The train jolted to a halt at 8 o'clock in the evening. There was a sign outside of Sweetie Belle's window. Braeburton. She rose from her seat and walked for the exit. She was the only pony on this train. A trainpony in a dapper red suit stood by the door. He watched her approach with a small smile.
"Welcome to Braeburton, miss. Enjoy your stay."
Sweetie Belle returned a polite smile as she passed
"Thank you."
"Welcome to Braeburton, miss. Enjoy your stay."
She turned back to him as the train took off once again. He stared her in the eyes as the train pulled away. His smile never fading. She turned away and towards the station.
It was a simple, wooden structure. Although only a decade old, it seemed to have been there since before she was born. The building sagged, and the windows which weren't boarded up were covered in thick desert dust. A sad bench under an awning was placed for ponies to rest while waiting for the train. There was no pony that Sweetie Belle could see to greet her outside. She decided to check inside.
The door caused her to pause and wonder if the place was closed. It exuded an atmosphere of decay. She pulled at the handle. No good. A pony from inside pulled it open.
Out stepped an old mule in sun bleached work clothes. One of his eyes was of glass. He looked at Sweetie Belle with his good eye.
"Yous in mam Appl'jack's troub, am?" His strange diction threw Sweetie Belle off.
"Uh, yes, sir. My name is Sweetie Belle, and I'm looking for one Applejack. She told me she would be waiting here at the station to receive me."
"Am." He nodded. "She'n ab ta inn bey."
Sweetie Belle was clueless. He must have noticed her confused face. "Leb tis." He handed her an envelope. She saw her name printed in Aunt Applejack's hand writing. Sweetie Belle took the envelope from the mule.
"Thank you very much, kind sir." She bowed slightly and smiled at him graciously. He snorted and nodded.
"Yous'm sole pony cam hair size mam Appl'jack. Nam git visters offen. Namt hence ta gall taken bey ta wind."
The words he spoke were lost on Sweetie Belle. She nodded politely and read her letter.
"Sugarcube,
Thank you for coming all this way on Braeburn's account. I had to go to the Inn down the street. Look for me in room eight. Come straight to me, Sweetie Belle, and don't get off the main road. Folks here are nice enough, but don't like to be bothered.
Love,
Your Aunt Applejack"
She put the letter back in the envelope and wondered what she meant by bothered. The mule was still rambling on about things, she realized. She continued to smile and nod some more. When he stopped talking for a second, Sweetie Belle seized the opportunity to break off.
"Well, thank for the letter. I would love to stay and chat, but my Aunt is calling."
The mule stopped and look at her. His face was in a sneer as he stared at her intensely. His floating glass eye seemed to look deep into her soul. The shadows in the room seemed to become longer. Sweetie Belle realized how alone she was in this room. The only light in the room came from a lantern on the desk. She could make out another glow from a door opened slightly ajar behind that, masked almost completely by the lantern. Everything else was just shapes.
"Durn city pony. Nam pashensh. Well, well, git tan!"
Sweetie Belle backed towards the door. The mule was advancing on her as she did so. She turned and pushed the door. It wouldn't open. The mule was behind her now. She could smell his sweat, hear his breath, feel his hatred.
"Sai git! GIT! GIT!"
He continued to scream at Sweetie Belle as she cursed her stupidity and pulled the door open. She ran out into the night and down the street. The screaming continued to ring out until she disappeared down an alley. There, the noise seemed to be swallowed up by the night.
Sweetie Belle stopped to catch her breath. What was that? The image of the pony looming over her was branded in her eyes. Applejack was right, these ponies are weird.
There was another pony in this alley. She slept in the trash outside what appeared to be a shop. She had a small, red handkerchief around her neck. Sweetie Belle tried to ignore her. These ponies were all weird, anyway. Another run-in with the natives was not something she wanted. No, what she needed was to figure out how to get to that Inn. Sweetie Belle, why didn't you listen to your aunt? Okay, this is easy. I just go back to the train station and orientate myself from there.
"Excuse me, mam."
