Through the Eyes of an Orphan

Silo and Tera had left their small farm and were headed for the nearest town to go to the store. Terra sat patiently in the cart while her husband Silo pulled it along. Wanting to get there quickly, they packed supplies to camp out on their trip home.

Tera sighs. "Honey.. Why do I feel bad about this?"

"Because he wanted to come? Instead we leave him with a foal sitter?" Silo said, turning his head to look at her.

"I guess.. Do you think we made the right choice? I mean.. What would be wrong with letting him come along?" Tera asked with a pained expression as she thought of Chestnut.

"I honestly don't know Tera. I feel like we're abandoning him but we need us time. Don't you agree?" Silo questioned, turning his full attention back to the road before him.

Tera looks behind her with a sigh. "I guess.. But it's not like he usually bothers us that much.. And he's so young.. But then again.. If we both feel in the wrong about this, why are we still doing it?"

"I don't know dear. It's a long journey and Chestnut doesn't need to be traveling this far. It would take us three times longer to get there with him." Silo said, his face furrowed as he thought of Chestnut at home. "It won't take us to long Tera. We'll get there and be back in no time. Just wait." He said, smiling back at her.

"I don't understand how he could slow us down.. But okay. Whatever you say, honey.." Tera sighs again, looking down at her hooves as they travel.

Silo was silent for a while, watching the scenes around them as he pulled their cart over the soft, rolling hills. "Don't you just love this area, Tera? It's beautiful." Silo said, speaking softly as he gazed into the distance.

Staring down at her hooves for so long she had blanked out, Tera snaps out of it when her husband finally speaks. "Hm?" She takes a look around. "Ohhhh.. Yeah." Finally a change in emotion, a small smiles plays across the light mare's face. "Didn't you take me on one of our first dates here?" She asked grinning. "I remember that picnic so well.. We stayed up reeeally late that night. I loved the stargazing we did that night." She says dreamily.

Silo let out a small chuckle. "Yeah. It was our second date if I remember correctly. The stars weren't the brightest thing out that night though." He said, smiling over his shoulder at Tera.

"Awww, thanks dear." Tera keeps a smile on her face now, watching the stallion she had fallen in love with sweep her away even now. Worries and doubts behind her. Silo smiled when he saw Tera’s bright smile.

Looking forward again, he spotted a shadow on the distant horizon. "Maybe we will at least get to meet somepony new today Tera. Look up there." He said, pointing ahead of them.

"Hmm.. Maybe." She says, squinting. "That would be a pretty nice change. I've already lost track of time on this treacherous journey!" She says, chuckling.

"What's so treacherous about a bunch of hills?" Silo asked, laughing as they continued on their way. Silo laughed, going quiet afterwards as he watched the road.

Soon they neared another cart. "Hello?" Silo called out, trying to determine who this pony was that was before them. Tera looks at the stranger as well, offering them a smile.

"Good afternoon sir! How are you on this fine, summers day?" Silo asked as they neared the cart, the strange pony coming fully into view.

The mysterious pony, concealed by a cloak stops where he is and looks at Silo, Just staring.

Tera shifts uncomfortably on her seat. "Um.. Hello?"

"O-oh..erm-hello..uh- sir. How are you today?" Silo asked, moving between the stranger and Tera.

The stranger clears his throat. Still looking at his two encounters creepily. When he finally speaks, he has an unexpectedly cheery voice. "Why hello there! My name is Pete! I'm a traveling Merchant. What brings you folks here?" He asks.

"Oh, well me and my wife are heading to the town north of here." Silo said, shocked by the pony's cheery voice. "What about yourself?"

"I told you, I'm a traveling merchant! I just run the roads all day long hoping to run into kind folk like yourselves. I didn't know there was.. Well.. Excuse me, but.. I didn't know there was civilization up in these hills. Where do y'all come from?"

Tera was relieved but wishing to stay quiet as she watched the two stallions converse.

“We come from a few miles south east of here. The town is several miles away. It's about a days travel north." Silo said, watching this cloaked pony closely.

"Hmm.. Are there any paths leading there? I'm just surprised I've never found it.." He responds, looking to the horizon.

"You haven't been to it? It should still be there." Silo asked, curious to the merchants words. "How long did you say you have traveled these roads?" he asks, worry momentarily crossing over his face.

"All day.. This is a relatively new route for me though. I don't have any business up here yet, most of it's to the south." He answers, sounding a little nervous upon noticing Silo's expression.

