Chapter 1 - Choice
It all started on an everyday morning in Canterlot, as most grand adventures do. Ruby Sharp Shoe didn’t just wake up one morning and decide to leave home, no; it had been something she had been planning for a while. And now, on her 22nd birthday, it was time to implement it. A bit auspicious, a bit sad, and all-around liberating. Not that she didn’t love her family - she did. But at the same time, the white-coated earth pony just didn’t... mesh. Ruby had followed the trend of most hip, young mares and colts her age, piercing her ears and wearing jewelry. It may have seemed impractical for a pony whose family worked in the knife-making profession, but for Ruby, she liked the silver and gold she chose to adorn herself with. Even her mane had some sections that were dipped in a special gold mineral dye. She got one section done every two years, on her birthday. And as luck would have it, this was the last year she needed. As she walked out of the salon, thanking the mares that dyed the section, she smiled faintly as she watched it glitter in the morning sun.
Passing by the Canterlot gates, her eyes caught a glimpse of a rather odd sight. A unicorn mare lay just outside, near the tracks, somewhat hidden from the guards’ site. She looked too well-kept to be homeless, and too old to be a random runaway. The blue unicorn had her Cutie Mark, a large pink button with a silver needle through it. Aside from this, Ruby chalked it up to somepony being lost and kept walking back to her house, to finish packing her saddlebag. She lived in the middle sector of Canterlot, a higher-end sector than most servants to the royals lived in. Perhaps since they were rich long before such times, the Sharp Shoes were allowed to live in such comfort.
Gray-colored hoof nudged the wooden door open, Ruby walking in and up the stairs to her room. White saddlebag was half packed, mostly with necessities. The other side would hold her kit, and her favorite knife, a small one with a mother-of-pearl handle, the first she ever made. Hey, if she was called to work on something, she wanted to be prepared. It was a small chance, but a chance nonetheless. As she closed the flap, a gray earth pony, Amber Sharp Shoe, walked into the room. Her crossed knife Cutie Mark almost blended in with her coat, her red mane tied up in a bun as the matriarch of the Sharp Shoes watched her daughter with golden eyes.
“Ruby... Are you sure you want to do this?”
Ruby hefted the saddlebag onto her back, turning to meet golden with blue as she nodded. “Perfectly so. I need to go out and seek inspiration. When I return, I will continue my work. My way.” Her Cutie Mark, a single knife with a red ribbon around the handle, solidified this.
Amber sighed, giving her head a small shake. “I know better than anypony that after 22 years of life in Equestria, once you set your mind on something, you see it through.” Walking over, she placed a gentle hoof on Ruby’s shoulder. “I know you don’t need reminding, but for my sake... Travel safe, and if your gut tells you something, follow it. It will rarely lead you wrong.”
“Unless it’s hunger.” The quip comes before Ruby can stop it, earning a reproachful look from her mother. Sighing, the mare nodded, nuzzling Amber. “I know. I promise, I’ll be careful. I’ll try to send a message your way if I run across a mail pony.”
Satisfied, Amber nodded. “How about a fried hay sandwich before you leave?”
“Ah, my one weakness. I guess a meal for the road couldn’t hurt.”
***
Once Ruby had something to eat, she bid her mother goodbye and left her house. Despite her best efforts, she couldn’t help but look back at it, the weight of leaving her safe haven hitting her for the first time since her decision was made. The fog of uncertainty was pressing against the back parts of her mind, knowing her goal sounded ludicrous, to a sound-minded pony. But Ruby was known for marking her own path and doing things her way, so she refused to let that fog cloud her path. Steeling herself, Ruby moved to the gates. As she was moving out, a pair of guards moved in, each flanking the side of a blue pony with deep green, fear-filled eyes. She was wearing a saddlebag of her own, which looked a bit old compared to Ruby’s. Ruby knew right away that this was the same pony she’d seen before, but before she could tear her gaze away, she had made eye contact with the guard. The stallion nodded his head. “Morning, Miss Sharp Shoe.”
Against her better judgement, Ruby nodded in return, pausing in her steps. “Good morning, What’s all this?” She motioned to the pony, whose mane was tied in a braid and hanging down one side of her face and neck. Her bangs and tail were so fluffy they almost looked tangled, but closer inspection showed they were just that voluminous. Absurdly enough, the tie holding her braid together appeared to be made of multicolored buttons. Considering her Cutie Mark, Ruby supposed there was no reason to be surprised; her own mane and tail were almost meticulously styled daily. Ruby suspected she had some sort of obsession with looking good every day. But that was neither here, nor there, and her attention was on the trio before her.
