For the second time, Tarnished Teapot awoke in pain. He was being bounced around a bit and he discovered he was laying on a folded blanket in the back of a wagon. His mind was filled with a confusing jumble of images, chaotic memories of being beaten senseless, trying to use his magic, failing, and everything had ended with him being hung by the neck from a tree.
He wondered why he wasn’t dead.
Opening his mouth, a low croak came out. His throat was sore, parched, and it hurt to breathe. When the wagon hit a bump, Tarnish felt a terrible pain in his leg, which had been splinted and wrapped with dusty looking bandages. Looking around, he saw a few rocks in the back of the wagon, a barrel that was lashed into the corner with rope, a few baskets, his pith helmet, and his saddlebags.
“Hello?” Tarnished Teapot said in a raspy croak, struggling to make himself heard.
The wagon came to a halt. Tarnish, feeling fearful, heard the clink and jangle of tack being loosened. He heard hooves and a soft flat humming sound that did not seem to vary in pitch, but a monotone hum.
There was a thump and Tarnish saw a face appear over the sideboard of the wagon. He saw two hooves resting upon the edge and an odd expressionless face looking down at him. She looked sleepy, or was perhaps one who suffered from perpetual boredom.
“I found you hanging from a tree.”
The mare’s voice was a flat monotone, devoid of any feeling or warmth. Tarnish looked up at her. Her pelt was the most uninteresting shade of grey he had ever seen and her mane was a soft, muted shade of violet. Her eyes were turquoise.
“You had a rope around your neck. Whoever hung you didn’t do a very good job. You also had a broken leg. While you were passed out, I set the bone and put your leg in a splint.”
Tarnish watched as the mare sighed.
“My name is Maud Pie. What is your name?” she asked, introducing herself.
“My name is Tarnished Teapot.” Looking up, Tarnish could not see any sign of expression upon her face. No smile. No glint in her eye. No flaring of her nostrils. The overall effect was creepy. “Thank you, Maud.”
“For what?” The mare blinked, her eyelids moved with an almost painful to look at slowness.
“For saving me. Fixing me up.” Tarnish coughed and cleared his throat.
“I am a rock specialist. I was in Dodge City Junction to do a geological survey for a mining consortium. I was on my way out of town when I found you. Saving you was no trouble.” Maud’s mouth pressed into a narrow line and she blinked again. “Would you like some water?”
Tarnish nodded.
“—that’s quite a tale, Tarnish,” Maud said as she looked over at the unicorn laying in the shade under the tree. “Pinkie Pie is easily distracted. You should have let the punchbowl hit the floor.”
It was impossible for Tarnish to figure out what Maud Pie was feeling. The mare made no expressions, her voice was a flat, dull monotone that conveyed no emotion, and she was very much unlike her sister, Pinkie Pie. It was difficult to believe that the two were sisters.
“Tarnish, did you ever stop to think that perhaps your magic was having an adverse effect upon Twilight Sparkle when she banished you? I’ve met her… she’s a nice pony and she loves my sister. My sister can be difficult to deal with sometimes and Twilight has long been her friend through good and bad times. Pinkie writes me a lot of letters and she tells me everything.”
With a gasp, Tarnish inhaled, making his sore neck ache. “Well, no… I… uh, um… I hadn’t thought of that.” He paused and reflected upon Maud’s words. “I mess up Twilight Sparkle’s magic something awful.”
“Did somepony say my name?” the voice came from Tarnish’s saddlebags.
He opened the talking saddlebag and pulled out the silver mirror, holding it in his left fetlock. He peered into it and saw Twilight Sparkle peering back.
“Tarnished Teapot, is that you?” Twilight asked. “I was just brushing my teeth and combing my hair when I heard a voice in my bathroom mirror.”
“Twilight?” Tarnish asked, staring into his mirror. “I’m looking into a mirror right now and seeing you.”
“Must be a magic mirror,” Twilight said, her muzzle scrunching up in concentration.
Maud, watching the exchange, remained silent.
“Tarnish, I’ve been worried about you… I’m really very sorry for what I did… I don’t even know for certain if it was ‘me’ that banished you or if I was under the influence of your magic.” Twilight’s eyes glimmered with tears. “I’m really sorry for what I did, but this just goes to show you how dangerous your talent is. I can’t let you come back—”
“Twilight, it’s okay,” Tarnish said, feeling as though a great weight was lifted off of his barrel as he spoke. “I’m sorry too. I was a jerk. I understand.”
“You do?” Twilight Sparkle’s image in the mirror blinked. “You were so angry… so hurt…”
“I’ve spent the past four years of my life acting like a jerk and using my talent as an excuse,” Tarnish said in a low voice. “I’m sorry. I realise what I’ve done and I sort of brought this on myself.”
Twilight’s image in the mirror looked up with a sad smile. “We have a means to communicate… with some distance between us, I won’t be affected by your magic… maybe I can help you control it… I would like to see if I can help you control it so that maybe—”
Tarnish shook the mirror, but it had gone silent. All that he saw it in was his own reflection. He shook it again, sighed, and then stuffed the mirror down into his saddlebags, cramming it in amongst the remaining walnuts that he had.
“That was a very grown up thing to do,” Maud said in a flat deadpan. “I bet that took some courage.”
“I keep making mistakes. All of last night was a mistake.” Tarnish scowled. “You know Maud, maybe it would be best if you just left me now, before something bad happens.”
“No.” Maud shook her head in a slow methodical manner. “If my sister knew I abandoned one of her friends, she would lecture me. And I don’t want to be lectured by my sister, Pinkie Pie.”
“I’m a disaster waiting to happen,” Tarnish said, unable to look at his earth pony companion. His foreleg felt heavy in the makeshift sling around his neck.
“You don’t know me very well.” Maud’s sleepy expression remained unchanged. “I’m not bothered by disasters. I grew up with Pinkie Pie. You know, she left home at an early age because she didn’t feel like she fit in. She traveled a while before settling in Ponyville.”
“So she didn’t fit in?” Tarnish asked.
“Let’s focus on you… you don’t feel like you fit in,” Maud replied.
“But I don’t fit in… I just got ran out of Dodge City Junction… I don’t think it’s safe for me to go back there.” Tarnish shook his head and tried to ignore the dull throb between his ears. “I’m going to run out of places where I am welcomed.”
“You might make mistakes, but you just owned your mistakes. You’ve admitted that you made several and you had the courage to talk to Twilight Sparkle with that weird magic mirror that stopped working.” Maud’s face was as expressionless as a stone while she spoke. “I don’t fit in either. Ponies don’t get me. It almost made me a very bitter pony, but I made a few uncomfortable personal self admissions. Afterwards, I had to figure out who I really was, and then I had to get comfortable with the pony that I discovered who I was.”
“I appreciate everything you’ve done for me,” Tarnish said as he looked Maud in the eye.
“Oh, I’m not done with you yet, so don’t thank me.” Maud’s eyelashes fluttered in slow motion as she blinked dust out of her eyes.
“So what now?” Tarnished Teapot asked.
“Well, I continue north because there are a few things I’d like to see and I am taking you with me. I plan to stop and see my parents. The family rock farm would be a good place for you to recuperate I think. So I guess you are coming home with me,” Maud replied.
“What did you want to look at?” Tarnish felt a genuine sense of curiousity. Maud appeared to be bored with everything.
“There is a place called Rambling Rock Ridge and it has wonderful basalt formations…”