Fullmetal Pony

by Leoshi

2.1: Horrible Company

The town was beyond the hills now. The ponies who had been at the station would have gone back, probably to get a pastry from the bakery or simply clean their home. His home - he needed to remind himself of that. He may be living in the mountainside city now, but home would always be where his family was. Just because he wasn't satisfied with Ponyville didn't make it any less important to him.

He was born there. He was raised there. He had learned where his passions were while he was there. It was, and would remain, a place he could return when he needed to. But for all that, his future was elsewhere. His future was in Canterlot. Or so he thought at the time.

A wan smile crossed his face as he turned away from the window. His trip was going to take a long time, and he had seen enough country for a while. Shining Armor needed something else to occupy his time. With a small grunt, he reached into the compartment above, rummaging through his saddlebags there. He pulled out an assortment of small books.

It didn't take long for him to return each and every one. Twilight was the social shut-in, not him, and besides, the books were all far too technical for his understanding. He needed something more engaging. As boredom threatened to set in, he looked around his car for something to do.

The train was due to make a large trip across the central circuit of the state, picking up soldiers and delegates in several towns. Ponyville was the first, so his car was empty except for him. A schedule he had been given showed another four stops before reaching the city, with a three-hour layover halfway along to give the passengers and crew some time to rest. That stop was in Hoofington, near the coast, and the schedule put the arrival in just under five hours. Thankfully, Fillydelphia was between here and there, so there were bound to be more passengers coming on by then.

Which still doesn't help me now, Shining thought. He frowned at the empty car, then turned back to the window. Nope, still grass and hills out there.

He had a long trip ahead of him. Plenty of time to spend with his thoughts.

His thoughts were horrible company.

His thoughts were better company than this.

"It was around that time," a stallion who wanted to be called Pappy went on, "that I discovered that I could fly! Now, I know what you're thinking, son. 'This old kook is crazy. He doesn't even have wings!' Well it's true, let me tell you! I had discovered a chemical bond that allowed me to fly free as a baby bird!"

A baby bird can't fly, gramps.

It hadn't started like this. The layover in Hoofington had been refreshing, and Shining Armor had been able to tour the city around the station. It wasn't as grand as the capital, but it had its charms. The locals there were friendly and open, always willing to share a tale of bygone days. He had been given directions whenever he needed some, which let him shop and eat and enjoy the rare sight of the ocean. The rumors he had heard were true: the spray of the sea was invigorating. Shining had made a mental note to return one day in time to watch the sun rise over the water.

However, his brand of luck allowed an elderly stallion to take a liking to him. Pappy had insisted on being seated in front of Shining Armor in the train, because of course this car had conversation-style seating where each seat faced another before starting the next. There were other passengers now, having boarded from Hoofington or Fillydelphia before that, yet they all gave a wide berth to Pappy. A few shot Shining Armor pitiful looks.

The train was now just over an hour into the second half of the circuit. That left two more stops before Canterlot...and another six hours, at least.

"It wasn't until that same night, heh, when I was reading my journal while stuck to the ceiling that I found my mistake! See, son, I wasn't actually flying - how could I, when I don't have any wings!" Pappy took a long moment to laugh. And a longer moment to breathe. "Ahh, you see, my mistake was in the chemical makeup of my potion. It didn't let me fly at all. It instead let me ignore the laws of gravity! Eh heh heh!"

Shining bit back his groan, but couldn't stop his hoof from slapping his forehead. Six hours of this? Suddenly, he envied pegasi.

"Oh!" Pappy gasped. "Are you okay? Did you get a bug?"

"Bug..."

"Sonny?"

With a steady breath through his nostrils, Shining Armor lowered his hoof. His forehead stung where he had hit it. "Nope," he said. "It's still here."

"You ought to open the window, then! It may fly out, but a good air current will blow it away, too." The old coot smiled proudly.

Shining did his best to not scoff. However, he did take Pappy's suggestion and magically lowered the window. The air of the eastern coast swept through his portion of the train car. It wasn't as refreshing as the air in Hoofington had been, but the scent of the spray and meadows was still enough to calm him down a little bit. Shining soon found himself staring at the countryside.

