"Come on, Timid! We're almost there!"
Timid Dreamer could see her brother waving at her in the distance. She was on yet another happy outing with Dig Dancer, her older unicorn brother. Headed towards the Everfee forest, the two would do a little exploring and maybe even find a few interesting items in the process. The forest was wild and mysterious, so who knows what they would find? She smiled warmly at the colt and ran as fast as she could to keep up with him. He stopped at the edge of the forest and waited for her to catch up, throwing a hoof around her and hugging her tightly.
"This forest is pretty creepy, isn't it, sis?" He looked on confidently. Dig always had that air about him, like he knew what he was doing and how he was going to do it.
The tiny pegasus, barely older than 6 years of age, gulped nervously and gazed up at her brave brother. He was strong and always moving forward. Whenever he was around, Timid never felt scared but this forest stirred something inside of her that she couldn't shake. She pressed herself closer against the colt, shivering slightly. Dig laughed and ruffled her long mane.
"Don't you even worry for a second. This part of the forest is actually pretty calm. Besides, if anything were to happen, you know I'd protect you, right?"
"I'm ready, Dig." Despite her nervousness, her brother's enthusiasm strengthened her. They passed the tree line and entered the dreaded forest, wind rustling the branches and creating a creepy ambiance that made Timid regret her decision. "Dig's with me. I'll be fine." They ventured further into the forest, almost to the point where they could no longer see the entrance. It had grown very dark, the canopy blocking out most of the light. Dig lit up his horn, allowing them to see a good bit around them.
"So, you see anything interesting? You never know what you can find in a forest like this one." The glow from his horn shown like a lantern, illuminating everything around there immediate area. It didn't go much farther than that, as if the darkness was swallowing the light itself.
Excited and quickly throwing away her fears of the forest, Timid began searching the ground, imagining valuable treasures that had to be right beneath their hooves, just waiting to be discovered. She giggled while moving small plants out of the way, aided by her brother who stayed by her side and helped her move some heavier objects, like rocks or fallen branches. She thought she caught a glint of something shiny, when it suddenly became dark, almost pitch black. Timid, not taking her eyes off the spot, complained at her brother.
"C'mon, Dig! Bring the light back, I can't see!" No answer. After several moments, the young filly felt scared again and looked behind her. Dig was nowhere to be found. The wind had died down and there was not a single sound to be heard. Feeling around in the darkness only confirmed that she was alone.
"D-Dig? Where'd you go? This isn't funny!" Timid slowly spun in a circle, desperately searching for her brother. The silence in the forest was started to press down on her, frightening her.
"Brother, please! Don't scare me like this!" She began to edge towards the entrance, wanting to leave the wretched area, but afraid of leaving Dig Dancer behind. Timid heard a twig snap to her left and she saw another glint of light, faint but definitely there. It didn't move any closer and she was unsure of approaching it.
"B-brother? Is t-that you?" Her legs were shaking and she could barely hold herself up. Out of the silence came a low growl that seemed to rumble along the ground. Timid's eyes shot wide open and her entire body froze. It only took a moment to realize what this was. Unable to look away, the gleam of light rose higher and the filly could see the faint outline of a rather large timber wolf. The wolf's mouth opened, his jagged teeth holding a malicious gleam of their own. She swore she heard a low guttural laugh. Tears began to stream down Timid's face, staining her cheeks as she stared into the face of horror.
She cried, unable to move from the spot, much less run away. The timber wolf stepped out of the brush slowly, towering over her. It was monstrous, a tall jagged pile of horror, with piercing eyes staring straight into her own. It halted, as if contemplating the meal before him, then pounced with nasty jaws wide open. Timid fell to the ground and screamed as loud as she could, praying for her brother to come to her rescue.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Timid woke up with a start, her throat dry and her scream only a light wisp. Her back was rigid and tears soaked her face as she stared blankly at the wall in fear, the image of the monster still in her mind. She sat there in silence, her consciousness catching up to her, letting her realize that the nightmare was over. Her muscles relaxed and her shoulders slumped, exhaustion taking over. Almost every day for far too many years, she would have nightmares similar to that one. Always her brother disappearing or always involving timber wolves.
