For the Future

by celticwolf72

Chapter 1: Arrival

The rain beat down hard upon the roofs of Ponyville. It was the heaviest storm of the season, or so said the weather pegasi. With that much downpour, it was not much of a surprise that there was no one about to see the lone figure pulling a heavy cart as it entered the town. The creaking of the wheel axle was masked by the drumming of the water as the figure moved slowly, a single destination ahead.

Eventually, the figure made its way to one of the largest buildings in the town, the great tree known as the Library. Within the Library, Twilight Sparkle was just settling down to a good book, a treatise on advanced mathematical principles. Spike was asleep in his basket, having worn himself cleaning up after his friend and mentor. Her tea steeping next to her, Twilight sighed happily and turned the page.

Without warning, a loud banging came from the door, startling the poor lavender unicorn badly. Leaping to her hooves, Twilight first checked on Spike to make sure he was not rudely awoken. That done, she rushed to the door to open it, just before an odd looking hoof almost struck again. Squinting into the slashing rain, she peered at the figure before her. “May I help you?” she asked peevishly.

The pony before her, wearing a huge black slouch hat, bobbed his head slightly. With a deep voice he responded, “Sorry for bothering you, miss. I was told to come here and ask for a Ms. Sparkle. Would you know where to find her?”

“I’m Twilight Sparkle, how can I… oh, where are my manners? Please, come in out of the rain. Can I get you some tea?” Stepping away from the door, she started to turn towards the stair. As she inhaled to summon Spike she paused. He seemed so tired, she thought it better to let him rest.

“I would appreciate the tea, Ms. Sparkle, but I’d rather not drip on your floor.”

“No, I insist. Please, come in and dry off mister…?”

“Coaldust is my name, Ms. Sparkle. I’m mighty thankful for your invitation, that’s a real kindness.” Stepping in, he was careful not to drip too much beyond the entry. Finding a coat hook, he first shrugged off his pony-sized duster to hang and dry, then hung his hat off of the same hook.

Eying the new pony, Twilight was a bit intimidated. He seemed as big, if not slightly bigger, than Big Macintosh. His coat was black with white roots, making him look like he was coated in a fine black powder… likely how he got his name. The marks on his flanks were a pair of crossed mining picks. His mane and tail were tied in tight bundles, but she could tell they were the same ice blue as his eyes and set off from his coat nicely. With a smile to her guest, she gestured towards the fire. “Go warm up, Coaldust. I’ll get your tea.”

With a slight flick of her horn, she summoned the cup, saucer, and tea pot. As she poured, she turned to watch her guest again. The way he moved struck her as odd. “Are you all right, Coaldust?”

“Yup, Ms. Sparkle. I’m fine. Why do you ask?”

“Well, you’re limping. Are you sure you didn’t turn a hoof or something?” Bringing the cup and saucer closer, Twilight let a bit of concern show in her voice. Yes he was a stranger, but she hated to see someone in a situation that she could not help.

“Oh, that.” Coaldust shrugged and laid on a pillow near the fire. “Yup, I’m sure I didn’t turn a hoof. Old injury. Can’t do anything about it, and I’m so used to it now I don’t even notice.”

It was as he took the cup and saucer that Twilight saw what he meant. His right foreleg and hoof were much thinner than the rest of him, and turned at a nauseating angle. The fact that they still worked was obvious, but it certainly didn’t look right. So surprised was she, that Twilight was unable to stifle a gasp.

Using both hooves to set the cup and saucer down, Coaldust then picked up the cup and took a sip. “Quite good, Ms. Sparkle. Oh, and don’t worry. You didn’t offend me. It’s the rare pony that doesn’t respond that way to m’ leg.”

Twilight settled down across from Coaldust and looked down. “I am so sorry. I may not have offended, but that was still very rude.”

“Nothing to worry your little head about, so don’t fret.” Smiling at the unicorn before him, he noticed her avoiding looking at his leg. “Well, if you’re like most, you probably wonder how this happened. Simple enough story. I was down in the mine when I was just a young foal, trying to buck a seam. Mining runs in my family, so I was trying to help. Well, I didn’t know what I was doing and was too proud to ask. Bucked the wrong area, and down came the wall. Right on my leg. Took the family a few hours to dig me out, and my squirming and trying to release it didn’t help.”

Ignoring the now shocked look she gave him, Coaldust took a sip of the tea and continued. “The doctors did what they could, but I grew up in a very small town. Lodestrike is it’s name, not much more than a speck on a map really.”

“I’ve heard that name before, a lot of valuable things come out of there.” Twilight’s voice drifted for a moment before her focus returned to her guest. “Still, couldn’t they have done better? I mean, Ponyville is pretty small, but we can still deal with something like a broken limb.”

