Chapter Two: Trottingham

I would like to thank Cerulean1313 for his tips and suggestions for the story.  I went back and fixed the first chapter up a little, and hopefully this one will be easier to follow.  Enjoy!

[Chapter Two: Trottingham]

I'm a bit worried, I'll admit.  This is a big undertaking for me, to travel alone.  I guess it's a good thing, though, I'm so used to going un-noticed by anypony until I make a mistake, then it's everypony stare at Spearmint day.  It'll be no different when I'm travelling, really.  I'll be alone, like usual, but at least, if I make a mistake here, nopony will be there to laugh.  *Oomph*  Okay, I spoke too soon.

"Dammit" Spearmint muttered, eyeing the gawking bystanders.  He had left early that morning to stop by several stores to gather some supplies, mostly food and water for his trip, and somehow managed to trip himself in the middle of the grocery store.  He grumbled a bit and picked himself up, giving a glare to the surrounding ponies.  Somewhat irritated, he grabbed his shopping cart and started to hunt for the grains.  After he finished gathering his foodstuffs, he went up to checkout lane number 14.  A mare sat behind the counter, her name was Summer Wind, and she was just a couple of years younger than Spearmint.

"Well darn, Mints, you certainly got alotta things, you'd think you were gettin' ready for a ponypocalypse!" She teased, a grin on her face.  She had always been nice to Spearmint, but he just credited to pity.

"Yeah, haha, very funny Summer." Spearmint grumbled in reply.  Sensing something was wrong,  her voice became full of concern.

"Something wrong, Spearmint?  You usually aren't this down, especially when you're getting this much food."   Spearmint simply shook his head, not wanting to explain it.  "C'mon, you gotta tell me, I hate seeing customers frown!"

Spearmint sighed.  "Fine, you win, I decided to take a trip around Equestria, see all the sights, maybe find some place to call my own, since I obviously can't stay here without causing a mess."  Summer frowned.

"Well, that doesn't seem that bad, I mean, you get to travel around the nation and see all the natural beauty it has. honestly what can be wrong with that?" she moved through his pile of food, scanning and bagging all the items.  "Oh, and that'll be one hundred and fifty bits, please."  Spearmint nodded and swiped his Equestrian Express credit card through the machine.  Bits could be such a hassle.

"But the thing is, I don't know if I should leave my family like that.  I mean, I'm the reason they're in the financial tight spot they're in right now, and then I just leave them to chase whatever tickles my fancy, it just doesn't feel right."

"Well, Mints, you have a loving family, and I bet they want you to be happy, no matter what.  I don't think anyone can blame you for wanting to leave.  Just...be careful, okay?  I'd hate to see you hurt." Summer said, a sudden softness in her voice.  Spearmint nodded.

"Thank you, Summer, that means alot, I promise to stay safe." Spearmint answered, hoping his voice sounded somewhat reassuring.  She smiled and nodded at him, then turned to another customer.  A tad bit happier, Spearmint walked out of the grocery store and loaded the supplies into his wagon, patted his waiting dog on the head, then hitched himself up, and blended in with the early morning traffic.

That traffic is a killer.  I swear, the amount of times I nearly got mowed down by a giant tour wagon with some fat rich ponies on it.  It'd drive nearly anypony insane!  Thank Celestia I'm out of that mess.

Spearmint had finally cleared the traffic jams of downtown Conestoga, and made it to the open road.  A sign above his head pointed off towards the distance, leading traveling ponies down the freeway towards Trottingham.  One little hitch, he was a photographer, and what kind of photos can you get from a freeway?  Instead, Spearmint turned off onto a small side road.  The scenic route, if you will.  This part of Equestria was covered in grain farms, and although the farms remained, the old grain silos and processing plants had been moved closer to urban centers.  This move had helped clear the air a little, but left the massive concrete monuments to the region's past standing.  This was an opportunity he couldn't pass up!  He passed several storage silos near the trails, getting an occasional picture.  Nothing really sparked his interest until he saw it.  A massive concrete monstrosity, sitting alone in a barren field.  It was a processing plant, although it was in obvious disrepair, it made for some damn fine pictures.  He snapped a few pictures with both of his cameras, unhitched himself, and trotted up to the building, leaving his Fidelitas to stand guard.  Nothing a little exploring can hurt, right?  It's just a big...creepy...dark, lifeless building. He gulped, but kept going, hunting down a door.  He finally did find one, although it took a good buck to get it open.  He coughed a bit as a cloud of grain dust billowed out of the dank room, covering him in a fine layer of grit.  Just swell.  Stupid door. Against his better judgement, he continued his foray into the ancient building.  He had found what appeared to be a grinding room when he heard a loud clanging.  Nearly jumping out of his skin, he whirled around, eyeing the pieces of metal that were gentling blowing in the wind from a nearby shattered window.  Stupid wind.  Spearmint decided to try and find the tall tower he had seen when he walked up, as it most likely offered a great view.  Ignoring the clouds of grain dust and occasional noise, he eventually came to a grain escalator that traveled up to the adjacent tower.  He stepped out onto the rusty, narrow machine and looked down, and instantly regretted it.  Being a Pegasus, the heights didn't bother him too much, but the fact that he lacked wings, and the ground below him was solid concrete littered with sharp, rusty remains of some old device.  Shaking his fears, he boldly walked all the way across the gap, and made it to the tower.  He had just pulled his camera from Celestia-knows-where when he heard a sharp cracking sound.  Ignoring it the wind, he lifted his camera back up to his face, when he heard another sharp crack, this time followed by a series of rumbles.  He looked down over the edge, and his face blanched in fear.  The tower's base hadn't been maintained in decades, and it looked like Spearmint was just enough to push it over the limit.  It was going to collapse.