"Oh, Ok then. That might explain it. You should visit the town sometime soon. It's got a magnificent view." Silo said as relief washed over his face.

"Well I've still been up this way a few times.. Is the path there very obvious? I honestly haven't seen one." Explains the anxious merchant.

"It should be in plain sight." Silo said with a smile. "You couldn't have missed it."

"Plain sight? Geez.. I must be really under observant up here. Thank you, kind ponies. I'll just be making my way then. Good luck on your trip!" Pete finally lifts his head to bow to the couple and maneuvers around them.

"Thank you! And good luck with your own." Silo said, smiling as he walked away from the merchant. After they were out of hearing range, Silo turned to Tera. "That was a strange pony, don't you agree?" he asked her.

"Well he turned out to be friendly at least.. I'm not sure how much I trust him though. Do you think Susan will be there in time to ensure Chestnut's safety?" Asks Tera, watching him disappear around the bend.

"I’m sure she is there already." Silo said, his own worry about that evident in his voice.

"Well let's just keep our minds off that. He'll be okay." Tera says with a sigh. "Hey, you brought food right? I'm kinda hungry.." She says as they bump over a rock.

"Whoops. Sorry for a bumpy ride." Silo said as he felt the cart move. "Yes I packed food. It should be in a container right behind you." He said, looking over his shoulder at her.

"Well I don't want to eat if you don't want to yet.. Isn't there a nice clearing around here we could go have a good ol' Picnic at? I know you want to be done with this as soon as possible, but we need to eat.." She says, sounding unsure herself.

"Sure. There should be one right over this hill." Silo said with a smile. "Then we can set up a blanket and eat a nice little snack." He said.

"Good." Tera smiles at her husband. "Thank you, honey."

Silo nodded as they ascended the small hill. On the other side was a small plain, covered with rocks and dotted with small patches of trees which provided shade. "Where do you want to stop Tera?" Silo asked, looking at the wide expanse of land.

"Hmm.. I think we should stay in the sun. Good for us, you know? And we can stay nearby the road too so we can move out as soon as possible when we're done." Tera suggests, smiling.

"Sounds good. How about up ahead where the grass isn't as tall." Silo asked, pointing ahead to the small area.

"Sure, that sounds good. I didn't think about the grass.." Tera walks on over to their destination. Silo followed closely behind her, pulling the cart to a stop next to the cleared grass. Unhooking the cart, Silo grabbed a blanket and the prepared food and laid it out.

"There, almost like our first date!" He said as he proudly examined his work.

"Almost." She repeats him, chuckling. "But it'll never be as good as the first time." She sighs lovingly and sits down before Silo.

"Yeah, I guess you're right." Silo chuckled, sitting down with Tera.

Tera sighs. "I still can't stop thinking of Chestnut.. How did this come up again?" She asks, practically whining. "He'll be fine. Susan is probably there now and they are getting along just fine. Trust me, dear, we won't be gone for long." Silo said, frowning at the thought. "Now come on, let's enjoy a quick lunch before we travel some more."

"Well I'm trying to.. But I keep thinking and worrying about Chestnut.. I need your help again.. Just.. Making me think more positively helped before. And although assurance that he'll be fine is really nice, that's not what I need to get him off my mind." Tera responds.

"Oh?" Silo questioned as he pulled out two sandwiches. "And what is it exactly that you need?" Silo asked her.

”Well we got talking about our first date which cheered me up last time.. Some more happy memories would probably do the trick." She says, smiling just at the thought of some.

"Ahh..some reminiscing of the past always does good." Silo said chuckling. "How about the night I met your father. Yes! Those looks he gave me." Silo said, shivering at the memory.

Tera chuckles right away. "Oh, my father. Do I ever remember that. What did he say to you again?" She asks, already smiling.

"He said..oh darn! What did he say to me?" Silo thought aloud, smiling at the memory.

"I think I had mentioned you before.. He said something like "Oh, look what the cat finally dragged in." I was like FATHER! This is my colt-friend! Be more respectful! He just laughed it off. His good ol' way of letting us know he was just joking. But he warmed up to you soon enough, didn't he?"

"Yeah, he did. After he threatened me for an hour straight." Silo laughed.

"Was it really only in the first day? I thought it would have taken longer with that old man." Tera says, chuckling.

"Yeah. That was everyday for a week, dear, that he threatened me." Silo said, picking at the sandwich with his hoof.

"Ah. First week. That explains it." She says, laughing again. My memory's always so fuzzy.. How long has it been now? Nine years? Gah! I feel like I should be able to remember that better.."

