An Odyssey for Money
It had been another restfully restless night for Global Odyssey. As a light brown pegasus, he had the privilege of sleeping on a cloud, yet it was only as large as he was. A storm must have breezed by during the night, since his thin coat glistened in saturation. The sun had already risen in the sky, but the last shades of orange began to fade away to blue as his eyes came into focus. After a few moments of stretching his limbs, he shook his body to dry off his brown fur and feathers. To dry his wings further, he flapped them a few times. The energy he used, however, propelled him above his cloud. Instead of fluttering back on the cloud, he knew the day had to start early, and he wouldn’t be productive otherwise.
As with every day recently, he decided to travel into Ponyville in hopes of earning an odds-and-ends payment. It was Odyssey’s only source of income. Since he earned his cutie mark, he had to drop out of school in order to help pay for his family’s needs. His parents constantly apologized for their lack of funds, but the child would always point out how the family was still together.
Once he reached adulthood, two years from the present day, the descending life of Global Odyssey began to drop into the canyon. Global Outreach, his father, died returning home from a trip to the Griffon Territories when his train derailed close to home. He had been the only casualty in the wreck, but only due to complications from a concussion he suffered. Odyssey’s mother died days later of what the doctors declared a heart attack, but the child knew her heart broke from emotions. Although willed the house and possessions, the family’s debts ruined any intended benefits. It may have erased the costs, but old enough to fend for himself, he now had no means to do so.
There were shelters all over Equestria, but he never stayed in any single one for more than a day or two. It wasn’t because he didn’t meet the requirements; he was quiet, modest and self-reliant, qualities they would have been honored to have in any shelter. But the poor, unfortunate soul never felt comfortable whenever present. The ponies he met there, be it pegasus, unicorn, or earth pony, had given up on finding jobs elsewhere. These were ponies who would need help from the resource workers to get out into the world, the adventuring being a talent Odyssey had on his own. He trotted around Ponyville today because on a Saturday, ponies should have multiple chores that must be done, and not enough time to do them.
The first residence he went to was on a whim, as were most his visits, at the front of a magenta apartment. Although a stand-alone spot, it carried a wondrous windowsill of roses on the upper floor, and a sign with three wrapped candies in a cylindrical blue swirl. It took him a deep breath of courage before knocking on the purple oak door. Four knocks followed: two with brief pauses, and two in brief succession.
After a pot tumbled to the ground within, hoofsteps began to sound, growing closer and closer to the door. After the jangling of locks, the door opened to a cream colored pony who answered in confusion, “I’m sorry sir, I wasn’t expecting any visitors.”
“Nopony ever does,” Global Odyssey’s comment seemed to convey more questions than answers. He hoped to erase the perplexed look, “What I mean is…I came wondering if you needed any chores to be done, any tasks to be doing, all that stuff.”
A second voice shouted her question from a far back kitchen, “Hey Bonbon! Who is it at the door?”
Without any regard for the guest, she shouted back her reply, “It’s just some lazy bum who’s looking of a dirt-bound bit!”
As big of a heart as Odyssey had, it still sank at being called a “lazy bum” once again. This was the reason why he never liked shelters too much; the others who were lazy discredited his own emotions. While he’d heard it enough times he could hold back any tears, his dejected impression could never hide.
“Look,” the blue-magenta maned pony tried to reason, “business has been fairly slow recently, and I haven’t really had a need to hire somepony even for the smaller tasks.”
I find that hard to believe, he pondered, discrediting the hinted merry tone the candy maker took. Nonetheless, he found enough strength to respond, though not with certainty, “I understand, you’re not the first one to deny me,” and before turning around to continue his quest, Odyssey felt a need to apologize, “Sorry for wasting your time, ma’am.”
Once the pony turned the corner, Bonbon closed the door and stood by the door for a good minute pondering her actions, “Maybe I should have given him a bit or two. He seemed to be nicer than any of the others I’d come across.” Although she pondered her regret, she figured it would be better to let the thoughts pass since she would never cross paths again with the homeless stranger.
Over the course of the morning and into the afternoon, his luck never changed for the better. During the lunch period, he went to McSoys and asked how many dishes it would take to wash in order to pay for a burger. The cashier joked that it would take an hour after taxes, but Odyssey took it literally, and asked for their manager to hire him for an hour. Even though the cashier did call the manager, pumping up his hopes, the wannabe employee was asked to leave if he couldn’t purchase anything.
“Well, that’s a given,” as Global Odyssey hung his head low and trotted on out, never looking back at yet another opportunity dismissed.
Passing by the farmer’s market made his stomach quake in hunger that rumbled like a stampede. All the fruit and vegetable stands he saw were full of ripe meals; that was, if you had the bits for them. A tattered saddlebag was his only companion, but his left pack had a hole in it, so he wouldn’t have been able to pack too many bits in the first place. But it all made sense now, his wallet, his saddlebag, and his stomach, all three empty, all three without any hope to be filled again.
He caught a familiar figure in front one of the cherry stands. The mare had a maroon, beehive-style mane and an off-white color that could have been mistaken for a shade of yellow. Perhaps it was because of the coat that he shrugged off the resemblance, but her cooing, Dodge Junction accent made him remember, “Well, if it ain’t Global Odyssey. Been too long since I’ve seen you.”
Hesitant to even start up, and as much as he wanted to pass on by, he felt obliged to converse, “I know, Cherry Jubilee. Been a while since I’ve seen you as well,” was all he could muster on his end.
“So, how’s everything been since you left the cherry orchards? Been well off?”
