One in a Trillion: Chronicles of the Traveler: Volume One

Chapter Two:

Plott’s Sporting Goods Store, Ponyville
D3-08 “Blue Moon”
997.05.23 1:00 PM

“Hey, can I get your help for a sec? You work here, right?” A customer asked me as I walked past.

It’d been two weeks since I woke up in that hospital room. “Sure, what can I do for you?” I replied.

“I’m looking for five-five-six. Y’all have that here, right?” The young buck answered.

In that time, I’d learned the concept of walking on hooves, the concept of needing to eat and drink to survive, and the concept of generosity. “Sure do, we keep centerfire cartridges behind the counter though. If you’ll follow me?”

I lead him to the counter and went around to where the ammo in question was. I’d started working at Plott’s about a week ago, and caught on quickly. “What kind of five-five-six are you looking for?”

“Oh, I’m just going to do some target shooting, nothing special.”

I was happy to discover that Plotts was a firearms distributor, as guns were something I understood well. “Okay, how about Whinnychester fifty-five grain ball? Twenty-three hundredths a round.” I had struggled with Equestria’s economic system at first, but quickly caught on once I realized bits were simply a fiat currency. Each bit could be broken up into hundredths, and you usually paid with either a charge card or a check. I’d been assured that bits actually did exist, and Equestria wasn’t just making money with nothing to back it up, but I’d yet to see a single actual bit in person.

“Not bad. What’s the muzzle velocity on that?” He asked me. I already knew it by rote. I’d discovered most of this world was parallel to my own, if a few hundred years behind technologically.

“Around thirty-two hundred feet per second,” I replied without having to read off the box. I levitated a twenty-round box onto the counter, which startled him.

“Whoa! Where’d that- oh, was that you? I didn’t see you use your magic,” he exclaimed. Apparently, all unicorns have a magical glow around their horns when they use their magic. I inexplicably didn’t. Best I could figure was because I used my magic differently, but it made no difference functionally.

“Yeah, don’t know why it’s like that,” I replied, putting on a fake embarrassed tone. “Just kinda always been this way. Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you.”

“No trouble,” he shrugged. “Kinda cool, actually. But, do you got anything bigger?” He gestured to the box on the counter.

In Equestria, firearms laws were mandated by region. Most rural areas were lax, but the cities and more heavily populated regions had stricter regulations. According to local law, I could sell any non-pistol cartridge to anypony of adult age. Pistol ammunition was legal to be sold only to ponies age twenty-one and up. I didn’t get it personally, but I didn’t make the rules. “How’s this?” I asked as I levitated up one of the two-hundred round boxes we kept lower down on the racks. It made a satisfying rattle as I set it on the counter.

“How many’s in that?” He asked before reading the box. Upon reading the box, he answered his own question, “Two hundred, wow. How much is it?”

“Fifty even,” I replied as an idea came to mind. With my unseen magic I reached over to the next aisle where the targets were kept, and searched for… there it was. “Okay, sounds good. Uh, here,” He said as he reached into one of his pockets. I carefully levitated the object around the aisle and began to animate it as best I could to make it look like it was walking towards me. I was almost worried he wouldn’t notice, but as he looked up with his wallet in his mouth, he jumped at least a few feet high, his wallet falling to the floor. “Oh shit look out!” He shouted as the changeling-shaped target approached me in a gait somewhat resembling a trot.

I made the target wave its flat hoof at him. He stared, bewildered, before realizing it was fake. “We just got these in. Don’t worry, they don’t move on their own,” I laughed. It was apparently very lifelike, even had holes in its hooves and wings. I had to admit, if a changeling actually looked like that in person I’d be surprised. It looked too outlandish to be real. “They’re a hundred and forty bits. Not bad for something like this,” I said as I made it wiggle and dance.

He took a moment to pick up his wallet before laughing as well. “You’re funny,” He said to me. I shrugged along with the changeling target. “Sure, why not. I’m sure the guys’ll laugh their asses off at it.”

He hoofed over his ID and his charge card. I checked his date of birth on the ID, and put it into the computer after I scanned the ammunition. He was nineteen. Then I scanned the target. “One ninety-nine, oh two. Sound good? Anything else you needed?”

He shook his head. “Nope, that’s about it. Thanks!” I ran his charge card and returned it to him with his ID, and after double bagging the ammo, I levitated the target gently over his back so he could carry it out. He nodded as he took the ammo and then began making his way to the exit of the store.

I liked working, I’d discovered. It was relaxing, knowing what I was supposed to do, how to do it, and having a schedule to keep kept me from getting agitated. Doctor Clarity had explained that my something or other was in conflict with this other thing in my head. I didn’t understand most of it, so he had put it in terms I could better understand. The long and short of it was, my brain wasn’t right. He’d recommended I find a job, and when I mentioned this to Butterscotch, she’d mentioned it to Lilac, who was able to get me the job at Plott’s.

As I walked into the break room in the storage area in the back of the store, I could hear several other ponies in conversation, something about hoof-ball. Another thing I had no clue about. Doctor Clarity had also wanted me to start taking medication to help me with my issues. I’d mentioned this to Butterscotch as well, and she’d said it might help, but it could also make things worse. I pulled up a chair to the table where everypony else was seated, enjoying grilled veggie fajitas. I’d helped Lilac make the fajitas the night prior, and we’d brought them along to share with everypony else for lunch.

Lilac was at the table now, and she looked up at me as I pulled my chair up. “Hey Blue,” she said. Her coat was, oddly enough, lilac in color. Her mane was an electric blue which she wore in a moderately stylish bob. Her eyes were magenta. She’d been the other mare that’d been there to save my life that night. Apparently, she had decided to dive-bomb the ice that I’d gotten stuck under in the river I fell into. If an idea sounds dumb, but it works, is it really so dumb? She’d said on the topic. I had to agree.

She was the shift manager for first shift at Plott’s, so she was technically my superior. It didn’t mean much. “What took you so long? You’re like, ten minutes late to lunch.” She had a way of speaking that had taken me a day or two to get used to. She’d served in the Equestrian Air Guard, which apparently required her to speak loudly. It wasn’t that I disliked it, so much as it reminded me of getting shouted at when I was in training for the Service. I actually kind of liked it. The fact we’d both served in a military capacity made it easy for us to relate, and I found that I’d quickly made another friend.