A hoof was upon Sweetie Belle's flank. She spun around to see the red pony standing behind her. Red stood close enough that she could smell her breath. Her body almost rubbed again Sweetie Belle as she circled around to her front.
On its hooves, it was apparent how emaciated she was. Her eyes were sunken and weary, and she smelled. Red spoke again.
"Excuse me, mam. Could you help me? So many mouths to feed, and so little food. I just need a little."
Sweetie Belle realized several of her teeth were missing. Instinctively, she leaned away from Red. The other pony just walked closer, the space between the two shrinking.
"Just a little, mam?"
The door behind Sweetie Belle came open. Another pony walked out. This one was fat. It had on an apron and a white, paper hat. He glared at Red
"What's this? I said git, you! What do you think this is?
She pleaded with the other pony,
"I can pay. See, I've got a lead."
"What, this?" He motioned to Sweetie Belle. "No dice. You're mine, now."
Red began to cry
"No, no. Give me more time."
"Time is taken by the wind."
He picked Red up and levitated her towards him. Red clawed at the earth, she grasped for Sweetie Belle. The unicorn was huge and muscled. It had an evil look in his eyes.
"Please, please."
"Mouths to be fed, you understand." He turned to Sweetie Belle, "Don't interfere if you value that pretty neck of yours. Maybe you should be wearing this scarf." He tore the red cloth from Red's neck and threw it at her hooves. He laughed. A chill went up Sweetie Belle's spine. She could only stare as he threw the pony into the building. As he turned to go back in, Sweetie Belle saw meat hanging from hooks. It seems there was, indeed, mouths to be fed. She felt sick.
Numb to her bones, Sweetie Belle walked back onto the street. She looked to her left, then to her right. What way had she come from? She didn't know. Sweetie Belle just knew she didn't want to be on the streets any more that night. She picked a direction she felt was the most likely to lead her back to the train station. The buildings were all dark. Cloud cover obscured the moon and the stars. Shadows seemed to dance at the corners of her eyes, she hoped. She wondered how many more ponies were in the allies she passed. Sweetie Belle began to pick up her pace. All those windows were so dark. More places for ponies to watch her from.
Panic began to sink in when she couldn't find the train station. Sweetie Belle looked around for land marks, but only found darkened buildings. She turned a corner. There, at the end of the street, a lantern hung from a building. She ran towards it. A derelict sign read "Saloon" above the entrance. From inside, she could hear singing and a piano. The warmth filled her heart with a sense of comfort. She decided to go inside, for directions she told herself, but it was better than staying out here exposed.
Inside was packed with ponies. It was the only place which seemed alive in the town. The ponies were fat and content. There was fresh food. It had a smell of hops and smoke. Sweetie Belle found herself drawn to the singer and close to the stage. A pony was singing a Western. A tan pony playing a piano near the stage set a melody. Her voice was pleasant, but Sweetie Belle knew she was better. As the song came to a close, Sweetie Belle congratulated the pony. She bent down to the thank her and froze. A smile came across her face. She jumped down from the stage,
"Are you the Sweetie Belle?"
Sweetie Belle blushed, "Oh, I never expected to find a fan so far out here."
She shook Sweetie Belle's hoof, "I'm such a fan. You sang in Canterlot! I read about your performance in the news!"
"Oh, it was nothing, rea-"
"Sing for us!" She pointed to the stage. Sweetie Belle tried fruitlessly to protest before finding herself up on the stage. She felt strangely nervous up here. It had been a while.
"Come on, dear, sing for us!" A fat pony called from the crowd
Sweetie Belle smiled sheepishly before clearing her throat. She began. It was strange how quickly she felt it all fall back into place. It was a thrill. Every time she sang before a crowd, she thought of that day she got her cutie mark. How proud Rarity was of her. It caused her heart to soar. Her voice matched it beat for beat. It all rose to a climatic height, and fell. She loved the feeling of a song ending. The slight feeling of dizziness as a rush faded away. The slight sorrow at its departure. Her limbs buzzed with excitement.
"That was beautiful, mam."