“Been better, but I’ve been worse off.” Odyssey was careful to not signal her into asking him back to buck cherries from the trees again. He had a position for three months, and as much as he liked residing in Dodge Junction, there was something about popping cherries from the trees that didn’t settle well with him. It was tiring work, and every day he would sweat at how hard he had to pound the trees for anything to fall down. He could have handled the cramps as a side-effect of the job, but was glad when she ‘let him go’ in order to get a new worker. No longer did it matter who would be there, at least to him, but that was more than a year ago. There was no steady income for Global Odyssey anymore.
Could have fooled the swooning belle, though, “My my, still keep your blond mane so short I see,” she remarked.
“Never like to see it below my chin,” Odyssey mentioned as he surveyed his hair, turning around to try and view his flank, which adorned a similarly-colored tail, “I admit my tail seems to be better groomed, but I never let its length touch the ground.”
“And your eyes,” Cherry Jubilee began to sound as if she wanted to call a hotel for the night, “They seem to be an even deeper shade of brown than when I last saw you.”
“THEY’RE HAZEL!!!” he barked. Now Global Odyssey remembered the second reason why he never wanted to return to cherry picking: There were those bosses who were genuinely kind, and those kind by façade only. As much of a sweetheart Cherry had been, she was only interested in production and the final product.
“No need to be jumpy there, soldier,” she tried to smooth over.
“I was never in a war,” he mumbled.
“All I’m saying is that your beauty hasn’t changed one bit since you last worked at the orchard,” her comments were interrupted by a certain rumbling noise. Odyssey knew the sound too well: his stomach growling once again. Unfortunately, and to no surprise, Cherry heard dollar signs, “Darling, you’re hungry.”
“It’s fine, ma’am, I was just-”
“Oh no, no, no,” and halted him before advancing, picking up a box from her stand and shoving it in front of his eyes, “You see this?” she questioned.
“Nope. Must be going blind,” the casual pegasus deadpanned.
With a quick giggle – which told Odyssey she at least understood the sarcasm – Cherry continued, “Some of the ripest red cherries you’ll ever come across. Perfect stems of two, the perfect crimson ponies dream of, and an entire shoebox of them for ten bits. Special ex-employee discount,” careful to add the last sentence as a bolded point.
As tempting as the offer was, Odyssey had no bits, but never intended to be a jerk to anypony just because he didn’t have enough, “Look, I’m sorry Mrs. Jubilee, but I kinda have to be somewhere, let me ponder the offer for a while, okay.”
“Can’t guarantee the quantity will be there, but the offer will stand,” punctuating her statement with a sly wink.
“Uh, thank you…” there wasn’t much Global Odyssey could add, so hightailing it out past the next street over seemed like the best idea. Despite stumbling over a rogue stone in the road, he managed to remain balanced, and decided to pause on the side of the road.
After taking a few moments to regain his traction and composure, he looked skyward to the sign of a bakery. A giant pink frosted cupcake with script underneath, “‘Sugarcube Corner’?” read Global Odyssey, “Can’t say I’ve ever heard of a place like this before.” He might have passed by if the familiar red letters on black bordered rectangle didn’t catch his eye. ‘Help Wanted’ it read, and gave him a reason to enter.
As Odyssey opened the door, a small chime from a dinky bell rung out; he figured to spare questions, he’d take the sign up to the counter. He held it in his right wing, since he felt a chewed sign wouldn’t make a good first impression. Only two ponies in such an establishment of vibrant, rosy colors and pleasant vanilla aromas seemed ludicrous. The lone customer was a cyan pegasus, munching on a cookie of sorts. Her rainbow mane threw him off; he hadn’t seen more than two or three colors on anypony’s mane, recalling the vibrant blue streaks in the hair of the famed DJ, Vinyl Scratch, who only had two shades. The cashier had been the other pony, despite her various shades of her color, pink was the only way to describe her, it wouldn’t have surprised him if her name had ‘pink’ in it.
As much as he wanted to ponder the minor details, he had a reason for even entering the bakery in the first place. He placed the sign on the counter and politely asked, “Excuse me, Miss, but what position are you looking for here?”
Confusion seemed to implant itself on both parties. This pony seemed to be even more confused, “Hmmm,” she mused as she studied the sign, as if there was supposed to be fine print on the sides, inside the letters, even on the back for some reason, “I’m not quite sure. I can check with Mr. Cake in back; he and Mrs. Cake own Sugarcube Corner, and they’d probably know what the sign’s doing here. Mind waiting a few moments?”
“Not at all,” and with that, the energetic pony pulled a sign from under the counter, whose message was crayoned, ‘In the back. Will return soon.’
As the brown pegasus turned around, he noticed his cyan counterpart had risen to approach him. Now ahead of him, a rigorous, feminine voice followed suit, “I hope I’m right in assuming that you’re Global Odyssey.”
“How did you know?” the mentioned pony, now puzzled over how to respond, scrunched his nuzzle before replying, “Did we…cross paths somewhere?”
“Of course,” figures, Odyssey pondered, she had more confidence in that reply than the griffon army, but let her continue before jumping at a false belief or accusation, “Rainbow Dash. The awesome pony from summer flight camp who got her cutie mark before anypony else.”
A quick chuckle escaped before he could retort, “Ah, yes, the only reason I recall that is because you never stopped reminding us all for the next three years after that. Put any use in your life since then?”
“Oh, ha ha,” came Rainbow’s sarcastic laugh, “I’ll have you know that I got promoted to captain for the weather team, and have been hard at work with it for the last three Winter Wrap-Ups clearing the skies.”