Butterscotch had caught on early that I wasn’t actually from Stalliongrad. She’d been letting me stay with her at her condo, but made it clear if I wanted to stay, I’d have to be honest with her. When I first told her I was most likely from another universe, she laughed in my face. When I didn’t change my story, she listened more intently. I’d explained, to the best of my ability, what I’d been doing leading up to my arrival in Equestria. She seemed to understand it about as much as I understood it, which was little.

Lilac visited that night, and Butterscotch encouraged me to tell all to her as well. She took it well, and quickly she and I were discussing militaria. Combat tactics, weapon specifications, and the like. I’d discovered she had a particular interest in “Trotviet” designs, which were apparently this universe’s parallel to Soviet designs.

“Blue, are you even listening to me?” Lilac said loud enough to rattle me from my reverie.

“Whoa, Blue. Were you actually spacing out there?” Walnut asked. He was another pegasus, and though he’d also served in the Air Guard, he hadn’t been in the same platoon as Lilac. “Damn, I guess your Trotviet bullshit really is that boring, Lila.” He laughed.

“Sorry, was just thinking. What’s up?” I replied to Lilac.

Lilac glared at Walnut for a second before looking back to me with a forced smile. “Five-five-six, or seven-six-two? Which kicks more ass?” She asked.

I paused for a moment, considering all that I knew of the two vastly different calibers. Then a sly grin formed on my face. “Oh, Lila, you mean you don’t know?” I said conspiratorially.

“Wha? Know what?” She looked confused.

I laughed. “Five-five-six versus seven-six-two is a trick question. Surely you realize? Oh, maybe you don’t…” I waited to see if she’d catch on, but it looked like I’d sent her mind reeling. Her eyes were wide, with one brow raised high and her mouth in a twitchy grin. “Seven-six-two…” Another pause, and just as she looked like she was about to revel in victory, I said in a mock cough, “By fifty-one!”

Walnut burst into hysterical laughter. Lilac buried her face in her hooves. I shook my head and began fixing myself a fajita. Seven-six-two by fifty-one was a NATO cartridge, or as in Equestria, a FATL cartridge. FATL apparently stood for Friendship Allies Treatise and Legislation, or something. For ponies they sure had a brutal streak.

“Blue,” Lilac groaned. “You’re supposed to be on my side, remember?”

I laughed as I patted her head as she lay it on the table. “No, Lila. I’m supposed to be on the winning side,” I said in a sympathetic tone.

Walnut was now out of his chair in raucous laughter. I think his brother, Buckeye, hadn’t caught on, because he was still eating his fajita as he stared down at him. He was an earth pony, and had tried to join the standard infantry, but was denied when he attempted to bash the instructor’s skull in with his own helmet. I’d learned that story directly from the source; apparently Buckeye was a very literal person, and had a short temper to boot.

“Okay, smartass,” Lilac yelled down at Walnut. With her wing she swept his empty plate off the table and onto him, which only made him laugh even harder. I was certain he was having convulsions at this point. Perhaps he’d hit his head in the fall?

…

As lunch went on, we discussed other things. I tried to listen in and learn what I could as they discussed sports, but it was completely beyond my comprehension. Then a small device on the table began to buzz loudly. Lilac picked it up and tapped it, then lifted it to her ear. “Yeah?” She said into it. It was called a smartphone, and they’d apparently just released that particular model – the first of its kind – this year. It had a touchscreen, which was a pane of glass which could sense the electromagnetic something or other in hooftaps. All I knew is it seemed to operate a lot like an uplink module. It allowed ponies to call one another from afar, to browse something called the internet, and a myriad of other things. “Yeah, yeah we’re still on. What, snow’s not due for another like, week right?” I’d also learned in my time here that Equestria controlled its own weather, and I’d just managed to land in the only part of Equestria that was still wild, a patch of forest called Everfree. Local legends abound on that one.

“That Chestnut?” Walnut asked. Lilac nodded.

“Cool, I’ll let ‘em know. Yeah, laters.” She tapped the screen again and set the device down. “We’re on for tonight, boys!” She exclaimed. Walnut cheered.

I looked on, clueless as usual. “What’s on for tonight?” I asked.

“Around this time every year we have a big party. We were worried we’d be screwed by the weather team though, but looks like somepony was able to convince them to postpone!” She picked the device up again and began tapping on the screen some more. “I gotta tell some more ponies about this, just so we’re all on the same page.”

I looked at Walnut. “Yeah, it’s basically just a big get-together of sorts. Friends, friends-of-friends, that sort of thing. Dunno how many we’ll have this year, but last year there must’ve been fifty of us.” He looked at his brother, who shrugged.

“Yeah, it’s pretty fun. Just don’t drink too much, couple of the guys that show up have a habit of taking advantage of drunk bitches,” Buckeye explained.

“I’ve never been drunk,” I replied. “What, does it do?”

“Being drunk? Makes ya dumb, basically. Dumb, wimpy, and easy to fuck,” he said in his usual bored tone. “Or, maybe it won’t. Maybe you’re an angry drunk. Or a loud drunk. Who knows.”

Okay then. Don’t get drunk, got it.

…

Plott’s Sporting Goods Store, Ponyville
D3-08 “Blue Moon”
997.05.23 5:30 PM

The rest of the day went by without incident. I’d finished lunch and got back to work, sold some more items off the shelves, a shotgun, and more ammo. I restocked the shelves throughout the day, so by the time I left everything was set in order for the next shift. Second shift arrived at four and worked until closing time. The store stayed open until midnight, which was unusual for Ponyville. But Plott’s was a franchise, so each store ran the same, regardless of region.

I was supposed to leave at five, but I’d stayed to restock and help out a little. As I walked out the front of the store, I passed Buckeye at the entrance. He was lighting a cigarette, but his lighter looked to be inoperable. I lit the cigarette for him with a spell.

