I wake up early by most ponies’ standards. By my family’s standards, I guess I’m the late riser. It’s morning, and I’m wrapped up in the sheets and sinking into my nice, soft bed. I consider just lying there for an extra few minutes… but then I remember what happened last time I tried to sleep in extra late, and I roll out of bed. I sure don’t want Limestone to have to shake me awake or drag me out of bed. I’d really hate to put her out like that.
I go downstairs. Mother and Father are already at the table. They nod to me as I sit down. Limestone is there too. She narrows her eyes at me, but doesn’t say anything.
I eat my oatmeal. It’s hot and it’s good, but pretty plain. I like mine with raisins. Pinkie used to put brown sugar in mine because she knows I like it a little sweet. Nopony puts sugar in the oatmeal now. I always mean to ask if we can get some at the market, but I always forget.
“Hmm,” Father murmurs. He is reading the newspaper at the table again, even though Mother tells him he shouldn’t. He nods, stroking his beard. “Quartz prices are down.”
“Ugh!” Limestone grumbles. “Well that’s just great! That’s all we need!” She bangs her hoof on the table and Mother glares at her. Limestone frowns, but looks away. That’s her way of apologizing.
“Marble, dear,” Mother says, making me look up from my breakfast, “wilt thou accompany me to the market? We are out of flour and greens and a few other things.”
I smile. “Mm-hmm,” I say. Mother smiles and nods at that, then turns to Father and pushes down his newspaper, tapping his bowl.
“Ah. Forgive me,” he says, and puts the paper away, smiling sheepishly at her.
Limestone finishes breakfast, followed by me. “Marble, go to the well and get some water,” Limestone says to me. After a glance from Mother, she adds “Please.”
I nod. I get the carrying pole and attach the empty buckets and go outside. It’s a little cold and I shiver, but it’s not so bad. At least the snow is gone.
We had a lot of snow at Hearth’s Warming. I smile when I remember that.
The Apples were very nice, even if they were a little strange. Miss Applejack was a little pushy, I suppose, but she meant well. And that Mr. Big Mac was quite charming; I didn’t feel strange with him or like I had to talk, like I do with lots of other ponies.
And of course it was nice to see Pinkie and Maud again.
I think about them a lot. Pinkie left first, even though she’s the second youngest. Then Maud left this last year to work on her degree. Now it’s just Mother, Father, Limestone, and me on the farm.
I lower the bucket into the well and let it fill, then haul it back up to fill my buckets, just like I do almost every morning. While I do that, I look out at our farm.
It’s gray and a bit dusty, and littered with all the rocks that we harvest. The sky is gray as well. Lately the pegasi have been keeping it cloudy, like they do every winter. But there is a gap in the clouds today, and I see the sun coming up over the mountains.
It’s bright and I blink away from it, but I can’t help but smile when I see the bright, golden glow. The light spreads over our farm, giving color to even the dullest stone. I feel as though it is seeping into me. I can already feel it getting warmer.
Morning always makes me happy.
I fill my last bucket and slip the carrying pole over my head and onto my shoulders. I trot a little more quickly than usual, but I’m still careful not to spill the water, or else Limestone will get angry. I can’t wait to go to the market.
The morning market is busy. Mother and I walk to town and the ponies greet us and say hello. They all know us. The sellers are a mixture of locals and traveling salesponies. As we go down the road, passing the stalls and tents, they sometimes call out to us. Every so often, one of the peddlers tries to entice me to come over, saying something like “Hey, pretty young mare, come look at this!” Mother doesn’t like that, and she scowls at the stallions when they say that.
I don’t know how to feel. It’s embarrassing, I suppose, but it’s also nice to get a compliment. But I know they just want me to buy something. They probably don’t mean anything by it.
Mother finds the greens seller and asks him for a bushel of his freshest greens. But the price is higher than usual and Mother is not happy.
“I beg ye pardon, Miss Quartz, but I cannae part wi’ these for any less than than ten bits a bushel!”
Mother scowls at him, peering over her glasses. “Thou charged naught but five bits a mere fortnight ago.” She turns to me. “Thou rememberest, do you not, Marble?”
