//------------------------------// // The Train Ride // Story: Anypony Home? // by Rainbow Factory Dash //------------------------------// Diamond Tiara sat upon her seat on the rather noisy train back to her home town, Ponyville. She stared blankly out the window, openly bored. She huffed a rather loud sigh. Her father, Filthy Rich, picked up on this. He nudged her shoulder gently with his muzzle, making the pink filly jump. Her head whipped around to face her father as he chuckled. "It's not funny," The filly huffed. "You just startled me, that's all." "I know," Her father replied with a final small chuckle. "You bored, pumpkin?" "No, not at all!" Diamond retorted sarcastically. "I'm extremely content just staring out this window into the bland forest." "Ok, ok. I get it. Well if your so bored, then you should do something. I packed some books if you'd like to read to pass the time." Rich offered. Diamond Tiara was about to decline, but decided a little summer reading wouldn't hurt. Besides, the filly thought. I will have less work to do when i get home. "Sure, I would like a book, please." A surprised look flashed across the stallions face for a brief moment, but quickly turned into a pleased one. He reached into his saddlebag and pulled out a book titled Daring Do and the Quest For the Sapphire Statue. He smiled and handed the book to his daughter. "You know, this book is from one of my favorite series. I've always loved these books." "Oh, goody." Diamond Tiara said with a sarcastic tone, making her father frown. "Well, you won't be bored for much longer. This book is very exciting and full of adventure and suspense that leaves you on the edge of your seat!" He informed her, and it didn't take long for her to realize he was just reading one of the few reviews on the back cover of the book. She arched a brow at him. "AND we will be home in about half an hour." Diamond Tiara smiled brightly and started reading to pass what little time was left of her train ride back home. *** Being a rather fast reader at her age, Diamond Tiara was already at the part when Daring Do was being captured by Ahuizotl. She was so enveloped in her book, that she didn't notice that the train was nearing it's destination. So when the train lurched as it came to a halt, she wasn't prepared, and she flung forward into the seat in front of her, head first. "Owwwww..." She groaned as she sat up and rubbed her forehead gingerly, the exciting book still in her hooves. Her father chuckled behind her. "I see your enjoying your book, pumpkin." He said as he pulled his daughter back onto their seat. "Yes, I am." She replied as she picked up one of the smaller bags in their luggage compartment. "It's so so so SO good! I especially liked the part when she used the vine to swing herself over the river, it was AWESOME!" Filthy Rich chuckled again. "Well, I'm glad you liked it, pumpkin. You can finish the book when we get home, if you'd like." Diamond Tiara smiled and nodded, excited to see how Daring Do would escape the dreaded Ahuizotl. She tucked the book into the bag she was already carrying, and helped her father get the rest of them. They escorted themselves off the train, and Diamond Tiara noticed that her and her father were the only ponies riding the train to Ponyville. Huh, Bon Bon and Lyra are even on the train. Why aren't they getting off? Aw well, maybe they are going somewhere else, she thought to herself, trying to shrug the eeriyness of this off. They gingerly walked through the usually busy but now seemingly empty train station, eager to get home and relax. As they approached the closed double doors that was usually open for ponies entering and exiting the train station, Diamond Tiara felt a strange chill run down her spine and froze. She began to question what it was. A gust of wind? No, i didn't feel any wind. Is it chilly in here? No, I would've noticed when I got off the train, she thought, trying to determine what it was, but to no avail. Hmm... maybe I'm just cold? Diamond Tiara raised a hoof to her forehead and felt a few beads of sweat starting to form. No, it's WAY too hot today. No matter how much she thought, she just couldn't seem to figure out what the unnatural feeling was. She decided too just shrug it off. She had other things on her mind, like what she was going to eat when she got home, and what she was gonna do with her best friend, Silver Spoon when they went out tomorrow. Through her thoughts, she heard her father calling her name, sounding rather faint for some odd reason. She snapped back into reality and swung her head around in many directions, looking for her father in the empty train station. After a moment she spotted him waving to her by the big, closed double doors. Diamond Tiara ran towards her father. "What happened there, pumpkin?" Filthy Rich asked his daughter when she reached him. "You suddenly just froze up. Are you okay?" Diamond nodded. "Yea I'm fine, daddy." Filthy Rich smiled. "Okay, then let's get home." He turned around and kicked the doors open with his hind legs, for his fore hooves were full with luggage. The two earth ponies walked through the now open double doors and trotted carefully down the short flight of stairs watching there hooves and the ground below them carefully so they didn't fall and spill everything out of their bags. When they reached the bottom of the small flight of stairs, they put down their luggage to take a small brake and froze up when the looked at the town before them. "Holy buck..." Filthy Rich said, unable to say anything else. "What the buck happened to our home?!" Diamond Tiara said. She wasn't usually allowed to say swear words, but this time, her father let it slide. They stood in the presence of what looked to be a ghost town. All the buildings and houses looked to be broken to the point that they could all be condemned. The dirt roads that wound all throughout town and that were usually rather clean had broken nails, stray pieces of wood and other pieces of trash strewn about it. Usually, the streets of Ponyville would be bustling with activity at this time of day, but not a single pony seemed to even be in this monstrosity of what was once a beautiful, simple town. Even the fountain seemed to be in horrible condition; there were multiple chips along the body of the statue in the middle and on the "bowl" that held the water inside. Every few seconds, they could here a small drip coming from the fountain as a single drop of water fell from the hose; even the smallest noises could be heard seeing as though there wasn't any other sounds at all. Leaving there luggage on the ground where it was, Filthy Rich suddenly started walking in the direction of their house, not saying a word to his daughter. "Wait! Daddy! Where are you going? You forgot your bags!" Diamond Tiara called after her father, who still remained silent. He didn't even look back. The filly fumbled with the few bags she picked up. She ran as fast as she could under the extra weight of the bags she held to catch up with her father. After a few moments, she was able to trot side by side with him. She looked up at him. He didn't look down at her. Diamond Tiara frowned and looked away, staring at the ground warily. After a few minutes of walking in uncomfortable silence, the two ponies reached their house. When they reached it, they both looked up at it, both wearing matching looks of surprise, confusion, and sadness. Like all the other houses in Ponyville, their house too looked like it was part of the ghost town. "Daddy, what do you think happened?" Diamond Tiara asked her father, mentally begging for him to actually acknowledge her existence and answer her question, although she knew he wouldn't have an answer. She put the few bags she had grabbed down on their doorstep, backing away quickly as it creaked a bit. Her father didn't answer her. "Daddy?" she asked, turning around. Shock, surprise and fear all hit her at once as she saw something horrible. She saw nothing. Her father wasn't there. He had vanished. He left his young daughter alone in this deserted ghost town they once called home.