“Thanks,” he said, then took a puff off the freshly lit cigarette. “Why do you stay late like that? Ain’t no point to it.”

I sat next to him beside the front door. “I just restock and stuff like that, that way the next crew doesn’t have to.”

“Why, though? It’s not like they give a damn, and it ain’t your job to give a damn about ‘em.” He looked at me with an empty expression. “Guess it just doesn’t make sense to me.”

I shrugged. “Way I see it, if I make their job easier, maybe their day will go better. It’s not like I have anything better to do at the moment anyway.”

He cocked his head to the side and smiled at me. “You’re real weird, you know that?”

We sat for a moment longer, until he finished his cigarette. “You goin’ to the thing tonight?” He asked me.

I hadn’t thought much of it. “I don’t know. I don’t really have a ride,” I’d been getting rides with Butterscotch, the world’s most generous mare, as my work was on the way to hers.

“Lilac could bring you. She’s gonna be picking up a few others anyway, probably wouldn’t matter to her.” He got up as he spoke. “I’m gonna sit this one out, though. Last year some bastard tried to steal from me. I’ll see you next week.” And with that, he walked out to his vehicle in the parking lot.

Ponies drove cars, I’d learned. They could maneuver the pedals and steering wheel just fine, and apparently had enough dexterity in their hooves to do many other things as well. I was still a little clumsy on my hooves, but I’d caught on well enough. Having magic helped a lot, because it meant I could do many things as I’d done them before – with magic.

I sat there for a couple minutes longer until Butterscotch arrived in her little beige sedan. It looked ancient, but she had assured me she’d bought it new six years ago. When I inquired why she picked such a boring car, she threatened to deny me a ride to work, so now the car wasn’t boring anymore.

“Hey Blue. Hop in,” Scotch said after rolling the window down. I did as she asked, getting into the passenger seat and strapping myself in. The cars of Equestria, like so much of pony technology, seemed identical to human technology, further confirming my theory that this was a parallel world.

“Lilac said there’s some kind of party tonight?” I mentioned to Scotch as she began driving out the parking lot and into the road proper.

“Yeah,” she nodded. “It’s this yearly thing her and all her army buddies do. I’m not so into it, mostly it’s just drinking and banter and some games. If you like beer and poker and hoof-to-hoof you’ll like it, otherwise it ain’t for you.” Her accent was generally pretty mild, but I’d learned the more agitated she got the thicker her accent became. “Last time I went, some buck tried to marry me. I don’t remember his name because he was too drunk to pronounce it right. That was a weird night.”

Sounded like weird was the norm in Equestria, to me.

…

‘Casa-del-Scotchy’, Ponyville
D3-08 “Blue Moon”
997.05.23 6:40 PM

I’d had Butterscotch call Lilac and ask her if she could give me a ride to the party, to which Lilac replied with a “Heck yes!” so loud I could hear it from where I sat across from the kitchen table.

Lilac’s arrival was announced with the sound of a truck horn. She’d installed a loud aftermarket horn to her vehicle, a large truck. Apparently it was meant for off-roading, but I’d yet to see it dirty.

“Guess that’s me,” I said to Butterscotch.

“Have fun, don’t get too drunk. You’ll probably be out there til morning,” she replied. “Ain’t no designated drivers in that crew.”

I nodded and made my way outside. Lilac’s truck was a four-wheel-drive Buckler 2500, with a lifted suspension and a brush guard on the front. She’d repainted it in the past week, before it was grey, now it was bright red. There was nopony but her in the vehicle, so I climbed into the front passenger seat. It took some effort to get in, as the vehicle was fairly high off the ground and I was by no means sure enough on my hooves yet to just jump in. “Ya got it, girl?” She laughed as she offered her hoof across the center seat to help me in. “You’ll wanna sit in the middle, we’re picking up like eight other ponies so it’s gonna get cramped.” The center seat’s backing doubled as a center console, which could lift up or down depending on what it was needed for. I strapped in next to her, and she drove along.

As we rode we talked about various things. I asked her about the party but wasn’t able to get anything more than “You’ll see” out of her.

When we turned up a driveway, she suddenly reached between my legs and I flinched reflexively. “Easy girl, just putting it into four high,” she said and nudged me. “Don’t let what Bucky said get to you, it ain’t like that. He’s just sour ‘cause some young colt drank too much and got his and Bucky’s wallets mixed up, that’s all.” I hadn’t realized that what he’d said had bothered me, but maybe my subconscious was a little spooked.

“Okay, okay. Just, never been to an actual party before,” I explained as we went up the dirt road. It forked to the right and went straight on, and we took the right turn. Along this road, which ran lengthways of mountainside, were a few large cabins, each of them unique in their designs. “I’ve hosted parties before, run security for them, but never actually been.” We stopped at the last one, which also appeared to be the biggest. I had no idea who built cabins this big, but the timber frame had three stories on one wing of the structure and two on the other, with two carports which were both full of various types of vehicles, ranging from trucks to tractors to other vehicles I couldn’t identify. “Who lives here? The Princess?” I asked Lilac.

“Nah, Sunbutt ain’t got shit on this dude. He’s rollin’ in it. C’mon,” she said as she switched the ignition off and got out. Lilac went up the steps which lead to the front deck and quickly began knocking her hoof against the front door. “Lilac’s party bus!” She exclaimed through the door.

She waited a few moments longer, then as I got to the deck Walnut opened the door. “What- oh, it’s just you,” he said to Lilac. “Hang on, let me see if dad’s ready.” I could see several ponies inside, but the lighting was dim.

“Wally lives here?” I said after the buck in question went back inside. “If he’s got a home like this, why’s he working at Plott’s?”

“It’s not his house, it’s his dad’s,” she replied. “And if you ask him, he works at Plott’s because it’s more fun than the family business, but if you want the truth, it’s because I work there. He’s always been stuck to me like dumb on his brother since he got out.” Lilac was my age, and Walnut was a year younger. I wasn’t sure how old Buckeye was – he looked like he could be a decade my senior – but according to Walnut he was younger than us.