Stretching her body painfully and wiping her face dry, Timid slowly pulled herself out of bed. "I'm a full grown mare. I shouldn't be having nightmares anymore..." She held back a sniffle and reached for her favorite scarf, gazing at it sadly. The white scarf, or rather her old foal blanket, never left her sight. She always wore it and when she wasn't, it was almost never more than ten feet away. The end was stained with dirt, due to it being so long that it dragged along the ground. It didn't help that she stepped on it every once in a while, even tripping herself up when she did. Wrapping it around her neck, she walked over to her dresser and stared at herself in the mirror.
Her long brown mane was very messy; She must have been tossing and turning all night. She set the brush on straightening it out, not taking very long despite the length. Luckily her mane was quite cooperative. Her soft, light yellow coat was flattened in some areas, which were taken care of with a quick brushing as well. Her tail, almost the same length as her mane, was not as messy but still required a brushing. Satisfied with her work, she set the brush down and caught her own eye in the reflection. Her green eyes were accented by slight bags beneath them, the result of these nightmares and the lack of sleep. Not much she could do about that. She set her mind elsewhere, trying to shake off the night.
"I wonder if father is back yet. He's been away for a while." Her father, Thatcher, went to Manehattan to look for someone to help him out back here in town. Timid thought it was a bit weird that there wasn't anyone in Ponyville to do the job and thought it was even weirder that he was going to be bringing someone back with him. Some stranger working for father? She wasn't quite happy about that. What if he was mean or something? She wouldn't want someone like that around them, even if her father needed the help. She'd help him herself, if that's what it took.
Nonetheless, the trip was made and he should be returning any day now. Timid saw no reason to remain upstairs, wallowing in her troubles, so she left the room, already smelling the welcome fragrance of breakfast. She closed the door and glided down both flights of stairs into the living room. She liked living in the attic. She had her own little window where she could see a nice section of Ponyville, not to mention it was quiet up there. She heard her mother, Landscape, in the kitchen and stood over by the door frame.
"Good morning, Timid. Did you sleep well?"
She caught her mother's eye, which always had that same look of concern for her. Her mother, Landscape, was a unicorn as well. In fact, Timid was the only pegasus in her immediate family, much to the couple's surprise, but she wasn't treated any differently. She was more of a joker than her father was, and liked to tease her daughter from time to time. Whenever she woke up, though, her mother had a different attitude.
"Same as always, mother."
"I don't know why you insist on staying up so late almost every single night. You only hurting yourself, you know."
Strangely enough, neither of Timid's parents knew about her constant nightmares. Another plus about sleeping in the attic. Her screams were rarely heard during their deep sleep. Only her brother knew about them and he was the only one she could talk to about them. But he wasn't around anymore...
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
"Show me again, Dig! Go back to the last page!"
"Okay, okay, calm down. Here we go." Did Dancer went back a page containing an ornate drawing of an ancient land, one that no longer existed. At least as it was depicted. In it's place were nothing but old ruins and dusty rocks.
"I'll bet that place was amazing when it was still in one piece." Timid, only 5 years old, traced one the bolder lines with her hoof, gazing at the page with a smile on her face.
"You better believe it. A prosperous city and everything, but war made it fall apart."
"War..." There was much that the young filly did not know much of, war being one of those things. She knew enough to not like anything about it. "That's terrible."
"Yep... But at the same time, these ruins are there for us to learn from, so history doesn't repeat itself. One day, I hope I can travel to a place like this and see what I can find. Archaeology is amazing."
Her brother turned the page, this one containing nothing but text, which bored Timid. She nuzzled her sibling and wiggled closer to him, waiting for him to turn to an interesting page. It wasn't long until a voice called from downstairs.
"Dig, Timid! Dinner's ready!"
"Sweet, I'm starving! C'mon, Timid." Dig closed the book and stood up, stretching a little. He waited for his sister to stand up, which she did and he headed for the stairs.
"Dig!" Timid stood there, feeling a little dejected.
"What? Oh, my bad. Alright, climb on."
Timid giggled as her brother laid back down, letting her climb up on his back. She used her tiny wings to balance herself before holding on to his neck. "Alright, I'm ready."
"I think I spoil you too much."
"Older brothers are supposed to spoil their younger sisters. It's... the law or something."
"Is that so?" They descended the stairs, the wafting aroma of freshly cooked food caressing their senses.
"Totally. I don't make the rules and I don't want you to get in trouble. I gotta take care of you too, you know."
"Thanks for looking out for me, tiny."
"I'm not tiny!" They reached the table and Timid hopped off her brother's back onto her seat, eagerly awaiting her meal.
