Last night . . .
Like every night, Monik was in the Cold Calf, a bar right outside Klugetown. It's the last place where laws really matter. The last place officers of the law matter. Anything after is fair game. With such a crime rate and trafficking, why wouldn't a journalist aim to go there every day or so to write a story about the worst things they've seen? Monik was that journalist. But, something changed, it wasn't overnight or anything. Simply put, people stopped buying the papers. Not a lot of people were interested in the day to day crime in Klugetown.
Monik was in the bar, sitting at a table, marks were carved into the wood, no doubt people were playing pinfinger or something.
"You see, Monik, you're a good kitten . . . but even you have to admit . . . crime is spreading all over the ffffff-freakin' place!" Penci said. Penci was a fellow journalist, though he hit the wall years ago. He hung up his pen and paper last year from the same paper Monik wrote for and started his own company. But, Penci's often quick to accept an invitation to grab a drink with Monik. He's a bit of a freeloader, usually drop-dead drunk and "forgot" his wallet more than half of the times they've gone out for a drink.
"I know that, but . . ." Monik quickly had a claw risen to his mouth.
"Hush, hush, hush, hush . . ." Penci said. "Listen. To. Me . . ." he pulled Monik by the shirt. "Get out there!" he said, louder than he should have. A bartender gave them a glare, a glare you could tell was a "warning".
"Look, Penci . . . buddy . . ." Monik pat Penci's head. "I'm all good where I am." He said. "So what if I . . . uh . . . run into some financial issues." He said. "It all went to hell when Storm King lost, remember?" he chuckled. "Klugetown is still the most dangerous place. We're still nowhere near their danger."
Penci sighed and looked down at his drink. ". . . Maybe you're right . . . like always, Monik . . ." he sipped his drink.
"I'll be back, have to visit the little kitty's room," Monik said as he left the drinking area and entered a small room, three doors faced him. One read employees only the other two were bathroom doors. He went into the bathroom and not even two minutes passed and he returned to the table to find Penci passed out. "Again?"
"Happen often?" a voice emerged. "Does your friend often face-plant into the table?"
"Huh?" Monik jerked his head back to find the source of the voice and only found a cloaked figure. "Uh . . . yes . . . he does."
"Hehe, he really hit that table hard." The figure laughed a bit, it was maniacal, but also not evil. Monik would know if he was, from "dirty cops" to "traders", he has busted them all thanks to his prowess in the written language. "Who are you?"
"Oh let's just say I heard of your . . . predicament." The figure tapped its chin. From voice alone, Moink could determine the creature was male but, other than that it's out in the air. He's never seen anything like him. The fact it could talk gave away it's lived among creatures with that ability, so it's not likely a new discovery he hasn't heard of. "And I'd like to propose a proposition . . ." that sentence jerked Monik back to reality.
"A-A proposition?" Monik stuttered a bit. "If you're some scout I'm already taken," he said proudly. "By the best paper in town."
"Says who?" the figure said, Monik could tell the creature was smirking under the hood. "Anyone can say that. It may be true . . . but who's to say a change in scenery wouldn't do you some good!"
"Uh . . ." Monik didn't know how to respond. The more the creature talked, the more it just sounded like was waiting for its moment to try and hire him. "What kind of proposition?"
"Well . . . you see there's this school of friendship . . ."
Monik was packing his things, shirts, pants, all the normal things for walking, talking cats to be carrying with them. It soon struck him that what he was doing is not smart. Even though he's making peanuts thanks to people not buying the paper, he's at least living. "Should I really do this?" he mumbled to himself, folding a gray and purple sweater and setting it into the bag. The moments of the night rang in the back of his mind.
It wasn't a bad idea, maybe that's why Monik's giving it a try . . . or maybe he's just sick and tired of the same routine. Either way, it was worth a shot. The worst that could happen is a simple no. To some extent, he's not even sure how this creature knows the school's owner. Nevertheless, Monik made his way to the door, staring back at the place he called home. He took a deep breath. "This is it . . ." he mumbled. "A new life awaits . . ." he mumbled and made quick glances across the room. "Goodbye, old friend." He then closed the door and handed the key to his landlord.
"See you again soon, honey." said his landlord, her voice was extremely raspy.
"Not likely." Monik retorted and waved as he left on his way to his new home.
He made one last glance back at the dusty lands of Black Cove. He then held his head high and walked forward. "This is it . . ." he told himself again and again. "I'm leaving my home for greener pastures." He said, feeling the hot sand on his pads. "I hope this trip isn't going to be a waste . . ." he held his head high but, this would be the furthest he had ever been from home. "Get ready Ponyville . . . here I come."
