With all four of his legs caked in mud, sand sticking to his wet poncho, and his mane and tail now damp and wavy, Cheese Sandwich was wishing for a bath. His stomach moaned, and a meal was added to his wish list. And under the heat of the sun, he wished that it was a little cooler. A gentle breeze would certainly be nice.
He walked beside the railroad, which was ascending up yet another hill. His legs ached from his frustrating journey, and he felt due to collapse any moment. Looking up to the top of the hill, he told himself that once he got there, he could lay down and rest in the grass; perhaps even take a nap. Seeing as he couldn't sleep the night before thanks to the riffraff he ended up in the same boxcar as, the thought of a nap sounded very nice.
Once he reached the top of the hill, he plopped down onto his belly, thankful that the grass was soft and cool. With a content sigh, he laid his head down, letting the green blades caress his chin. Though he still wished the sun wasn't so hot, the patch of grass he laid on was just perfect.
Cheese couldn't ignore the itchiness of his dirty legs, however. The mud had dried and cracked, and while most of it just stuck to his coat, the mud touching his skin was absolutely irritating. So, naturally, he began to scratch it.
He lifted his head and took a hard look at his itchy foreleg, scratching it with his other. The dry mud flaked off his leg as he did so. Cheese muttered under his breath about his experience at the river, and the amazing amount of mud that graced its bottom and hid its depth.
Then, out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of some buildings. Turning his head that direction, he saw a town, just down in the valley. His eyes swept the landscape, from the apple orchard that led directly from one side of town to the strangely rock-themed train station. Beyond the station was a barren landscape under an overcast sky, occupied by a single farmhouse that looked very tiny from his perspective. He briefly wondered why anypony would live there, but then turned his attention back to the town. He could see ponies walking down its street, chatting with each other, and entering and exiting buildings.
The thrill of finally reaching a town got him to his hooves, and he broke out into a gallop.
"Thank you for the cabbages, Mr. Green," Pinkamena said, tossing a couple of the vegetables into her cart.
She dropped a couple bits into the older stallion's hat, turned, and walked away from the cabbage stand. Checking off her list, she hitched herself to the cart and began her trot back to the farm. She didn't even turn when she heard some foals screaming, a crash behind her, followed by Mr. Green shouting in dismay.
The cart she pulled was full of fruits, vegetables, and dry goods she had purchased, and she was certain that it was more than enough for her family to get by for the next few months. She kept a steady pace, taking care to leave room in the road for those coming from the direction she was headed. Only a fool waltzed down the middle of the street like royalty, especially when pulling a cart.
Dust was surrounding the hooves of everypony, who all seemed to be busy with some errand. Chickens clucked, ponies chattered, and clops of all speeds sent even more dust up. Pinkamena could hear several sneezes as she trotted. Sunny days always equaled dusty days for some reason. Her nose itched as well, and it wasn't long before she let out a sneeze of her own.
She slowed to a stop in front of one of the stores. She looked around her, making sure that no eyes were on her. She continued to glance around as she unhitched herself from the cart, and walked into the store.
Once inside, she heard jolly laughs from the couple manning the counter.
"Pinkamena!" the chubby yellow stallion exclaimed. "It's good to see you, young mare!"
"I see it's your turn to visit town, huh?" the white pegasus mare asked.
"Hello, Lemon Drop. Hello, Sugar Glider," Pinkamena greeted. "How's the foal coming along?"
Sugar Glider lifted her wings, and caressed her bulging side. Giggling, she stroked her red mane and answered, "The little one's got a strong kick. That tells me he or she is doing well."
"That's good," Pinkamena said, nodding. "Now… how do I satisfy my sweet tooth today…?" She looked at the glass jars, which were all filled with various candies. She narrowed her eyes and scrutinized the sweets in the containers, scanning every gumdrop, licorice, lollipop, candy cane, and many other kinds of candy.
It was a tough decision, given that she only visited town about once a month and that she had to hurry back to the farm. That was without considering the possibility of some crook stealing the groceries. She needed to decide quickly, and hope that her choice was a good one.
Cheese rehearsed the lines to himself as he walked into town. "Hello, my name is Cheese Sandwich. Is there any place where you need an extra set of hooves?" He gazed at his muddy hooves once again. "Perhaps someplace where I can bathe and eat? And wash my poncho… and maybe restock myself for my travels… and maybe—d'oh, Cheese, you're rambling again!"