I raise my head, but hide behind my mane when the seller gives me a hard look. “Mm-hmm,” I mumble, and Mother goes back to haggling.
While she does that, I look across the road and see a tent being manned by a younger earth pony stallion wearing a wide-brimmed, olive-green hat. I see that he has a table with a big map of Equestria on it. It’s very colorful and I am curious about what he’s selling, so I gently trot over to the stall, leaving Mother to her negotiations. She doesn’t notice that I’ve left.
The stallion smiles at me and opens his mouth to speak. I hesitate and look down. I don’t like to talk to strange ponies, even if their shops are interesting.
He seems to understand when he sees me stop in my tracks just a few feet from the tent.
“Go ahead and look around, Miss,” he gently says. He takes a few steps back into his tent. He keeps his smile, but it’s calm and not the wide, toothy smile of a merchant. “If you have a question or want to buy anything, just let me know, okay?”
I smile slightly myself. “Mm-hmm,” I say, and go over to the tent. The map has pins in it. The pins are poked into different locations all over Equestria. There’s one for Canterlot, one for the Crystal Empire, one for Griffonstone, one for Dodge Junction, and a few dozen more. There’s a little note at the corner of the map. I lean in closer to read it.
“If it’s on this map, it’s in this shop! We travel all across Equestria to bring you authentic goods and keepsakes from exotic locales! Check our shop for these treasures, or buy some travel supplies and go find your own!”
That last part is something I notice. “Go find your own.”
Ponyville has a pin. I also look for the Northwestern Badlands, but there’s no pin there. Not surprising; there’s nothing much out there but rocks, which is why Maud likes it so much.
I go inside the tent, keeping an eye on the owner, but he gives me lots of room. I smile at him and he blushes. I feel my cheeks burn too and I look away.
On one table, I find the things from Ponyville. There’s a framed color photograph of the castle. It looks so big compared to the other cottages in the town. It’s made of crystal and it shines in the sun, even though it has a strange, tree-like look to it. Pinkie told us all about it in her letters. I consider telling the owner that my sister has been inside the castle and that she has a throne inside it. But some ponies ask a lot of questions about my sister when they find out who she is. Being a friend with a Princess and helping to save Equestria sure does impress a lot of ponies.
I guess I don’t blame them. I’m pretty proud of my sister too. And sometimes I wish that I…
Well, never mind. I’ll buy the picture. Pinkie sent one, but she takes up half of the photograph because she’s standing in front of the castle. I didn’t want to bother her and ask for another, but now that I look at the castle, it’s really pretty.
I pick it up and I also go over to the table where the owner keeps travel supplies.
This table has lots of things that catch my eye. There’s a compass, a shiny brass telescope, a pair of binoculars, a pith helmet, a machete, a mess kit, a small camera, and a book called Ten Places in Equestria You MUST See!
The book is fairly small, and not too expensive. I open it and flip through it. The owner looks at me and I make sure to show that I’m just skimming it, not trying to read it through without paying for it. The pictures inside are of a few places I’ve heard about, and a few that are completely new to me. There are also pictures of different buildings and strange, but delicious-looking food.
I smile, inhaling sharply. I feel my heart beating, and I begin to wonder what those places would be like. They must be so wonderful and so different from my town. They must have different ponies too, perhaps filled with bright, happy ponies like Pinkie, or tough, proud ponies like Miss Applejack, or even kind, quiet ponies like Mr. Big Mac.
“Um, would you like to buy that?” the owner asks me, and I’m so startled that I drop the book and the picture. I gasp when I see the photograph falling toward the ground, thinking it will break, but the owner dives for it and catches it just in time. He stands up and holds it out for me.
He’s very close. His muzzle is just in front of mine.
My voice catches in my throat, but I hold out my hoof and he puts the photograph and the book in it.
“Sorry, sorry,” he mutters, bowing and backing away. “Um, but… would you? I mean, would you like to buy those?”
I manage a smile as my heart rate returns to normal. “Mm-hmm,” I tell him.
“That’s 15 bits,” he says.
I frown. Mother likes me to save money, and I’m not sure if she’ll think this is a waste or not.