~ ~(Five weeks after her sixth birthday)~ ~
"Treasure, treasure!" Timid stood close to her brother just outside the Everfree forest. She looked past the tree line, her excitement growing. Even if it was creepy, she wanted to run in and starting searching for mystic and wonderful treasures and artifacts. They didn't tell their parents, wanting to surprise them with all kinds of cool objects.
"There might be loads of treasure in there. After all, nobody ever goes in, so that must mean that nobody has ever dug around, right, Dig?"
"Exactly. Who knows what we'll find?"
There was a cold wind that blew through them, but they both looked on confidently. They had been told multiple times to stay away, that the forest was dangerous, but never was a reason given other than that. They were just being parents, after all.
"Come on, let's go!" She tried her hardest to push her brother forward, but with no luck. He laughed and hurried with her to the first tree, setting a hoof inside the perimeter. Nothing bad, so far, so Dig lit his horn and insisted that he go first to light the way. The light didn't go very far but far enough to properly see a short distance in front of them.
"Alright, let's start digging!" Timid set upon a patch of dirt near a tree and used her hooves to quickly clear away the dirt. There could gems or artifacts or even gold! There was no telling what they would find. A few eerie sounding birds set the mood and filled her with nervous excitement.
The next few minutes was spent slowly moving deeper into the woods, until Dig felt that any farther was too far. Timid felt a little disappointed, but knew her brother was right. Besides, there was plenty of ground to dig up and Timid had intention of unearthing every inch.
"I still got nothing. How about you, Timid?"
"Same here. Not even a shiny rock."
They both froze when a twig snapped in the distance, causing a few birds to fly off. An awful stench had replaced the smell of freshly turned dirt and Timid automatically ran to her brother's side, taking cover behind his legs.
"D-Dig, what is it?"
"I'm sure it's just a rabbit or something. Nothing to be worried about." He didn't sound too sure of himself. "Let's head back. We've been here long enough."
Timid stuck close to him, her eyes darting around. They didn't hear another twig or any other sound except their hooves impacting the dirt and rocks around them. The stench had grown stronger, almost making them gag. A rustling to their right made them halt, and they noticed a pair of golden eyes staring at them from behind a tangle of bushes.
"Timid, we need to leave. Now!"
Whatever was stalking them noticed their urgency and emerged from the bushes, revealing itself as a deadly timber wolf. Two more appeared on both sides, almost completely surrounding them, the forest's entrance their only route to safety. The beasts stared at them, hunger evident in their eyes and slowly inched closer to their potential prey.
"Oh no... Timid, run. Run!"
Timid couldn't move. Fear had taken her and left her unable to respond. She stared in horror as the three monsters that stood before them advanced, their intentions dark and evil. Dig kept trying to push her along with his back hooves but she was frozen on the spot. He dared not turn his back in case they used the distraction as an opportune moment to attack.
"H-help..." Her voice came out as barely a whisper.
The first wolf seemed to have gotten impatient and lunged for the stallion. Dig responded immediately by halting the wolf with his magic and hurling it against a nearby tree. The wolf collided with the large object and broke apart, no longer a threat. The other two wolves were now a little more wary, since their target was a viable threat. The one on their left lunged as well, Dig easily catching him in the same manner.
"Dig, look out!" Timid yelled it as loud as she could muster, but it wasn't enough. She watched as the last remaining wolf rushed forward and caught her brother with it's claws, raking across his flank. Dark red grooves were left behind, which quickly began to bleed profusely. Her brother screamed in agony and in a fit of anger threw the wolf he had hold of against the one that had attacked him. They both broke apart like the first, leaving a pile of wood and debris as their corpses.
"Come on, Timid."
"D-Dig, you're b-bleeding..."
"NOW! We have to get out of here!" Her brother, quite injured, pushed her towards the entrance with his muzzle, limping as he went.
~ ~(Timid's sixteenth birthday)~ ~
The meal was left untouched, along with the presents from various members of her family. Her parents, Uncle Flash and her cousin Collision, even some from the neighbors around town; they all gave her something for her birthday. But the one things she really wanted, the one thing that comforted her after a nightmare, that wrapped her up in that old blanket and held her until she stopped crying, the one thing that never blamed her for anything...
"Timid, aren't you going to eat some of your food?"
She felt a hoof rest on her shoulder but did not react. She just stared at the table, tears in her eyes and simply ignored everything around her.
