//------------------------------// // Chapter three: Next stop: Vanhoover and helping a filly in need // Story: A New Chaotic Life on the Road // by FeltyElk7 //------------------------------// I stayed in Tall Tale for a few more days before I packed everything up and headed toward Vanhoover. The trip took about a few hours and soon, I was set up in Vanhoover's market place. It was just a normal day. Ponies were visiting the different stands, mine included. There was chatter amongst the customers and the ponies running the stands. I was wearing my grey cloak, which I had dubbed my "merchant cloak", with the hood pulled up. "Get out of here, you little runt!" My ears pricked up as I heard somepony yelling. I turned toward the source of the voice and saw a stallion selling fruits and vegetables yelling at a little unicorn filly wearing a brown cloak with the hood pulled up. "And don't let me catch you stealing from me again!" The filly then turned and bolted away from the stallion. She soon stopped and began to walk past my stand, her head hung low in sadness. I got a good look at her and, man, did she look beat. She was thin and covered in dirt and filth. Her cloak was filthy and had holes in it. Judging from her appearance, she was either homeless, an orphan, or a runaway. "Hey kid!", I called to her. She turned and looked at me, a confused expression on her face. She walked over to me, though she seemed nervous. "Here you go, kid", I said, pulling a fresh apple out of my cloak,"Take this, it'll do you some good. You look starved to death." "But, I don't have any bits", said the filly. "Don't worry about it", I said,"it's on the house." She was shocked at first. I guess no one had bothered to help her before. They probably just assume that she was just a beggar and a thief. Suddenly, she snatch the apple from me with her magic and ran off with it. "Well, that was rude", I thought,"Still, I wonder why that filly is homeless. I have to find out once I close up shop for the night. I went back to running my stand, but I couldn't get my mind of that little filly. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________ The rest of the day went by quickly. During that time, I made a plan for how I would confront the filly. I would disguise myself as a filthy, homeless mare and try to talk with her. Finding her wouldn't be a problem. I can track the apple I gave her using my magic and find out where she is living. Once the sun started to set, I stepped out of the trailer in my disguise. I had covered myself in oily grease and brown-like grim that wholly marred my coat and wrinkled down my mane and tail. My body was wrapped in wrap rags of the grayish-blackish kind of sort that happened to be grayer where it was cleaner and blacker where it was thicker with stains. I was wearing a long, brown cloak with the hood pulled over my head, hiding everything except my muzzle and my horn. I began to make my way through the town, the streets completely empty. The only light source there was from the street lights. After a few minutes of walking, I found myself in front of an abandoned warehouse. The windows were all boarded up and there was a sign that said "Condemned" on it positioned above the front door. "Well, this seems to be the place", I thought as I made my way to the front door,"Now, I think it's time I had a word with that little filly." I opened the door and stepped inside the warehouse. It looked like it had been abandoned for quite some time. Everything was covered with dust and cobwebs. I stepped through the building, looking for any sign of where she might be. Then, I saw a light coming from the manager's office. I made my way up the stairs towards the office and when I looked inside, I saw the filly sitting in front of a makeshift fire. "So, what's a little filly like yourself doing all alone in a place like this?", I asked her. The filly jumped back in surprise and backed up against the wall. She looked rather scared. "Who are you?", she asked, her voice filled with anxiety. "Me?", I said as I sat by the fire," I'm just a homeless mare who is seeking shelter for the night. Don't worry, I'll leave in the morning. So, what's your name?" "Well, okay then", the filly said, taking a seat next to me,"And my name is Starry Night." "Starry Night, what a lovely name", I said. "Thank you", she said, blushing at my complement. "You still didn't answer my question",I said. "What question?", Starry asked. "My question about what you're doing in an abandoned warehouse", I replied. "Oh, well, you see... I ran away from home", she said. "Oh, how come?", I asked. "Well, I have a big sister named Sunny Skies", she explained,"and she's a unicorn like me, but she is so much better at magic than me. Our parents were always proud of her and she is the most popular mare in school. Meanwhile, nopony pays attention to me or wants to hang out with me. They always want to hang out and be friends with Sunny. Even my parents give here more attention and love. I tried to get them to notice me by doing what she does, but they just saw me as an annoyance. So, I decided to run away from home and I've been on my own for almost three weeks now." "Wow, sounds like you had it rough, kid", I said,"But, you know what, running away from home isn't going to solve your problems." "What do you mean?", Starry asked. "I mean, running away from your problems isn't going to make them go away. The only way for them to go away is if you face them yourself", I said. "But, how can I face them?", she asked,"I'm not good at anything that Sunny can do." "So, stop trying to be her and just be yourself," I said,"If you follow your heart, trust in your instincts, and do what you feel is right, you can do amazing things, and if you fall at first, don't give up. You'll get it right eventually." "You really think so?", she asked. "I know so", I said. "Well then, that's what I'm gonna do", she said, standing up, face full of confidence,"I'm gonna keep practicing my magic, do good at school, make some friends of my own, and make my parents proud of me!" "Now that's the kind of attitude I like to hear", I said,"So, get on home, kid, and make your dreams come true." "Okay then", she said, giving me a hug despite how filthy I was,"Thank you for everything." "Think nothing of it, kid", I said, returning the hug,"I'm always happy to help somepony out." We hugged for a few minutes and then we said our goodbyes and Starry Night exited the office and ran out the front door towards her house. "Such a sweet kid", I thought as I put out the fire,"She's gonna do great things someday. I just know it." I then teleported myself out of the office, leaving nothing behind but some hoofprints and the remains of a fire. ______________________________________________________________________________________________ I reappeared inside my trailer. Nightshade was in front of the TV, playing Batman: Arkham Knight. I threw of my cloak and removed the rags around my body. "So, how'd it go?", Nightshade asked. "It went pretty well actually," I said," We just talked and now she's on her way home right now." "You know, that was very nice of you to help her", she said,"You really are wonderful." "Thanks, sis", I said,"Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to take a nice, long bath to get all this filth and horrible stench off me. I smell like a skunk juggling dead hamsters."