Chapter four: Company
I feel a thin stream of warm light streak across my cheek as the barns' door creeks open. I shoot up and look to the figure standing lengthways in the doorway.
“Ah, Sorry lass. I hadn't meant ta' wake ya'.” In a young, weathered, scared voice. His ears pinned back.
“It's quite alright.”
“'Tis?” He raises his eyebrows.
“Ah needed to get going anyways.”
He walks in.
“Dusty canne' get enough of bitin' me head off fer this sorta thin'...”
“Why's that?” I say, getting up from my ramshackle excuse of a bed.
“Well me bein' an Irestrian didn't help me none.” So that's where he's from, makes sense.
“He sounded like he wanted to jump down your throat.”
“More than ya' care 'ta think, the name's Lucky.”
“Just Lucky?”
“Aye.”
“Huh... so why is Dusty such a jerk to you?”
“The old goat seems ta think all us Irestrians are nuthin' but plastered idiots.” He says.
“Uh...Yeah.” I say, folding up the sheets/
“But I could chew ya' ear off on that subject. I heard ya' were on your way ta' Vanhoover?”
“Yes, that's right.”
“What fer?” He cocks his head. “Ya know it's an awfully long walk.”
“Uh...Family. Ah got family over there ah haven't seen in a while”
He raises his brow in obvious suspicion.
“Ah huh... I've always wanted to see Vanhoover.”
“Yeah?”
“Ah yes... If ye' been to one coast might as well see both eh? Would ya' mind if I tagged along?”
“Uh sorry... You got a job here don't you?”
“WHERE IS THAT DRUNK!?!” Someone screams from the yard.
His eyes light up and his head swivels around to the barn door, catching a glimpse of Dusty. Furious as any one pony, or mule, can be.
“Agh...I've hadit' wit' this old puss-face... Aye, he's hammered too, wonderful.” He grumbles to himself as he slowly walks to the door.
At this point I decide that now, more than ever, would be the best time to make a hasty departure.
Rushing out the door with Jade in my arm, I see that all who were originally sleeping are now up. Everyone is somewhat surprised at the foreman's current state. Dusty is rather drunk off his flank. As I dart through the yard I take quick glance at Lucky.
“Thar yew are. Ya filthy drunk!” Dusty ironically says, stumbling from side to side.
Lucky stops right in front of him. Looks at him, then rears up on his hind legs and comes down with a heavy blow to Dusty's cheek, knocking him out cold.
I stop, astonished at what has just transpired in front of me. Lucky turns around and makes his way toward me. I find myself unable to move until he is right beside me.
“Dead end job anyways.” He whispers jokingly to me.
“Uh...” Words, unable to form from my lips.
He continues for a couple feet until reaching the gate, then looks back to me.
“Come on then! Vanhoover's a long flippin way to go!” He says heartily. Unconcerned as to what just happened.
I quickly catch up as he rounds the corner.
“You just...”
“That stupid gobshite hadit' comin'.”
“Can't really say ah' blame you.” I say, looking back. “Are you really sure you want to come with?”
“Yer' kiddin' right?”
“Just askin'.”
“Ah it's fine.” He says, waving his hoof.
We continue down the road, crossing a railroad intersection and a couple farms. I become somewhat intrigued by his name as we head down the highway.
“So why the name Lucky?” I ask inquisitively
“Me name? Ah, it's a long story.”
“We got a ways to go.”
“If ye insist. You know about the immigrants from Irestra? ya?”
I give a nod.
“Well when I left me ma' n' da' I was no more than a colt. Fresh off the boat, after me ole' man decided Equestria was a far better place due ta there being no food t'all in Irestra.”
“Where are they?”
“Couldn't afford more than one ticket. Dad thought It'd be best for me ta go.... So I went, showed up in Manehatten completely confused. Wandered the streets for two days straight till the local pub tender' plucked me off ta' corner. Huh... wasn’t even old enough to know me name. So he jus' took ta' callin' me Lucky.”
The lull in the conversation grows to an almost dead silence.
“Wow...” I say, not really sure what I was expecting.
“Sorry, I don't really get to talk ta' people often. Jus' work work work... ya know?”
“Yeah...”
We continue on for a bit into a thick forest. Bristling with the vibrant colors of fall. The stroll was somewhat tranquil. Until though, he comes back around to the subject that I had feared.
