//------------------------------// // Leaving It All Behind // Story: The Origin Chronicles Vol. 3 // by SmokeShadow95 //------------------------------// “Star Shadow, you cannot be serious,” Charmer said. “I was merely making a joke when I said it before.” “Well, I'm not joking,” Star replied, annoyed. “I'm leaving. Tonight. I am going to get on the first train out of Ponyville, and I'm not gonna look back. I'd really like it if you came with me, Charmer.” “Sigh,” Charmer joked. “You wouldn't last a week without me and you know it. Of course I'm coming with you.” “Good,” Star smiled. “Now lets get everything we need. Pack light.” It wasn't any more than an hour later and the two ponies were sitting next to one another on a train. It was one of the few late night trains that ran through Ponyville. They were lucky enough to catch it right before it left. Who knows how long it would've been til the next one. Star insisted that they actually pay for the train, even though Charmer insisted that she could've gotten them on the train just as easily. It didn't really matter a few moments later as they found a quiet place to in the last cabin of the train. A couple of hours had gone by as they sat in silence. Star stared out the window the whole time, thoughts filling her mind. So many thoughts. Everything about her life was about to change. “Ahem, Star, my friend,” Charmer quietly called out, interrupting her friends thoughts. “We've been on this train quite a while now. Any idea as to where we're going?” “Did I make a mistake, Charmer,” Star asked, not taking her eyes of the dark night outside the window. “I didn't even think about anything at all. I just up and left, and dragged out right along with me.” “Star, it wasn't like you didn't have reason to leave,” Charmer encouraged. “I think the only one who truly made a mistake here is me. I've been trying to amuse myself with any passerby for the past couple of hours when I should have gone and found somepony to amuse me. I just didn't want to leave you all alone.” “You think sticking by me was a mistake, do you?” “Just right now, my friend,” Charmer half joked. “You can be rather melancholy at times.” “Well, you try losing your family and then your home,” Star growled. She said it. She even believed it. She knew that it technically wasn't the truth. Her family was gone, but not all of it. She still had Celestia, maybe. Even less the truth was her home. If there was one thing she could be thankful for all these years it was that she always had a bed to sleep in and a roof over her head. How long was that gonna last. “You know very well that the only family I have is you, Star,” Charmer replied. Star did know that,she was part of her family. She didn't know much about Charmer's past. She never talked about. Star didn't talk about her own, but most ponies knew at least the general things that happened. She knew virtually nothing about Charmer beyond what she has seen her do over the years. “And I can make anywhere my home,” Charmer finished her sentence. “All I need is the right amount of charm.” “How do you do it, Starlight,” Star asked with an exaggerated sigh. “How is that you can always make me feel less like crap when I know I should?” “I don't believe I fully understand the question.” “I should feel terrible right now,” Star exclaimed. “I just left everything I know behind. Celestaia will likely never see me again. I'll never set hoof in my room at the castle again. I'll never sleep in my bed, read my books. I'll never fall asleep in the middle of the pillows in my tower again. I have no idea what to do next, where to go next, or how I'm going to prove that Twilight had something to do with my parents that night. I should be nervous wreck right now, having a mental breakdown over the tiniest details! With a few last heavy breaths, Star looked into friends eyes. “But I'm not.. For some reason, whenever I'm with you I can think clearly. Starlight Charmer, how do you do that?” “Oh, that,” She replied. “Well now that I know the question, the answer is quite simple. It's friendship, obviously.” Of course, Charmer held a straight face as she said that. She said it like it was the most obvious thing in the world, common knowledge to all ponies. Star raised an eyebrow at her. They held it for a solid minute before both of them fell into fits of laughter. It didn't last long, however, as the train suddenly became a much more exciting place. It started with the sound of screams. Cries of terror and pain echoed down the long cabins of the train until they were heard by the two friends. Their ears perked up at the sounds. They both jumped into the aisle and listened again. A second of silence, hushed whispering. Screams. “What is going on,” Star rhetorically asked. “I don't know,” Charmer whispered. “But that last scream was closer. Whatever it is it's coming right for us.” “Not if I can help it,” Star said intensely, trying to mask the small quiver in her voice. She raised her horn up and cast a spell. The lights in the cabin flickered once before dying out, leaving the whole place covered in darkness. The only light coming in was the faint moonlight shining through the windows. Star and Charmer backed up a few paces, anxiously waiting for the door to open. “Star, friend,” Charmer said in a hushed tone. “We are in the last car. Why don't we just leave out the back? Can't you teleport us to safety?” “No,” Star replied in an equally hushed tone. “Teleporting from a a moving vehicle, even a train, can have unforeseen effects. I don't want to risk it.” “You would rather risk staying with whatever is behind that door?” Star didn't answer. She glanced over at her friend, leaving her with a gesture to remain silent. She had heard something. It was faint. Celestia always used to joke with her that she had a dragons ability of exceptional hearing. It was times like this when she believed her, or maybe it was just the adrenaline heightening her senses. Either way, there were hoofsteps coming. It wasn't until Charmer heard them as well. Star could feel her tensing up next to her. Quickly, before the door opened, she cast another spell. She had no way of knowing if had actually worked or not. She could only hope. The hoofsteps stopped outside the door. They were heavy, each step sounding like a loud thud. Whatever pony made them must be large. What Star didn't realize was the big, loud steps covered up the sounds of the smaller pony. That was the first pony she saw. The door opened and he stepped inside. The pony moved in small quick bursts, much like a rodent. Even his tail thin. His eyes scoured the room quickly, looking over everything he could see in the dim light. Star was quietly thankful that