“Family business?” I asked, but before I could get a reply the door opened again and out stepped a stallion I thought could’ve been the Prince of Equestria. He had on a well fitted grey blazer, over a similarly colored vest and a white button up. His slacks were black, and his shoes looked like they’d been polished mere seconds ago.

“Oh, hello Lilac. I knew I heard something obnoxious at the door,” he said with a grin. He bumped Lilac’s hoof then nodded to me. “Hello there, I don’t think we’ve met. You’d be the mysterious Blue Moon?” He asked me politely.

I nodded. “That’s what they call me, anyway.” I opted for a casual tone, despite his fairly regal appearance and mannerisms. His coat was a shade not unlike Butterscotch’s car, and his mane was coffee brown with a few errant streaks of grey, all tamed elegantly in a short high-and-tight fashion. He was a unicorn, I noticed. “You’re Walnut’s father?” I offered my hoof.

“Indeed, or so I’m told,” he returned my hoofbump. “The name’s Ash, but most folks just call me boss. Don’t worry, you don’t have to call me boss if you don’t want to.” Why did this stallion remind me of the types of people I’d done business with back home? Old, expensive, and charismatic in an almost creepy sort of way.

We all got into Lilac’s truck, and the tone quickly changed as Ash buckled himself in, saying, “Well come on, Lila. Don’t bore me to death here. Play us some tunes.”

“What kind of tunes, boss?” She replied, reaching over to the stereo controls on the dash. I got the feeling it’d be more suitable of me to call him boss, rather than by his name.

“What do you think?” He said, bumping her seat with a hoof. He was in the back seat, directly behind Lilac. Walnut sat to my right, as I sat in the middle. I now realized I hadn’t needed to sit so close to Lilac on the ride over, but it didn’t seem important.

“Oh I don’t know, chief.” Lilac looked back over her shoulder at Ash. Hearing her say chief sent a small chill down my spine. I’d been called chief before. The memories of those days were fighting for my attention, but I focused on the here-and-now. “Blue’s not the sort of mare that’d like that kinda thing. I think she’s more of a rock-n-roll kinda gal.”

I looked over to Lilac, who winked at me before looking back to Ash. Ash looked at me, then asked, “Well, Blue? What kind of music do you prefer?”

“Music?” I said incredulously. “I never really listened to it before. I didn’t really have the time to, with the work I used to do.” I bumped Lilac’s shoulder. “Play whatever you want, I’m sure I can handle it.”

Before Lilac could reach the dial, though, Walnut had already turned on some music. Loud, raucous and incomprehensible rage spewed out of the speakers as what I could only assume was a band of children unleashed hell upon a series of guitars, synths and drums. I suspected the intention of the performance wasn’t to produce music, but to destroy the equipment meant to produce the music. Then an angry sounding male voice came on, shouting something just as incomprehensible as the music he was backed by.

“Not quite what I had in mind, Wally,” Ash said as he sat back in his seat. I wasn’t sure what was going on, but as I listened on I noticed how there was an actual rhythm to the sound, a sort of cadence that it all followed, however chaotic it seemed. Walnut just shrugged.

…

As we rode along we picked up more ponies, whom we first loaded into the cabin of the truck and then the rear once there was no more room in the actual interior. I tried to keep up with the various conversations that were had, but couldn’t understand much of it. Hoofball was brought up on more than one occasion, and I feared that was one topic I’d never understand.

Once we’d picked up a final group of ponies, whom all piled in to the bed of the truck, we began on our way to our actual destination. I had no idea how many we had with us now, but there were seven of us inside the cabin, four up front and three in the rear. Ash seemed to demand respect with everypony, because he was greeted by all as they joined us, and no one dared crowd him in his seat. Despite all that though he was very friendly and carried himself in a way that left me feeling like he was already my friend, even though we’d only just met.

The ride wasn’t terribly long, as we were staying in Ponyville, and as we reached another dirt road, Lilac reached between my legs for the lever she’d manipulated before. I made the conscious decision to not flinch like I had last time.

Not long after we’d began driving down the dirt road, we came upon a well-lit area in front of a lake where there were already dozens of ponies participating in various festivities. I saw drink and food laid out on a long table upon a wooden platform a ways from the lake, and along the lake were parasols and seats where some ponies were sat enjoying one another’s company.

Along the dock that ran down one side of the lake before jutting out into the lake were several paddle boats, and further along the dock was a gathering of pegasi. They appeared to be in a debate of some sort, but before I could gather more about what was going on, we turned down another dirt road and my view was obstructed by a building.

Lilac parked the truck and turned off the ignition, and we got out. I had to wait for the two ponies to my right to get out before I could, so I sat still.

“Aw hay,” Lilac said next to me. “Don’t guess you brought a swimsuit did you?”

“Swimsuit?” I asked. “Do I need one?”

“Well if you wanna swim, yeah. I mean, water’s pretty cold but once you’ve had a bit to drink it won’t bother you.” The others got out and I followed, exiting the vehicle before circling around the front to continue talking to Lilac. She had a bag with her and opened it to show what appeared to be underwear. “See? Swimsuit.” She unfolded the swimsuit, and as best I could tell, it was a single piece of clothing that ran from a pony’s shoulders down to the groin, with a gap in the back, presumably for wings. It was bright orange.

“Couldn’t just stay out of the water?” I asked her. I wasn’t even sure how ponies swam.

“I mean, yeah, but you’d have to be damn good at hoof-to-hoof,” she replied as she started walking towards the building. I followed, listening. “There’s always a sort of king-of-the-dock championship. Last year, I won. Year before that, too. Come to think of it, I’ve never lost.”

“I don’t follow,” I said.

“Well, I’ll show you. For now, I’m gonna change into this, and while I think it’s real cute that you wanna watch, I do like my privacy.” I’d not realized I’d followed her into a changing room.

“Sorry! Sorry!”

…

Lilac returned a moment after I’d left the changing rooms, and met me next to her truck. “You can go and mingle or whatever, y’know. Don’t gotta stick next to me the whole time.” She shrugged. “I mean I guess you could stick around, you’re not bad company. But be warned, if you follow me onto the docks you’re gonna get wet.”

