It would be dark soon, and Tarnish feared being out in the open after dark. He had been walking for hours, but it felt like days. He was sore, thirsty, and oh so very hungry. The only water he had found was a mud puddle, and while he had been thirsty at the time, he hadn’t been thirsty enough to swallow his pride and drink from a mud puddle.
Now, he wished he had a mud puddle to drink from. Muddy water would do just fine.
He was still filthy, his pelt was matted, crusted over, and covered with dust from the road. At one point, Tarnished Teapot had been a handsome shade of chocolate brown with a cream coloured mane. Now, he was a shade of dingy blah. He had no rations, no water canteen, no cloak to protect him if it rained, all he had now was the saddlebags that he had found and the beautiful silver mirror.
It was with much relief that Tarnish found a blackberry thicket. It was with great dismay that he discovered the blackberry bushes were of the thorny variety. He didn’t care. He tried using his magic to pluck the berries, but all that came from his horn was a fizzle of sparks.
Extending his lips, he tried to avoid the thorns while getting the berries. He failed.
The berries were sweet, full of juice, and delicious. The thorns were vicious, long, and sharp. Several times, Tarnish pierced his lips with the thorns as he tried to gobble down berries as fast as he could.
In no time at all, his lips were stained with blood and blackberry juice in almost equal portions.
With the darkness coming soon, Tarnish decided that this place was as good as any to try and wait out the night. Crawling on his belly, he crawled inside of the thicket, the cruel thorns piercing his skin several times, and once inside, in the middle, he was rewarded with giant berries that were out of reach by any other berry nibblers that passed by. With his hoof, he pushed the brambles around, trying to clear enough space for him to get comfortable, and he curled up into a dirty, miserable ball.
At least he had berries.
Tarnish awoke in the middle of the night; he did not know the time, and he was unable to get back to sleep. He gobbled down as many berries as he could, eating his fill, and trying to slake his thirst. When he felt as though his stomach would rupture, Tarnish crawled out of the blackberry thicket, ignored the thorns as best as he could, paused to do some business in some bushes a short distance away, and then he took to the road once more.
The moonlight bathed everything in silver. He was on a narrow strip of land called The Narrows, it was a cleared stretch of land that existed between the Everfree and Froggy Bottom Bog, and it was the road that many wagons took to go down to Dodge City, or Dodge Junction as some ponies called it.
As Tarnished Teapot walked the long and winding road, he heard the clopping of hooves and the jangle of a wagon. Behind him, he saw a wagon coming down the road, and Tarnish was so happy to see another pony that he forgot just how bad he smelled.
He took off, backtracking, making a slow and cautious approach. “Hello,” he called out, trying to sound more like a friend and less like a foe. He raised a hoof and waved.
“Now it ain’t often you see a pony out traveling at night, when it is cool and the walking is easy,” the wagon pulling pony said as he drew closer. “No offense, but you have a powerful stench about you, I dare say you could bring a tear to a glass eye. Maybe even make a statue cry.”
Tarnish laughed, glad to hear another pony’s voice. “I had a run in with a manticore.”
“You don’t say… how do you do? My name is Longhaul,” the earth pony said, introducing himself. “Where are you headed?”
“Dodge Junction I guess… I don’t know. South,” Tarnish replied as he fell into step with the wagon pulling earth pony. “My name is Tarnished Teapot. I’m really happy to have met you.”
“I’ll be heading near Dodge City Junction, but I avoid that place if I can. Heading to Appleloosa. You’re free to travel with me, but please, stay downwind if you don’t mind.” After speaking, Longhaul began to chuckle. “So what are you doing out on the road?”
“Looking for a new life.” Tarnish thought about telling the whole truth, but he felt that this was honest enough. He was looking for a new life; there was no point in bringing up the reason why he had to find a new life.
“Seeing the world is good for a young pony like yourself. I stepped out the door one day, I was about your age, and I said goodbye to my mother. I started to wander and I just couldn’t stop. The world is a big place and there are a lot of great things to see and do. Seeing the world is the nicest thing you can do for yourself. Too many young ponies just stay at home now, and never once leave the city where they are born. Ain’t right. How do we gain new perspectives on life if we never leave home and go off to see the world? Meet new ponies?” Longhaul walked at a steady pace and his wagon creaked behind him.
“What are you hauling?” Tarnish asked.
“Walnuts.” Longhaul grinned. “Would cost more to ship this load of walnuts on a train than they are worth. There is a pony in Appleloosa who wanted a load of walnuts delivered.”
“Oh.” Tarnish glanced over his shoulder at the wagon. “If you don’t mind me asking, who?”
“My wife,” Longhaul replied. “She said she was in the mood for nuts and then she sent me on this little errand.”
“See, that’s why I am never getting married.” Tarnish shook his head with a vigorous motion.
“You say that now, but just you wait until you meet the right pony.” Longhaul grinned and leaned forward into his harness to pick up his pace a little bit, feeling the need to hurry home.