“Pretty impressive,” Odyssey admitted.
“Really, just pretty impressive?”
“I mean, I never really bothered to research how the weather team works, and I just…”
“Backtrack all you want kid, you know you’re just jealous of my position.”
Well, he couldn’t argue with that point, and figured that his darkening rosy cheeks seemed to cement his stance on the matter.
Now it was the rouser’s turn to ask about positions, “So, kid, what exactly do you do?”
First instinct for Global Odyssey was to circumvent the point, “You know, I certainly don’t make as much as you do at your position.”
“Which would be how much exactly?” the question itself didn’t bother him, but Rainbow Dash asked it in a tone of indignation; essentially asking, ‘you do make money, right?’
The stars must have wanted to aid in his escape from the conversation. That pink pony returned from behind the scenes with her usual chipper tone, “Mister Whoever-You-Are!? You wanted to know something?!”
To Rainbow, he managed to squeak out a whisper of the vague answer in his mind: “A low enough amount to seek out other opportunities.” Turning around, Odyssey had forgotten he had been so close to the counter, and although he never crossed the counter, that didn’t stop him from stopping a few inches from the nuzzle of another pony across the way. With a heavy sigh to exhaust the shock, he inquired, “So, what did the Cakes say about the sign?”
For the news she was about to give, she seemed to spring in sync with her step, “Sorry, that sign was meant for somepony else.”
Odyssey could feel his face fracture with his emotions; the confusion finding its way into the fissures of frustration and anger, “What?”
“Mrs. Cake has been meaning to lend the sign to Bonbon for-”
“Hold on!” at this point, it didn’t matter that he interrupted, the frustration took over, “I was just at Bonbon’s place. I asked if she needed help and she said she didn’t need any added help.”
“I think I remember Bonbon telling me that she wanted somepony who was talented in candy making.”
The added point didn’t seem to help matters. Turning his vision to his own flank, he noticed his cutie mark, a simple spherical globe, an ode to his love of traveling across Equestria and the boundaries beyond. His ears drooped down in disappointment; what good were hiking boots to a baker?
Whoever this pony was, she seemed to say everything to crush Odyssey’s hopes. Clicking her hooves together, she appeared to recall a certain point, “Oh, that’s what I wanted to tell Twist the other day. She’s had her candy cane cutie mark for a few years now, maybe an apprenticeship is just what she needs.”
Shaking his head was all he could do at this point, “Well ain’t that just a sunny day in a cave.”
“Sunny day?!” The other two were caught off guard by how Rainbow Dash seemed to inject herself into the scene with fear and fervor. She sought out the closest window to peek up at the sky. In general, it had been a sunny day, and even though the mid-afternoon light was at its highest, so was Rainbow’s fears, mumbling to herself, “I forgot about Fluttershy! Oh…but there’s no way I can get there before my shift.”
For the first time today, a name Odyssey recalled. After Rainbow’s race where she earned her cutie mark, he had been one of the ponies to search for the yellow pegasus filly on the ground. Turns out, he found the timid pony surrounded by chipmunks, bears, and all the other woodland creatures. He felt weird to this day over how he conversed with them, even if he couldn’t completely understand them. Although he knew who she referred to, he knew little more, “Wait, Fluttershy? What did you forget about?”
In a hurried expression, Rainbow explained, “I said I’d help her out, but I forgot until now I had the afternoon shift with the weather team. It’s in ten minutes, and it’ll take five just to get to her cottage,” her hooves stuttering on the ground in distress. Rainbow’s first coherent thought afterward was to the pony behind the counter, “Pinkie Pie, could you help Fluttershy out for me?”
Oh, so her name’s ‘Pinkie Pie,’ Global Odyssey comprehended in the brief pause, I’ll have to remember that the next time I come here, I’d prefer to be somewhat formal with whoever I come across. Didn’t think her name would actually include ‘pink’ though.
During his segment of thoughts, he caught the main part of Pinkie’s points she regrettably informed to her friend, “Sorry, I told the Cakes I’d help close the store tonight. I wish I could help out.”
“Oh,” Dashie groaned, “Twilight and Applejack said they would be busy today…What about Rarity?” she inquired with perked ears.
The reply would make them droop again, “She was on vacation with her family in Baltimare, don’t you remember her raving about it Tuesday?”
The exasperating sigh was enough confirmation.
“I apologize for intruding on the conversation…” but he felt a pause hammer the air as the two friends turned their attention to the mysterious colt. With the sudden attention, he fumbled over what to say, but managed to focus on his initiative, “Well, what I mean is… would it be troublesome for me to ask if I could help out Fluttershy?”
Rather than responding, Rainbow Dash pulled out a pen from her saddle sack and took a napkin from the counter and began to scribble down some form of notes.
Pinkie Pie, not being as bound by time, pondered the legitimacy of a rogue stallion looking to help Fluttershy, “So…” began her investigation, “how do you know Fluttershy?”
“Admittingly, it was just the day she earned her cutie mark, but-”
As the inked food eraser was shoved into Odyssey’s chest, its writer rushed its instructions, “I’ve written the directions to Fluttershy’s cottage on this one side. Remember, hit the Everfree Forest, and you’ve gone too far. The inside is a note from me to Fluttershy, detailing my apologies and back-up directions of you should you pass the cottage. Can you do this all for me?”
Holding the napkin in his hooves, he placed it in his right saddle sack to keep it in his possession. Mumbling out syllables trying to recall the instructions, somehow Odyssey managed to give a simple reply, albeit without much confidence, “uh…sure?”
