Lonely
by UniqueSKD
Unique trudged through the snow-laden streets of Canterlot, scarf wrapped tightly around his neck, his blue-tipped wings wrapped around his form like a feathery jacket to give him some degree of warmth from the wintry night air. The night princess's pale moon shone brightly in the sky, as did the canvas of stars accompanying it, the moonlight caressing the city below. Twas' late in the night, and most of the citizens of Canterlot were no doubt sound asleep by now, if not sat by their warm fireplaces sipping their expensive beverages and exotic wines, maybe in the company of a loved one. Though maybe 'loved one' was a bit of an overstatement, just a bit. Nobles here in Canterlot weren't all known for being very 'loving', or at least they certainly give that impression. Not all Nobles were bad, but there certainly were a few jerks here and there.
You can have the ability to use magic and spells, you can have all the bits in the darn kingdom, you can have all the prettiest mares at your hooves, but what good is all of that to you really if it's all just for show?, Unique thought to himself as he pushed onward through the streets. The snow had built up more around the district he was entering, and that would cause a little more of a hindrance for Unique, but as obvious as it might have seemed and sounded for him to just spread his wings and take flight into the air, Unique regrettably did not know his way around the city too well. The inn in which he was staying at during his visit to the capital of the unicorns was not located in this part of the city, this much he knew, but he had heard that a thestral transport service which had gained approval from Celestia herself operated during the night time now, taking ponies from one part of the city to another for an affordable price. If he could find a cart stop shelter, he'd wait for one of the thestral cart-pullers to come by, and pay for a ride back to his temporary residence.
Failing that, Unique would just have to go into an alley and hope he'd find a large enough cardboard box to sleep in, though Unique rather'd a warm bed-sheet over himself than a makeshift one.
Unique turned a corner, entering another district area. Judging from the windows displaying various items behind them, Unique figured he was in some sort of marketing street. The stores were all closed down for the night, but many of them had all sorts of treasures and gifts on show for passing ponies to see and admire. As Unique began to make his way down this street, he slowed his pace down as he strode past one of the shops, a beautiful silver necklace with heart-shaped gemstones attached to it catching his eye. A little paper note laid next to the necklace,
reading;
**> Lover's Precious Necklace
The perfect gift to say 'I love you' to that special somepony!
Price - 1,000 Bits**
Unique sighed. To think that something beautiful could cost so much, that only those who would merely wear it just to show off to other ponies like themselves would be able to afford it. Some noble would probably come along and buy the darn thing tomorrow to give to his wife, not out of love but simply to meet her spoiled demands, or to keep her by his side for another month.
If Unique had the bits, he'd have bought the precious thing, kept it safe until he found his special somepony. If he was worthy of having such a precious prize, that was.
Unique moved away from the window and continued down the street. A little further down, he spotted what he was looking for; a small wooden cubicle, one of Canterlot's thestral transport shelters, where ponies could take cover from heavy snowfall and rain. Unique didn't see any thestrals nearby, but he assumed they just hadn't gotten to this point in their scheduled route as of yet.
Unique trudged his way over towards the shelter. At the very least, it would be a bit warmer inside than standing outside waiting for a thestral cart to come along. Approaching the shelter, Unique saw a noticeboard hung on one wall inside, filled with various advertisements and fliers. "Well, at least I'll have something to read while I wait," Unique mumbled to himself. His eyes scanned the papers attached to the board, looking for anything interesting to read. There was a flier advertising Donut Joe's 'delicious donuts', and another made mention of somepony from Manehatten named Suri, the texts talking about her collections of exquisite clothing designs, tagged with hefty prices. I'm no fashion expert, but those clothes look more like cheap stuff sold expensive , Unique thought to himself. Do nobles really buy this junk at those prices? Maybe the nobles of Canterlot really do need all their money. Compensation for the lack of a brain.
A sound in the night sky got Unique's attention. He looked out from underneath the shelter to see something flying towards him. He gave a small smile. "Ah, at least least something is going right for me tonight," Unique said to himself.
A pair of bat-ponies - one a dark blue coated stallion, the other a deep purple coated are - flew down from the sky and gently landed in the snow-covered street. Behind them, a large wooden cart followed, attached to reins that extended from the collars they wore. They folded their wings and tucked them by their sides as they touched the ground. Their eyes gazed upon the shelter, where they saw Unique waiting.
The bat-ponies looked at each other in puzzlement. "Excuse us sir, but are you waiting to use our services?", the thestral mare asked, her voice a gravely tone.
Unique nodded as he walked up to them. "Yes. Do you know where 'The White Stone' inn is? I'm new in Canterlot, so I'm not familiar with where everything is in this city/"
The thestral stallion nodded his head with a warm smile. "Yes, of course we do sir. Five bits is usually the fare, but since it's nearly Hearth's Warming Eye, we'll take you there free of charge this once." He gestured to the carriage behind them. "Go on, son. Get on in and we'll get going before the snow decides to fall harder."
Unique thanked the both of them, as well as Lady Faust that it was a free trip since he didn't have enough bits to cover the ride. He walked to the back of the cart and was about to get in before one of the thestrals spoke to him looking over their shoulder.
"We hope you've got somepony waiting for you, honey," the bat-pony mare said with kind intent. Unique froze for a moment, before grunting and climbing into the cart. The mare was certain she saw a sad gaze on Unique's face, but decided not to pursue the matter as it was not of her business. A stretch of their wings,and soon the bat-ponies and the carriage carrying Unique were all in the air, the cool winter breeze brushing against Unique's face through an open side window, as they traversed the city sky. All the while Unique's mind thought back to the empty room he was renting during his stay in Canterlot. He thought back to the table he sat at by himself in the fancy cafe he visited earlier that day. Most of all, his mind repeated a single question over and over again as the buildings of the city passed by him.
"Why am I always lonely this time of year?"
FIN