I looked around. “I don’t know anyone here,” I said idly. “Show me around?”

“Sure. Let’s get something to drink first.” She lead me along a path after putting her bag back in her truck. As she flexed her wings, I noticed how toned her body was. I’d never really seen her with so little on. “See something you like?” She asked me.

I guessed she’d noticed me looking. “Never seen you like this before, that’s all. You have a very… athletic shape.”

She nudged me. “You expect anything else? I am like, the single most awesome mare in Equestria.” She struck a pose and I laughed. “What? Come on, don’t make me look dumb. You gotta play along, I got a reputation to uphold around here!”

“You’d have looked better in black,” I replied. In all honesty, she looked fairly spectacular in the orange swimsuit.

“You’re not one of those mares that only likes black, are you?” She asked, looking me over. “I mean, you probably are. You only wear like, one outfit.”

We reached the table where food and drink had been prepared, and Lilac selected a brown bottle of something I couldn’t identify. “I like what I like. I’m fairly simple, I guess. What’s that?” I asked as she removed the metal cap and drank from the bottle.

“Want some?” She offered it to me. I smelled it and recoiled immediately. I couldn’t quite tell what it was, but it smelled foul. Not unlike rotting carrion. “No? Fine, more for me,” she said before taking another swig. “Anyway, I’m gonna go teach those idiots who’s queen of the deck.” She downed the rest of the drink and took off. “Mingle!” She shouted back at me as she flew away. I was drawn to the view of her flying, for some reason. I shook my head and walked over to the selection of fruits and other food items.

…

As I sat and watched the others going about the festivities, I noticed some things. The mares seldom enjoyed the company of the colts, but the colts certainly seemed determined to pester the mares. On more than one occasion a young buck approached me, and they would always ask very dull questions, such as “Come here often?” or “Can I get you a drink?”

Eventually I realized if I just ignored them completely, they’d wander off.

I watched on as Lilac stood on the deck, at its furthest point, poised to engage another challenger as they approached. The tactic her challengers used was usually to charge blindly and get shoved off the deck effortlessly, and that’s just what this next one did. Most were pegasi, but this one was an earth pony whom managed a spectacular drunken wail as he was flipped off the side of the deck. As it was with most of the ponies that Lilac shoved off, they needed help out of the water. Several onlooking pegasi flew down to help the drunken colt out of the water and back to his hooves. He looked freezing.

“Miss Blue?” Came a voice from behind me. I looked over my shoulder to see who it was, and saw Ash, still in his stylish outfit. He too seemed to like whatever dreck it was Lilac had downed earlier, as a bottle of the stuff floated next to him in a golden aura that matched the one around his horn. “Not interested in any of the fun?” He had two other stallions with him, both looked as disinterested in the goings-on as I was.

“Not really. I’m still getting used to just being in Equestria,” I said as he took a seat on the edge of the platform, next to me. “I’m sitting here, listening to dozens of ponies talk about things I don’t know anything about, and trying to avoid the advances of overly-confident males.”

“Sounds like this little soiree isn’t really for you,” he said, looking out over the water. “Can’t say I disagree, but it’s best that I be here.”

We sat there for a short while, and graciously, I received only cursory glances from the colts rather than their previous attempts at conversation. Then, after he’d finished his drink, Ash stood back up and floated the empty bottle over to one of the stallions that were still stood a ways back, whom threw it away in a metal drum nearby. “How about a boat ride?” He said, offering me a hoof.

I took it and got to my hooves. I eyed him suspiciously. “Why?”

“There’s something I’d like to show you. But we have to take a boat, it can’t be reached otherwise.” He began walking towards the docks. “Come on.”

I glanced at the two suits, but they again seemed entirely aloof as they began to follow Ash. I shrugged and followed as well.

Once we reached the dock, Ash turned left along the shoreline. “Are we not taking one of those?” I asked, gesturing to the paddle boats. I then realized the gesture was futile, as I was behind him, but he replied regardless.

“No, those are too hard on my old knees. I have a boat of my own here.” He lead me along the shoreline a short distance until we reached a small boathouse. One of the two males that were following us went up to the door and unlocked it. Inside was a canoe. It looked like it had been made decades ago, but had been maintained well. “Behold,” he said as he lowered an oar with his magic from the rafters. “A boat I can actually manage.”

I looked at him then to the boat, and back again. “What’s all this about, Ash?” I asked him.

“Like I said, I wanted to show you something.” The two stallions began freeing the boat from where it had been tied up. “And I wanted to discuss something with you.”

Once the boat was in the water, Ash stepped in with little issue, but I was a little timid. He offered me his hoof again and I took it, balancing myself as I stepped awkwardly into the vessel.

Now, the two stallions looked directly at Ash, whom simply grinned. “Relax, it’s my own damn boat. And she’s certainly nopony to worry about. Take a break, go have something to eat and drink, just leave the mares alone.”

They looked at him for a moment longer, then left. With that, Ash instructed me to sit opposite him on the little seat at the end of the canoe, and face him. Then he lowered the oar into the water and began maneuvering us out the opening of the boathouse. I noted he was using his hooves to hold the oar, rather than his magic. I inquired upon why, and he simply shook his head. “Some things are meant to be done the old-fashioned way,” he said as he continued to pull us along.

As we floated along, I looked around at the lake and surrounding wilderness. I could faintly hear the sound of a highway in the distance. The undulating sound of the waves softly lapping up against the boat. I watched the water, the sky, the trees. Then looked to Ash. He was watching me, with another one of those expressions I couldn’t quite decipher.

“You wanted to talk to me about something?” I asked him as we passed the dock where Lilac was facing yet another drunken male.

“Not here. First, I want to show you my favorite place in this park. It’s an island in the middle of the lake.” I looked towards the center of the lake but saw nothing there. “No, no, not this part of the lake,” he said, nodding his head backwards towards the direction we were moving. I looked past him and after a moment spotted a small opening in the trees. Following the gap between the trees down to the ground, I saw there was what looked to be the mouth of a river feeding into the lake. It was maybe a hundred meters away.

“Forgive me but this really is peculiar,” I said. “Taking me to someplace away from all the other ponies, after meeting me for the first time only an hour or so prior.”