Punctuation didn’t matter to the multicolored pegasus as she was already in the doorway prepping her wings for flight, “Great! Wish I could stay, but now I’ve got five minutes to be on time today. Don’t wanna be late!” As she sped up into the sky, a gust of backwind rushed through the store. While nothing in the store tumbled over, both Odyssey and Pinkie could hear a creaking of a single hinge on the outside of Sugarcube Corner. A small bit of twisting weakened the noise, but not the irritation.
Odyssey could hear the frustrated ramblings of a certain pink pony, but with minimal anger, “The sign again? Oh, Celestia, couldn’t something else be broken for once.”
“Do you want me to fix it?” asked the colt out of curiosity, “I can fly up and re-hook the sign if you want.”
“Nah, We’ve been meaning to get a new sign for Sugarcube Carner. Maybe this’ll convince the Cakes to get a new one. Thanks, though.” The courtesy didn’t last long, though, as her eyebrows rose in intrigue, “If you don’t mind me asking, if you barely know Fluttershy, why are you so desperate to help her?”
The brown colt decided to ignore the comment’s rude nature. Instead, driving his reply along the high route, “Well, I wasn’t prioritizing Fluttershy for my services, but-”
“Buuuuut?” Odyssey should have been insulted at the incredulous interruption. By now, he could tell by Pinkie’s angered eyes that his comments could have led to an implied illicit love affair.
There was a need to re-chart his course, “All I meant was that I was looking to do odds-and-ends job opportunities for spare cash.”
These words didn’t help out Pinkie Pie’s emotions, “Why would somepony like you need money in the first place? And for that matter, haven’t you got somepony to go home to.”
So now, the honesty needed to vent itself. A deep sigh preceded what Global Odyssey had to respond to, “Even if I had somepony to go home to, there’d be no reason to go home.” From the easing of Pinkie’s tense muscles in her legs, Odyssey could sense she would at least hear what he had to say, and continued to explain his side with little sorrow in mind, “That is, if I had a home to go to. I was poor when my parents were alive, and even though I was willed the house and all when they passed two years ago, I had to sell all the possessions just to level off the debt we owed. I’ve been working odd jobs since, but even then, it’s only enough to pay for food.”
“So where do you sleep and all that?”
“Pegasus wings,” taking the opportunity to flap them in a showcase, “I sleep on clouds for the night. At least for the most part. There are nights where I sleep on the ground when the sky’s clear, but some of those nights I stay in shelters. However, they aren’t quite the environment I feel is useful for developing me as a better pony.”
A bulge ran its way down Pinkie’s throat, easily the sinking of her heart to the news, “Why didn’t you mention that when you asked about the position? If I’d mentioned that to Mr. or Mrs. Cake, I’m sure they would have been more than willing to take you on in the bakery, even if only a few hours a week.”
“But that’s exactly what I try and avoid with situations like these,” admitted the blond-maned stallion with regret, “I’d rather not be hired based off of what my living situation is. That’s why I asked if you were hiring, because I didn’t want to be intrusive, claiming I should be ‘entitled’ to a position, especially if the owners said there was no need for any extra pony.”
Although Pinkie rose a hoof to contradict, she couldn’t find a good counter, and conceded, “You have a point,” and then made an effort to gently push Global Odyssey out the door, but her tone returned as brilliant as when he entered, “but if you want to help out Rainbow and Fluttershy, you might want to get out as soon as you can. You know how early the stands can close on the weekends, so you might want to get over there in case she needed to run errands but she’s too busy and feeding her animals and making sure-”
Now Odyssey had a right to interrupt again, this time if only to abbreviate the party pony’s extended sentence, “Get to Flutterhsy’s cottage soon so I can get back into town if she needs me to get stuff before the stores close. Got it.”
“She might be busy, so knock first,” Pinkie was quick to punctuate.
As the colt turned around near the doorway, he nodded in agreement to the final request, “Thank you, I’d prefer to do the courteous thing when I get there.”
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Despite reaching Fluttershy’s cottage, he felt silly needing to backtrack. He knew the cottage itself was a hollowed out tree on a hill, but became weary when he stood in front of a deep range of trees, spanning more than twenty ponies high. Pulling out the napkin to review Rainbow Dash’s directions, he realized that he had gone a few roads further than the cottage, and ran right into the Everfree Forest. At least out of courtesy, Rainbow wrote directions to backtrack; careful to point out that the sought after residence was not just a standalone tree, but was surrounded by a stream as well.
Come to think of it, the bridge which crossed over the stream should have been a dead giveaway, visible from the road itself. The cawing crows and chirping blue jays should have also told the scene, but Global Odyssey didn’t feel like he should review those details too long. Although he arrived at the door, he took a pause before knocking, believing that he’d forgotten to do something beforehand, but that was just Pinkie’s reminder to knock before attempting to enter.
After a few fraps on the door, Odyssey waited for a response, hoping for a voice on the other side of the door. Having waited a minute without hearing at minimum hoofsteps, he propped his hoof up for another set of knocks, but as he reached out to the door, the hoof extended further than he had hoped. Putting too much energy behind his lunge, Odyssey planned to press on the door to regain his balance. The diagonal angle the door was opened at pressed the door further and led the clumsy colt to fall top-heavily onto the floor.
The pegasus on the other side seemed more worried about the weary traveler at her doormat than his reasons for being there, “Oh, goodness, I’m sorry for doing that, I didn’t think somepony would be right at the door.”
