It is a truly beautiful thing, to be back to health after so long in bed. I must find a way to repay Granny Smith for her amazing cider. I cannot lie; I didn’t believe it would truly restore me as Braeburn had claimed it would. Although I don’t quite feel like leaping from building to building, I am feeling exponentially better. I can walk, at any rate.
The cider arrived early this morning, shortly after sunrise. The moment I opened the bottle, my senses flooded with life. I’d never felt such a sensation before, not even from a Gaian potion. I wasn’t sure what the feeling was at the time, but even the Black Mages reacted to it. Though I fear they’ve had an adverse effect from contact with the beverage. Just as well as I’ve been up all day, they’ve been visibly disgusted and locked in this room.
Then again, they may just regret my good health, but I shan’t assume the negative. I’m simply thankful to be able to move around. In fact, the first thing I did upon consuming the cider was aid in the repair of the local train. It was fun, to say the least. I was able to put my mind to use and minimize the resources required to repair the machine. We finished the repairs several days ahead of schedule, and I was awarded a large stipend of ‘bits’ for my efforts.
Yes, bits. They seem to be the local currency. Although not as appealing in appearance as Gil, they seem to be just as valuable to the residents of Equestria. They are significantly heavier than Gil as well, making carrying large sums quite burdening.
Repairing the train wasn’t the high point of my day, however. I returned to the tavern after the train was up and running again. Several stallions were sitting in a small group, carrying on a heated discussion. I arrived in the midst of Braeburn’s exclamation.
…
The moment I arrived at the tavern, I felt a strange tension fill the air. I began to feel nervous about joining in the discussion, but my curiosity propelled me forward. If I were still on Gaia, I wouldn’t have given a second thought about my action. Something about this world was influencing my mind—my confidence…
At any rate, I was accepted with open arms…er…hooves. I arrived just in time to catch the tail end of a statement Braeburn directed toward a pony who I assumed to be the local banker. I’m not certain what the discussion was about, but it sounded important.
“…the shipment be late!” the sheriff seemed to be angry, the first time I had seen him so.
His arguing companion responded, “It can’t be helped, sheriff! We ain’t got a way to get it there safe!” He took a gulp from his bottle of cider before leaning back in his chair.
Braeburn scoffed, “We got at least a dozen railroad guards! You can’t tell me we ain’t got enough to ship some apples, Cobalt!” He crossed his arms angrily as he plopped into the opposite chair.
“It ain’t the amount of guards we got that matters. We can’t risk the train being ambushed again. We’re already behind our shipping schedule.” The stallion shook his head in disappointment.
“Can’t ya just send ‘em on foot?” the sheriff was persistent in his endeavors, whatever they may be.
The pony he had called Cobalt groaned, “Don’t none of ‘em wanna take that risk. Face it; we ain’t getting any shipments up north, not even to Ponyville.”
Ponyville. Several thoughts ran through my mind at the mention of the town. I needed to give my thanks to Granny Smith and the rest of the Apple Family, and this shipment seemed a good enough reason to go there.
The two ponies fell silent, so I chuckled, “What seems to be the problem?”
Another stallion standing against the far wall sighed, “Sweet Apple Acres needs a shipment of Appleloosan Golden Apples to brew some cider to send to Canterlot next week. Thing is, we can’t ship the apples on our train.” He adjusted the rim of his Stetson without so much as glancing up.
“Why is that?” I asked.
“We got some bandits set up camp in the woods on the other side of Ghastly Gorge. They’ve robbed the last couple of valuable shipments. Train’s always returned with a messed up engine. We can’t afford any more repairs, so we’re closing the tracks between here and Ponyville.” He explained everything plainly, and I immediately decided to take the initiative.
I sighed with an air of smug confidence, “You can’t send your train, but require the apples to reach Ponyville before too much time has passed. I may have a solution for you.”
Braeburn snapped his attention to me and gasped, “What d’ya got in mind, Kuja?”
“If you can put together a caravan, I can escort the shipment on foot.”
Cobalt scoffed, “What kinda idiot would do something like that?”
“I need to go to Sweet Apple Acres anyway. I see no reason why I shouldn’t help out my new home while I’m at it.” At the time, I hadn’t considered the possibility of my inability to use magic. My boasts were relying on my magic to protect the caravan.
The unnamed stallion chuckled, “You actually think you can do it alone? You got guts, fella. We ain’t got a problem fixing up a caravan if ya actually wanna try it.”
“Maybe we can convince some of the guards to go with you…” Cobalt placed a hoof to his chin in thought.
I waved a dismissive hand and scoffed, “There’s no need. I assure you I am more than capable of dispatching a few bandits and ensuring the safe arrival of the golden apples. Perhaps I can persuade the Black Mages to join me. Who knows, they might enjoy some time out of the desert.” I smiled slyly at the three disbelieving stallions, each one with apparent concern.
Cobalt laughed, “If that’s what ya want, I ain’t got a problem with it!” He hopped up from his chair and placed a hoof firmly on my shoulder. He extended his other hoof toward me, a gesture I could only compare to a handshake by pony standards.
