The Mettle of Friendship

by Solace Sojourn

Arc 2: Unbroken Vigil, epilogue

Violet strolled down the trail, thinking about past events. It had been seven years since she had first set hoof into Manehatten. Seven years since she had seen or heard from her parents. She presumed that they still resided on the old farm but just because she knew where to go didn’t make the actual act any easier.

Taking a deep breath, she brushed the thought from her mind and instead thought about the first three ponies she had met. They were the only ones that had truly stayed in her memory—the rest had either faded or left enough of a bad taste in her mouth that she had booted them from her life.

Not that she cared that much. Violet had taken the life of a nomadic pony—wandering from town to town and helping where she might. As she traveled from town to town, she stayed in various taverns, homes, and inns, all of which paled in comparison to the apartment of 3A all the way back in Manehatten.

Indeed, the more Violet thought about Zen, Sonorous, and Solace, the more she wanted to go back. Maybe enough time had passed that she might start something anew with Zen. But, like the other million and more times she had pondered the thought, she remembered that she didn’t quite have a stable enough place that suited her needs. She wasn’t even sure what exactly she needed. All she knew was that if she returned, she would want to leave yet again—which, she presumed, would be met with distaste, even if it wasn’t shown.

And as such, the mare continued on her way—a new town on the horizon. The sign that she passed about five minutes before she actually entered the town read “Stableside.” When Violet did make her way into the town, she let her gaze wander about, taking in the new sights. She found she liked seeing new houses and homes, curious of the many ways in which other ponies lived. But her gaze was drawn to one building in particular; or rather, two, but one of them was a smithy. The sight intrigued her and, never having worked in something so laborious on the hooves, she made her way toward it. However, there was a stranger sitting underneath a nearby tree and enjoying a glass of what appeared to be lemonade. The pony appeared to be a stallion with a brown and white coat, snowy white mane and tail, and a patch of blackened fur at his chin. Nothing about his appearance seemed ordinary.

This should be interesting…

Violet whipped her mane to one side and sauntered until she stood a couple feet from the stranger, stopped, and waved a hoof in greeting as she swished her tail side to side. “Hey there. Name’s Violet Vigil. Who are you that enjoys such a cool drink on a hot day like this?” When the unknown pony raised his head, Violet gazed upon the most piercing green eyes she had ever seen. He smirked and placed the drink on the ground, rising to all fours. Violet beheld the actual size of the stallion: a good head taller than her; if not, more. And when he spoke, there was a thickness to his accent that drove her curiosity wild.

“Ironshod.”

Comments

[-Brutus]

And... caught up :D, hope the best for her when she goes on this journey to other city.

[Solace Sojourn]

3217032 Sweet :> and she'll have quite an adventure, for sure!