"Timid, baby, please..."
"He's gone, isn't he?" She raised her view to match her mother's, her voice weak.
"Now, Timid, we don't know that for sure..."
"It's been over a month, a full month! He should have been home by now! Every other expedition he went on, he was home when he said he would be! There hasn't been a single letter or sign that he's okay! What if he's... he's..." She pushed away from the table and rushed to her room, blocking out any attempts to stop her. She shoved the door open and ran to her window, flapping her wings as hard as she could to stay aloft as she stared out the window. Maybe... just maybe he could be walking home that very minute. He's a big brother and nothing could stop him.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
She looked at her mother with glazed eyes, but shook herself out of it. No need to bring on questions that she didn't want to answer.
"I probably should get to sleep earlier. We'll see tonight." She heard her mother scoff, a normal reaction. It wasn't the first time she had said that, nor would it be the last.
"You always say that. But, it's your choice, I guess. As long as you're able to function throughout the day, then I can't really complain, can I?" She finished making breakfast and slapped some hay bacon, biscuits and a few apple slices on a plate, hovering it in front of Timid. She grabbed it with her mouth and took it to the table, a few utensils, napkins and two cups floating in behind her. She sat down and waited for her mother before eating.
"When will father be back?" Thatcher had been gone for at least a week and Timid was starting to get worried. She had never been to Manehattan and had no idea what it was like, but the idea of a big city made her nervous.
"He should be back today. He said he was going be back today, regardless of whether or not he found someone. Don't worry, he'll be back soon." She gestured to Timid to begin eating. The meal didn't take long to finish and Timid's mother asked her to clean up the table. She was wiping off the dishes when Landscape called out to her.
"Actually, honey, don't worry about the dishes, I'll finish those up. I need you to make a run to the market for me, instead."
Timid dried off her hooves and trotted over to her mother, who had taken to the couch, finishing up a short list. Timid had already grabbed her saddlebags and was adjusting them when found the list rolled up and floating neatly into her right saddlebag. "Are you sure that's all you need?"
Nodding, Landscape bid her farewell and made her way into the kitchen while Timid left the house. It was a perfect day, enough clouds to provide shade, but pleasantly warm with a nice breeze. Good weather was always a plus and lifted her spirits slightly. She would have rather waited until her father had returned from his trip, but with the warm sun softly beaming down on her and the breeze sifting through her mane ever so slightly, she didn't mind being out. However, even the nice weather couldn't keep her gaze from drifting towards the Everfree Forest. Cold, unfeeling and mysterious were a few of things that ran through her mind as she stared at the forest edge that ran near her house.
"Of all the spots in Ponyville, my parents had to live here..." Wrenching away, Timid tried to banish the emptiness and instead busied herself with thoughts of the marketplace. The warmth of the sun returned to her, but she couldn't fully shake the feeling that the forest was staring at her, as if waiting for her to set hoof inside it's boundary once more. She pulled open the flap of her bag and unrolled the list, double checking her money to make sure she had enough.
"Let's see... Yeah, I have more than enough. Probably should've checked before I left the house." Satisfied, Timid rolled the list back up and dropped it into the nearly empty saddlebag. As she casually trotted towards the center of town, the feeling of the breeze prompted her to unfurl her wings, flapping them a few times to stretch them out. She had the slightest temptation to take off in flight, but resisted it. She wasn't a very good flyer, and preferred to be on the ground. Certainly not the worst thing in the world, but it only aided in making her feel a little less confident about herself.
Thankfully, Ponyville was a small town and it wasn't long before Timid found herself nearing the hustle and bustle of the market. Stands lined the streets, displaying goods in excess. Fruits, vegetables, freshly baked breads, and even an ice cream stand could be seen. "I know ice cream isn't on the list. What do I need to pick up? Lettuce, broccoli, potatoes, carrots..." Dragging the list from the bag, she could see that she wouldn't be here too long. Everything she needed was within sight, except for the broccoli. Probably on the other side of the fountain. She wanted to get this over with. Her father could already be home and she wanted to hear everything about Manehattan. She also wasn't too comfortable being out here amongst the rather large group of ponies, so the faster her trip, the better.
