rows of seats facing the windows, along with a few chairs and tables on the inside. This must be that observation car I heard the pony over the intercom talk about.
She flopped her stuff on one of the chairs, before setting up the wooden mess I'd seen her carry over here. She fiddled with a bolt on the center, before extending two of the wooden limbs to the side, forming an easel. She flopped the canvas onto it, before trotting over to me.
"You sit right there... No right there!" she said, motioning to one of the inner facing chairs. "No... okay right there is good "
I hadn't even moved yet.
"Are you... Are you gonna paint me?" I said with a small chuckle.
"Yup! Now stay still,"
I sat down and stood straight forward. I watched as she fidgeted and arranged her tools around her, before she spilled a droplet of brown paint on a wooden pallet.
She kicked her legs as she eyeballed me for a second, before dabbing at the brown paint, and drawing the brush across the canvas. As soon as she began painted, her body went oddly stiff. She stopped kicking her legs, and her eyes focused completely on the canvas. The only thing that reminded me of her kooky personality that had just about vanished from her face, was her tongue sticking out slightly to the side. She drew the brush over the white of the canvas, before looking back at me, her legs resuming their usual swinging. She peeked from behind her canvas for a second.
"So what kind of bracelets do you like to make?" asked Daisy.
I chuckled a little bit. "I didn't just make bracelets. I worked with metal,"
"What did you like making?"
"Well, it wasn't so much something I liked as it was my job,"
"But how did you get your cutie mark for it if you don't like it?"
"Well, that isn't quite what my cutie mark is." I said, turning my flank so she could see it. "Mine is a 100 ton hammer,"
"You must be really strong then,"
"Well... Kind of. I guess I'm strong but-"
"What about the hammer then? I thought you didn't like it that much?"
"I guess it's just there because it's been such a big part of my life whether I enjoyed it or not,"
"Hmm..."
I watched her stiffen up again as she continued to paint. I watched her pour a few more colors onto the pallet, before she began to paint in wider strokes.
"So how did you get into painting?" I asked her, taking a glance at her cutie mark, which was some sort of paint brush with a few rings of color inside it.
"My parents said I just picked up a brush and started doodling." she leaned past the canvas with a large grin. "What was funny, is that I didn't have any canvases yet. My dad said I just took a paintbrush and started re-decorating our house," she had a goofy smile on her face. "So my dad bought me some supplies, and it wasn't long before this showed up," she motioned to her cutie mark.
She went back behind the canvas again and began painting. "That was back when I was living with my family in Canterlot. I moved from the capital to Apploosa, thinking a change of scene would be good inspiration. It was for a year or so, but then it started getting boring. So I picked my stuff up and decided to move again,"
"Why Ponyville?" I asked.
"A whole lotta stuff has been going on there for awhile now. I thought why not go see what was going on?"
I thought long and hard for a second. I didn't really have a set destination, and this Ponyville place seemed nice.
"I think I might go ahead and stop at Ponyville too,"
Daisy peeked from behind the canvas. "No way! That's awesome!" She said, raising her hooves excitedly, accidentally smearing a small line of tan paint on the stallion behind her, who turned toward her and shot her a slightly aggravated look.
Daisy gave a meek smile, before turning back to me. "I have a question," said Daisy, a curious look on her face. "How do you work with the metal if you're just an earth pony? Isn't it hard working with a hammer with nothing but hooves?"
I ran my hoof uncomfortably through my hair. "It is hard," I said with a sigh. "Very hard,"
"You must be pretty dexterous to do it,"
I nodded silently.
Suddenly, the voice over the intercom sparked to life once again.
"Attention all passengers! We will be arriving in Ponyville in a little less than half an hour. Notice that the dining car will close in 15 minutes, so if you're hungry, make sure to head on in soon!"
"Are you hungry?" I asked Daisy.
"Not really," she said. "If you are, you can go ahead and get something to eat, I've already finished you anyway, I'm just doing the background,"
"Really? Can I see?" I asked,"
"Not yet!" she said, spreading her hooves on either side of the picture. "When it's done!"
"Alright, alright," I said, raising my hooves. "I'm going to get a small bite to eat. I'll be back though," I said with a small smile. I trotted toward the back if the observation deck, before stepping into the small room between the cars. I felt the rumble of the engine beneath us, my hooves vibrating against the metallic floor. I pushed past the door to the next train, and was immediately greeted with a wave of sweet smells. There were a few train riders here, picking up a last minute snack before the train pulled into Ponyville.
I saw a large salad go over the counter of the chefs, to a very happy looking customer, who trotted to one of the seats. I couldn't wait to get my hooves on some of the food, before I looked up at the menu and noticed the prices.
40 bits for a salad. I didn't have a whole lot of money to begin with, and I sure as hell wouldn't be able to afford something this expensive, not if I wanted to eat tomorrow.
Suddenly, I didn't feel so hungry. I gave a small scowl before I turned back and headed for the observation deck.
"Wow, you eat fast," she said with a small hint of surprise. "I barely had time to color some of the background.” I noticed that there was a mish mosh of colors on her pallet,and she was now painting in wilder strokes around the top of the canvas. I sat back down watched as she slapped the brush this way and that. There was silence as she focused on her painting with a bit more intensity. Her legs were still, and she didn't talk for a few whole minutes. All I heard was the small wet noises of paint against the rough canvas.
