Arrival

"All aboard, last call!  We're 'bout ready to leave for Ponyville!"  The conductor ducked back out of sight to resume preparations for departure.

The train whistled to punctuate the sentence with an audible, drawn-out exclamation mark.  Horsey's heart jumped up into her throat at the sound, alerting her to the reality of the situation she was in.

Her whole life had been spent living in self-loathing, cowering under the spiteful words of others.  It wasn't her fault her parents had chosen the odd name of High Horse, and it wasn't her fault she just couldn't lose the extra pounds she'd had since fillyhood.  Her body was content to stay at its current weight, no matter how desperately she tried each and every diet, exercise, and medicinal craze that swept through Canterlot.

However, she enjoyed being on stage.  When ponies weren't mocking her, the attention was exhilarating and made her feel truly alive and whole.  So, with all the courage she could muster, she approached her father about working as a model for his company.  At hearing the request, her mother cut in with the last straw: "Sweetie, don't you think you should lose some weight first?"

That was it.  When she realized she could never get support from her own parents, she finally made up her mind to pack her bags and leave Canterlot behind for a new life in Ponyville.  The fact that the train was there, right in front of her, ready to take her away was more frightening than she had realized, though.

She turned to look at the two mares standing behind her: Velvet Step and Crystal Wishes, the only true friends she'd ever had.  They had accepted her for who she was and had done their very best to help her overcome the lack of self-esteem that drove her to misery.  And now, she was leaving them behind.

Doubt crawled under her skin and tears pricked at her eyes.  Was she making a mistake?  Was the ridicule about her name and her weight really that bad?  Crystal had parents just as careless and selfish as her own but wasn't running away like a coward.

Horsey swallowed.  No, her mind was made up, and she wasn't going to let ponies add 'cowardly' to the list of ugly adjectives associated with her.  This was a step forward, not fleeing the scene, and she would face it with courage.

"Well, girls," she managed to say around the lump in her throat.  She did her best to smile to cover up her fear.  "Come visit me soon, okay?"

They nodded and exclaimed, "We promise!"  She prayed they meant it.  Losing them was the hardest part about this decision.

After one final, almost desperate group hug, Horsey levitated her suitcase and turned back to the train.  She held her head high and strangely found real confidence in the false bravado.  The first step forward was the hardest, but once it was made, her other hooves moved of their own accord to find her seat on the train.

"Bye, girls," she whispered, waving to them through the window.

Crystal waved back while Velvet put her whole body into it, both of her forelegs swinging wildly from side to side.  Crystal glanced at her, then laughed.  Horsey had to laugh, too, which felt both nice and painful at the same time.

"I'll miss you," she mouthed as best she could.  They nodded enthusiastically to show their understanding.

The train lurched forward and Canterlot started to slide away.  As she watched them continue to wave, even as they grew further apart, her heart sank.

And when she lost sight of them, she cried.

"Non, non, mademoiselle, do not cry," a heavily accented voice said as hoofsteps approached her.  "A pretty face should never cry."

A kerchief was offered to her and she quickly took it to hide her face.  She peeked up at him after drying the tears on her cheeks.  "Mr. Savoir?"

Savoir Fare smiled and sat on the seat across from her.  "C'est moi."

Savoir was an older stallion, though deeming him such was rude, and she quickly scolded herself mentally for using an adjective that might offend him.  He was a stallion who was older than her but not old.  He was also the owner of Haut-Savoir, nicknamed the Clover Cafe by the residents that struggled with the Prench name, and he was not only helping her out with a job there, but also a temporary place to stay.

They had hardly met for longer than a couple hours over the past few weeks and she was already indebted to him more than she could ever repay.  Now he was watching her cry.  She wanted to climb out the window and jump off the train so that she could literally die of embarrassment.

Reluctantly, she decided against the melodramatic exit.  "Why... why are you here?  Shouldn't you be in Ponyville?"

"I am here for you, of course," he replied simply.

Horsey felt her face heat up and she ducked behind the kerchief.  "What?  Why?"

Savoir shrugged.  "It is scary to move to a new place, non?  I did not want for you to be alone."

"Oh...  Thank you, Mr. Savoir," she mumbled, trying to bury her face so far in her hooves that she might never be seen again.

"Please, Mademoiselle.  Savoir is fine."

Horsey lifted her head to peer at him through her eyelashes.  "Okay.  Thank you, Savoir."

He smiled and steepled his hooves.  "Now, we have an hour to go.  How long will it take to bring a smile to your face once again?"

Embarrassment struck hard and fast.  She hid her face, quickly shaking her head.  "I-I-I'm fine, honest."