The second guard was who replied. “This mare was sleeping right outside the gates. She’s not a resident of Canterlot, and claimed not to have official business to be here. As a safety precaution, we’re escorting her to the main station for further questioning.”
Ruby canted her head some. The blue pony, for her part, looked terrified. Ruby supposed she couldn’t blame her; after all, the Canterlot guard could be rather imposing. Now was when her first choice would be made, before she even left Canterlot’s city limits. Normally, she would have just nodded and let them go on their way, and never pay the blue pony a second thought. However, this selfish nature was probably one of the reasons she found herself so uninspired as of late. So for the purposes of improving herself, she fought her natural instinct, and moved herself closer, and did the unthinkable.
She lied.
“Button.” A wild stab in the dark at her name. “I told you it was fine to mention me when you arrived. You wouldn’t be an imposition to just wait for me in the kitchen.” She looked to the guards. “She’s here to see me. We planned to travel together to the next town. We met back at an event in Fillydelphia about a month ago, and planned this then.” She bowed her head some to the guards. “I apologize for the misunderstanding.”
The guards looked to one another, but Ruby knew before she even lifted her head that it had worked. Being in one of the most influential families in Canterlot had its perks, and she supposed Celestia would forgive her for lying to save a pony in need. The first guard nodded. “Very well. I suppose this time, we can let it go.” He looked to the blue pony. “Next time, don’t fall asleep in front of the gates.”
“Y-yes sir! Sorry, Sir!” The blue pony bowed as the pair walked away. Before Ruby could excuse herself, she would find a pair of arms around her, and a perky voice in her ear. “Thank you so much! I was really in a pinch! Are you magic? You’re not a unicorn, but my name is Buttonstitch, and I really am from Fillydelphia!”
Stiffened from the hug, Ruby fought the urge to facehoof. “It was a merely lucky guess. Please let go of me.”
“Oh.” Buttonstitch let go, and she smiled. “Seriously, thanks. You saved my hindquarters there.”
“It was nothing.”
“Are you really going somewhere?”
A sigh escaped the earth pony; may as well humor the unicorn. “Yes, I am. I’m looking for something.”
“Ooh, like a treasure? What is it?”
Ruby fixed her gaze on Button; she was done lying for the day. “Elysium. That’s what I’m searching for.” She then braced for either laughter, scorn, of questioning of her mental state. To her shock, she got none of the above.
Buttonstitch just kept her easy smile and nodded. “That sounds interesting. Can I come with you?”
Ruby felt her blue eyes go wide. “You... want to come with me? But we just met. We don’t know one another. You don’t even know my name!”
Button laughed. “Isn’t that the point of a journey, silly? I know part of your name is Sharp Shoe; is that it?”
“No.” This was a battle the earth pony knew had been lost. “It’s Ruby.” She turned to the exit again. “Just a note, the second you irritate me, I’m telling you to get lost, got it?” She turned her head to look at Buttonstitch, but the unicorn’s green eyes were focused upward.
“Incoming...”
“What?” Before Ruby could react more, she felt something hit her like a ton of bricks; were she not more sturdy, she would have surely broken something as she hit the pavement. What hit her, however, was not a ton of bricks, but instead a living, breathing colt, with a brown coat and a short, spiked green mane.
The colt shook his head. “Anyone get the Cutie Mark off that pegasus?” His voice was a murmur as he looked up, eyes a bit topsy-turvy as he tried to clear the cobwebs.
Buttonstitch trotted over, concern on her face. “Are you alright, sir?”
The colt shook his head, then smiled. “Oh, yeah! I took a fall from the balcony up there; asked a fellow pony to take a picture of me. Like mother always said, ‘always be humble, or you’ll take a tumble!’” He laughed. “I’m Iron Wood, by the way.” He smiled, then looked down at the mare he landed on. “Why are you laying on the ground? It’s dangerous, you know.”
Ruby blinked, ears flattened in annoyance as she sighed heavily, facehoofing. “By Celestia’s mane, please let me leave this city with some of my dignity left intact...”
If she could ever reach the city gates...