“So why are you headin' ta Vanhoover miss... what was it again?”
“Autumn Darling. I told you I'm visiting family with my daughter.”
At this time, Jade lets out a shriek for no good reason other than to have bad timing.
His eyes widen. “Yer' daughter... she barks?” He says, smugly. He knew something was wrong all along, clever little bugger,,.
“Well... I guess she... There really is no good explanation is there?”
“Well?” He says, stopping and looking at me.
Not knowing what he'll do or how he will react, I quickly remove the topmost layer of the cloth. Cringing as I do so. His eyes widen, and he tips his hat back as he examines what I have just revealed to him.
“Would'ya look'it that.”
I pause, confused as to how he isn’t freaking out right about now.
“Dare I ask who's your husband?” He says, wryly.
“It's not my kid!” I say sternly “It's a diamond dog”.
“That a....a fancy Equestrian term fer a bastard?”
“No! Oh my... Ugh...”
I slowly explain to him as we walk down the road the hows and whys of my predicament, filling the small details as I go along in the cold fall afternoon. He seems confused at first due to the fact that there are no diamond dogs across the pond, but he slowly works it out in his head.
“So the kids' important to em' and they jus' up'an dumped em' on ya'?”
“I don't even know. But now there are diamond dogs that want to kill me for this poor kid. And I have to take him to a place called Hickory Bluff outside the town.”
“Well that's just a lousy thing' ta' do in'it?”
“...so...”
“What?” He asks, confused.
“You're fine with this?” Gesturing to Jade.
“A'course. Might make the trip interestin'.”
“Yeah.... Interesting... Right.”
“So wait...What about your home?” Lucky asks.
“What about it?”
“Aren’t ye' worried? T'all?”
“A little.” I say sulkily.
“Family?” He continues.
“I live alone.”
“Huh... You ain't ta' luckiest of mares. Ya know that?”
“Tell me about it.” I mutter under my breath.
As we make our way down the cobblestone path, a homely wooden covered bridge peeks around the corner. Fall leaves bumping and weaving in and around the old structure as it lazily hangs over the creek.
“Wonder how long this's been around...” Lucky says, gazing up into the rafters. A sparrow darts from one of the dark corners and out the opposite end of the bridge.
Going across, a glint of light catches my eye. I lean my head over the railing just enough that I can see. It's a picturesque scene really... A small creek gently flowing and reflecting the morning light that glints through the tree tops, gently caressing the rocks that help and guide it. The bank has clearly been eroded by the recent rainstorm.
“Lass? If what ye say about those Dogs is true I don't want to stay in one spot too long.” Lucky says urgently.
“Alright, alright! Jus' lookin'.”
About a mile down the road we encounter a narrow crossroads, with obvious game trails intersecting with it. Along with the intersection came a small, lonely wooden post with four signs pointing in the direction of each road.
“Ponyville...Vanhoover...Crystal mountains... Neighagra Falls...” Lucky lists, while circling it.
“Jus' keep on heading west I reckon?” I ask.
“You got it.”
He looks at Jade.
“How's the wee one holdin' up?”
Looking down at her. “Good.”
We continued through the quiet forest setting until the wind picked up, and it cleared away revealing the rolling grassy hills of the equestrian highlands. Lucky looks to his left, then double takes. Giving me a light tap on my shoulder. As I turn to him looking skyward I see Cloudsdale's massive bulk, floating far in the air against the calm, blue afternoon skies.
“You never seen Cloudsdale before?” I ask, puzzled.
“Never before in me' life... Have I seen such a thing...” He quietly says, looking upward.
The hills seemed to flow like waves under the soft pushing of the wind. As the hills pass, a lonely run down old school house reveals itself next to a large willow sheltering a broken swing set. Lucky stops at the neglected driveway of the schoolhouse, and pulls out a golden pocket watch that gleams in the sun. He squints at it for a second.
“What's wrong?” I ask, looking back at him.
He closes it and stuffs it back in his vest.
“Well... It's five... an' we only got a good two hours a' light left...” Pausing for a second, expecting a reaction out of me he nods his head back towards the house.
I give a dead stare. “Are you really suggesting we spend the night in a run down prairie house?” I ask.