He laughed. “I know, I lack the tact of my youth. But trust me, once we’re there you’ll see why I was so eager to take you.”

We floated along for a while longer, and made our way through the gap. I discovered it wasn’t a river, but a body of water joining this lake to a larger one. We came out of the small tree-covered waterway into a much larger body of water. “This is technically part of the Everfree,” Ash said as he paddled us along towards the middle of the lake. A thin mist was beginning to form on the water, despite the cold. “But for whatever reason, it’s the calmest place in the world. At least, I think it is.”

Again I looked around, at all the evergreen trees and the misty water and then towards the island he was guiding us to. A rock wall had been built all around it, such that it had no bank, and the mist just barely floated over the top of the wall and onto the lush green grass. Trees stood silent and leafless in an irregular pattern along the island, and as I watched, their bare limbs swayed idly in a gentle breeze. The air smelled sweet, and I felt a sudden pang of sadness as I longed for home.

“Do you believe in ghosts, Miss Blue?” Ash asked me. I looked at him and, again he was watching me.

“Well, using Aetherological science we can conclude that…” I stopped talking as I saw the look on his face turn sour. Something told me he didn’t like the answer I offered.

“I didn’t ask what Aetherological science says about ghosts. I asked if you believe in them.”

I paused for a moment, again looking to the island. He had stopped using the oar, and we floated listlessly in the water, turning slightly clockwise. “In my experiences, what I’ve been through, there’s no doubt they exist.”

He nodded his head and began maneuvering us towards the island again. “This island, this place…” I paid closer attention to his voice. It sounded like the rustling of leaves, like wind whispering through the trees of that island. “It’s been here for centuries, at least. Nopony knows where it came from, who put it here or why. There’s no trace of its purpose, no record on it on any of the old maps and charts. But in my old age, I think I've figured it out."

We reached the island. He pulled the canoe along the side of the squat rock wall, and with a rope that lay in the bottom of the boat he tied it to a small stake that stuck out of the soil there. “Come,” he said as he climbed out, before offering me his hoof.

I followed him out, careful not to fall into the water. The mist and soft grass felt cool around my hooves as I stepped upon the island. I looked along the trees, and saw nothing but the flat ground and the other side of the island a few dozen meters away. Turning back to the water, I looked out towards where we came from and could just barely see the gap in the trees that marked the pass we’d come through. It hadn’t felt like we’d traveled that far, but from where I stood it looked to be nearly a kilometer away.

“If the state had their way, this park would be leveled, the flora removed and fauna displaced.” He walked towards the center of the island. “There’d just be more commercial bullshit here, instead of this,” he gestured around himself. “Were it up to me, it’d be the other way around. Equestria can have its cities and shops and grand expansion, but not here. Take all the ponies, take all the technology and the money and get out of here. Go west, or north, or keep expanding along the eastern coastline. Let nature have her forests.”

I watched him as he stared at the trees, the grass, the sky. I found myself struggling to follow along, yet again.

“Today, this is public land. Anypony can come here and visit this place, at any time. Just like you and I, and everypony else down at the docks. But they don’t. This is more or less the only time ponies ever come out here,” he said in his whispery voice. He sounded tired. “The more I see of the world, the more I long for this place. And as I grow older – and I am old, Blue. Older than you realize. I find I visit this place more and more often, whenever I find the time. I’ll come here, and spend some time with the trees, and the air, and nature. Then I feel young again, and I return to the world at large so it can suck me dry of my vigor once again.

“There are certain truths in this world, Blue. Things that are pure, and honest, and good. Like the honesty of a child. A mutual first kiss. The ancient wisdom of nature. These things can teach you much, even when you’re old. Especially when you’re old.” He looked back to me. “I see in you something familiar. Maybe I see myself, maybe I see my youth, maybe I’m old and senile. But I see it in how you look at all this. In how you look at her.”

I raised a brow at him.

“Someday long ago a pony came to this place and decided to build something. But they didn’t build a strip mall, or a clubhouse, or whatever else. No, they learned from nature, and put an island here in the middle of the lake, safe from predators. And then, once they’d put the island here, they didn’t bother putting a house on it, or even a dock. No, they planted trees, such that the leaves would keep the sun and the rain off their back, and grass such that they would have the food they needed to survive. They trusted nature, and so nature loved them. Now, that pony is gone, but the island remains.

“Do you know what happens to strip malls, clubhouses and all that shit when the ponies go away? Nature does away with it. It all decays, reduced to its basest elements and consumed, returned to the world.” He sighed. “But enough out of me, I’ve said my piece.”

We sat for a moment longer there on the island. I didn’t quite know what to make of what all he’d told me, but I decided I’d remember it. Something told me it was important.

“Come, it’s getting cold. Let’s go back, they’ll likely start the fires soon.”

…

Once we’d gotten back into the canoe and Ash had paddled us about halfway back to the passage, he spoke again. “I do have something else to discuss with you, Miss Blue.”

I nodded. “What is it?”

“A proposition, of sorts. A fair bit irrelevant to our discussion on the island, but important all the same.” He looked up at the stars for a moment before continuing, “Blue, you’re a resourceful mare. I can tell that just by looking at you. According to Wally and Bucky, you take your job at Plott’s too seriously. Setting up the next shift so they can have an easy night, taking extra time with customers to help them however you can, that sort of thing. They seem to dislike it, but I can appreciate good work ethic. So I’m wondering if I can tap into a bit of that hard working attitude of yours.”

“You have a job for me?” I asked him. This felt strangely familiar.

“Of sorts. Well, yes, you’ll be paid to do a task. Two hundred bits for a job well done.”

I watched him for a moment, then laughed softly. “You’re telling me my payment before I know what I’m getting into. Isn’t that a little backwards?”

He nodded. “Yeah, you got me. Didn’t think I could bait you that easily, but it was worth a shot,” he said, winking at me.

“Two hundred bits to say, educate myself on something or someone might be reasonable, but depending on what I’m educating myself on, the risk might outweigh the reward. Or, maybe I’m moving some things around. Could be an easy job, just a single day of work, no hassle. Two hundred would be fair for a job like that. But what if there’s something in there somebody else wants? Two hundred caps doesn’t convince me to convince them they don’t want it.”