After a brief stunned silence, Spearmint made a dash for the grain escalator and started to gallop down it.  The tower had started to go down...and it was taking the escalator down with it!  Metal twisted and screeched in protest, debris nipping at his heels.   He saw the opening into the main building just ahead, but the escalator was catching up to him, and he had to make a decision.  He leapt into the air just as the rest of the escalator gave way and crashed to the ground below, but he was going to fall short, and he knew it.  Spearmint did everything he could, he even extended his wing nubs out to get him that little bit further aannndddd....yes!  His hoof caught the bottom of the opening with a deathgrip, and he slowly scrambled inside.  Breathing heavily, he muttered "Take that Daring Do!" with a slight grin on his face, he made his way down to ground level. A tad bit worse for wear, but at least I'm alive.  His thoughts were agreed with by a very concerned dog.  "Hey there Delly, I'm okay, don't worry."  Despite his reassurances, Fidelitas sniffed him over, but eventually gave him a clean bill of health with a big 'ol lick to the face and a happy bark.  Spearmint smiled and rubbed his faithful companions head before looking up at the sky, the light slowly fading away.  "Well Delly, I guess my little excursion into the depths of that wretched place took a bit longer that I thought, it looks like we'll have to go make camp soon."  Spearmint went and hitched himself back onto his wagon, dog close in tow.  He was eager, no, scratch that, he was very eager to get away from the processing plant before nightfall.  Gave him the creeps.  He stopped just as Celestia's sun was slipping under the horizon, suddenly aware of how sore he was.  He slowly unhitched himself from the wagon and dug out his tent and some carrots to munch on.  After getting his tent and dinner settled, he went about to find some firewood.  Unfortunately, all he could find was some dried shrubs and some twigs off an old decrepit tree.  He returned to his wagon, lit a fire, and began to munch on his carrots.  He pulled out the journal his sister gave him and smiled.  Pulling out a writing utensil, he began to write down his days events, then slipped a couple of pictures from the instant camera in there too.  He crawled inside his tent, got comfortable, and manged to get some decent shuteye.  Tomorrow he arrived in Trottingham.

Running.  Running through a massive black void.  Images of his tormentors from school bounced around his mind, shouting insults.  He heard a loud noise behind him, like the sound of tortured metal, but he didn't dare look back.  He couldn't stop.  He had to run.  Run from the voices and the noise.  He saw something up ahead.  A little foal, laying there, on the middle of a grain escalator, cowering in fear.  She looked familiar, her frightened expression, her tiny lips mouthing something he couldn't hear.  The screeching was getting closer, and he turned and saw a blinding white light.  A moving light.  He instinctively covered the little foal with his body, trying to protect her.  The lights were upon him, the screeching ringing in his ears.  The terrified little foal.  A pool of blood.

Spearmint awoke with a gasp, covered in a cold sweat.  A gray, predawn light seeped into the tent, and his ever so loyal dog was dozing beside him.  A dream...that's all it was...just a dream...  Spearmint shook the horrid memories of the dream from his head and crawled out of his tent.  A gentle morning breeze greeted him, as well as a gurgle of his stomach.  The fire had burned itself out long ago, so he pulled an apple from his wagon.  Some shuffling inside the tent reminded him of his furry companion, her promptly poked her head out of the tent and yawned, looking at Spearmint expectantly.  He couldn't help but laugh at his pet's 'serious' face as he dug out her food and a dog bowl.  She barked happily and chowed down on her breakfast as soon as he started pouring.  Some things would never change.  That dog had him trained!

The two departed their campsite half past dawn, and continued their route to Trottingham.  They arrived just past noon, with little incident.  Trottingham was a very odd city.  The warm cozy buildings mashed together with modern skyscrapers, but the people were happy and somewhat welcoming.  Somewhere along the way a few tourists asked him to take their pictures in front of some famous building or monument, and most surprisingly, next to his wagon, and some even wanted pictures with him!  Oh! Duh! I probably look like some actor pony, pulling off the settler pony thing.  Well, I guess it ain't too bad, and they are 'payin in bits.  Guess it can't hurt nopony!  His afternoon went on, taking pictures with random tourists and a few locals.  He started hooking his wagon back up to go find a decent motel for the night when he heard a loud whistle behind him.

"Ay, you there, stop in th' name of th' law!" An authoritative, gruff voice shouted out. Spearmint turned around and watched a policepony come walking up to him.  "C'mon son, you're goin' downtown wit' me.  No use arguin', and you can take yer' blasted wagon with ye, but if ye run I'm allowed to take you by force!" the policepony warned, getting a series of grumbles from Spearmint.

"Fine fine, I'm coming, but can ya at least tell me why I'm being arrested?  I haven't done squat!" The policepony eyed Spearmint, then sighed.

"To be honest, I don't really know, all I was told to bring ye in if I spotted ye, all we have to go on is a message from Conestoga City from some pony named Stone Hoof..."