Like the gentlecolt he was, the fault never went on a lady, “Don’t worry, it was my bad, should have figured you were busy doing something. Shouldn’t have rushed to knock so fast after already having done so.”
Blame aside, curiosity took over, “If you don’t mind me asking…well…why did you come by here in the first place?”
As empty as the backpack had been, Odyssey needed to shuffle through the ridges to find the napkin again, having placed it there once he found the cottage, “Well, Rainbow Dash sent me here with a note for you. I’d presume you’re Fluttershy, unless there’s somepony else here.”
“It’s just me,” as welcoming as this pony was, she aired on the side of caution with the interaction, “So you’re a friend of Rainbow Dash?” the yellow pegasus inquired with warranted skepticism.
The brown one nodded as confirmation.
Odyssey could tell that Fluttershy wanted to be welcoming, but even through her natural-flowing tremble of a voice, hesitation seemed to flaunt its skills as well, “Oh.…well…I had no idea that Rainbow Dash was dating a colt. Wait, what I meant was that I didn’t think she was dating anypony. Hold on, I…”
The companion at the door knew what she was going for, but needed to recalibrate her mind, “We’re not like that. I was in her group of friends during intermediate flight school. We split off into different high school educations, but we just crossed paths as I was asking about working at Sugarcube Corner. Told me to give you this,” and after a final stretch, the message was delivered.
On the inside of the napkin, only after unfolding once, Fluttershy scanned over the contents. Odyssey would have peered at the message, but could only see a straight-lined cursive that would have needed a guide to even attempt at translation.
Luckily, the timid pegasus had been used to her friend’s rushed writing, and though her vision squinted toward the end of each sentence, she managed to understand the contents:
So, so, sorry, Fluttershy,
I forgot I had a shift with the weather team busting clouds this afternoon. I know I won’t have time to help you out, but I met this guy who I knew from flight school, and he seems like a cool guy. Sorry again I couldn’t help out today; whatever you were going to reward me with or treat me to can go to him I suppose.
Hope to see you tomorrow,
Rainbow Dash
Rainbow’s signature at the end, as scribbly as it was drawn, punctuated with authenticity the message that had been set forth. By now, it was about five hours past noon and the pegasus in need of help grew more confident in the pony at her doorstep, though she wasn’t completely assured, “So…” weary of offending him, she asked Global Odyssey the main question, “…why exactly did you decide to come to my house in Rainbow Dash’s place?”
Odyssey had too much on his mind on the walk to think of any other reason to walk on here. Now that he had time to think, a few thoughts came to mind, but all of them related to amorous thoughts, and having never known Fluttershy enough rendered those thoughts void. Honesty triumphed in the situation, even if he had to fib its start, “Rainbow mentioned something about a favor in return. Maybe I misheard her, but I’ve been working odd jobs on the side, and was wondering if you were in need of my services.”
Peering behind her, Fluttershy remained silent for a few moments. Presumably, she must have wanted to see if anypony else was behind her – or rather, any other creature. Though plenty of woodland creatures scattered themselves in the living room, the main culprit must have been absent, since the quiet pony commenced with an inquiry, “You wouldn’t happen to have any bits on you, would you?”
Crimeny, I’m going to need to tell her the truth, Odyssey pondered, but he figured he could circumvent the truth for this one, “I haven’t got any bits on me.”
“Oh…well, I guess we can possibly manage,” careful to dim her voice to a lower notch, “I wanted to surprise Angel Bunny with his favorite desert, even if it wasn’t for tonight. I wanted to buy some cherries so I would have some on hand later on. I had a rather horrible experience last time I tried to purchase them, so I was thinking about lending Rainbow the bits to buy them for me, since I would be busy preparing dinner for the animals. She was also the only pony I knew who wouldn’t let emotions control the price I’d be willing to pay. I was going to reimburse the money if you had the bits to buy them yourself.”
Not waiting for any downfall, the nervous colt attempted to redeem his only chance of the day, “Look, if you lent me the money to buy them, I would return here with whatever was left. If I don’t before tomorrow comes, you can call the police and have me arrested.”
The desperate tone, as light as it was, seemed to startle the mare, “Oh goodness…did we even introduce ourselves? I don’t know which pony to report. I mean, if it came to that.”
A pale-brown face shaded red at the embarrassment of informalities, “If we did, I never introduced myself. Global Odyssey, cutie mark of our lovely planet. Sorry for being essentially an anonymous asker.”
“No worries,” Fluttershy ironically responded. After heavy contemplation, Odyssey could see a pang of regret in the actions she was about to do, as she reached into a nightstand drawer, and pulled out a twenty-bit bill. She took a look at it longingly, a façade Global Odyssey had seen all too much.
During his tenure as a street pony, he had seen the same regretfully indifferent attitude. Any pony, whether from Canterlot, Manehattan, or Ponyville, would take a look at their bits longingly, and toss it in the cup, hat, or whatever was available for a pony down the road. The ‘donating’ ponies would have one of three different types of faces when passing by: Foals usually had the first one, pure joy at making others happy. Their parents, for the most part, were responsible for the second type, not even willing to give a full bit if they had a say in it. They usually despised the street rats, him included, even if he was well-kept. Fluttershy exhibited the third type, willing to part, but skeptical of what the money would be used for. Nopony could blame that frame of mind; other ponies used money for their addictions and so-called ‘pain relievers’.