Now Ash laughed, heartily enough to rock the boat slightly. “You’re genius. A real gem,” he said after he paused to catch his breath. “It’s nothing like that. You’ve gotten into some wild shit before haven’t you? No, while it is a move-shit-around kind of job, I doubt anypony will come after you for what you’re moving. Unless they’re in real desperate need of some-“

I waved my hoof. “Don’t tell me what I’m moving, I have little interest in things that don’t concern me. I was really just giving you a hard time. I’ll do the job, two hundred is fine. So long as I’m not expected to do this while I’m supposed to be working at Plott’s.”

He nodded. “It’s this weekend, tomorrow and Sunday. You’ll be working with Wally. Chestnut was supposed to help, but he’s blown out his shoulder again, so that’s a no-go. How strong is your magic?”

I shrugged. “I haven’t found it to be lacking thus far. Maybe three hundred is my max?” Really, I’d never tested the limits of my telekinesis, even before I’d arrived in Equestria.

“That should be fine, not likely you’ll be moving anything on your own anyway. Wally has the address for where you’re going, and if I recall correctly there’s a fork lift on site, that should help with most of the heavy lifting.”

A new job offer. From a complete stranger, more or less. Money is money, though.

…

As we floated past the docks, I saw that several ponies had already started some campfires alongside the shore.

Then we came under artillery fire. It sounded like it was close, couldn’t have been more than a few hundred meters out. I had almost lunged at Ash to get him and myself under the water to conceal our location when he grabbed my shoulder.

“Easy, girl, easy! It’s just that damn pink party pony and her party cannon again.” I struggled to focus on his features. Why did it feel so hard to breathe? “I swear, that mare’s gonna… Hey, you all right? Listen to me. You all right?” He shook me once or twice and I managed to focus on him. “You ain’t got shell shock do you girl?”

“I was certain…. It sounded like…” I stammered. I couldn’t seem to suck in enough oxygen. It felt like I was burning. I forced myself to take long, deep breaths, just like Doctor Clarity had instructed. After a moment, it seemed to have helped, because I was able to think cohesive thoughts again. “What the hell was that and where’d it come from?”

Ash pointed his hoof at the party that was going on at the shoreline. There I saw, in the center of it all, a very pink mare pushing around what appeared to be an old cannon. “Pinkie Pie. Local party planner and menace to society. Last I checked she wasn’t supposed to be here on account of doing exactly that the last time she was here. Ain’t supposed to have explosives in the park.”

I shook my head hard, trying to clear the panic away. I felt like I wanted to sprint a mile. “Why does she have that? What even is it?”

“It’s a cannon she fills with confetti and glitter and shit. Detonates a charge and sends it all up into the air, if it doesn’t combust in the chamber.” Ash seemed about as thrilled as I was about the thing. Who puts confetti in a cannon?

…

By the time we reached Ash’s boathouse I’d managed to calm myself, though climbing out of the canoe proved challenging, as my knees seemed unwilling to hold my weight. With some help from the older buck though, I was able to free myself of the vessel. The two we’d left behind were still here, looking as though they were no happier about the party cannon than I was.

Ash motioned for them, and they began tying the canoe back up to the rigging. Before we left, however, Ash stopped me. “One more thing, Miss Blue,” he said, gesturing me to follow him to the side of the boathouse away from the other two. “I am curious. Where are you from, really? What I’ve seen of you tonight, as well as what I’ve gathered on my own, tells me there’s more to you than just an ordinary mare with a few odd quirks.”

I stared at him for a moment, before realization struck me, and a cold chill washed over my body. “Lilac?” I asked him.

He shrugged. “I hear what I hear. But I’m asking you, now. And I do hope you’ll be honest with me. I know we don’t really know each other, but if I’m going to be hiring you, I’d like a little… background information.”

I sighed, and looked over at the two males. They’d finished tying the canoe up. Ash gestured for them to step outside, and they did.

I sighed again. “I don’t know how to explain any of it. I’d like to visit someone who could make sense of it all beyond me being crazy, but I know what I know, and I know I’m not from here.”

“You’re familiar with Aetherialogical science, I’ve gathered,” Ash said. “Do you mind if I cast a little spell? It may help me with understanding you.”

“As long as it isn’t an interrogation spell. I don’t react well to those,” I replied, recalling my ordeal with Doctor Clarity.

“Nopony reacts well to those, Blue. No, this is a simple memory spell. So long as you’re not going to feed me false memories, I could just take a look and see where you came from myself. That is, if you’d really rather not try to put it to words.” He lit his horn and waited for my answer.

I had cast a similar spell on Doctor Clarity that day. I supposed Ash planned to cast the reverse of it, an inspection rather than a projection. “Okay. Just, fair warning. Not much of it is pleasant.”

“I’ve had my fair share of unpleasant experiences, Miss Blue,” he assured me. “This’ll only take a moment.” He closed his eyes and his horn flared with that golden glow, and my ears began to ring. It felt like someone had shoved me hard, but I hadn’t moved. I stumbled a bit, but caught myself before I tripped and fell.

After a moment, Ash opened his eyes again. I almost thought I saw something in his eyes, but then he blinked, and it was gone. I shook my head and looked back at him.

“Well,” he said, looking me up and down. “You’re certainly not from here. I haven’t a clue where you’re from. Been a while since I saw something I really couldn’t comprehend. Tell me, was that some sort of a spacecraft or something?”

I guessed he’d seen a memory of the Revenant. “That’s my cruiser. Did you see the Bridge? Bright purple displays, people standing around in grey uniforms?” He nodded. “Yeah, that’s the Revenant, my Cruiser. Bought it after I got out of the service. Did some work with it on my own, before it got shot down. Had to get it replaced, but never got a full crew after the first one was destroyed. Wound up here before I was ever able to really give the new one a fair shake.” I remembered all the work I’d done with that machine. The people I’d worked with, the lives…

“Easy, girl. Sorry, I know what it’s like to lose something, or somepony.” Ash laid his hoof on my shoulder. I lifted my hooves to my face, careful not to bash my muzzle like I’d done that first night. They came away wet.

