//------------------------------// // Chapter 2 - Goodbye // Story: Artist's Block // by Hot Dog Jones //------------------------------// "So I guess this is goodbye," I said to Starshine. We were at the train station, and I was scheduled to leave in a few minutes. This may be the last time I would see Starshine, so I had to make things count. "No, Sketch, it's never goodbye. We'll still have mail, and visiting, and-" I stopped her sentence with a kiss. I wished it could have lasted forever, just me holding her and having us kiss. But I knew it had to end some time. Our lips parted, and I could see my train in the distance; I knew what we said here would count forever. But we said nothing - just merely smiled at eachother. I got on the train and sat down in a compartment, immediately going to a window. The train started to move, and we looked at eachother until we were just tiny specks on the horizon. I laid down on my seat and sighed in my grief. Who knew what Ponyville would be like? Would I meet new friends?Maybe even a new marefriend? What would I do? I sighed and tried to push all the questions out of my mind. Eventually I fell asleep, the light clicks of the track being my lullaby. *** I awoke to the sound of my mother calling my name. "We're almost there, Sketch. You should get your things." I sat up and rubbed my head. The seat of a train wasn't really the most comfortable place to sleep. Through the small window, I could see Ponyville coming up in the distance. I grabbed my saddlebags and my sketchbook, ready to see my new home. The train came to a halt, and I moved for the doors. "Huh," I thought, "So this is my life now." I came out of the train door, looking at what seemed like a simple town- a few shops here and there, many houses lining the streets. Either that, or just all the shops looked like houses... I was confused to say the least: I hadn't expected something this simple. Where were the skyscrapers and the roads? Was this it? As I walked down the.. Well, supposed street, I noticed that everypony was much nicer to eachother than in Manehattan. It was like one of those rare towns you would find in the middle of nowhere. Actually, that was probably what it was. My parents stopped me at a strange looking shop. It was shaped like a merry-go-round, like one you would find at a carnival- Heck, it almost seemed rideable. I noticed a sign hanging above the door- "Carousel Boutique." I knew this must be the pony my mom was working for. "Sketch, your father and I think you should meet my new client," she said to me, putting on her best smile. Welp, just as I thought. Hoping that this pony wasn't crazy, (I mean, her place was shaped like a fair attraction,) I entered the shop, my parents behind me. "Welcome to Carousel Boutique," a very dainty looking pony said, "How can I help y- Oh, Bit Star! How nice to see you, did you just come from the station? I must get you some cider right away!" "That's not necessary, we're just here to stop in and introduce you to our son," my father replied. "Ooooh, I had no idea you had a son, Civil! What's your name, little guy?" she said to me with a smile. Jeez, it sounded like she was talking to her cat. "Sketch," I replied, an unamused look on my face. "Sketch? Oh, what a pretty name. I'm Rarity. Are you into art?" This pony was starting to freak me out. "Yeah.." I said, hoping to get off the subject of me. "That's just lovely! You'll have to draw something for me one of these days," she said with a grin. "But for now, we must get you home! You must be exhausted." Now that she mentioned it, I was a bit tired despite my nap on the train. My parents and I started walking out of the simple store. "Thanks for everything, Rarity! See you tomorrow!" my parents called back to her. *** Soon after, we arrived at our new house. It was a simple little cottage that was surprisingly spacious. It wasn't that special, but its simplicity is what made it cozy. “My new home,” I thought as I observed my new room. It was already fixed up with some furnishings, which was nice – I just wanted to lie down and think instead of unpacking. I noticed some parchment on my desk, and I decided to write Starshine a letter. I really missed her, and now was as good a time as any. So I picked up a quill and began to write.. “Dear Starshine, Let me start off by saying that I really miss you. Like, a lot. My life feels empty without you by my side, and I’m certain you feel the same way. But away from the mushy stuff, let me tell you what’s been going on. I met my mom’s employer, and she seems really nice – A bit ‘posh’ we’ll say, but nice. Maybe I can get her to send you a dress or something. And the cottage by the forest is alright. We’ve only got one neighbor, but he or she hasn’t talked to us at all yet. Also, I haven’t been to the schoolhouse or anything yet. I guess I haven’t seen that much of the town, but I really just wanted to let you know that I love and miss you, and that’ll never change. Love, Sketch” I sighed and folded the paper, promptly placing it in an envelope. I put her name on it and went outside to put it in the mailbox. Heading out my door, I saw my new neighbor going for her own mail. She was a bright yellow pegasus with three butterflies as her cutie mark. One look at her house and I could tell what her special talent was. “She must be good with animals: her place looks like a zoo,” I thought to myself with a chuckle. I waved to her, and she simply muttered, “Hi,” and ran back into her house. “Well, that was… weird,” I thought. “She must be really shy around people.” I went back inside to my parents. "Sketch," my mother said to me, "Maybe you should go down to the schoolhouse to meet your new teacher." "Yes, that's a great idea!" my father said, "As long as you don't have anything to do. Besides, winter break does end tomorrow." "I know, I know.. Don't remind me," I replied, grabbing a coat and heading out the door. I started my way through the streets of Ponyville, looking at all the scenery. It was a lot greener than Manehattan, even on the outskirts where I lived. Since I was new, I saw ponies in the town waving or saying "hi," and I few even came up to me and introduced themselves. I kept walking, when a pink pony stepped in my path. She looked down at me, and suddenly jumped into the air, screaming. With that, she ran away. ,,There are some crazy ponies in this town. I finally reached the schoolhouse and stepped in the small door, putting my coat on a rack. At a desk, grading papers (no doubt final exams from early winter) was a dark purple pony who I supposed to be my teacher. Putting on a confident look, I went up to her. "Excuse me," I muttered. She jerked her head up from her grading so she could see me. "Uh.. Hi. I'm Sketch, the new pony in your class," I explained. She smiled and said, "Oh, Sketch! I've heard about you. Your parents, Bit Star and Civil, made you sound really great. Just hope you live up to that expectation, eh?" she added with a wink. "I'm Miss Cheerilee, Sketch. Nice to meet you." We made small talk for a bit. I imagined she wouldn't normally talk to her students like this, so I decided to end the awkward conversation. "Well, I'll let you get back to grading. See you in tomorrow's class, Miss Cheerilee!" I said, about to leave. "See you later, Sketch!" she said in response, "I hope you like Ponyville!" I grabbed my coat and trotted out the door, heading for home. *** "Well, she seems nice," I thought as I went through the door to my room. When I entered though, something seemed a bit.. off. With one look out my window, I suddenly realized what it was. The shy pony's house was quite loud. Odd, for such a meek mare. I went back downstairs and out the door so I could get a closer look. It looked like it wasn't her in the house, but instead a few small ponies. And it also looked like these ponies were breaking everything in the house. My curiosity overtook me, and I went to investigate.