Departure

by Orfearus

Rating: everyone
Tags: Slice of Life
Length: 912

Twilight reminisces on days gone by as she prepares to leave Ponyville

Twilight reminisces on days gone by as she prepares to leave Ponyville

A quick thousand word one-shot.

Published 1970-01-01 00:00:00 UTC
Last updated 2012-09-10 21:26:10 UTC

Departure

The sun shone gently upon the grassy hills outside of Ponyville, the morning dew still glistening in its soft light. Though the sun brought some warmth with it, Twilight had to pull her cloak closer to fight off the lingering chill of night. With the soft grass under her hooves, and the crisp air in her lungs, she took one last lingering glance back at her beloved home.

This is it she thought. This may be the last time I ever see Ponyville. No matter how hard she tried to fight, she couldn’t stop the tears that welled up within her eyes. After all the years we spent together, all the memories we made, I didn’t believe this day would ever come. The tears overflowed from her eyes, as her legs buckled from overwhelming sorrow, dropping her and her saddlebag into the moist grass.

All those happy times. I didn’t believe they would end. I took each moment for granted, and now will never get to truly appreciate them. A cool breeze blew over from the nearby town, ruffling her mane and bringing with it the sweet aroma of fresh baked cinnamon buns. It was only yesterday when she last had one, but a pang of longing still went through her for its sweet taste. Yesterday she hadn’t realized it might be her last cinnamon bun, and had hungrily devoured it like any other time. Did she even taste the whiff of saffron she smelt now? No, and she never would.

She stared across the familiar streets of her home, but all of the felt distant; a memory she had never fully indulged in. It seemed only yesterday she walked those streets for the first time. Where had all the time gone? She slowly scanned the town and saw it lost within her memory. Her eyes stopped at the orchard, as images of a stubborn Applejack floated through her mind. That was a good applebuck season she thought, with a smile at all the pandelerium a little pride had caused. But she wouldn’t get to see that pony again; she wasn’t returning from Fillydelphia until next week, and by that time she’d be long gone.

Carosel Boutique caught her eye with a small smile, remembering the days gone by simply helping the overworked unicorn with her orders. It probably amounted to another few years of her life having been spent there, but every moment was a moment with her good friend Rarity. Oh what she wouldn’t give to have even one of those moments again, but the business-savvy pony had left for Manehatten months ago.

The bright pink roof of Sugarcube Corner stuck out against the common yellow roofs around it. And eccentric roof for an eccentric pony. Her eyes glazed over as she dreamed of another Pinkie Pie Party. How could she have so many unforgettable moments, yet be unable to untangle them from each other? It seemed unimaginable, but her memories seemed like one never-ending party instead of thousands of smaller ones. But all good things must come to an end, and the party had to end someday. That day was only yesterday, as Pinkie headed off to Los Pegasus for a few days, but it felt so much longer ago.

Her reminiscent gaze around Ponyville ended at the Cloudhouse on the outskirts, and the small hovel on the edge of the forest far behind it. A weak smiled passed her face at the thought of how different those two pegasi were. The fearless one that would challenge the world, and the shy one that would comfort it. How many times had she tried to be as kind as Fluttershy? Or as daring as Dash? Ghosts of memory appeared all over Ponyville as she tried to remember the uncountable times. Even though they were gone to Cloudsdale with the other pegasi, their impacts still lingered on. All of their impacts lingered on, shaping her to be the pony she was today.

A shrill train whistle shocked her back from the dream-world and to the cold reality of the morning. And the fear of being late. Grabbing her saddlebag with magic, she raced down the damp hill towards the town, glad that the warmth of the rising sun could helped fight off the chill of the whipping wind. Using all her focus to hold back the memories that threatened to overwhelm her, she galloped down the streets. Even on her last day, with the imminent leaving already set in her mind, she couldn’t find the time to indulge in the streets. Breathless from both running and anticipation, she launched herself aboard the train moments before the doors closed. Standing close to the ground, she took a few moments to catch her breath; by the time she looked up Ponyville was already only a small speck on the horizon.

“I guess this is goodbye” she whispered out loud. “Goodbye until we meet again.” If we meet again. Slowly she sat down on the train, letting the rhythmic beat of its wheels calm her nerves. Reaching into her bag with magic, she pulled out a piece of paper and didn’t know whether to look at it with admiration of disgust, for it was the reason she was leaving. She sighed, looking past it to the towers of Canterlot outside her window.

“Farewell Ponyville. Hello Canterlot” she said, replacing her university acceptance letter in her saddlebag and curling up for a nap.