“I don’t understand any of this,” I said. It was hard to breathe again. “Why is this happening? Am I crying?” I wiped my face of the tears. “I don’t cry. That isn’t me.”

“No shame in shedding a few tears. Especially when it’s for a good reason.” He looked me over again. “Curious why you took the form of a pony, though. Best I could gather, you weren’t exactly a living thing before.”

“No, I wasn’t. Not really,” I replied, glad for the slight change in topic. “I’d been made to resemble life, but I wasn’t living, not like them. Or you. But now I am, I guess. I… wish I had answers. To any of this, I mean.”

“Whatever happened to you, what you’ve been through,” it felt like Ash was looking right through me as he looked at me. “You’re surrounded by ghosts. They follow you, they’re within you. You’re haunted.”

I sighed. “I know.”

…

I took a few moments longer to gather myself, then returned to the shoreline where the other ponies were. I had a certain lilac colored pegasus to be very cross with.

Looking around, I quickly discovered she still hadn’t left the docks. She stood at the very edge, waving a beer bottle at another pegasus that was hovering a few meters away. I decided on my course of action, and began walking along the dock. At this distance, the light from the various campfires wasn’t really enough to illuminate us, and in my dark clothing I was barely visible. I took slow, even steps, making sure I didn’t make any noise or rattle the wood of the dock. I don’t know how long it took, but by the time I was nearing Lilac, she’d already felled one pegasus and had begun taunting another.

I considered my options. I could probably tackle her and take her in the water with me, but I didn’t know how cold that water was, and after my last time being submerged I didn’t like the idea of it. I could shove her, but she could just alight on her wings. Wait a minute… that might work.

Standing to my full height, I readied myself. Time to be an idiot. “Hey, Lilac!” I shouted, as I charged her. With my shoulder, I shoved her off the dock. Before she even touched the water, just as I’d predicted, she took off and flew up into the air. Now, if she was anything like I’d been in the air… there it was. With a pirouette, she doubled back around and flew right back at me.

“Wha- Blue?” She shouted as she approached from above. Even if she wanted to back out, she couldn’t. She had to either collide with me, the dock, or take a plunge in the cold water. I was the obvious choice. As she approached, I feinted left, which she corrected for. Then I moved right, and as she came in, I hooked my left forehoof around her neck and held on as she tumbled along the deck.

We rolled over and over until we stopped about halfway back towards the other end of the dock. I’d managed to end up nearly atop her as she lay on her stomach, and I used this to my advantage. I quickly got up over top of her and clamped my rear legs down on her wings, hard. Lilac was quite a bit larger than me though, and I nearly couldn’t get her under my control. She let out a shriek and tried to free her wings. As she flexed them, I pulled back with my left forehoof which was still around her neck and hooked my right forehoof around the left as her head came back. Each time she tried to move, I’d crush her windpipe. She quickly got the message.

Carefully, I leaned my head in next to hers, and whispered to her, “Did you tell him?”

She bucked hard on the deck, nearly knocking me off her. I tightened my grip as hard as I could, and she let out a choked gasp. “I’ve already got one good reason to knock you out right now. Don’t give me another. Did you tell Ash?”

She stayed still for a second, then gave a faint nod of her head. I released her and backed away quickly, shaking. She collapsed to the deck, sputtering and wheezing. She didn’t move for a while, and I didn’t either, beyond looking to see if there were any lookers on. It appeared that we were alone in the dark, though, which was good. I watched her as she slowly tried to stand. I stood as well, planning my escape. She had managed to get on the side towards the shore, so if I couldn’t get past her, I’d have to learn how cold that water was. I didn’t look forward to that.

Then, just as I was sure she was going to charge me, she laughed aloud. It became a cough quickly but returned to a laugh as she cleared her throat. I just sat back down, dumbfounded.

“Holy fuck, Blue! You go hard! That was fuckin’ badass!” She exclaimed, looking at me through her mussed mane. I just stared back, with my usual incredulous look. “Shit…” she said. “Aw, wait a sec. That’s what this was about? Aw shit.” She swore a few more times, then approached me. I got to my hooves, looking at her hooves to see if she’d charge me or launch into the air, but she stopped. “Blue I ain’t gonna hit ya. You got me fair and square, and like you said you had a good reason.” She sat back down. “I uh… I dunno what all I told him, but I’d been pretty drunk. That was like, last weekend, maybe? Yeah, gotta be. You came up in the discussion and I don’t remember what I said but I guess I told him about you and your… uh. Past, and shit. Ah fuck.” She looked at me, shame clear in her expression. I couldn’t expect her to just make it easy and try to retaliate, could I? No, she had to feel guilty.

I sighed and got to my hooves, walking over to her. She shied away a little bit, but I shook my head. “Thanks for telling the truth. I’d appreciated it more if you’d have told me sooner, but it is what it is. Not like it’ll bring the world to an end or anything.” I sat down next to her. “He asked me about it. Ended up giving me a job actually.”

She looked at me. “The boss gave you a job? What is it?”

“I’m helping Wally move some stuff tomorrow. Two hundred bits.” I looked at her. She seemed to consider this for a moment, before trying to reply, but ended up coughing again. “Sorry, I really shouldn’t have been so rough.” I looked at her throat. It already looked like it was getting discolored. “You’re going to have some bruising, I’m sorry.”

She looked at me and smirked. “What, you worried about my looks, blue?” I stared for a moment but before I could reply, she said, “I mean, I know I’m good looking and you got the hots for me and all, but really,” she reached up to her throat. “If you wanted to get rough and wild with me, you coulda just asked.” She winked at me and kissed my cheek as I sat there feeling very hot and awkward. “C’mon, tough stuff. It’s freezing out here and all I got on is this swim suit. Let’s go park up next to one of the fires.”

I couldn’t quite parse what had just happened, so simply followed Lilac down the dock and onto the shoreline where everypony else was gathered.

Author's Note

Disclaimer: Chapter may be changed.