It wasn't too difficult to walk around unnoticed. Her quiet nature resulted in a lack of interaction with the townsfolk, whether or not it was intentional. It was fine. All Timid needed was her parents and... She needed to get on with shopping. No doubt Thatcher was already home, waiting for her to return. Using this as motivation, she quickly bounced between stands, quickly obtaining what her mother required for tonight's meal. Except for the broccoli. Looking around, Timid came to the realization that she had circled the fountain twice and was unable to locate it. The thought of asking a passerby unnerved her, so she set about making another trip to the far end of the market. She probably wasn't looking hard enough.
No. She had already spent too much time here. Certainly her mother could do without the broccoli for tonight; they already had a big enough meal. Disappointed, Timid sighed; even though she knew her mother wouldn't be annoyed in the slightest, she would have much rather found everything. However, on her way out of the market, a small sign adorned with green caught her eye. "There it is! I must've walked right past it while looking at the list." She hurried over to the stand hoofed over the bits for the veggies, stuffing them into her saddlebag and trotting home with a small smile on her face.
Her somewhat good mood made the trip even quicker and was happily surprised to spot her father walking through the front door as she neared the house. picked up the pace and was practically galloping home, relieved to see her father arriving safe and sound. More than once, she nearly upended herself by stepping on her scarf, but the wind eventually caught it and let it furl out behind her, tethered snugly to her neck. She was excited to see him back, but more than anything, she wanted to know who he found.
Reaching her house, she pushed opened the door, maybe a little rougher than she needed to and found her parents sitting on the couch. Timid rushed over and gave her father a tight hug, almost tossing her saddlebags to the floor. It's not like she was scared he was going to disappear or leave for no reason, but she cherished their presence. She broke the hug and hurried to the kitchen, setting all of the veggies neatly on the counter. Coming back to sit on the couch with her parents, Timid made herself comfortable and immediately began the interrogation.
"So, what was Manehattan like?"
"Well, kind of what you read in books, Timid. Not a very nice place, but it has its merits. Very large, but certainly not the largest city I've been to. Also smelled a bit, but I was downtown to begin with."
Timid giggled a bit at that, but pressed on with the question she really wanted to ask.
"Did you find someone to work for you? What's he like?"
"Well, she seems quite capable of handling herself. Her name's Jackie Trade. Her size took me off-guard, that's for sure, being just as tall as I am. But I was able to see how she acted around others and I'm pretty sure she's quite nice, might be a little rough around the edges."
"A mare? How'd you find her?" Landscape seemed a bit surprised at this. Timid didn't really understand why, since she felt another mare would be easier to get along with. Plus, there were a few mares around town who did manual labor, so it wasn't too strange.
"Actually, I was heading back to the train station when I found her. Turns out she used to own a shop in the city but they doubled her rent and she was unable to keep up with the payments. So, I followed her at a distance for a bit to see how she acted. For a pony who had just lost their shop, she held herself together quite well."
"That poor pony." It was sad to hear something like that. Ponyville was such a nice place and Timid didn't believe she ever saw anything like that around. The city must be a difficult place to live.
"Is she a unicorn as well?"
Thatcher shook his head, saying she was an earth pony, of all things. Even though she was never a judgmental pony, Timid couldn't help but wonder why this mare would take a job she was ill suited for.
Landscape wasn't looking too happy about the situation. "Are you sure it was a good idea to hire her, dear? We really don't need her injuring herself."
"I know the risks. I have a feeling she'll be fine. Besides, if she does fall off, I can always catch her. My magic's good for something, right?"
"I guess so... When will she get here?"
"Oh, I gave her three weeks."
"That's... quite a long time, Thatcher. Shouldn't you have..."
Thatcher interrupted his wife, something he doesn't do all that often. "She's picking up and moving pretty much her whole life from the city she was born in. I think three weeks is just enough time for her to get everything prepared. Besides, she said it might not take that long anyway."
As if it called out to her, Timid gazed in the direction of her brother's old room. It really hasn't been changed since he left, only cleaned up and straightened. She would go in there every once in a while when she was down and it sometimes helped her feel better. The new worker coming in would need a room and she knew she wasn't the only one silently dreading the moment when they would have to finally clear out the room.
"Well... we're going to have to find a spot for Ms. Trade." Landscape's tone was soft and definitely sad. It had been lingering in the back of all their minds. Timid sat there silently, tears forming in her eyes. She didn't want it to happen, but she knew that cleaning up his room was necessary. She gave a start when she felt a hoof on her shoulder and looked up to find her father looking at her through misty eyes. She leaned into a hug, one that she shared with her mother, as well.