he was an Earth pony and not a Unicorn. She was doubly thankful when the other one stepped inside. He was massive for a pony of any kind. He easily stood half a head taller than most of the royal pony guards, and every part of him was thicker. She was amazed beyond words when she saw wings on his back. “It's too dark to see anything in here,” The big Pegasus said. His voice was low, but powerful. Even his whispers were loud. Star would definitely not want to hear him shout. “Yeah, I gotcha,” The small Earth pony said back. His voice was deeper than the other one's, surprisingly. Not too much, but it was noticeable. “Wonder why it is so dark in her'? Ain't dark any other place on this train. Lit up normal like.” “That would be magic, Ratigan.” This was a new voice. A voice that they hadn't heard before, the voice of a mare. It was only a single sentence, simple an direct. And yet, for some strange reason, Star felt like that voice was different. Not just the voice of another pony, but the voice itself had some unnatural aspect to it. She was entranced by it, bewitched it. “There is magic in there with you,” The voice, enticing Star even more, “And perhaps a pony or two.” Star's eyes were so focused on the mare that came through the door. She was beautiful, gorgeous. A coat of dark silver, like a coursing pool of flawless metal. A crimson mane flowed down, hugging her neck and following the lines of her perfect body. Black streaks added to her mane, and her allure. Star felt drawn to her, enticed by her. Every step she took, every move she made was as appealing as she had ever seen. She was so graceful. She made it seem so effortless. This mare stepped past her two stallions and looked about the room. Her mane hung down in front of her left eye, but she still saw the world perfectly fine. Barely any detail escaped her gaze, or her horn. Star saw her eye dart in her direction. Her heart nearly stopped when their eyes met. Star was worried they would be found just by the sound of her beating heart. The mare playfully looked around the room, a small and sly smile across her face. She knew Star had seen her. “Come on out now,” She whispered wickedly into the darkness. “I know you are there.” Star stirred where she stood. Charmer watched as her friend actually stepped out. Hidden in a pocket of shadow they were, and now that pocket was torn. Night still hid them well enough, however, as only passing moonlight lit up Star's face. “Oh, how lovely you are, my dear,” The beautiful mare exclaimed with a false joy, or was it genuine? Her angelic voice drew Star ever closer. She stepped forward, one step after another. What was this feeling she had? She didn't know, but it was strange. She wanted to not like it, to claim at as false and be rid of it. Yet, it felt so right. Her mind raced with all these thoughts, she didn't even see the mare move to her. She circled around Star a few times, her eyes looking over every inch, every part of her. Star was too caught up in her thoughts to realize. Then she came up beside her, closer than most any pony ever gets. She stood taller than Star, but her words still whispered in her ear. “You can sense it, can't you, my dear?” The dark whisper echoed in her mind. Star was shaken back to world. She saw the two stallions before her, but not the mare. She couldn't see her, but she could feel her. She could feel the presence of another body so close to hers. Her coat stood on end. Her breathing became sharp as she felt the breath of the mare on her cheek. “Power,” The mare hissed. “Alluring, is it not?” Star's mind was cluttered with thoughts. She wasn't sure what she was feeling right now, but the mare was right. This, whatever it was, had an allure that she had never felt before. The mare carefully stepped around Star one last time, making each movement of her body as graceful and seductive as possible, feeding into the feeling that Star had. “Why don't you have your friend come out and join us?” Charmer swallowed what little hope she had left of remaining undiscovered. She had been huddled in a shadowed corner so far, but that time was over. Star looked back at her. She composed herself as much as possible, and she stepped out into the moonlight. “Ah, another so beautiful,” The mare said with an unnaturally attractive whisper. “Another so powerful.” She stepped up closer to Charmer. She looked her over for a moment, that wicked smile never leaving her face. When she seemed content she turned back around walking past Star again. She slowly sauntered past her whispering again so dark into her ear. “I know who you are, my dear.” Those words broke Star out of whatever trance she seemed to be in. She shook her head slightly, as if shaking the very effects off her. She glared up at the mare. She was beautiful, but now she seemed less alluring than before. “What do you mean,” Star demanded. “How do you know me?” The mare stopped for a moment. Her eyes darted back to Star for just a second. It passed by so fast Star almost believed it didn't happen, but she saw it. For just that brief time there was something in her eyes. A madness? A darkness? She didn't know. “I know all about ponies like you,” She said. “I can see it right away. Lost and wandering, looking for the way forward. I can be that way for you, my dear.” “Of course,” Charmer uttered from the back. “Do you really expect us to just leave with you?” “Why not,” The mare said, suddenly upon Charmer before she even knew it. “All lost ponies are looking for something. A home to replace the one they lost, answers to questions that plague their dreams, a family that never had to begin with.” “And you have those things,” Star asked. She was staring down at the floor, deep in thought. “Of course, my dear,” The mare sauntered around her again. “I can anything you need. It's what we do, and you can to.” “What do I need to do?” “You can't be serious,” Charmer exclaimed. She dragged Star back to a more private place. The other three stood closer to the door. That mare watched them closely. It was unnerving. “Star, you can't be serious about going with them! You can't be,” Charmer berated her friend. “Why not,” Star replied sharply. “You heard her. She can me what I need. She can help me find the proof about Twilight.” “And what about me, Star,” Charmer asked. “Are you just going to leave me here?” “Of course not,” Star said. “I won't go with them unless we both do. I want you with me. You're my best friend.” “Sigh, it's a tough job sometimes,” Charmer joked before turning to face the mare. “What do we have to do?” The mare bared her wicked smile to them both. “Everything you were, everything you had,” She hissed. “All except for each other. Leave it all behind.”