Episode 1: Monotony! The Cave Calls to the Downtrodden!
Ponyville. A small hamlet lying in the near heart of Equestria. Here, one could see the once immaculate castle of Twilight Sparkle, Princess of Friendship.
However hundreds of years have passed since her coronation. Now, rather than tending to her duties, like her fellow princesses elsewhere in Equestria, she lies in her shell of a castle cursing her friends’ demise as it has left her alone and disheveled. She envies the mortality of her subjects. They cannot live forever to brood over their fallen friends.
How unfair that she be cursed with immortality.
How cruel of Celestia to make her experience loss in such a heinous way.
Twilight never asked for this, and to this day, she has not gotten over the loss and the pain.
Princess Cadance continues to mourn the loss of her husband whom she thought she would spend her life with.
Luna and Celestia are overwhelmed with taking over Cadance’s duties in her absence that their presence is small in the small village of Ponyville where our story takes place.
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“Tiller! Have you finished harvesting your section of the orchard? We do NOT want to get behind this season! We have a quota to meet, and I do NOT need you slacking around as usual!”
Earth Tiller is an earth pony employed at Sweet Apple Acres by his friend, Gala Blossom, and her grandmother, Cripps Pink.
“I’m working on it, Cripps, please don’t rush me! I’ve been working all day!”
As an earth pony, this is all Tiller is able to do; buck apples for a living. But why even live, he regularly asks himself. Why put up with the monotony if an earth pony only lives to work? Pegasi are Equestria’s athletes, and weather crew, so their job is much more exciting and far less tiresome. Unicorns are the superior race, however, with their ability to read and use magic. Whereas an earth pony must work to exhaustion, unicorns get an education, and, metaphorically, reap what the earth ponies sow
“Tiller, you always think the World owes you something, like you’re entitled to more in life. I hate to break it to you, but I hired you to buck apples, and if you can’t even perform the simplest of tasks, I’ll have to fire you!”
This old mare is running her mouth again. Tiller could care less about bucking apples for the higher ups. When he thinks of those unicorns levitating the apples to their muzzle, keeping their hooves to their side, it infuriates him. Cripps only rubbed salt in the wound. He hated hearing this was all he was destined to do. He wanted more in life. He wanted to make an impact on Ponyville, nay, Equestria.
“Granny, please, let me speak to Tiller. You know how sloppy he gets when he’s upset”
“Now, Gala, I don’t want you filling that young’n’s mind with useless garbage! I don’t care how upset he is, I pay him to buck apples and he can hardly do that right!”
“You don’t understand, if he’s upset, we’ll never reach our quota on time!”
Granny Cripps sighs, “very well. Just make sure he gets the job done, or I’ll dock your pay, too, y’hear?”
Gala chuckles, “Granny, you have nothing to worry about; Tiller and I are tighter than a bale of hay!”
Granny stomps her hoof and turns back into the barn.
“Tiller, you know how upset Granny Cripps can get if you disobey her. I know she’s rough, but she’s right; we don’t have any time to waste.”
Tiller keeps his back turned to Gala and barks, “I don’t care what Cripps says. I hate getting my hooves dirty so those filthy unicorns don’t have to.”
Gala is taken aback. Tiller has a temper, but he seldom takes it out on her.
“I’m sorry, Gala, but I can’t do this today, and I don’t think I’ll be coming back tonight.”
“Tiller, don’t be stupid, where are you going to go”
Tiller looks back at Gala, “Garbanzo Bean might have an extra room; I can stay with him.”
Tiller undoes his yoke and begins to trot away, “besides, if I have to be stuck in some dead-end lifestyle, I at least prefer cooking over hard labor.”
As Tiller trots away, Gala debates on following him. Granny Cripps would be upset, so she decides to check on him after the sun sets.
*******
However, Tiller isn’t heading to Garbanzo’s bakery, but rather towards the Everfree Forest. It was normal for him to retreat to the secluded forest after work, but today was different, as he proclaimed he would not be returning. The more he thought, he wondered why he didn’t just stay in the forest. No bosses to tell him what to do, and no unicorns to live under; his own small lonely society.
However, he worries what Gala or Garbanzo would think if he never came back, and the last thing he wanted to do was worry them. Gala’s probably already told Cripp’s about me quitting, he thinks to himself. That old hag’s just going to have to deal with a few upset customers. I’m sure she’s used to that.
