Marked

“Don’t give me that look. I know this is crazy, but I don’t have a choice! I don’t want to be a boring old accountant for the rest of my life!” Cherry hissed.

Robearto didn’t reply, and just sat trying to work through his frustration. He had been trying to talk her out of this plan all day, but he just couldn’t see that it needed to be done.

“Princess Celestia is the bestest, powerfullest, awesomest pony ever!” Cherry went on “She’s the only one who can help me!”

Robearto asked how she was planning to get to her.

“The train, of course! How else would I get to Canterlot?” Cherry replied while she counted the bits from her piggy bank. Twenty-two. She hoped that would be enough, and tossed them in her school saddlebag. “We’ll go to the Princess’ castle, get me a new mark, and be back home by dinner!”

Robearto was skeptical that it would be that short of a trip.

Pfft. When we went to spend Hearthswarming with Uncle Burnt Oak in Ponyville, it was only an hour trip. How far could it be?” Just to be safe though, she added some candy to snack on if the trip was a little too long.

She tried, and failed, to stifle a yawn.

Robearto paused, then reminded her that she didn’t sleep that much last night.

“I’m fine. I was just…up late working out the fine details of the plan.” Cherry grumbled, rubbing her eyes. She wasn’t tired, they just itched.

Robearto wondered why she just didn’t ask her parents to take to see the Princess.

“Because they would never go for it. You heard them, they’re both sooooo excited to have me as their little ‘accounting Starswirl.’” She sniffled, staring at the floor. “I know they’re gonna be disappointed, but I need to do this.”

Robearto asked her what she would do if Princess Celestia wouldn’t help her. After all if she was so powerful, what could Cherry do to make her help?

“Well…I’ll figure that out if it happens. But why wouldn’t she? She’s supposed to be super nice to everypony, so I’m sure she’ll help me! If she wasn’t nice, she wouldn’t be a princess right?”

Right?

She tossed a pad of paper and colored pencil set she had received at her party into her saddlebags. Even if her creativity was gone, it wouldn’t hurt to have it around in case that changed during the trip.

“That should be everything. All set to go!”

Robearto tried one last time to get her to reconsider. Implored her, begged her.

“I’m sorry Robearto, but this dumb mark is gonna ruin my life! I have to get Princess Celesita to change it.”

Robearto, finally giving up on trying, simply asked if he could at least go with her. He thought she would need someone to watch her back.

“Of course you’re coming!” she exclaimed as she gave him the noogy of a lifetime, “What would I do without my right-hoof bear?”

“And where would you be going?” a voice asked, causing Cherry to jump with a tiny Eep!

Leaning on the doorframe to her room was her mother, wearing an amused expression.

“That’s a lot of stuff in your bag. Taking a trip?” she asked.

Cherry thought quickly, forcing an uneasy smile on her face. Robeato was paralyzed with fear.

“Y-yeah, Robearto and I were gonna go to…THE PEAKS OF PERIL! Yeah, we’re gonna find the kirins and make them teach us their secret…kirin…magic…?”Cherry hoped that sounded good enough.

Copper looked at Cherry, then at her bag, then back to Cherry. There was a long moment of silence, and terrified filly was beginning to think the jig was up. Then Copper finally spoke.

“Well, alright then!” she said cheerily. “Think you could teach me some ‘kirin magic’ when you get back?”

Cherry smiled.

“I’ll see what I can do!”

“So while you’re off exploring, I’ll be doing some work in my office. Think you’ll be back in time for dinner?’

“No problem!”

As Copper trotted down the hall to the office, Cherry let go of the breath she didn’t know she was holding. Robearto noticed, and asked her again if she was sure about this plan.

“Of course I am! Mom doesn’t suspect a thing, and when she starts working, nothing can get her away from it. And Dad won’t be home from the shop for hours! It’ll be easy to sneak out, you’ll see! I’ll bet we’ll be back before they even know we left!”

Placing the bags and Robeato on her back, she began to enact her plan. She waited a few minutes to give Mom time to get into her work. Once she was sure she wouldn’t get caught, she peeked her head out of her door. Mom was certainly in her office, were she was dead to the world.

Perfect. Cherry thought.

She tiphoofed her way down the hallway, and met with her first major hurdle: the front door. She could reach the handle, but only barely. The real problem was if her mother might hear the door open. While it was hard to get her attention while she was working, the door might be enough to get her break her concentration. It was a gamble.

Cherry carefully turned the doorknob. Once it turned completely with a quiet (yet somehow loud) click, she paused. No response from the office. Taking that as a good sign, she slowly opened the door. Again, nothing happened. Anxious to get out, she darted out into the hallway, and cautiously closed the door behind her with another soft click. She waited for a moment, expecting her mother to storm out and demand to know what was going on. But she never came.

Giving a silent cheer of victory, she galloped down the hall to the stairs. She knew how to work the elevator (she like pushing the button), but a lone filly in the elevator would make some ponies ask questions she really didn’t want to answer. So she happily trotted down the stairs, occasionally jumping down the last two or three for fun. It was quiet in the stairwell, since most ponies used the elevator, and so no one was there to bother her.

Once at the bottom of the stairs, she paused to catch her breath (there were a lot more stairs than she remembered) and to look around the lobby. Thankfully it was empty, save for the mare behind the reception desk, whose snoring was echoing throughout the room. Cherry didn’t know her name, but she seemed really cranky all the time (when wasn’t asleep). After a moment, Cherry decided to leave a piece of candy for her, a lemon drop, in hopes it would make her happier. Cherry didn’t really like lemon drops herself, but the thought the mare might, since she was so sour all the time.

