The Narrative of Scarlet Tomato

by Uncle Knot

Chapter 1

“This is a long story, so please forgive me if I stumble at the beginning, not being sure exactly where to start. It started for me, when I moved to Ponyville and purchased land to start my farm. My name is Scarlet A. Tomato, I’m a tan earth stallion with a red mane, magenta eyes, and a bright scarlet tomato for a cutie mark. I wear a straw hat and my right ear is a bit floppy. I grew up the middle brother in a family of five, and while I could have been content to remain on the family farm, some secret inner longing burned within. I wanted a place of my own and I wanted to be known for something more than being just part of the family.

“I chose the community of Ponyville, because it was a day’s journey by train away. Yup, that’s it, no other reason. I didn’t know about all the strange happenings there or the wonderful ponies I would meet. I wanted to minimize the visits by my parents to check up on me, I wanted to be known as some pony other than ‘one of the Tomato brothers’.

“I took the local commuter train to Fillydelphia, there I switched to the express that took me through Baltimare and into Canterlot. At Canterlot I caught the local to Ponyville. Being on a train ride that long is anything but boring. You never know who you might meet and you have to be careful. I arrived in Ponyville just as the sun was setting.

“I got off the train with my bags, and instantly had my first of many moments of regret. What had I done? Ponyville suddenly seemed like the kind of town that all the rejects fell into. There were donkeys here, and what was that? A zebra? I wanted to jump back on the train, but the time table said no trains until tomorrow morning. I was stuck here for the night.

“Okay, so I needed a place to spend the night. A quick survey confirmed that the train station had no adjacent hotel. What a dump. I made my way politely to the town hall. Again no hotel, and part of the town was living in fancy tents. I had traps and rope with me, but it was a bit too dark to try to set up. So back to the town hall, the building was open, but the officies were closed. The mayor’s door had a sign that said “closed for the day”. I unrolled my bedroll and used my bag for a pillow. I didn’t know how tired I was, and was soon asleep.