Coaldust shook his head and looked at the young mare before him. Ice blue eyes looking into lavender ones. “I wasn’t clear, Ms. Sparkle. It wasn’t merely broken, it was smashed. Smashed just like dropping a rock on an egg. Our doc was good, but he’s no unicorn and certainly no Princess to fix that much damage. He did what he could, but the damage was done.”

“If it was shattered, how can you walk? How can you work?” Blinking, Twilight cocked her head, “For that matter, what do you do?”

Chuckling, Coaldust grinned at her. “Third question first, I’m a miner.”

“You’re too old to be a minor, plus you have your Cutie Mark.”

“No, not minor, miner, as in works in a mine. Before you ask, I’ll answer the second question which will answer the one I see in your eyes. The doc made a brace that allows me to take half of my full weight on my forehoof. I have to wear that when I’m bucking a seam, but it does allow me to work.” Another sip and the tea was done for. “As to walking, I just worked at it until I could.”

“But… doesn’t it hurt?” Twilight’s analytical brain was working overtime to keep up with the somewhat contradictory information coming at her.

“Yup, it does. I’m used to it though, I just have to push through it. If I didn’t, I’d just be a useless lump somewhere. Nothing doing, my family didn’t raise a quitter or a shirker.”

“Heh, you sound like my friend Applejack. There’s a mare that doesn’t understand the meaning of the word ‘quit’. We’ve even had to keep her from working herself into the ground once or twice.” Rolling her eyes in remembered frustration and exasperation, Twilight lifted the tea pot with her horn. “More tea?”

“Thank you, Ms. Sparkle. I could certainly use it.” As she poured, Coaldust thought for a moment. “Applejack… Applejack. She one of the Apple family?” Seeing her puzzled nod, he smiled. “We’ve got a branch of them at Lodestrike. The mare o’ the family is Apple Spice.”

That caused Twilight to giggle. “They really are everywhere, aren’t they?”

A playful glint showed in Coaldust’s eye as he responded with a deep drawl, “Eeyup.”

After a short but heartfelt laugh on both of their parts, they both paused to drink and get their air back. “Oh, by the way Coaldust, you said you were told to come look for me?”

“Yup, I was told to find you and have you give me directions.”

“Directions? Where to? I know I have maps around here somewhere.” Jumping to her hooves once more, she started to look around the Library. “I’m sorry, I’m normally much more organized than this. Of course, my assistant really does most of the organization of the Library itself, but if you give me a moment….”

“Please, Ms. Sparkle, relax. I promise, I’m in no hurry.” Coaldust was quite amused to see the rapid shifts the obviously bookish mare had when it came to finding information.

“Call me Twilight. I’m sorry, each time you’ve said ‘Ms. Sparkle’ I’ve been looking for my mom!”

“Twilight, then. Just relax, less’n of course you want me out of your mane.” That caused Twilight to pause, then return to her pillow. “As for where I need directions to, well, I don’t really know. I’ve got a piece of paper… a claim really. See, I was sent here to start a coal mine for Ponyville.”

“Oh, that’s great! That means we won’t have to import as much coal, so it’ll save money all the way around. I guess the claim has the boundaries, so I can check the town’s map….” Her voice fading off for a moment, Twilight started making a mental checklist, then stopped herself as she looked out the window. “Drat, it’s getting late. Even if I got that information for you, there’s nothing you could do about it.”

“That’s okay Ms… er, Twilight. If you want to wait, I can head to the hotel and get a room then come back tomorrow.”

Another glance outside showed the rain not slacking, if anything it was getting worse. A flash of lighting caused Twilight to make a decision. “No, you’re not going to the hotel. I don’t have a spare bed,” at least not one that’s not in my room, “but you can stay on the pillows down here by the fire tonight.”

Coaldust opened his mouth to object, but stopped at the sight of her raised hoof. “I won’t hear no for an answer.”

He knew when he as defeated. “Yes ma’am.”

She smiled at the stallion before her. “Oh, don’t look so glum. Just get some rest. Besides, my assistant is one of the best breakfast cooks in Ponyville.” Standing once again, Twilight headed for the stairs. Pausing, she looked back over her shoulder. “Good night, Coaldust. I’ll see you in the morning.”

“Good night, Twilight. And thank you for the hospitality.”

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Author's Note: And so it begins. I normally only do original work, sometimes set in a shared universe, so this is my first fan-fic. Please comment and critique, as it can only help me to get better.

Comments

[Raven]

Hmm, Gonna track this one. Has good potential to be a dang good story...or not to be. 4/5 so far.