Fluttershy explained her motives, “Since Cherry Jubilee’s been able to produce so many bushels worth cherries to Ponyville, the cost for them has gone down drastically, and when a friend of mine last went to purchase some, it was twenty bits a box at the most,” proceeding to hand over the exact change to the stranger ahead of her, “The market should close in an hour, but some owners have been known to close early. I know ponies like to haggle the price for their goods, so I guess if you can negotiate a lower price you can keep whatever change you get.”
“Thank you,” Odyssey graciously responded.
Though timid throughout the whole encounter, her stern nature showed in her final warning, “But remember, now that I know your name, Mr. Global Odyssey, at your permission, I DO have a right to incarcerate you if nothing returns to my door!”
“Understood!” Odyssey spoke in hurried stride to avoid the volcano of rage which would have been bound to follow.
For a mare who didn’t have too much to express, she found it easy to switch emotions on a whim. Though calming her voice, it did retain hints of vulgarity, “Thank you for understanding, and take care.”
Fluttershy then closed the door, which seemed to open many more thoughts in the young stallion’s mind, “Splendid,” he spoke to himself, “I’ve got a psycho who’s counting one me to get a box of cherries for a rabbit,” as confusing as the concept remained, Global Odyssey needed to hone in on his negotiating skills if he wanted any sum from the day.
________________________________________________________________________________________________
“Oh, that figures,” Odyssey grumbled.
On the walk to the market, since too much was on his mind to fly, he remembered that Cherry Jubilee had offered ten bits for a box, and wanted to take up the offer if it stood. Upon arriving at the market, few vendors remained, with the cherry dame absent from the scene. Through multiple vendors, he asked others if they had the petit red fruit on their hooves, but similar rejections remained constant:
“Sorry, I sold out of those a half hour ago.”
“No, no cherries left, care for some peaches instead?”
And yet each time, the answer was always the same from the errand runner, “Thanks anyways, but that’s not what I’m looking for.”
One pony remained as a part the vending scene, and he was a lighter shade of brown than his own, with a pale mane as opposed to blonde of Odyssey. The flat blue hat was a style that street ponies would typically shy away from, but the red bowtie had been almost a trend with how often he saw that particular one. Although the vendor carried a scraggly, unshaven beard, the aesthetic features didn’t matter at the moment. As the only remaining seller of cherries, Global Odyssey knew this was the stallion to bargain with.
But he knew that if he wanted to earn any bits from the exchange, he had to go in strong, even if that meant starting weak, “So, I hear you’re the pony to buy cherries from at the moment.”
The vendor held his steadfast look; no hints of swaying emotions, “Are you looking to buy something?”
“As a matter of fact,” replied Odyssey, “I was looking to buy a box of cherries for ten bits,” there was no way that the colt could have received the first asking price – Cherry Jubilee was the only one who offered the price at all – but to get anything below twenty bits required halving his budget.
The lowball bid offended his counterpart behind the stand, and though remaining calm, the agitation crept into his voice, “Kid, you can’t seriously be thinking that’s a worthy price for that many cherries!”
The war of words was advancing along the lines, “So what price were you thinking of?”
“Twenty bits,” the reply acting as punctuation to the inquiry.
“Is that as low as you can go?”
“It’s as low as I feel comfortable going.”
“Look,” the young colt tried to force sympathy in his plea “I was hoping to get a small gift for a friend of mine. I don’t usually have money of my own, so would you be able to go lower on your price?” Odyssey then peered up with lightly glistening eyes, “perhaps fifteen bits?”
Moments of silence followed suit before the tent-owner gave his answer with a smug grin, “Well then, it appears we’ve reached a reasonable price.”
Figuring defeat had been accepted, Odyssey cheered the motion, “Thank you, sir!” and then took the twenty bit bill form the sack and handed it to the vendor.
All the vendor did after that was place the box in the presented right saddle bag, and chirped to the patron, “You have a nice day, good sir.”
But the customer wouldn’t be discarded so easily, “Um, excuse me…”
“What?” he scoffed, “You want me to write a card to your friend as well?”
That dismissal fed Odyssey’s rage, “I thought we agreed to fifteen bits for the lot!”
Now the smug grin transformed into a grand smile, “I only said we ‘reached a reasonable price’ here, but I never said it was your reasonable price.”
“I want my five bits in change!” the homeless traveler wasn’t having any of it.
But the vender was, and he had a trick to present stashed in his apron, “If you leave now,” too proud of his forged magic to hold back snickers, “If you just mosey on out right now, we won’t have any problems, and our lives will flow smooth as molasses. Should you decide to debate the price any more…well… let’s just say you won’t be able to trot your way on home for the night.”
Words as strong as his harmed Odyssey, but he had a defense, “It’s not like I have a home to go to.”
Hope’s fuel now had fuel against itself, and the vendor knew he cornered the bum, “Oh, is that so?” the mockery in his tone remained ever present. Now, came for the bomb of despair, but only as a whisper, “then prison should be a lovely place to spend a while.”
With that, Odyssey’s eyes exploded. Horror settling down with the residue of the aftermath.
“That’s right. Harassment. Argue enough and I could tack on a few other charges, but knowing I’ll go against somepony like you, I should be able to get at least that one charge against you.”
There was no need to talk back, nor for any more conversation. Having the cherries in hoof, turning around and backtracking to the cottage was the best course of action.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
The walk on back caused a flurry of concerned thoughts for Odyssey. Whether or not the cherry stand stallion was serious about his threat, there was no need to risk any added time in jail. Surely, that would have meant staying the night, and even if he had the chance to escape the next day, his oath to Fluttershy would have meant interest on his sentence. He sought sanctuary of mind in looking up toward the sky. As the sun faded way for the moon, the sky’s color flamed up in a warm aura.