"I know it's hard but... maybe this will bring some closure. Leaving his room as it is won't make us feel any better about losing him. We'll all do our part, but we can wait until we get her letter."
Timid didn't want it to happen. That room meant something to them all. But her father was right. It would help ease their pain.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
A week passes. Timid grows more and more tense as each day goes by, signaling one step closer to Jackie's arrival. She was nervous, but excited as well. She wanted to meet her. Maybe this Jackie was nice and would be friendly. At the same time, this stranger was going to be living in her brother's room. There was no hatred in this thought, only sorrow.
She was lounging on the couch, reading a book when her mother asked her to check the mail. It was late this morning, but Timid didn't need to check, as she heard a loud thud come from right outside the door and smiled softly.
"The mail's here!" Timid hurried to the door and pulled it open to find a gray pegasus mare with a blonde mane stuffing a few letters into their mailbox. Timid quietly greeted her, which caused the mail mare to turn around and smile at the voice. Her slightly skewed eyes found the other mare for a brief second, but then one seemed to drift, as if going about its business.
"Well, hey Timid! How's it going! Sorry for the mail being late!" Ditzy Hooves was the only mail mare in town. Not that they really needed another, but sometimes she could get caught up or lose track. She was also quite infamous for losing mail but it never stayed that way for long. She was as sweet as could be and one of the few ponies that Timid wasn't nervous about being around, despite them only interacting whenever the mail was delivered. She had an amazing memory too, which was very helpful for her job.
"Oh, it's not a problem, Ditzy. You know we don't care. How is your morning?"
"Just fine, but I was a little late getting out of the post office this morning. Um... a muffin was blocking the exit." She licked her lips, apparently in memory of the evil muffin keeping her from doing her job, but Timid just giggled.
"Anyway, I need to get going. The rest of the town still needs their mail. Have a good day!"
Timid bid farewell to the mare and cringed when she almost hit a small tree. Heaving a sigh of relief, she opened the mailbox and looked through the small pile of envelopes. "Bill, bill, sweepstakes, b... wait." Sitting there in her hoof was a letter from Manehattan addressed to her father. Using her teeth, Timid hurriedly ripped open the envelope after tucking the others under her wing and scanned the paper nervously.
"Hope I'm not bothering you, blah, blah, blah, ready to leave, blah, blah, blah, I'll be there arriving on..." She did the math in her head. "If today's the... and she's coming on the... She's going to be here in two days!?" Luckily, her father hadn't left yet and her mother was in the kitchen making a snack. Timid rushed into the house, letter in her mouth and dropped it on the counter in front of her mother.
"What's got you in such a rush, honey?" Landscape hovered the letter in front of her and Timid saw her eyes widen a bit, but really no other reaction. She then called her husband down to show him the letter. Thatcher simply sighed.
"Well, I can't say that I'm disappointed she's coming over so quickly. The sooner, the better, but I did expect at least another week. This just means..." He didn't have to say it. It was one of the reasons why she ran in so quickly. Her father checked the time and chuckled lightly.
"Hey, buck up. It's not like we're hiding him or anything. He wouldn't mind what we're about to do. Now, let's get it over with. We'll feel better when it's done." He stood aside and let Timid and Landscape go up first, crowding around Dig's door on the second story. Pushing open the door, Timid walked in, the air warm but somewhat stale from the lack of air circulation. Thatcher walked in behind her with a couple of cardboard boxes.
Despite their collective lack of motivation, they set about clearing the room slowly. Landscape stripped the bed and rolled everything up nice and neat, while Thatcher took care of the heavier items that lay around the room. Timid edged over to the desk where she had neatly arranged all of his smaller findings in strange little patterns. She examined a few arrowheads, ones that were actually Dig's first findings on his trip. They were dull and still had a bit of dried, packed dirt on them. She looked over every other object slowly before wrapping it up and setting it gently in the box, trying to find the best way to fit them together. More than once, she watched her mother sit on the bed, tears welling up in her eyes and every time, she wanted to go over there and cry with her.
The room was finally cleared out and felt somewhat barren. Strangely enough, it did make Timid feel a little better. She couldn't quite explain it, but she felt a little less heavy. Not that her brother being gone was weighing her down, but a clean slate seemed to have lifted her spirits. It's not like they were hiding him, like her father had previously pointed out. He would still be there, just not in his... this room.