Tiller finds a sizeable tree to rest under. He assembles a makeshift bed of leaves and drifts off to sleep.
*********
Later that night, Gala heads to Garbanzo’s bakery to check up on Tiller. That Tiller, she thinks, he’s so selfish. How could he just leave me with his work to do?
She comes up to the bakery, and knocks on the door
Knock, knock, knock.
A few seconds pass as a stocky pony opens the door.
“Gala, is that you?” says Garbanzo half surprised, “this late at night?”
He motions for her to come inside, “it’s a little cold, I wouldn’t want you catching anything. Are you hungry?”
“No thanks, Garbanzo, I ate before I left, I just came to check on Tiller, and give him a piece of my mind.” Gala says trying to retain her calm and kind demeanor.
“Oh, Tiller? I haven’t seen him all day. Were you expecting him here?”
“What?” Gala asks, “he told me he was coming here hours ago, how could you not have seen him?”
“I guess he lied to you, but Celestia knows where he went.” Garbanzo says with a bit of an awkward chuckle, “uh, he lives with you and Cripps, right?”
“Yes, which worries me even more. These are the only two places he could be.” Gala groans and walks towards the door, “anyways, thanks, Garbanzo, I’ll just wait until he comes back around tomorrow. If you see him, just tell him I’m worried”
Garbanzo claps his hooves together, “you got it, Gala, I’ll keep my eye out!”
Garbanzo and Tiller were pretty good friends, but they are nothing alike. Whereas Garbanzo is chatty and generous, Tiller tends to keep to himself and only himself. Don’t ask Tiller for a favor expecting it to get done. However, Garbanzo sees the good in ponies, and is able to look past Tiller’s hard shell and see a fine pony underneath.
Gala leaves Garbanzo’s bakery leaving him alone with his thoughts and the warmth of the oven baking his favorite muffins; blueberry.
I sure hope Tiller’s safe right now, he thinks, I wouldn’t want anything bad to happen to him. Especially this late at night.
***********
Tiller wakes up shivering and hungry. Damn, he thinks, maybe it wasn’t such a great idea to leave without food or proper sleeping materials. I need to find shelter of some kind, these leaves don’t keep me warm.
Tiller struggles to stand on all four hooves eventually gaining his balance. He stretches and sneezes, the sound echoing in the forest. Ugh, the last thing I need is to be sick, he thinks, hell, I’m not going back into Ponyville soon, but maybe I should to stock up on some supplies and food. He fumbles around in his saddle pack and gathers six bits. Damn, this isn’t enough for a simple apple, how the hell do I plan to live off of this? Maybe there’s something in these woods I can eat.
He sneezes again, but this time, his sneeze isn’t the only thing echoing as he stumbles across a cave.
“Bless you” answers the cave.
Tiller, puzzled by the voice, slowly approaches the mouth of the cave.
“H-hello?” He manages to quietly spit out.
“Yes, hello, I can hear you” the cave responds, “please, come in, I have something to show you.”
Tiller starts to sweat, his heart racing. Who is this voice? He asks himself. Who is speaking to me?
“What are you afraid of? I’m not going to hurt you. I see you come around her time after time and I think we may have something in common. If it makes you feel any better, may I ask your name?”
The voice is deep and relaxing once Tiller begins to settle down and collect himself. The cave’s voice is very inviting, how could he deny the cave’s inquisition?
“My name is Earth Tiller, yours?” He calmly, yet cautiously says.
“I am Mud Tracker, an outcasted earth pony like yourself. Please, enter my abode, and let us get a bit more personal.”
Tiller is mesmerized by the voice and subconsciously begins to enter the cave infatuated by the idea of meeting somepony similar to him. He trots and trots until he is no longer able to see.
“Hello, Mud Tracker, where are you?” He calls out into the darkness
“My child, Tiller.”
Tiller hears the sound of hoofsteps with a slight metal sound.
Clop…
Clang…
“There is nothing to fear, Tiller, you and I have much in common, indeed.”
Clop…
Clang…
“Tired of working for the entitled unicorn.”
Clop…
Clang…
“I can’t say I enjoy getting my hooves dirty for those bone-heads, either.”
Mud Tracker seems to stop, as Tiller can no longer here him the clopping.
“Tiller, what if I told you that I could give you more to life than aching bones and cracked hooves? How would you like that?”
Tiller, captivated with the idea, smiles, but he’s still uncertain.
Who is Mud Tracker?
And what power does he have?
In Aliud Tempus...