However inviting the sky had been, it shunned Odyssey with its empty nature. Rainbow Dash and her crew must have cleared all the clouds in Ponyville; not a single cloud could be found. The only shade of white presented itself in the form of Luna’s pride within the stars.
Global Odyssey almost overshot the cottage again, catching the mailbox out of the corner of his eyes before wandering too far along, “You’d think I’d have learned after last time,” he muttered to himself, his mind was not on the mission he agreed to. The sky had been cleared, but that would mean Odyssey would have to spend the night on the ground somehow. Over the years, he’d managed to do so before, sleeping in the alleys of Maehattan and Coltimore. He even slept in Canterlot for a day or two a few months ago, but the colt vowed to never live there again. On his first day in the pompous city, he found a red-maned colt who was heftily roughed up by a group which was long gone by that point. Hauling him on his back to the hospital, the young’un managed to squeak out that the main reason for his current state was that they never took too kindly to kind homeless ponies. It would never be a place for someone like Global Odyssey who took so much pride in his-
Plonk!
Keekh!
“Well, at least I don’t think I’ll need to knock,” as Global Odyssey attempted to recover from bashing into the door, hooves rushing to his nose. Thankfully it was not broken, but a piercing pain that made needles seem tame rang in his nose. His saddle pack had torn its final hole, but though the box cracked, the cherries remained intact for its intended owner.
Upon opening the door, Fluttershy responded with a light bluntness of surprise, “Wow, you actually returned?”
Though not physically exhausted, his mental diminishment stole any fervor in his voice, “Never go against my word, even if it doesn’t benefit me, per se.”
“So you couldn’t bargain it down?”
Shaking his head, Odyssey broke the news and the situation, “I haggled it down to fifteen bits, but the stallion in the cherry tent with…the flat hat…used my…situation against me and I had to use the whole twenty bit bill,” he winced anticipating some sort of scolding. In the moment, it would have been understandable if even a hyper-kind pony such as her wanted to rage against him.
“Why are you so hard on yourself?” her soft tenor amazed Global Odyssey, “You even said he forced the deal upon you.”
As much as he wanted to confess his situation, his weakness took over the conversation’s strength, “Well, I haven’t really…my home is…I suppose I just want to conduct myself honestly,” all he felt was warranted was shifting the cherry box into the confines of the house, and turned around to trot on to elsewhere.
“Wait,” Fluttershy halted, knowing he’d vanish otherwise, “I need to thank you somehow, do you want to come inside and eat?”
Though the rumbling was silent, it should have been the reply. Without anything to eat throughout the day, he should have taken the chance to chow. But his mind and heart spoke, “No thanks…I might get used to it, you know.”
The kind mare wouldn’t let the deed go unrewarded. She reached into the box’s fresh crack and grabbed a small hoofful of the miniature red fruits, “At least take a snack for your walk back home.”
Home. Odyssey sighed, like there’s one to go to for me. But he kept those thoughts to himself as he extended his hoof, unsure of whether to take it or not, “thank…you…Flutter…uh, Fluttershy…”
“Oh don’t feel like you’re stealing anything from me,” the timid pegasus soothed, “you ran the errand for me while I was cooking for my friends.”
“Right,” as correct as she had been, it couldn’t put his thoughts at ease, “Hope to see you around I suppose,” and with a wave of his open hoof, walked on outward. The brown colt decided not to walk too far, deciding to plop himself on the bridge crossing the brook. Plopping in one of the cherries, he recognized the taste, or rather, the lack thereof. The fruit’s tartness was there, but taste seemed invisible to somepony who never really ate. Taste was unimportant. The sensation of anything finding its way to his stomach was euphoria enough. Within the sensation, he dropped his pack onto the ground, knowing holed fabric would prove no use anymore.
Night almost approached. A sliver of orange hue remained among the horizon, lighting up the forward fields. Luna’s moon began to line up with the stream, and a yellow friend joined along Global Odyssey’s side, “The nights sure are lovely, aren’t they?”
Fluttershy’s presence stunned the pondering pony. He turned to his left and noticed the yellow pillow beside him. Although he wasn’t thinking too much about the environment, he had to agree, “Yeah, I guess it is.”
The perfect way to start a conversation, “Why are you sitting here anyway?”
It wouldn’t be that easy to coax the facts from Odyssey, “I dunno. I guess I just like the view from here.”
“At night?”
“I’m never really up this late in the first place. Besides, it’s not like I’m in a rush for anything.”
“Ah, already had an early dinner?”
“Nope.”
Now Fluttershy seemed more confused, and would not let it flow away so easily now, “So…you’re having it later?”
“At least I don’t plan on it.”
“But surely, you eat just like everypony.”
Odyssey was quick to point out, “I do. You gave me some cherries, remember? I had those.”
The question, as inevitable as it was, had to have been asked, “Oh, did you not have any money to pay for groceries for your home?”
What Fluttershy asked didn’t offend Odyssey, at least not the full question. There was no money he had, that he had been used to. That tailing part, those final two words, prevented him from speaking any of his own in that instant. Looking up toward the sky, Fluttershy noticed a face that tried to hold back tears. Though she couldn’t comprehend what he was mouthing, she’d known he was talking to someone important who had ‘risen up.’
The timid pony felt intrusive if she were to ask what was wrong, so she just rectified the situation the best she could, “I’m so sorry if I offended you, Mister Odyssey…you know, however I may have done that.”
With a few sniffles to regain his tone and voice, the sandy-maned colt answered, “Don’t worry yourself too much over it. Without going into too many details, I never really tell anypony that I haven’t got a home.”