"Ahh, feel that air!" Pappy said. No doubt, wearing that same smile. "Brings back memories of my heyday. You ever camped on a mountain in the middle of the sea, son?"

Shining turned back to his company. Pappy was looking right at him; his eyes were much sharper than Shining would have expected. They seemed to read him, but if the stallion was annoyed, he made no sign of it. Impressed, Shining Armor made a mental note to learn such a trick. "Can't say that I have, no. I didn't grow up near the sea."

"No? Shame, that. There's nothing quite like the sound of waves lapping on the rocky shore, or the sight of foam curling around a cluster of rock. And at night? Oh, boy, you got to be prepared for what you see at night."

Oh, good. More stories. "Is that right?"

"Eh heh heh! That's the truth! Why, one summer long ago, I was exploring some deep caves out near Stableside...looking for a special algae, mind you! Years of erosion had turned the stone into so many natural knives, and when I saw them just past sunset, it was no different than falling into the open mouth of a dragon! Nearly tripped and fell onto those rocky teeth!"

"How fortunate that you kept your balance."

"Isn't it, though? Eh heh! So you say you've never been to the ocean?"

"What?" Shining Armor shook his head. "No, no, I've been a couple times. I just wasn't raised near one. I grew up inland. Ponyville." He mentally kicked himself for saying that. Who knew how much that had encouraged the coot to keep talking?

"You don't say? That's just a little ways west of the capital, isn't it? Tiny hamlet, intermixed, known for its apple orchard?"

"Yeah. That's the one."

"Hum..." Pappy paused, his eyes never moving from Shining Armor. "Why are you on this train, then?"

Oh, for goodness' sake, I might as well tell him. It'd give me a break from his voice. With a poorly-hidden scowl, Shining Armor leaned against his seat's rest. "I'm headed back up to Canterlot. Need to continue my guard training and get back to active duty."

"Oh, I figured that much already," Pappy dismissed. "I asked why this train. It's quite a trip just to go one city over, don't you think?"

"Pheh, don't I know it. No, there is an express that heads from the capital to my hometown and back, but it wasn't due to arrive until tomorrow. And today is my last day of leave. It had to be this train, or walking."

"A six-hour train trip or nothing? Not much of a choice, eh heh!"

"Six hours? Oh, you're thinking about travel time from Hoofington. I came on earlier." For the first time, Shining Armor let his annoyance at the long commute slip into his voice. It wasn't much different than his annoyance with Pappy, but at least it made him feel better. Justified. Maybe. "This seat has been my home for the last ten hours. I left home just after breakfast."

"Ooh. Suddenly, I'm sorry that I laughed."

"Not like it's your fault." He noticed a subtle shift in Pappy, but he went on. "It's loud and annoying and aggravates me, but as long as it works, it can't be wrong. It gets me where I need to be, so I can work with it." In most cases.

For a moment, Pappy didn't respond. In fact, he seemed distracted by something to Shining Armor's left. Curious, he turned against his rest and peered. What he saw made him go deathly still.

Standing next to him, his arrival completely silent, was an officer of the Republic. Shining first saw the blue-and-silver colors of his uniform, neatly ironed and decorated with a selection of ribbons. The second thing he noticed was the unmistakable golden cloves that signified a rank of Major. Finally, he saw that the newcomer was not looking at him but instead at Pappy. Unlike Shining Armor, this officer had no trouble showing his feelings.

"Keeping company, Uncle?"

"Bah!" Pappy spat. "Come to drag me back to work? Leave me be."

"It can't be work if you're never around to do it." The newcomer - another earth pony, though far younger than Pappy - looked down to Shining Armor and gave him a warm smile. "Afternoon. I see you've met my uncle. I hope that he hasn't disturbed you."

Shining violently flinched as training kicked in. He righted himself, snapping his back as straight as he could manage while also lifting his foreleg in salute. In his haste, he only succeeded in visibly jumping in his seat and smacking his snout. "S-sir!" he stammered. "He was no t-trouble at all!"

To his mounting shock, the officer only laughed. "What's this, then? I...oh, right, the pins. I wish I could be rid of them, but technically I'm still on the clock." He looked back to Pappy.