Sweetie Belle smiled out at the mare, but froze. Red sat next to the fat pony in the crowd. She smiled at the Fat pony before leaning over to kiss him on the cheek. He blushed and laughed before starting to tease her playfully.
"Luv'ly mam, berry so!"
The mule was there too. Next to him sat the Trainpony. He still stared into her eyes with that smile. His eyes never left hers, it seemed. Sweetie Belle could hear herself breath suddenly. Her heart began to pound.
"Sweetie Belle?"
The singer called to Sweetie Belle from below. She snapped her gaze down at her, then looked back. The ponies were gone. She motioned for her to jump down. Sweetie Belle complied.
"Wow, that was just, wow. I'm so thrilled to finally get to see you perform!"
Sweetie Belle was distracted by the ponies to pay attention to her fan. She
"I am looking for the Inn. How do I get there? I need to meet my Aunt."
"What? How could you miss it? It's right across the street, girl. Are you alright?"
"Yes, dear, I am quite alright. I just need to get some rest. Good night."
She walked towards the exit. There was the fat pony and Red giggling together. They looked over to Sweetie Belle and waved happily. The fat one still had on his paper hat. There was a red stain on it. He smiled and stared as Sweetie Belle exited.
Across the street, lit by a lantern, was the Inn. It stood off away from the other buildings. Maybe she had missed it because of how it was set back, she thought. Yeah, that made sense. It was a three story building of wood. Like the other buildings, it was worn. The double doors were propped open to let the air in. There was a single pony behind the front desk. It was hunched over a book of finances. As Sweetie Belle approached, she spoke to her without looking up.
"Sweetie Belle? Applejack is waiting for you. Room Eight. Here's your key."
She withdrew a key from the desk and placed it neatly on the table.
"Thank you! I'm so very tired. It will be nice to finally get some sleep."
The pony just stared at its books. Sweetie Belle stood there. Maybe she didn't hear.
"Thank yo-"
"Room Eight. Down that Hall. Good Evening."
Sweetie Belle turned to where she pointed. A hall lead off to a curve. Sweetie Belle passed a painting of the town. It was dated seven years ago. Everything looked clean and fresh. She had trouble believing it was the same town.
Down the hall, as she passed the doors, she would hear the strangest noises. She stopped at one to look through the keyhole. There was a pony standing on its hind legs above another. It had something in its hoof, but she couldn't get an angle on it. In another she found a pony staring out the window. She looked into a third one. There was another eye looking back at her. She felt her heart drop as she yanked her eye away. Curiosity overpowering reason, she tried another room. There was a piece of tissue blocking it. She thought she could hear ponies whispering inside. Finally, she made it to room eight. She put the key in and pushed the door open.
Applejack, her features sagged with age, sat in a chair in the corner. She held a picture of Braeburn in her hooves, looking silently into it. The small room was the most comfortable thing she had experienced in the town. The bed had thick blankets. There was a wood stove heater. She could smell her Aunt's apple cider.
"Auntie?"
She looked up to her.
"Oh, Sweetie Belle, you've come. Look at you, you've grown so beautiful. Come hug me dear, I'm so old."
Sweetie Belle embraced her. She smelled of fresh apples. That smell reminded her of home, and her life as a child.
"How have you been? Where's Apple Bloom?"
"Fine, fine. Apple Bloom should be coming soon. The train comes in its time. It's unfortunate Scootaloo couldn't make it."
"She was really busy at the Academy."
"Yes."
"Where's Braeburn?"
"Passed."
"So, I missed him?"
"Not quite."
"Auntie?"
She stared at the old pony. Applejack just let out a small laugh. Not even looking up from the portrait,
"Where did the train come from, Sweetie Belle?"
"What?"
"Where did you get on the train."
"I got on at-"
She couldn't recall. Applejack laughed again.
"When did you get on?"
"I don't know. It's a little fuzzy."
She looked into her eyes and smiled. There were tears.
"Would you like to see Braeburn?"
Sweetie Belle took a step backwards
"What do you mean, Auntie?"
"The Saloon, my dear. He's waiting to hear you sing again."