"Almost ten,~" Silo said smiling at Tera, "In only two months it will be ten." He said happily.

"Wow.. Only two months. And to really put it into perspective, it won't just be years anymore. It will be our first decade together!" She exclaims happily.

"Yeah! I..might have something planned..if I’m not busy." Silo said nonchalantly.

"Oh reeally~?" She asks, intrigued. "I can't wait!" Suddenly snapping back into reality, Tera notices that Silo had started eating and helps herself.

"Yes really~!" Silo said grinning now. "But unfortunately you will have to wait." He said with a smirk. "As soon as you finish we will be able to move again." Silo said as he took the last bites of his food.

"Wow.. Sorry I got so sidetracked!" Tera eats quickly and smiles again at Silo when she finishes. "Ooh, I can't wait until our anniversary now!" She says excitedly.

"I know~ Neither can I!" Silo grinned, helping her back up onto her perch in the cart. "Now, let's get going!" He said as he reattached the cart to himself and started towards the north once more.

Tera sighs as she looks to the steep hill ahead. "I never understood this part.." She says to Silo, bracing herself for the inevitable speedy decline.

"Understand? What is there to understand?" Silo asked as he struggled to keep the cart in control down the steep hill.

"Well the way down is such a nice, smooth decline until here. Then it suddenly drops from like.. 50 degrees to practically 90! Can I get out of the cart, please? I really don't like this part.." Tera asks, concerned.

"Sure honey. If you want to." Silo said, looking over his shoulder at her, strain on his face from the weight of the heavy cart.

"And be careful.. That stuff’s really heavy.. I completely forgot about this part.. Why do I always forget?" Hopping off the cart, she was nearly crying.

"It's ok. I will be careful. Nothing bad has happened before." Silo said with annoyance. "Don't worry dear, it's just a hill." He said.

"It is not just a hill! It's a hill twice as steep for no logical reason!" She shouts, always so scared of this part when she remembers it. Tera hops off and walks alongside the cart. "Hate it so much.." She mutters to herself, watching her husband in mute terror.

"Dear, don't worry about it. It's not that bad to be honest." Silo said, trying to calm Tera down to no avail. Tera doesn't respond. Just watches the cart's weight push more and more against her husband as they descend the steep hill. She could just imagine how painful that would be.. The leads digging into his sides and only getting worse with each step.. She covers her mouth to keep quiet as the tears inevitably start. Her eyes glide over to the rickety wooden fence that was this entire road's only safety measure.

In one particularly bad spot, Silo is so weighed down by the cart that simply walking into a rock trips him. Tera watches in horror as the cart rolls forward, running over the only thing that was keeping it in place and being knocked off course by his body.

"Silo!" She calls out, running after him as the cart drags him along. She dives down to catch him just as his hind legs drag over the edge. The old fence had been destroyed by their over packed cart. And her grip nor her weight were nowhere near enough. Slowly, she slides down with him.

"No, Tera!! Let go!" Silo cried, the cart pulling on his body as it tried to fall with him attached. "Let go!"

She lets the tears flow free now. "No.. I'm not leaving you to die!" She rolls over so that the remaining fence can catch her. "I'll find a way to get us out of this!"

"You can't, Tera! This cart will take us both down over this cliff if you don't let go! Please!!" Silo begged, tears leaking from his eyes.

"Shut up! Try hanging on with one hoof and undo the cart with your other! I'm sure we can do this!" Even her hind legs wrapped around the fence were not enough. The cart still pulled them down slowly, giving her slivers all along her haunches.

"I can't! This cart has to go over my head to come off! It's not coming off unless I get on solid ground!! Now LET. GO!" Silo said as pain covered his tear stained face. The cart bounced against the cliff side, catching his hind leg between them. The only sound it made was a bone-shattering crunch as his leg was broken.

"Gahh! Let me go! You will be fine!" Silo said once more, angry that Tera wasn't listening.

Hearing the crunch, Tera just cringes and cries more. "No.. I won't do that!" Finally running out of fence to latch onto, the couple is left with nothing to keep them on the cliff and Tera comes whipping down behind Silo. She grabs onto him as she falls so they can die together. "I love you, Silo.."

"I..I love you to Tera." Silo said, pulling her close into a hug. The cart fell, pulling Silo and Tera with it. The cold, hard ground awaited at the bottom for them as they plummeted down, dying together.

Back at home.. Chestnut was already missing his parents.