Monik had been walking for three days, maybe even a week. Still no sign of a train or anything outside of the usual decor of decaying creatures and bones. Spiders also littered the sand but, that wasn't new. To pass the time, he'd been playing eye-spy with himself . . . sure enough, he'd called himself out for cheating. "You were looking at me while I was looking!" he exclaimed with a gruff and raspy sound to it, his voice going away due to his general unprepared decision to not bring water.
His other half snapped back. "No! I was just looking in that same direction because I thought I saw something!" he snapped at himself and his rational-self was begging to find something to quench both his thirst and sanity. Just then, a miracle happened.
"Hey, kitten, whatcha doin' out 'ere?" the voice grumbled, staring at Monik who was dumbfounded to have found any creature else. "Dontcha know it's not safe to go alone without water?"
"I-I uh . . ." Monik didn't want to say he didn't think he'd need water because it had passed his mind while packing but, he felt he'd be able to survive without it for a few days.
"Ugh," the voice belonged to a gruff earth pony. "Take this . . ." he tossed a sizable canteen at Monik's feet. "I got more water so, drink now and I'll fill 'er back up before I leave."
Monik did exactly that and drank a decent chunk out of the canteen. He let out a relieved sigh. "Thank you, so much, sir."
"Ain't nothin' to worry 'bout. Just my pony nature." He said. "I'm Corn Shuck."
"Uh . . . I'm Monik."
"What brings ya out here in the desert, Monik?" Corn Shuck asked.
"Well . . ." Monik didn't know if he should explain his encounter with that . . . thing. "I just wanted a change of scenery, you know?"
Corn Shuck nodded for a moment. "I get ya, I come out 'ere to get away from my farm." He said looking down at his own water canteen. "Not that I hate it, I just . . . don't want to be trapped there twenty-four-seven."
Monik nodded, slowly realizing that was his routine, he'd get up, go to Klurgetown, write down something, get off work, drink, go to sleep, and repeat. "I see it now." He said sighing. "My life has been pretty mundane, honestly, sure I grew up near a horrifying place to grow up in but, it wasn't impossible." He admitted. "I grew up north of Klurgetown."
"Ugh, I couldn't even step two hooves in that place 'fore some creature was tryin' to cage and sell me to the highest bidder." Corn Shuck said and shook his head. "I never go that far. That's why I got weeks, even months, worth of water with me. I don't go to town, I sleep in a makeshift cabin I made."
Monik's ears perked up. "Hey, think you can help me find my way?" he asked, realizing an earth pony lie Corn Shuck must've come from Equestria.
"Sure, where ya goin'?" Corn Shuck sipped his canteen.
Monik soon followed and told him. "Ponyville, you think you can help me get there?"
Corn Shuck laughed for a moment and nodded. Monik didn't what was funny. It was a town. "Sure I can, Monik, it's on my way to my farm." He said. "Let's go before it gets dark." He got up, began walking, and Monik soon followed.
A few days passed and finally, Monik saw green. He wasn't sure what to make of it, he's never left the desert. "Wow . . . I never left the desert so this is . . . so new." He mumbled, almost to himself but, Corn Shuck overheard.
"It's a sight alright." Corn Shuck agreed. "But, it ain't perfect. Anyway, this is where our trails end, my friend." He said and looked at the fork in the road.
"Okay, so what do you recommend I do when I get into Ponyville?" Monik asked, genuinely unsure of what his first step would be.
"Just get yerself a room. That Cold Claf bar has a sister location. It's called the "Cold Colt." Corn Shuck said as he shook Monik's paw.
It was a weird feeling, that was the first genuine time he'd ever shaken a hoof of a pony. Not that he wouldn't but rather, most ponies don't go that far outside of Equestria without a purpose.
There was no turning back. Monik stepped paw into Ponyville soil and instantly felt a wave of regret as numerous ponies began staring at him. Most of which questioning how he was standing on two legs. Others questioned if he was "related to "Opalescence".
Monik began walking around, bowing his head, seeing all the ponies looking warily at him. He didn't quite know why, he knew ponies had seen his race before, even with the walking-on-two-legs trait. That's what he heard at least. The town was murmuring about his presence. That's when he bumped into a pony.
Monik fell back and looked at the pastel pink earth pony who also fell. He got up and extended an arm for her to grab onto. She didn't and instead jumped in the air, loudly gasped, and jolted across the street. "Uh . . . that was weird."