He lifted a hoof to rub his eye, but resisted the urge when he realized that he could get dirt in his eye. He looked around at the buildings and stalls lining the dusty road. The stalls run by single ponies were selling fruits and vegetables, while signs told him that the stores sold dry goods such as flour and oats. Working in the dry goods store was worth considering.
Other buildings included the barbershop, the dentist's place, a bakery, a candy shop, and several other things. He added more possibilities to his imaginary list, while also brainstorming ideas on how to approach the owners without a nervous breakdown. He had to remind himself that he had gotten jobs before; he could do it again.
Sitting across from the candy shop, he could see a saloon, which he immediately crossed out of his imaginary list. Drunken bar fights had always terrified him, and that wasn't going to change anytime soon.
He looked to the candy shop again, watching a few foals run in happily. He couldn't help but smile at the sight, although his view seemed to be blocked by a cart full of a load of dry goods, fruits, and vegetables. Staring at the cart, he put a hoof on his belly and drooled. That food sure looked delicious. However, it was not his to take. Then he started to worry that somepony would steal the goods in the cart, if not the cart itself.
His worries switched to something else as he noticed some familiar faces waltzing out of the saloon. While the thought of them having used his hard-earned bits made his blood boil, the dread of those stallions being in the same town as he was overshadowed it. He stood there, frozen in place, trying to will himself to be invisible. He glanced at the cart, and thought about hiding in it.
The thugs made their way to the cart. Cheese watched as they examined it in many strange ways. They looked at it up and down. They put their ears to it to listen to… something, he didn't know. They sniffed the wood, and licked the wheels. Cheese could not help but sport an odd expression upon seeing the interesting examination.
And then he heard them start laughing, and they all faced the door of the shop cautiously, save for one, who was hitching himself to the cart. Cheese's odd expression transformed into a sharp glare. Of course they were going to steal it.
Given the amount of food that was in the cart, he imagined a farmer with a large family in the candy shop, watching as his foals picked out their treats. He imagined them walking out that door, only to discover that their cart was gone. The thought of somepony's whole family starving wrenched his heart, and it angered him to see stallions who didn't even care.
So, he yelled, in a louder voice than he thought was possible for him, "That is not your cart!"
The heads of the stallions turned toward him. The leader, the same green-maned thug he encountered on the train, stared at him for a few moments, before shouting, "Well, well, if it isn't the little Toothpick!"
Cheese's face fell upon hearing that. Before long, the ponies had abandoned the cart and were making their way toward him. He backed up as they walked forward, and much to his dismay, he tripped over a rock and landed straight onto his hindquarters. Rubbing his rump, he looked up at the thugs towering over him.
"Why, Toothpick…" the leader said. "We haven't been properly introduced. Let's try it again, shall we?"
"Meep," Cheese squeaked.
After a little thinking, Pinkamena purchased a small jawbreaker. Once she had finished exchanging a bit for the candy, she popped it into her mouth, and contentedly sucked on it. Looking at the couple before her, she said, "It's good."
"Thank you very much," Lemon Drop said. Tapping his hoof on the counter, he added,"Yanno, the whole town's talking about that handsome Apple stallion attempting to court one of the Pie sisters."
Pinkamena groaned. "I told him I'm not interested."
Sugar Glider tilted her head. "Why so, dear?"
"He comes on too strong and won't take 'no' for an answer."
"Well…" Lemon murmured. "They weren't lying about his persistence."
Sugar giggled. "Well, somepony oughta let him know that actively looking for romance with a certain mare doesn't make it happen. Maybe he'll meet another mare someday, and slowly realize what love really is as he gets to know her."
"And then I'll be happy that he's off my back," Pinkamena said.
The three of them heard shouts from outside, accompanied by boisterous neighing and laughter. They all looked to the door with questioning looks, and within seconds, the three of them were outside to see what the commotion was.
Sure enough, it was a group of greasy stallions, sitting in a circle beside her cart and pushing around some poor soul. From what Pinkamena could see, the one they were torturing had an orange coat. Sitting in the dust outside the circle was a dirty poncho and a pair of glasses. She glanced at the items, and then to the circle again, where she heard vulgar things being said and saw some of the ponies snatch some food from her cart.