"Eh heh heh! You've scared the poor boy!" Pappy wasted a moment to slap his seat in his giggling fit. "He's a recruit, himself. And here he is, caught out of uniform by a superior officer!"

Shining Armor glowered at him. The air blowing in now did nothing to cool him off.

The major instead came to his defense. "Now, now, Uncle. I don't think that's quite what I'm here for. And you're the one embarrassing him, I might add. What have I told you about playing nice?"

"Bah!" Pappy repeated. "Playing nice is for fillies and fools! What I'm having is my own brand of fun, and don't you think you can stop me!"

"Of course not. How poor of me to forget." The major turned back to Shining Armor. "I'm sorry about him. He tends to get antsy on long train rides."

This one's a regular detective, Shining thought. Aloud, he said, "No need for apologies, sir. There was no harm done." His snout throbbed in protest.

"Hm. Well, I hope you haven't come to rely on him. Come on, Uncle," he went on, "this is not your car."

"I can sit where I please!"

At this, the major's tone shifted. Not threatening, but sharper nonetheless. "Not against the itinerary, and definitely not at the expense of your own family. The meeting has been done for over twenty minutes! I've been waiting! And if this were to happen when we arrive at the capital, the Princess will have much more than usual to say."

Pappy grumbled.

"Tick-tick, Uncle!"

"Fine! Hmmph. You wouldn't speak like that to me if I still had my gravity potions..."

"I wish you did. We wouldn't need trains." The major stepped back, then he and his uncle promptly left. As they went, Pappy shot a knowing grin at Shining Armor, while the major gave him another apologetic one. No sooner did they close the car's door did Shining deflate. He allowed the sudden, welcome vacancy to sink in while he breathed deeply of the coastal air.

Glad it's not me, he mused. Then, in a moment of elation, he laughed.

His remaining trip went by smoothly. As the hills of the coast swept past his window, Shining Armor found himself invested in one of his books, though he would go on to admit that it was only so he could forget the entire affair. Barring a couple uptight and upset passengers making scenes, the train ride was blissfully peaceful. The next stop, New Saddle, came and went almost unnoticed. Hours passed, and Stalliongrad was the same. Finally, as the train left for the final stretch of its journey, Shining Armor settled in for a short nap. And nothing, glorious nothing, happened.

What awaited him when he awoke was a different matter.

It was the dead of night when the harsh creaking of the train's brakes roused him. He awoke gently, but was almost instantly alert. Outside, the busiest train station in the country awaited his awe. Even now, hours past midnight, ponies hurried from one end of the platform to the other, disembarking from other cars only to board awaiting ones. He noticed with large relief that the platform just outside his train was mostly empty. No surprise there; this was a federal line, and Canterlot was its last stop besides.

Train staff members wasted no time in asking the passengers to rise. Not wanting to hold them up (they had made the entire trip too, after all), Shining Armor was among the first to stand and stretch his legs. He levitated his saddlebags down, stored the book he had read and misunderstood, and tightened the straps just a bit too much. He preferred it that way; one less thing to worry about. However, he happened to glance back up to the overhead compartment to make sure he didn't forget anything, and he saw something that he didn't expect: a second set of bags, this one much smaller than his own.

Curious, he pulled the second pair down to his level. While his saddlebags were the standard-issue blue of a recruit, these ones were a faded tan. They were thin and had frayed straps, though the straps looked younger than the bag itself. Replaced along the way, most likely. Shining Armor didn't dare to open the bags to see what they contained, but he did turn them in his magic to look for something that would tell him who the owner was. Sadly, there wasn't anything to clue him in.

Could somepony have used the opposite seat while he slept? He looked around his car, but every other passenger had their luggage accounted for. Maybe a passenger from a previous trip? Not likely; it was doubtful that anything was left behind on any official transport. Maybe it belonged to the train staff? No, they kept their belongings in a separate car. So who could have-

He paused, groaned, and closed his tired eyes in annoyance. This probably belongs to that codger.

One of the train's conductors reached his seat. Shining swallowed his pride and resolved to try and find Pappy on the platform to see if the old bags matched the old bag. He carried it next to him as he entered the aisle and waited for those ahead of him to disembark.