They all sat down on the bed and leaned against each other. The hard part was done. Now to wait for their new arrival.
__________________________________
The train ride had been surprisingly comfortable and Jackie took advantage of it by sleeping like a rock. The seats were plush, the breeze was cool and the snack cart had more than enough to satisfy her sweet tooth. More than once she woke herself by snoring too loudly. She didn't mind that, since the best part of waking up was getting to go back to sleep, if you were able. Back home, she'd sometimes set an alarm early just so she could slap the snooze button once or twice. Yes, she had lazy days almost down to an art. She may have been a hard worker, but she certainly appreciated her downtime.
A male voice rang out over the train's speakers, announcing their arrival to Ponyville. Jackie gazed out the window but could only see the train station at the moment. It kind of looked like your normal station, but there was something... different about it. Shrugging, she hitched up her saddlebags and waited for the train to fully stop before heading towards the exit. Last thing she needed was to arrive at her new job with a bloody nose. The conductor bid her a good day and stepped aside to allow her onto the wooden platform. Jackie stepped away from the train, moving with the group that left with her.
Once they exited the station, the group dispersed, leaving Jackie by herself in a strange new town. She figured out what was different about this place. It was brighter. Not weather wise, even though the air was much cleaner here. No, the feeling itself was much brighter than downtown Manehattan. 'Peaceful' was the word that came to mind. The station let out into the main part of town and Jackie could see the townsfolk going about their business without being in any particular hurry. The most amount of activity she saw was the far off market, where ponies were selling their various produce and wares.
Jackie never had a chance to stroll before, since she was always brushing past over being lightly shoved out of the way, but here, she had all the room she would need. So she strolled towards town, coming upon the bustling market. She could see that the large majority of stands were produce stands, which wasn't surprising but a nice change of pace. Manehattan had supermarkets that held sway over the food, so it was rare to find anyone selling much of that. Lettuce, tomatoes, apples, flowers of every type; Jackie's mouth watered as she gazed around. The looked leafy and delicious, nothing like the cheap stuff sold back home. Despite eating on the train, being around all this fresh, fragrant food was making her hungry again.
Everyone was friendly here. More than once she was waved at by a total stranger and would awkwardly return the gesture. The air was crisp, vaguely sweet smelling and a light breeze blew through her mane. There was no litter blowing past her hooves, nor were there other ponies roughly pushing past her. There was plenty of space to walk, even with quite a few ponies tugging carts behind them. Multiple times Jackie could spot a few fillies and colts chasing each other around or playing games out in the open.
The variety of shops was usual but, like the stands, food and produce were the majority found. She noticed that quite a few houses were located in the main square, which was odd to her, since the square would usually be reserved for businesses. She thought about it and concluded that it might be much easier to open a business in a place like this. Small towns still need things repaired and built and she hadn't noticed a shop much like hers. They must be contracted out. She kept that in mind just in case her new job fell through.
"Alright, enough walking around. It's time to meet your new boss." Jackie asked a random passerby for directions, who happily pointed her towards the edge of town. She was a little surprised that the pony knew exactly where it was, but in a town like this, everybody must be pretty close. Thanking her, headed off, now wondering about how his family would feel about her arrival. Where she would be living also crossed her mind, but she can't imagine that he rented a place just to have her stay in it. That seemed like a bit too much trouble to go through. Maybe it was a small place in town. Wherever it was, it had to be better than her apartment back home. A box would be better than that place.
It didn't take her long to reach Thatcher's place. Such convenience pleased her, not to mention the look of the place was very appealing to the eye. It was a very nice two story house with what she assumed was an attic, adorned with flowers and the like. When she saw the front door, she hesitated. Now, Jackie had no problem talking to Thatcher before, but seeing not only her new employer at his home, but his family as well, set her on edge. She felt like she was intruding. Shaking her head and swallowing her fear, Jackie strode up to the front door and raised a hoof to knock.
She never got the chance. The door flew open before she even touched it, revealing a small pegasus whose excited smile gave way to a very nervous look. Timid stood frozen for a moment, eventually backing away from the door, her head held low. Jackie could only stare as this new mare regarded her with an uncertain look.
"Crap. There's goes my good first impression." Jackie didn't quite know how to react. Here she was, some stranger to this pony and the mare, who she assumed was the daughter, backed away like she was brandishing a weapon at her. "Now what?"