“Do you suggest we try'n travel at night?”
I cannot believe I let this argumentative stallion tag along with me...
“Uh...”
“Exactly...” He steps aside. “Ladies first eh?”
I can only roll my eyes and trot onward to the house. Quickly hopping up the steps and peeking through where the door should be, it's clearly in a horrid state of repair. What was left of any form of furniture has rotted away, and dense foliage has sprouted from under the floorboards. Along with the fact that a large portion of the rooms walls have collapsed into piles of thick rubble.
“Any use?” He asks.
“As a house? no.”
“Aye, It did look a bit arseways... Hasn't been used in ages has'it?” He says walking in.
“Not in a long time...”
We begin exploring the confines of the schoolhouse, unimpressed by what we find. Lucky has his head stuck in an old, paint peeled trunk.
“Whatcha' looking at?” I ask.
He pulls himself out of the trunk with a book in his hooves.
“Books...” It crumbles apart as he lifts it, molded pages drop everywhere.
“I think...” He says raising an eyebrow.
I let out a little laugh, it was pretty funny after all. Right afterward he cringes in disgust.
“They stink ta' high heaven!”
Its not before long that the putrid odor reaches me. Making me gag and back away.
“I don't think we're spending the night in here.” I say coughing.
He looks to his left. Quickly walking out the destroyed wall. When I exit through the breach after him he has already found a spot to lay under the abundant willow.
“It's better than that stink hole!” He yells, putting his arms behind his head and leaning back.
As I approach the base of the tree I take off my coat, offering Jade to Lucky.
“Could ya hold her for a sec?”
“Yeah, sure.” He says, surprised.
Fixing my coat into a nest-like clump on the ground, I take jade back and nestle her in the center. Gently folding the edges over her.
“Safe as houses.” Lucky quietly says, leaning over and smiling.
I give a weak smile, short lived as it is.
“She's probably starving, ah' know ah' am.” I say sitting down against the willow
He sits up and looks off into the distance.
“How hungry?” He says, glancing back at me.
“Pretty hungry.”
He gets up and walks over to me.
“Ya wouldn't happen ta have any bits on ya?”
Nodding, I move over to my coat and pull out the pouch.
“I guess you do...”
He takes the pouch from my hoof and begins to walk into the fields.
“Where are you goin'?” I yell at him.
“I'll be right back!”
“Why!?!”
“Ya said ya we're hungry!” He yells back to me, cresting the hill.
“Wh...wha...the...ugh, whatever.”
It must have been an hour, just sitting there watching the sun go down. I fell asleep not too long after the sun escaped from view. Only to wake to the sound of a crackling fire next to me.
“WHOA!” I scream, noticing the bonfire before anything else.
Lucky jumps in his seat. Startled by my screaming.
“AGH! Deee-amnit lass! Ya scared me outta me seat!” He strains, covering his face in his hoof.
I breathe heavily, waiting for my heart to cool down after its nearly jumping out of my chest.
“What... What the heck did you do?”
“Well... I bought us some provisions.” He says smiling, holding up a lantern and a saddle bag. “Jus'a couple'a loafs of bread, lantern, canteen... Oh and a carrot. Jade seems ta love the things” Jade is sitting in his lap, gnawing on a ripe carrot. Orange bits all over her mouth,
It takes me a minute to process all of this. Not even trying to think how or why Jade is now in his lap.
“How do you know her name's Jade?” I ask.
“She told me. T'was a bit blustered though...”
I do a double take. I didn't even know that she was talking at this point. Let alone picking up on what I was calling her.
“Could ya' say it again sweetheart?” He says lovingly, looking down at Jade.
She looks back up at him from her ripe carrot, confused as to what he wants.
“Agh, she was doin' it a minute ago... Care fer' a piece of bread?” He asks, holding up a roll.
I fall back into the lump of my coat. Jade quickly hops off his lap and under my arm, finding a comfortable spot then falling asleep along with me. Don't really know how I managed to pull of a night's sleep on nothing but a coat and a tree root. The fact that the diamond dogs we're on our trail didn't seem to bother me as much either. The only thing I cared about, selfishly in fact, was going to bed. Hoping that I would wake up in my bed, and everything was back as it was. I find it hard to let go of the little things, as needless as they may be at this point of whatever this situation is.