In the distance was Fillydelphia and Tarnished Teapot was certain he had seen Foalsom Springs below them as they drifted through the sky. There was the matter of how to get home from Fillydelphia. They could journey on hoof, but were not prepared and had no supplies. They could take a train, which seemed sensible. Tarnish didn’t know what the plan was.
He just wanted to be on the road again. That feeling of wondering what was around the next bend, over the next rise, and seeing what was beyond the always moving, always elusive horizon.
When I started this journey, I did not know what to expect. I had been banished, shunned, sent away from Ponyville for the good of all. That very first night, I think I came close to dying from exposure, at least it felt that way. I knew nothing of how to care for myself. I was freezing, miserable, hungry, and alone. I did not yet know the road or understand what it would do to me. I still did not have the understanding of life that I do now. I spent that first night down in a hole beneath the roots of a tree, a hole that I thought would be my grave.
Lifting his head, Tarnish looked up from the hardbound notebook he had been writing in. Writing everything down helped him make sense of it. There was a lot to puzzle out. For Tarnish, it was like a map—by keeping track of where he had been, he had a better understanding of the direction he was going. It was like plotting a course.
In the wilds of Equestria, on the road or off of it, life becomes quite a different experience. Gone is the safety of the city and living in large numbers, although Ponyville has never been the safest city. On the road, I have discovered, it isn’t so much about finding your destination, but more about finding yourself. After leaving home and finding yourself in the wilds, you find yourself stuck with the impossible task of surviving. Everything becomes a decision of life or death, I mean this in the most literal sense. Every choice you make has to be made carefully because consequences can be dire. In the beginning, I made a lot of bad choices, but I somehow stuck it out. The road has changed me. I can now look back on my decision to drink the dew off of the grass and to eat the grass and I can feel a bit of pride. That was a moment where I overcame the situation and did what needed to be done so that I could survive. I’m still sorting it all out.
There was a lot to sort out, so much so that it was overwhelming. Tarnish now had a purpose, even if he did not understand it. Because of his talent, because of his skills, other ponies wanted something from him. That something could be exchanged for money, allowing him to continue to care for himself and look after his own needs. Realising this had been a profound moment of understanding for Tarnish, a strange new territory that he could only describe as being an adult. Having a skillset and a functional understanding of your talent allowed one to make money by just being who they were. Somehow, Tarnish had stumbled into the situation where he was going to continue to do what he loved and he was going to get paid for it. Maud had already reached this impressive plateau in life, and, after much time scrambling up the steep sides of said plateau, Tarnish was now up there with her.
The road demands much and to walk upon it, one must pay a toll. I know that I have. During my journey, much has happened. I have experienced considerable hardship, especially in the beginning. The road takes and demands much, but this is not a bad thing. At the inevitable point where you are broken down, when you have nothing left to give, when you are a pony and little else, with nothing to your name, then you are ready to begin your journey. At this point, when the road has taken everything from you, you gain a new sense of appreciation. You develop gratitude for every hot, filling meal, every soft bed, every bit of hard earned comfort. These things, perhaps at one point in your life were commonplace, you took them for granted, I know I did, but the road will correct your thinking.
“There you are.”
Tarnish looked up and saw Maud standing in the doorway. He was struck with inspiration—he wanted to write about how the greatest treasure he had found upon the road was a rock. He wanted to write beautiful, meaningful prose to express the many thoughts he had in his head.
“Everypony was wondering where you had slipped off to. Pinny was worried that you had been tossed overboard.”
Maud’s voice sounded a little better. She was sounding more like herself each and every day. Tarnish was grateful to hear her voice. He looked at her, giving her a smile, and then gestured at the round window in the wall.
“I found this little observation nook… it has a little desk and stationery and seems to be a quiet place for ponies to write letters. There’s even a mail slot just outside the door. Everypony keeps talking and the stateroom was noisy and I just needed some time alone with my thoughts.” Tarnish closed his hardbound notebook with a flick of his telekinesis then stuffed his pen into a slot on the binding. “You look better, my dear.” Tarnish’s ears perked when he heard Maud make a sharp inhale. He had that effect upon her.
“I’m feeling better.” Maud stepped into the room, closer to Tarnish, and looked out the round window, which was thick, tempered glass inside of a thick, riveted brass ring. Maud quite liked brass, it was copper and zinc, two common minerals, it was strong beyond measure, durable, lasted forever, and almost everything in Equestria that required durability was made from it. The view out the window was forgotten as Maud stared at the brass instead.
Lovers often compared their loved ones to valuable things; rubies, sapphires, emeralds, diamonds, gold, silver, such was the comparison of a loved one to a precious commodity. Maud, her mind moving in the slow, methodical way that it always did, made comparisons. She turned, blinked, and then stared at Tarnish. After a moment, she reached her conclusion; Tarnish could only be compared to brass. He was more precious than brass, which was a fine, durable, practical, useful thing. An explorer’s gear had brass fixtures, brass fittings, brass buckles. Gold, diamonds, silver, rubies, all useless as far as Maud was concerned. An explorer was only as good as what held their gear together.
Aware that Maud was staring at him, Tarnish wondered what she was thinking. Knowing Maud, it was probably something profound, something meaningful. He decided to ask. “Whatcha thinking, Maud?”
“You’re more precious to me than brass,” Maud replied.
One eyebrow lifted. Tarnish looked Maud in the eye. Love was a complicated, intricate thing, that was as complex as it was simple. As much as you loved somepony, it was impossible to understand them at times. They had their own thoughts, arrived at their own conclusions, had their own perceptions. And those were just the normal ones—sometimes, you had ponies who were weird, like Maud. There were moments when Maud was still a complete mystery to him, and he treasured these moments.
Like now.
“Thank you, I’m flattered.” Tarnish stretched out his neck and nosed Maud’s cheek, his lips lingering close to the soft hairs of her pelt. “We’ll be in Fillydelphia soon.”
“Within the hour we’ll be landing, which is why I had to come and find you,” Maud said. She turned her head, pressing her muzzle against Tarnish, and giving him a tender kiss. She pulled away with some hesitation, biting on her lip for a moment, and staring into Tarnish’s eyes. “We need to make plans on what to do next. Pinkie Pie says that Twilight has already paid for a train ride for the rest of the way home, so that is probably what we’ll do.”
“I’m up for anything, really.”
Upon hearing those words, Maud kicked out with a hind hoof and shut the door behind her. She gave Tarnish the most intense seductive stare she could muster, which meant that she looked sleepy, bored, and disinterested. “I was hoping to hear you say that. You and I haven’t had a moment alone in quite some time.”
“Maud, we could get caught—”
“I know, isn’t it great?” Maud asked, cutting Tarnish off as she backed him into the corner. “As far as I’m concerned, we’re still on our honeymoon. We’re not done yet. Now come on, we’ll be landing soon and I want so badly to make this a memorable trip.”
“Okay.” Tarnish didn’t need much in the way of convincing, with the way that Maud was looking at him, his brain was shutting down as other parts of him were waking up. Something about the idea of getting caught was thrilling, life was all about risks and this was a risk worth taking.