Finally, she turned around abruptly, practically snatching the painting off of the easel
"Done!" She said with a large grin,
I stared at the painting, and found myself quickly taken aback by how perfect she had drawn me. My head was cocked to the side ever so slightly, my brown hair falling over my eyes, just like I saw in the window earlier. The only thing different, was I had smile. It was a small, meek little smile, but a grin nonetheless.
And then my my eyes were distracted by an absolute mishmash of colors in the windows of the train. It was an assorted potpourri of blues, browns, greens, and a few out of place yellows and pinks.
"Wow," I said, impressed with how I turned out. "But... What's going on with the background?"
"It was the only thing that didn't stay still," she said, a small pout on her face. "So I just painted what I saw every time I looked up,"
Suddenly, I felt the train lurch slightly, before a voice came over the intercom once more. "We will be arriving at the Ponyville Station in just five minutes. Ponies planning to depart, prepare to disembark."
Daisy looked up at the intercom. "I guess that's our cue!" She picked up the painting handed it off to me. "Here! You can have this,"
She put the painting near me, before breaking down all of her equipment. "I'll clean my stuff off better when I can settle down," she said, taking a paper towel and drying off all the residual paint.
I looked at the painting, a small grin stretching across my face, as a warmth filled my heart. All of that pain and sadness I was feeling just an hour or so ago... It's gone now. For the first time in a long time, I felt happy. Looking at this painting, I knew there was good ponies out there, and to be honest, it filled me with hope.
I looked up from the painting and noticed Daisy watching me. "Do you like it?" she asked, her face serious.
"I really do," I said, turning the painting forward. "Looks just like me," I said, pressing my face up to the side.
For a moment there, I could forget about my parents. "Alright, I gotta go pack all of my stuff back up," she said, pushing halfway through the door that led to the next car. “Are you going to be coming back to your seat?”
“I am now. Do you need help with your stuff?” I asked.
“No no, I got it. Besides, you have your painting to carry,”
I followed Daisy back to our seat, stopping to let her pull her suitcase out from under the seat and stuff the materials inside, before pulling it out and setting it beside her. The train was nearly halted, when I heard the releasing of air, and the train somewhat bounced to a halt.
“Welcome to Ponyville, everyone! If this is your stop, the exit will be on the right side of the train,”
I saw an employee in uniform walk towards the front of the car, before opening a door leading to the platform. Ponies began forming a small line behind him. I jumped into the line next to Daisy, walking slowly forward as the crowd slowly crawled forward.
Soon enough, I made it to the door, before stepping onto the wooden platform off of the train. Daisy stepped off behind me, and I could hear her hopping slightly in place from extement.
“Wow,” she said in a hushed whisper. “I can’t believe I’m here!” she said excitedly, before she bumped into the back of a pony with a funny looking brown line of paint on the back of his neck, who shot her another annoyed look.
She smiled shyly at him, who simply turned around and walked off.
We walked through the small hallway leading into the city itself, before coming face to face with dozens of cottages, and a street bustling with ponies.
So this was the place. The streets were brightly decorated, with flowers and other decorations littering the side of the lightly cobbled path. Tall wooden lamps were placed along the street, with festive purple banners hanging on either side. The whole place looked as if it was getting ready to celebrate some sort of festival.
The banners themselves depicted what looked like the outline of an Alicorn, which confused me greatly. Last I checked, there wasn’t any purple Alicorns… unless one of them is having a wardrobe crisis.
Daisy noticed my confusion. “Whatcha lookin’ at?” she asked.
“Those banners… who’s on the banners?”
“What, don’t you know? A unicorn ascended not to long ago,”
What? I know my old town was pretty sheltered, but it’s hard to believe we missed something this big…
“I didn’t know…” I said, mulling over this new information.
“Yeah, and she brought down Tirek only three or so weeks ago,”
There was another name I didn’t recognize, which Daisy immediately became aware of.
“He was a big bad villain that broke a whole lot of stuff. Don’t worry though, he’s gone now,”
I must’ve made a face, because Daisy immediately started laughing at me. “I told you, a lot happens in this town,” she said through giggles.
“I guess so,” I said, trying to piece together all of this new information.
We walked down the street for a few seconds, before Daisy spoke up. “So I’m guessing you don’t really have anywhere to stay, huh? Seeing as you came here last minute… and I don’t want you sleeping in the streets,” she looked around for a few seconds. “Although these are some pretty nice streets… do you want to stay with me for a little bit? Until you find somewhere of your own,”
Well, she was right. I didn’t exactly have anywhere to go, but then again I just met her. Didn’t seem right to be moving in with her right off the bat like that. She was a nice pony, but that seemed like I was overstepping the boundaries here. Even if she did ask me.
“Uh, I think I’ll be fine. I can just check into an inn for now,”
“Oh, Ok,” she said, her smile never breaking. “Did you want to go to your hotel now, or did you want to see the town? I’ve never seen it myself, and I thought it’d be good to go see it with a friend,”
She seemed pretty keen on having me tag along…
“Sure,” I said. “Sounds nice,”