Navigating the streets to the train station wasn’t difficult for Cherry, since she’d been all over the city with her parents. All she had to do was take look both ways before crossing the street, and not talk to strange ponies. It wasn’t uncommon for an older foal to roam the city unattended, and she certainly fit that role with no-longer-blank flank, so few gave her a second glance. There was a close call when a police pony tried to get her attention, but then got distracted with an improperly parked taxi.

After about twenty minutes of trotting, the station came into view. She galloped to the board that showed the train schedule, looking for one that would take her to Canterlot. Luckily there were a lot scheduled trips there, but one was going to leave very soon.

“We don’t have much time. Let’s go!” Cherry proclaimed and dashed to the ticket counter, taking care to keep Robearto from falling off her back. A middle-aged unicorn stallion with a mutton chop mustache sat behind it, taking bits and giving tickets. Cherry patiently waited her turn, fidgeting all the while, but in a patient manner. When the couple in from her received their tickets, she quickly tossed her bits on the counter.

“One for the next train to Canterlot please!” she proclaimed, puffing out her chest.

The stallion seemed surprised. He glanced around, unsure of who just spoke. Then he looked down and saw her. His surprised turned to shock, then bewilderment, then suspicion.

“Yer a little young ta takin’ the train by yerself, ain’tcha little lady?” he said slowly, adjusting the glasses on his snout. Cherry started to panic. She forgot that she was too young to ride alone!

“I…er,well…the thing is…”she stammered, desperately trying to thing of a way out of this. The clerk’s eyes narrowed.

“I think I should be gettin’ security over here ta find out where yer parents are.” He began to get out from behind his desk.

Roberto informed her that he had told her this wouldn’t work. There was no way a filly could buy a ticket without her parents.

Parents…That’s it!

“Wait! Those are my parents over there!” she exclaimed, pointing to the couple that had just left the counter. They were ambling along on their way to the rails, and Cherry was sure it was the train to Canterlot, she had heard them ask for the same tickets!

“Just a minute, Mom and Dad, I’ll be right there!” Cherry called after them. She felt bad about lying to the clerk, but this was an emergency. Her plan to change her mark depended on it!

The clerk looked at her, then to the couple, and then back to her.

“Those are yer parents?” he asked flatly.

“Yep.”

“Those two right there?”

“Uh-huh.”

“Those two that look nothin’ like you?”

“Um…” she shuffled her hooves. Indeed, neither of them looked like her at all. The stallion was light blue unicorn with a violet mane, and the mare was an orange pegasus with a pink mane. Cherry’s reddish coat and brown mane didn’t fit at all, and neither did her lack of a horn or wings. But she had another idea. She pretended to look sad, and quietly said “They said I’m…’adopted?’ I’m not really sure what that means, but they got worried when I asked, so I stopped. Do you know what it means? ‘Adopted?’”

“Oh, um…” the clerk coughed, visibly uncomfortable and anxious to change the subject, “Well, how come yer’ payin’ for yer’ own ticket? Why ain’t they buyin’ it?”

“Because I’m a big filly now, so I can buy my own ticket with my own bits!” she huffed, and turned to show off her mark. “See? I even have my cutie mark!”

The clerk stared at her for a long moment. Cherry was about to make a run for the train, when he let out a sigh.

“By Celestia, parents today. Back in my day, we had ta at least be able to see over tha dang counter to buy anythin’…Oh well, if yer folks are okay with it…” He counted out her bits, and subtracted her change, which he gave back to her with her ticket. Seventeen bits left. “You have a nice trip y’hear? And don’t tell no one, but a I’ll let yer little friend there ride fer free, okay?” he said with a wink pointing to Robearto.

“Wow, thanks mister…um…” she looked the nametag pinned to his uniform. Ticket Stub. “Thanks Mister Ticket!”

“Aw, just call me Stubs, s’what most folks call me.” Stubs said with a laugh.

“Oh, okay then! Here, take this too!” she said, placing a gumdrop on the counter.

“Well I’ll be. How’d ya know that’s my favorite candy? Thank ya kindly, miss. You have a nice trip, y’hear?”

“I will! Bye Mister Stubs!” Cherry yelled as she scampered after her ‘parents’.

Mr. Stubs was nice. I wish I didn’t have to lie to him so much, but I didn’t have a choice. She thought. Maybe I’ll tell him the truth when I get back. He deserves that much and besides, he’ll probably notice my mark changed by then.

She fell into step behind them, close enough to give the appearance of them being together, but not so close as to make them suspicious.

Robearto noted that her cutie mark had come in handy in that situation.

“I guess. Most useful it’s been so far.” She grumbled. “But that’s all gonna change soon.”

Cherry entered the train and selected a seat near her ‘parents.’ A few ponies gave her questioning glances, so she just pointed to them. Most seem accept that, deciding it wasn’t their business. After a few minutes, the conductor gave the last call, signaled the engineer, and entered the train.

As the train chugged along, she pulled out her paper and pencils to try drawing. She just made a few random skribbles for a while before giving up. She just wasn’t feeling it, as was the new usual. With the city falling away behind them, she rested her head on window. The rhythmic bouncing of the car felt soothing. Her eyelids started feel heavy.

Robearto offered a bit for her thoughts.

“I wonder…” she mumbled as she drew her friend closer, and yawned “I wonder what my new cutie mark will look like…”

She softly drifted to sleep, dreaming of paper and pencils, and marks that may soon be hers.