//------------------------------// // Chapter Nine // Story: Book 1 The Darkness: with the darkest of ponies // by Penelope Anne Ink //------------------------------// They had finally come upon a small town and Starry knew it meant more towns would be nearby, hopefully Ponyville included. They both trotted in a little unsure of where they were. Edgy didn’t want to let on that with the search for the word over, he really didn’t know where to go. If there wasn’t a village, he might have had to attempt some even deeper soul searching. The village was a welcome sight, though they didn’t feel all that welcome coming toward it. The ponies of the village were minding their own business for the most part. Some occasionally gave them weird looks, but no wonder. Edgy was not a normal looking pony. On top of that, they were both dusty, sweaty, and scratched up. It was clear they weren’t local and they weren’t just out for a stroll. Edgy contemplated his appearance more critically. While he wasn’t going to ever be able to do anything about his scars, his uniform was a bit unnecessary now. He wasn’t sure how many ponies would recognize it for one of the Storm King’s, although, at this point it looked far enough away from its original appearance. It had been torn in multiple places, the color faded, the badge long gone. It was more of an odd fashion choice. They continued to wander until they found the open marketplace. They didn’t have any supplies left after they left the gorge. Other than the water in their canteens, they had survived off of the little bit of vegetation that managed to grow in that harsh environment. Without any bits, though, they weren’t going to be able to buy any more supplies. A shopping cart started rolling by them when a wheel busted. “Oh no! Here, I can help!” Starry exclaimed. And before the cart owner could say a word, Starry added, “But if I do, can we have a meal. We’ve just come from a long journey.” The cart owner didn’t have much to lose from it, since she couldn’t move the cart in this condition and she didn’t have a spare wheel. “Huh, if you can fix it for me you can take whatever your hooves can carry. But only that,” she added, as she noticed Edgy sizing up the cart’s produce. Starry took one look and snapped the cart wheel back into its normal shape. “Well, there you go. Thanks for your help,” the salespony said, as the two gathered up a few hooffuls and started off on their way. A pony came up behind them when they were out of earshot with the salespony and grabbed Starry by her hoof. She dropped what she was holding and let out a yelp. Edgy didn’t let it show on his face that he was annoyed, but he set down what he had been holding onto the ground next to Starry’s. He wasn’t sure if he would need to tackle the mare but he wanted to be ready for it. The mare was an angry purple pony with light blue hair. She was a little heavier set than most mares, and her hooves totally dwarfed Starry’s. “I know one of you must have broken that cart wheel on purpose to scam those vegetables from her. I just know it. Which one of you did it?” she demanded. Starry couldn’t believe her ears. She was not a criminal, and had actually felt proud for a moment that she was able to help them get supplies. “I honestly di-” “Nothing honest about it! You two take what you stole back to her before I report both of you.” Edgy wasn’t sure what to do. Monsters, he could fight. Old ladies wielding canes he could stop. Angry middle aged mares that were somehow also delusional, he wasn’t sure how to handle. He started looking more uncomfortable than Starry did. It was about that time that a familiar pegasus swooped by them and landed just a few inches away from the mare. “Em! Picking fights without me? What a shame! And who is this?” It was Cass. The angry mare realized she was far too outnumbered and gave up with a scoff. “Oh Cass! I’m so glad you’re okay. I’ve been really worried about you! This is Edgy. He helped me escape the storm guards when they attacked,” Starry said, hugging Cass while Edgy started picking up the produce they had dropped. “We just waited around until Twilight Sparkle and her friends saved us. Which we thought you would do as well.” “We thought we’d be able to come back and save you guys ourselves, but we got lost,” Starry chuckled. Cass and Starry had started walking down the street, chatting away to catch up. Edgy lagged behind them a bit while still carrying the produce, which he at least started to eat. From what Cass said, this town was close enough to Ponyville. It was its lesser known rival town, about as big but not as well or long established. “It goes by some dumb name, like Neighport. I don’t know what kind of name is that. Ponyville has such a nice ring to it, to me anyway,” Cass was saying. Starry just sat back and let Cass do her thing. Cass was more into talking than Starry was sometimes. Besides, Starry finally let her weariness from the journey show in the bags under her eyes and the droopiness in her gait, the blurriness of her speech... “Oh my goodness, Em fell asleep!” Cass picked Starry up and situated her on her back. She was about to fly off when she remembered Edgy, who was still lingering a few feet behind. “Hey, you can follow along. I know we can set you up with a place when we get there,” Cass added, and she led them to the train station where she bought a few tickets and they all were able to relax on the way back home.