With a snort, she stomped toward the circle. She approached the closest stallion, who had his back turned, and tapped him on the back. Seeing that the pony ignored him, she tapped some more. She tapped a third time before deciding to take a different approach. So, she turned around, and shot out her hind leg, feeling it collide with the stallion's back. The resulting howl of pain and the collapse that followed caught the other stallions' attention.
They watched the mare slowly turn back around to face them , with a small but firm scowl on her face. They were frozen when she gave them an icy stare, with only their eyes looking between her and the stallion she had taken down. They had dropped the dazed orange pony they had been pushing around, and could only sit transfixed as she continued to stare.
Finally, after a tense minute, Pinkamena snarled, "Scram."
They quickly obeyed her, picking up their comrade and leaving their victim. They hightailed it as fast as they could, looking back every so often to see that she wasn't following them.
Pinkamena watched them run like the cowards they were. "Hmph."
She bent down to take a look at the pony they had been toying with. He was smudged with dust from the road, dried mud from the river about a mile from town, and grease and spit from the thugs. Dirt was sticking to his brown mane and tail, and he sported a bit of a wall-eyed look. She poked him, and his green eyes were beginning to straighten.
"Please stop spinning, mister," he sputtered. "You'll lose your cotton candy."
Pinkamena raised an eyebrow and said, "I'm a mare."
The stallion blinked, and he shot up to a sitting position. With a red face, he stammered, "I am so, so, so sorry! I-I-I'm just—I'm just sorta kinda blind without my glasses, ma'am! I hope you're not too offended, I didn't mean to!"
"Calm down. I'm not offended," Pinkamena said flatly. She picked up the glasses and pushed them onto his face. "There, can you see better?"
He blinked a few times, and nodded. Now that his glasses were back on, he could clearly see the mare's face. Although she held a strange mix of sour and indifferent in her expression, he couldn't help but be drawn to her bright blue eyes. Of course, when he realized he was staring, he turned away, and stood up.
"…thanks for the help," he muttered, brushing his hoof on the ground.
"Those thugs were snatching vegetables from my cart," Pinkamena said, picking up the poncho.
"Oh… that's your cart? That's a lot of food."
"I'm shopping for my family."
"Makes sense…"
"You need a bath."
"I know."
"Then go home and take one."
"I… uh… don't have a home."
Pinkamena threw the poncho at his face. "That needs to be washed."
He took the poncho off his face, opened his mouth, and closed it again. Clearing his throat, he asked, "Is there… any place you know… that could use a helping hoof… Miss…"
The mare was already hitching herself to the cart. "Pie. Pinkamena Pie. And you are?"
"Uh, well, it's sorta embarrassing…"
"Spill it."
He sighed. "Cheese Sandwich."
"Hmph. Well, Mr. Sandwich, feel free to come work at the Pie family rock farm. Or don't. I don't care either way. You're not built for that kind of work, anyway. On the off chance you do come, you better be clean of those disgusting stallions you were with. Seriously, they reeked."
"I agree, Miss Pie."
Pinkamena started to walk away, towing her cart back home. As she did so, she added, "I'd also appreciate it if you'd pay for the vegetables that were stolen once you earn some bits. Obviously those slimy crooks won't do that."
"Uh, yeah… I guess…"
He stood there as he watched her leave, quite confused about the conversation they had. It made sense… yet somehow didn't. He couldn't place his hoof on why though. Although he was grateful for her intervention, her attitude was a little off-putting. And then his mind went back to her beautiful eyes.
"Oh, don't worry about Pinkamena," Sugar Glider said, walking over to Cheese's side. "She's actually very sweet once you get to know her."
"Yep," Lemon Drop said. "She's visited our shop enough for us to know that."
"Good to know," Cheese muttered.
"Now…" Sugar looked at Cheese's coat, and then glanced at her husband, who simply nodded. She smiled, took Cheese by the hoof and said, "Come on, I'll take you home so you can take a bath and wash that poncho. You can't go looking for a job smelling like that, young colt."
"Oh, I, uh… thank you." Cheese smiled back, only for his face to fall and flush red in embarrassment when his stomach rumbled. "Oh, um…"
Lemon laughed and exclaimed, "Make sure to feed him, too, Sugar!"