I guess the owner sees my hesitation, because he says, “Well… I guess I can cut that. 10 bits?”
I purse my lips. Ten bits doesn’t sound too bad. I nod to him. “Mm-hmm,” I say, and hold out my money. He smiles as he takes it. I put the photograph and the book in my basket and walk out.
Mother is waiting for me.
“Marble Pie, what didst thou buy?” she asks, peering into my basket before I can answer.
She looks at the two things and makes a face. I suspect she doesn’t approve of the book, rather than the photograph. However, she says nothing about it and turns away.
“I bought our greens, Marble. Let us go.”
“Mm-hmm,” I reply, and we make our way back up the road. We leave the market and, despite Mother’s disapproval, I am eager to read my new book and hang my new picture. There’s a little more spring in my trot as we arrive back at the farm.
My stomach growls slightly and I decide I didn’t have enough oatmeal for breakfast after all. Wait… oatmeal!
“Oh!” I say, and Mother stops in her tracks, looking back at me.
“Marble? What is it?”
I blush, too embarrassed to say, and shake my head. Mother shrugs and we continue on our way.
Inwardly, I curse myself.
I forgot to ask about the brown sugar.
After I help Limestone and Father on the farm, we have dinner. After we have dinner, we often sit by the fire. Limestone looks over the budget and writes down notes about the day so she can plan for tomorrow. Mother knits or reads a book. I usually read a book as well, or go to my workshop in the back room, where I craft little statuettes or figures or polish some stone marbles to sell in the market.
I remember getting my cutie mark after I learned to make those marbles, polishing them until they were perfectly round and smooth. It wasn’t such a big deal, but Pinkie insisted on us having a cute-ceañera. I didn’t really want such a fuss, but it was still very nice.
I tell everypony that I’m going upstairs. They nod and I go to my room. I take out the book I bought at the market that day and I read all about the different places.
It mentions Manehattan, with all its tall buildings, fine food, and the ponies who wear such elegant clothing. And there’s also Canterlot, our nation’s capitol, with all the classic architecture and gardens and they say you can often see Princess Celestia herself going about her business! The Crystal Empire is there too, with all the crystal homes and the crystal ponies themselves. I think that Maud would really like to know how they incorporate crystalline structures into their bodies. There are many other places besides cities, too, including natural wonders like the Frostmane Mountains, Hollow Shades, and Galloping Gorge.
It all looks so wonderful and I read each page with a big smile on my face. I clutch the book to my chest and lie back on my bed. I close my eyes and I can almost see myself there! I imagine myself, walking through those fantastic cities and wearing those beautiful clothes and tasting such delectable meals.
But when I open my eyes again, there is only the low, wooden ceiling of the room I share with Limestone. I sigh as I sit up and look out the window. I dim my lamp so it’s easier to see out, and I can see the blanket of the night sky overhead reaching out to the horizon. The world around it is black, and it seems so far away that it should be impossible to reach.
I frown at that, and I wonder if it really is so. I have a lot of trouble talking to other ponies and the last time I ever went someplace new, I…
And then I realize that, outside of our little town, our farm, and those trips Father used to take us on to the hills to the east of the farm or at the edge of the San Palomino desert, I have never been anywhere else. I think about that and I realize that I’ve probably never gone more than fifty miles from home. Maybe less.
All I know, I realize, is this farm, this town, and what I hear from my sisters and read in books. But suddenly it doesn’t feel like enough. I could live and die in this place without ever experiencing the world beyond what I already know. I don’t want that. I want to see more.
My heart leaps, and I realize that I want to go on a journey all my own!
And then I think about what Mother and Father and Limestone would say. They would never approve, and I would never be brave enough to disobey them. I feel my chest tighten just thinking about it.
I go back to my bed, throwing the covers over myself and snuggling in tight. I close my eyes, like I’m hiding in my own dark, little nest, and think about my sisters.
When Pinkie left, Mother and Father and my other sisters all gave their blessing. We all knew she would never be happy on the rock farm. Her cutie mark proved that she had another destiny.