"Hmm..."  He tapped his hooves together.  "Then I shall tell you of the ponies you will meet.  First, of course, is the mayor, Mayor Mare..."

Slowly, the more he talked, the more she relaxed.  The foreign accent coupled with his smooth voice calmed her nerves until the kerchief had been lowered to her lap.  When he told her about the little festivals that the town held, she smiled.

Ponyville sounded like a wonderful place.  She couldn't wait to get there.

Ponyville was deserted.  All it was missing was a rolling tumbleweed and it would be perfect.  Horsey glanced around as they walked to the restaurant, confusion plastered on her face.

"Where is everypony?" she finally asked.

Savoir chuckled.  "Ah, who can say? Perhaps there is an event somewhere they are attending.  Perhaps at the Sweet Apple Acres.  Or, perhaps not."

Horsey smiled at the name.  "I can't wait to go to the farm.  I've never actually been to one before!"

"Then tomorrow after work, I'll take you."

"Oh, no," she said, quickly asking her head.  "I can go by myself, it's all right."

"I do not mind."  He shrugged.  "But, if you truly wish to go alone, then I will not impose myself."

Horsey bit her lower lip.  She didn't want to offend him by pushing him away, but she didn't want him to feel like he had to watch over her like a foal.  Before she could think of a response, he cleared his throat.

"Here we are!  Let me get the door."  He walked ahead of her and held open one of the two double doors.

"Thank you," Horsey said with a smile, though she squinted at the darkness of the restaurant.  "Um..."

"Ah, yes.  The lights, si'l vous plaît!" he called with an odd excitement in his voice.

The lights came on and Horsey found herself staring down a large crowd of ponies who all exclaimed together, "Surprise!"

She froze in the doorway with wide eyes.  "Wh-what?"  If it were possible, her eyes grew even wider.  "Oh my gosh!  Is this—"

"A super-duper surprise party for you!  For you!" a hot pink mare singsonged and sprung forward, hooked one foreleg around Horsey's neck, and swung round her to propel herself back into the crowd.  "We're all so very happy that you're here!  It's true!"  She threw confetti into the air.  "So play some games and have some cake, there's so much stuff to dooo..."

Every pony joined in at the very end to exclaim together, "And most of all enjoy this party just for you!"  The voices became less songful but no less joyful as they cheered, "Welcome to Ponyville, High Horse!"

Horsey had no response at first.  They all waited expectantly, a few giggling or snickering.  Finally, as tears welled up in her eyes, she said in a trembling voice, "Thank you all... so, so very much!"

The party quickly got into full swing, but it wasn't the kind of party she was used to.  This one had balloons, streamers, confetti, and, most importantly of all, truly happy, smiling faces.  She had never been happier or felt more welcomed in all her life.  No pony teased her about her name.  No pony asked why she wasn't wearing any makeup to cover her freckles.  No pony asked her if she should stop after two slices.  No pony really asked her much, until...

"So Savoir Fare says you moved here from Canterlot!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed.  "Is that true?  Are your parents rich?  Are you rich?! Oh my gosh, are you here to buy Haut-Savoir?!"

Horsey fumbled through an explanation.  "I, um, yes, I'm from Canterlot.  I'm not, I mean, my parents are rich, sort of?  But—"

A loud gasp came from behind her.  "Excusez-moi!  Did I just hear what I think I heard?"

She turned and was stunned silent by what she saw.  A unicorn stood out from the crowd, possibly because of her gigantic hat, or possibly due to her being the single most beautiful mare Horsey had ever seen.  The models plastered all over the pages of fashion magazines had nothing on this mare.

"Darling, why ever would you leave the glamour and splendor of Canterlot for Ponyville?"  She batted her long eyelashes and smiled at the ponies nearby that frowned at her.  "No offense, of course.  You're all wonderful ponies, too."  Her attention returned to Horsey.  "Oh, my, how rude of me."  She offered a hoof.  "My name is Rarity."

The initial shock of being starstruck faded almost instantly at the reminder of what she had left behind.  Horsey didn't look the mare in the eyes, but she did accept the hoof.  "Nice to meet you."

Rarity smiled sweetly.  "You simply must tell me everything!  I long for the life of luxury that Canterlot ponies enjoy.  Did you have parties with famous ponies?  Did you live near the palace?  Or did you live in one of those modern little condominiums?  Did you—"

"I'm sorry," Horsey interrupted, "but I really don't want to talk about it, actually."  She tried to smile.  "Excuse me."  She took a step backward, then did her best to look busy mingling with the first pony she saw.

Well, not even Ponyville could be perfect, but every other pony seemed perfectly nice and pleasant, especially Savoir, so it was still infinitely better than Canterlot.  Finally, her life was looking up.