I took his hoof in my hand, we shook, and before I knew it he was gone. The unnamed stallion simply nodded in my direction as he walked out of the tavern. Something felt off about the mysterious pony, but I decided to disregard my feelings on the basis of paranoia. Once they were both gone, Braeburn offered the seat beside him to me. I obliged.
The stallion shook his head and sighed, “You sure ya can handle it, partner? I mean, these are some big brutes, bruisin’ up our train at every chance.” He removed his hat and placed it on the arm of his chair, letting out an exasperated sigh.
I groaned, “You needn’t worry, Braeburn. The apples will arrive in Ponyville on time and intact. Believe me when I say I can handle a few bandits without trouble.” I had faith that I could handle the trip on my own, but others seemed not-so-certain.
He smiled and chuckled, “I believe ya, partner. But we can’t afford to lose these apples—or a life. Maybe you oughta get them Black Mages to go with ya, just in case.” He placed the hat firmly on his head and stood up slowly. “Whenever you think you’re ready to set out, head on over to the station...” I could tell from the look in his eyes that he was worried.
I wasn’t used to that. I’m not certain whether he was worried about the shipment or my health, but it was a very strange occurrence that one would worry for me. The last person to ever do so was Zidane, below that cursed tree…
“You needn’t worry, sheriff. ‘Don’t mistake power for confidence/You’ll never like how it ends/Take your stance and understand/Confidence is the greatest tool/Confidence is power /That’s my first rule.’” His expression immediately shifted to one of utter confusion.
He coughed, “Huh-what?”
I dropped my smug smile in exchange for one of disappointment. Perhaps he was smart, but he had no poetic flare. I groaned, “My confidence will ensure my success in this delivery. Just have faith in my ability to follow through.” I waved a hand goodbye and stood up from my seat, heading for the stairs up to my room.
As I had expected, I found the Black Mages still bedridden upon my return. They both looked weary, from some unknown illness or event. I didn’t think the cider’s scent could’ve harmed them quite as bad as they were. I allowed them the comfort of sleeping in the bed after their patience with my recovery. I moved a large armchair in front of the large window on the far side of the room and sat, watching the sun set on the horizon.
It wasn’t long before one of the mages began stirring. Mr. 33 woke up with worried haste, attempting to regain his senses fully. He noticed my silent roosting and asked, “Is something wrong, Kuja?”
I wasn’t certain what he meant. As far as I knew, they were the ones with the illness at this time. I chuckled, “Not at all, Mr. 33. Why do you ask?”
“You look upset…or tired.” He motioned toward his companion, who was still fast asleep.
I shook my head and said, “No, not quite. I’m more or less pontificating on the promise I made Braeburn.” The Black Mage approached me inquisitively.
He asked, “What’d you promise him?” He sat on the floor beside my chair, as if he had no concern with comfort.
“I have to make a delivery to Ponyville a few miles north. I’ll be passing through bandit-infested territory.” I looked down at the mage, who seemed to be lost in thought.
He stared out the window at the sunset. He sighed, “Are you sure you can handle it? I mean, you just got out of bed today…” I heard a strange tone in his voice. He was worried…about me.
I chuckled, “I’m certain I’m up for the task. It’s you two I’m concerned about.”
“What do you mean?”
“You two are joining me, aren’t you? After all, I believe it will be nice to get out of the desert for a while.”
“Really? You actually want us to come along?” He looked at me disbelievingly.
I sat upright in the chair and scoffed, “Of course. A little company on this trip would be most welcome.”
Mr. 111 began to stir in the bed. He groaned, “When do we leave?”
Mr. 33 gasped, “W-wait, how long will we be gone?”
I shrugged my shoulders and said, “No longer than a week, I’m sure.”
The other Black Mage threw the covers off and leaped from the bed. “Does it matter? Not like there’s much to do around here…” he yawned.
“Correct. A change of scenery will be nice, won’t it?” I smiled, turning my attention back out the window. The sun was half-swallowed by the earth at this point. The sky was a mix of beautiful colors. My inner poet began to stir under the vision.
The relaxing Black Mage chuckled, “I guess it can’t hurt. But will we be okay if we fight the bandits?”
His companion scoffed, “What do you think? We have magic. I’m sure we can take care of ourselves. Isn’t that right Kuja?” He turned to me, still lost in thought.
I sighed, “We should be fine. Between the three of us, what could possibly go wrong?”
With that, we all fell silent. We watched as the sun fell below the horizon, the colors of the sky shifting from prismatic to dark. It was a relaxing sight, honestly. The last sunset I ever truly watched was the one at Oeilvert back when I was younger, back on Terra…
…
I’m lying here in bed, trying to finish this entry so I can go to sleep. The Black Mages passed out over by the window, watching the sky change. We’re leaving tomorrow to start our trip, and we should be back before the week’s end. I hope that’s the case, anyway. I could be severely underestimating these bandits, but I’m not afraid.
I’m feeling a bit weary now, so I’ll put the journal away. I should try and write my entries more consistently, but nothing interesting ever happens here in Appleloosa…