An Odyssey

The sturgeon swam through the dark waters of the river, breaking through, creasing the threshold, soon to unleash its studdy body into the freefall, the fall of nature that led to the mighty sea, via another river. It flapped its flippy flippers and let out a bulb of bulp, it manoeuvred through the rocks that impended its way, it knew that it was its only purpose in life. Ever since it was a little fish, it knew that all the big fishies went to the fall and then to another river, and then to the sea, and in the sea the water was healthy, and pure, and salty; and all the necessary minerals were to be found there; and an abundance of food. So it swam and swam and-

Atcha!

***

“Look, the sun is setting!”

Derpy the mailmare flew steadily towards home. Home meant daughter. Home meant muffins. She flew, flew steadily, towards home. Towards Ponyville.

Past the river Canterlot she flew, past the freefall, above the woods that marred the bottom of the mountain. Towards home. Via domus.

Atcha!

So Derpy the mailmare flew, steadily, via domus, towards her daughter, towards her muffins, towards Ponyville.

Splash.

***

She loved walking like that in the setting sun. It cradled her thoughts, it tickled her skin, it ripped her feelings apart so that she could see the inside of them. She loved just strolling along the bank of the river Canterlot, and watching the falls as they fell into another river and then, far, far away, into the sea.

“Look, the sun is setting!”

Others. Sharply, she turned left, and followed the path into the woods. Soon, the forest would become dark and unwelcoming, but, as of now, it coloured the trees a fairytalish brown and green, a picture out of a foals’ book.

There were shouts from the bank as she breathed in the evening air and passed deeper inside. The gentle path under her hooves resonated with a distinct chow of the ground, of dry, impassive dirt. She laughed - a jingly laughter, and turned round, and hummed, and, from the bank of the river heard a-

Splash.

***

Octavia Philarmonica looked attentively at the bookstand, frowning at the prices. I wonder why books cost so much. Education is so expensive and gin is so cheap. It must be a pattern of some sort. Drink for everypony, and education for the most affluent. I’m pretty well-to-do, I read a lot, does that make me elite?

No, of course not. My little… extremities. Ah. Can’t I refer to my orientation properly even inside my head! Always hide, from those who know everything. Why, isn’t it ironic? Everypony knows, and yet I have to keep it a secret. Celestia, why don’t you participate in the events of your country?!

Atcha!

And Luna… If what I hear is correct… She placed the book back on the stand. Then took another one. Of course, it’s all rumours. If rumours were true, maybe our plight would be easier…

“I’ll take this one,” said she, grabbing a book from the stand.

The bookseller, a plump, stately gentlecolt, nodded greasily. “Sure thing, ma’am. This one will be-”

Splash.

***

The bar smelt of sour piss and angry drinks.

“He’s a good fella, he is,” Harpo assured Neon, with whom he was sitting in the corner booth, cradling his beer. “It’s just that he’s really mentally damaged. Father abuse and all that.”

“Well, I’m an orphan,” said Neon, sipping a little, “and I’ve been dealing with my problems.”

“I can’t say I have ninety-nine problems,” said Harpo, “but when they come, I try to deal with them. To dealing with problems!” he proposed elegantly.

“Sure,” Neon called out. “Let’s drink to that!” And so they raised their glasses and there was a-

Splash.

***

“Look, the sun is setting!” one of the colts called out, and the others agreed that it was, in fact, a majestic sight.

The sturgeon swam through the dark waters of the river.

So they put their rods into the water again, while one of the colts, the one who had called out, stood knee-deep in the river, searching for a big one.

Past the river Canterlot she flew, past the freefall, above the woods that marred the bottom of the mountain.

Atcha! the colt shouted, grabbing the sturgeon with his bare hooves. “Look, look what I’ve got!”

The gentle path under her hooves resonated with a distinct chow of the ground, of dry, impassive dirt.

The other colts ran straight to him, into the river, trying to help him as best as they could.

“I’ll take this one.”

“No, no, it’s going-” the colt lost balance and-

“Let’s drink to that!”

Splash.