Maud wasn’t the same. She had a rock for a cutie mark. She loved rocks all her life, and always wanted to know more. We all thought she’d be the one to take over managing the farm from our parents. But instead, she wanted to get her Rocktorate, to go off to study at some university far away, and to do fieldwork. When Maud told us, Father seemed so surprised and he got very quiet and sat down in his favorite chair. Mother started crying. And Limestone was angry, even more than usual. It wasn’t like Pinkie, whom they all expected would leave; we all thought Maud would stay.
But Maud never changed her mind or backed down. She just said “I’m going,” and that was it. She didn’t get mad, she didn’t get upset, and she didn’t try to argue. She just listened to everypony talk, standing there with that calm look on her face, and waited for them to calm down. And once they’d said their piece, she said it again: “I’m going.”
My big sister is so calm. And so strong. That’s what I love about her.
I wish I could be like that.
I open my eyes and turn over to look at the stars outside my window again. And I think, well, maybe I can be like that. Maybe I just need some help.
In the morning, after chores, I decide that I’ll write to my sisters.
It’s three days later that I get their mail. Pinkie’s letter comes in a pink envelope, of course, with lots of stickers and a drawing on the back of herself and me hugging. I smile at it, and I’m careful not to tear it as I gently open the envelope.
I read her letter:
Dear Marble,
Oh my gosh, oh my gosh! You want to travel around Equestria! That sounds soooo awesome! I’ve been all over Equestria and I’ve seen so many things and met all kinds of nice ponies! Well, some not-so-nice ponies too, but they don’t really count and there aren’t as many of them!
But you should totally tell Mom and Dad that you want to go! Yeah, sure, Limestone might not like it, but she’s Miss Grumpypants about everything! In fact, she should just change her name to Grumpy Pie! Or ‘The Great Grumpsby!’ Or ‘Grumpelstiltskin!’
Oh, but like I was saying, you shouldn’t be afraid of what they’ll say. You know they’ll love you anyway, so just tell them the truth! After all, they were really super when I said I wanted to go find a place where I could practice my party planning, so I’m sure they’ll be just as happy for you if you tell them you want to travel!
Good luck on your trip!
Love,
Pinkie
I sigh, but I have to smile anyway. It’s what I expected, but at least Pinkie believes in me. Back when we were fillies, she did all the talking for me, so I feel like she knows me. I wish she was here right now, actually, so she could tell Mother and Father what I want for me. She’s the traveler in this family. She’s the one who has been all over Equestria, fought monsters, and brought joy to ponies everywhere.
But she isn’t here. There’s nopony to speak for me except myself.
I bite my lip. I’m not who I would choose to speak for me. I’m not who I would choose to speak for anypony.
I open Maud’s letter next.
Dear Marble,
Pinkie left because she would never have been happy on the farm. I left for the same reason. If you never leave the farm, even for a little while, you won’t be happy either.
I want you to be happy. So do Mom and Dad and Limestone. Remember that.
Love,
Maud
I want to ask “But what if…” but, of course, I can’t. Even so, I realize that my sisters are right. If I keep this inside, I’ll always wonder what’s over my horizon. I’ll always wonder what it’s really like in those places in my book.
So I take a deep breath, draw myself up, and gather some things.
I go downstairs, where the family is gathered for lunch. Father is talking to Limestone. Mother is stirring a pot of soup on the stove. She ladles the soup into the bowls and my mouth begins to water.
I think about waiting until after lunch, but then I realize that I only have so much courage, and I’m not sure when, or if, I’ll feel brave enough again.
“Um,” I say, tapping the table. “I, um… there’s something I want to ask,” I whisper. Everypony looks at me and I cringe. I hate being stared at, but now is as good a time as any to start getting over it.
I set down the book, Ten Places in Equestria You MUST See!, and the photograph of the castle in Ponyville, and the letters from my sisters. When I push these things across the table, they pick them up and examine them one-by-one until they all begin to understand.
“Marble Pie,” Father says, and I can hear a tremble in his voice, “does this mean that thou wish to leave our farm and travel the world?”
I swallow and shut my eyes. “Mm-hmm.”