“So where do you go at nighttime to sleep?”
“Normally, I just sleep on any given cloud, but it looks like the weather team had to wipe the slate today,” careful not to accuse any color of fault.
Absentminded, Fluttershy responded, “Yes, it turned into an even lovelier day today, didn’t it?”
Odyssey could only sigh in disdain. Clearly, Fluttershy might never understand. He left his belonging on the bridge, and began to trot into the rising moonlight.
It seemed to perplex the yellow pegasus further, “Wait, why are you heading out now?”
Not even turning around to reply this time, Odyssey explained, “I’ve gotta find some place to spend the night, don’t I?”
“Well, why don’t you spend the night at my place?”
The notion felt illegal to the brown colt, “NO no no, the reason I don’t even go to shelters is so I don’t get used to the beds there and sink myself into a sedentary lifestyle there.”
Her determination was to invite him any way possible, “Oh, but you could at least sleep on the sofa in my main room. I’m sure Angel wouldn’t mind giving up his favorite spot for you.”
The promises were too tempting surrender, “Look as kind as you are, I think I would only spend a night if I spent any. Not long enough for me to stay in my opinion.”
“Oh, trust me, there were some other critters who had a hotel-style week long stay here at my cottage, I’m sure I can handle a pony for at least one night.”
How did a simple pony like this carry herself with so much calm, collective composure? It made the colt very uncomfortable to even consider denying the proposal at this point.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
Inside the cottage, Global Odyssey got his chance to rest alone on the couch. Took a while for a certain stubborn animal to surrender what must have been his favorite spot, though.
“Now Angel Bunny, you should be courteous to the guests of our home.”
To his owner, all the pint-sized bunny did was fold his paws and stomp his legs into the aerated cushions of the sofa, looking to pad his given location.
Fluttershy stomped a stern hoof on the ground as if to scorn, but Global Odyssey tried to alleviate the impending situation, “Look, I can sleep on the carpet tonight. I’ve slept on concrete before, so a carpet is like a bed compared to that.”
Odyssey’s words, however, made the situation more valid on the shy pegasus’s part, “Oh, but that’s all the more reason to make you comfortable here,” turning her attention to the culprit, she tried coaxing the right way, “Would you please let Mister Odyssey sleep on the sofa tonight? It’ll be the only night I’ll ask of it.”
Angel turned his head from the current conversation, folding his ears closed to the squeaking chatter.
“Alright then,” the pet’s owner sung, “Have it your way, but I guess that means you’re not going to get your favorite desert tonight.”
Now, the long, fluffy ears perked up, and the attention focused on his caretaker. He hopped from the comfort of what must have been his home inside the house, gathering how stubborn he’d been to give it up.
Once alongside the giant, the bunny peered upward to better comprehend what he might have heard, “I’ll make you that wonderful dessert you always like, I even have the cherries to top it off this time.”
Whatever happened in the meantime, Odyssey had been too caught off-guard to care by a painting, which hung to the far right of the room beyond the couch itself. The scene itself wasn’t grand, but its simplicity emulated from its colors. On a curved diagonal, the painting was split; the lower part carrying smooth swaths of bright yellow and a tailing orange from Celestia. The upper segment, a sparkled serenity of deep blues. Each side carried a simple representation of its respective princess, but it carried the colors with pride and valor.
Careful to not intrude on anything, Fluttershy poked her head into the mood, “Um…excuse me…”
Odyssey’s eyes widened at the sudden voice beside him, but it couldn’t shock him, since he knew he was not alone in the presence of another’s home, “Sorry. Got caught up in this painting here. Any idea who painted it?”
She was so proud of her revelation, “I’m not really sure who he really was, but he said he went by Crayon. He does paintings like these on the street, and I guess I loved this one enough to buy it from him.”
“Any chance I might know him?” He felt a need to amend his question, the previous one having been off-hand, “I mean, what did he look like? I may have come across him at some point.”
“Hmm, I’m not quite sure. I remember him having a grey coat and a red mane, other than that, I don’t recall anything…maybe he had a brown hat, but I’m not sure what type.”
After a few moments to ponder, he let the thought come and pass, “huh, I think I may have come across the kid in Canterlot. Never had a true chance to introduce myselfto him, though,” choosing not to reveal the possible circumstances that may have prompted the meeting. This could have been the colt he brought to the Canterlot hospital, but without a fact of sight, it was no use to comment further.
“Do you think you’ll need a blanket?’
“It’s kinda warm in here, I think I can manage without one for the night.”
As Fluttershy wandered into the kitchen to fulfill a bunny’s dream, she called out to the helper of the day, “Don’t be afraid to call me if you need anything else tonight.”
“Good to know, but I think I might call it an early night,” Odyssey admitted, “didn’t have a good enough sleep last night, so maybe I can catch up tonight.”
The kind pegasus chucked at his reasoning, and wandered out of sight. That was the trait about Fluttershy the colt liked about her the most; she had some element of kindness about her that felt above all others. As he settled into the cushions of the couch, just his length when he stretched out, he felt a warmth blankets could not justify.
For another night, Global Odyssey would cry himself to sleep. On this night, however, he was crying for a different reason. For the first time in his recent memory, he felt comfortable and at peace, a state he never wanted to end. Unfortunately, just like the previous nights, the following nights would be fought alone, filled with the torturous, cold air, and often in the streets because common clouds weren’t as stable as his old Cloudsdale home. As kind as Fluttershy had been, the world would only grow crueler from here.