//------------------------------// // The Embarassing Story of Train Wreck Pastel (Train Wreck): A Gathering Storm // Story: Awkward Conversations And Other Stories // by No one is home //------------------------------// “Rough break,” A large brown Lunar Pegasus chugged down a mug of hard cider before returning it to the bar, “I can’t believe she made you go out on a date with that damned insane sun-pony!” “I tried to get out of it,” Midnight Belle complained as his nursed his own mug, “I thought for sure the crazy whorse would back out when I suggested we go to the Belfry?” “You actually went back to the Belfry?” the larger stallion raised an eyebrow. “Well she was supposed to back down,” Midnight reiterated, “She certainly wasn’t supposed to drag me downstairs to get a reading from the goat!” “Heh, so finally had a chance to set the record straight with that damned goat, huh?” “Yeah, just like you finally got a chance to show that chimera-pony-thing what’s up, Stormy?” Midnight countered. “Shut up! What do you know about it???” the burly pegasus bristled, “That train attendant better watch his step. He’s on the list!” “Heh,” a third, deep grey lunar mare walked up to the bar, “Yeah, Look at big bad Stormy Night. He didn’t have the nerve to swing on the giant monster, so he’ll just pick on an innocent sun pony.” “Dammit Moonbeam!” Stormy griped, “You weren’t there either! We bust our chops standing up for these pansy little sun ponies! It’s bad enough that half of ‘em treat us like we’re the monsters, but then to have one side with an actual monster over one of us? You ask me, that giant freak should be run out of town, and his stupid freak show of a family right alongside ‘em!” “Stormy’s got the right side of it!” a deep blue pegasus stallion found himself a place amongst the other three, “Back in my day we had respect for tribes. And that’s the problem right there!” “Oh please, Starless Night,” Moon Beam rolled her eyes, “By all means enlighten us on the evils of intermarriage between the tribes.” “Don’t you roll your eyes at me, missy!” the older stallion gruffed, “You think I’m so old fashioned, but let's look at the root of this whole problem: Our princess chose that damned Sun Prince over us. Why do you think she has Midnight sucking up to that insane unicorn? I’ll tell ya why, because she figures that’s her ‘in’ to get into his damnable herd! Our princess knocks one of her own chosen ponies on his flank just so she can get a chance to lift her tail for some freak of an alicorn she made out of a damned monkey!” The other three recoiled in shock at their compatriot's vitriol. All three sat in stunned silence as the older disgruntled stallion continued, “In my day, a father’d whip his daughter till she started thinking right if she so much as looked that way at a sun pony! Now you got lunars shacking up in herds with sun ponies, half-breed whorses lifting their tails for goats…” “Hey, Sweet Tooth is a nice mare!” Midnight interjected only to be interrupted by Stormy Night. “She’s a goat fucking freak is what she is!” the belligerent guard insisted, “You know those two were raised as brother and sister don’t you? It ain’t natural! Just like that herd of freaks running that damned bakery. An earth pony, two changelings, one of them still a juvenile, and a damned out-and-out monster! And ponies actually send their foals into that place! I say the old timers right! Back in the old days we had ways of dealing with shit like this!” “Well,” Moonbeam got up and turned to leave, “As intellectually stimulating as this little chat has been, I’m taking a flight, wanna join me Midnight?” -=-=-=-=- Train wreck gave a heavy sigh as he settled into his bedroll for the night, looking longingly at the telegraph in front of him. He’d already read it of course, and sent his reply along to the next station. Overall he usually found he didn’t miss earth technology, but if the truth be told he’d do nearly anything for one good skype call to his family. Lacking that he settled in and read the words on the page. “We made it to Ponyville -end line Diane got to meet Pinkie -end line Turns out I’m not the only pony to use transdimensional travel to bring back the dead -end line You should get real letters by tomorrow -end line We miss you -end line Diane says to tell you she misses you more -end line” The monstrous pony stretched all three of his jaws in an all consuming yawn before pulling his blanket in place. Today had been a good day. He was almost ready to believe that he could maybe be accepted here, even in his new, even-more-alien form. As he began to drift to sleep he was called to alert by the sound of breaking glass, and coarse shout. The words were unintelligible but their sentiment was clear. He briefly considered whether or not to even deal with this problem tonight when a troubling smell reached his nose. Outside a shout rang out clearly into the night, “Fire! There’s a fire at Just Deserts!” -=-=-=-=- In a blind alley a shadowy figure greeted an approaching deep brown lunar pegasus stallion. “The deed is done your majesty.” the stallion bowed deeply. “And were there any witnesses?” the figure in the shadows asked in a husky feminine voice. “Of course your majesty,” the stallion answered evenly, “At least three ponies saw the Lunar guard the beast argued with yesterday fleeing the scene. He will be easily identified.” “An excellent performance my dear Whatserface,” the darkness was split by a sinister smile. The stallion disappeared in a flash of green flames, replaced by a changeling mare, half of her face and one eye obliterated by scar tissue, “It is always my pleasure to be of service, Madame Alias.”