I'll just pass this along to him and go to bed, he planned. No need to get into any more conversations with him. His nephew probably has a schedule to keep anyway, so with any luck the both of them will be just as eager to get out of here as I am. No amount of crazy stories is worth losing any time.

"Hey!" a unicorn up ahead shouted. "What's with the delay? Some of us have work in the morning!"

Yep, me too. Wait, what delay? Shining Armor craned his neck around the other passengers, only to see that the ones at the train's doorway were being held back. A soldier, her eyes hidden beneath a beret, was standing in their path and refused to move.

"What's going on?" another one asked. "Is there something wrong with the train?"

"Look out there. A whole bunch of guards ran up ahead. Can you see where they are?"

"What happened? Are we being searched?"

That got Shining's attention. Tired as he was, his leave time was technically over. He moved back into his seat (ignoring the dirty look the conductor gave him) and stuck his head out the still-open window. The other ponies were right: a large group of Republic guards had gathered outside one of the train cars further up. They had formed two lines on either side of that car's doorway, and one guard stood between them at the end. All of them were at full attention. Shining Armor squinted, but he couldn't make out any of their faces.

A moment later, he saw a stallion step out of the car. It was one he recognized as the major from earlier. The officer quickly cast his gaze up and down the platform before joining the other guard in-between the two lines. Like the rest, the major snapped to attention and looked back to the car he had just left. Concerned, Shining Armor looked at the same spot. Other ponies in his car took his idea and stuck their heads out of whatever windows they could reach.

Suddenly, the entire group of guards raised their forelegs in a unified salute. As they did, another passenger stepped off the train, clad in more of the blue-and-silver that distinguished an officer of the military. His gait was slow yet still assured, obviously a trait of one in command. At that moment, Shining Armor knew: there was a high-ranking officer on the train with them. Someone even the major had to obey.

"Oh," someone in his car said. "They're letting off a soldier. Somepony important."

"You think so? Who is it?"

"I heard we had a senior staff member here with us. Maybe that's him?"

"Senior is right. Look at that head!"

Just like with the major, Shining Armor recognized Pappy as he returned the salute. There could be no mistaking that bald head.

"I see him! Hey, that's the commanding officer of the coastal branch, isn't he?"

"Not anymore. That job went to a younger colt, but I think you're right. That must be the brigadier general."

"Who cares about what he is! I'm done with this train and want to be let off!"

"Oh, they're leaving now. I think...ah, yep, they're all headed toward the exits. Are we good to go, then?"

"Excuse me? Did you want to get back in line?"

Shining Armor barely felt the hoof of someone tapping him and repeating the question to him. He stared dumbfounded at the party of guards and soldiers as they left. Suddenly, the old bags in his magical grip felt much heavier. As the seconds passed, he saw Pappy turn and catch his eye. The stallion opened his mouth in a wide grin. Even at that distance, Shining Armor could see the laughter dancing in his gaze.

Author's Note:

In case you missed it, it's a big world out there. See you all next week!

Comments

[Leoshi]

6972815 There is no shortage to speak of. The real value in something like fruit is the location. This is a mountain city, remember, so crops would be rare and difficult to grow. Full-blown orchards would be even harder. Of course, Canterlot can rely on farms and towns at the base of the mountain - Ponyville included - to maintain its own stores and kitchens.

Now, don't think that this means there is no "rival nation" that would wish such a shortage and seek to cause one. Who knows what kinds of enemies lie just past the borders...

[LaBirdie]

Thumbs up you know if I had any so hoofs up

[OMNIImpressions]

Awesome story so far! When is the next update comin?

[Leoshi]

6980250 Gonna shoot for a week! That's the scheme I'm trying to nail down - not necessarily a new chapter each week, but a new segment to a current chapter each week until said chapter is finished. That's where the .1 .2 .3 business comes in.

So for chapter 2, we're halfway done with it and have one more segment to go. That'll come out next Saturday if I can make it. Afterward, it'll be a little while before chapter 3 comes out.

[OMNIImpressions]

6980883 cool i'll watch for it!

[FaelaArts]

In my opinion? You're a capable writer. You've got plenty of room for improvement, switching between short sentences and long sentences mid paragraph, and your pacing could use some work. But you have the makings of a decent story here. