Monik's Ponyville Adventures

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."