Mother sits down, covering her mouth with her hooves. “Will you leave this farm behind for all your days, as your sisters have chosen to do?”
I smooth my mane down, unable to look her in the eye. “Um… don’t know.”
Limestone comes over to me and taps me on the shoulder. I look into her face, expecting to see anger. But I am surprised to see that her eyes are calm, half-closed, and she isn’t wearing her usual scowl.
“You want to go on a journey, huh?” she asks. “Maybe you’ll come back to the farm; maybe not?”
I nod. “Mm-hmm.”
“You sure? You think you can really do it on your own? You, the mare who can’t even talk to a single stranger for more than a few seconds?”
I swallow. “Mm-hmm.”
“What, you think you’ll be able to go on a trip without having to talk to anypony? That you’ll just see all of Equestria while hiding behind your mane?”
I turn away for a moment, but suddenly I feel a little something inside me. It’s not something I usually feel, but it’s burning up inside me, and I turn back to Limestone. I push my mane out of my eyes.
“N-no,” I say. “I w-want to meet other ponies and become friends with them. But I can’t do that if I’m too afraid to meet anypony. And, um… if I never see any other places, how will I appreciate home? If I just stay here and let everypony speak for me and do what everypony else wants, then how will I really know who I am?”
I swallow, take a deep breath, and hold my head up, looking right at Limestone.
“I’m your baby sister. But I’m not a baby. I want to travel, and that’s what I’m going to do, even if you all tell me not to.”
Limestone’s eyes bulge. I take a step back, expecting her to start shouting. But then she surprises me by breaking out into laughter. I turn and I see my parents smiling too. Father is rubbing his forehead and Mother is clutching her chest, but I already know they’ve said yes in their hearts.
“Well, if there’s no point in forbidding it,” Limestone says, shrugging her shoulders, “then we might as well agree and be happy about it.” Then she scowls and digs a hoof into my chest. “But you better make it the best trip in history! If you’re going to leave me one set of hooves short on this farm, it had better be worth it! You got that?!”
I try to stifle a chuckle, but I feel my heart skip a beat and my tummy feels like it’s filling with butterflies. So I just nod my head and, as usual, I reply with, “Mm-hmm.”
We’re at the train station, standing on the platform. The train is waiting for us. I have my saddlebags with me. They’re loaded up with my supplies and some money and some of my craftwork to show to other ponies on my trip.
Mother is dabbing her eyes, trying to stop herself from crying. Limestone is just rolling hers, but she’s patting Mother on the back, doing her best to be comforting. But when I turn to Father, I see that he has the brim of his hat pulled down as well, and though he’s hiding his eyes, I can see that they’re wet.
I feel a lump in my throat and I throw my forelegs around him. “Thank you for this,” I whisper.
He takes a deep breath and embraces me, as do Mother and Limestone.
The conductor calls for all passengers to board and I step away, knowing I won’t see them for many long months. As I do, Father says “Go forth, my precious Marble, and never forget that you are of the Pie family.” He raises a hoof to his head and then to his chest, and I know for certain that I have his blessing.
I bow my head to him. My voice is catching in my throat, and I am trying not to burst into tears, and I barely manage to squeak out, “Mm-hmm.”
I step aboard the train, and take my seat. Outside the window, I can see my family. The train suddenly jerks forward, then gains momentum and begins to pull away. Through the window, Mother, Father, and Limestone slowly begin to disappear.
I am travelling. I am travelling! I am finally going to see the world beyond my farm! And I know just where to start.
I look out at the horizon, towards Ponyville. My eyes sting and, for a moment, the horizon swims and shimmers. But I wipe my eyes and look out over the rolling hills and rocky plains as they give way to thick forests and wide, flowing rivers.
The sun is breaking through the clouds, and I look toward the horizon, toward my horizon, with clear eyes.
Author's Note
Thank you very much for reading. As one who is often possessed by wanderlust myself, this little story is rather close to my heart. I hope it inspires any of you who are considering your own adventures to seek the world beyond your horizons as well.
Thank you to my editors, the cover artist, and to the Everfree Northwest staff who are putting on the Scribblefest contest this year.
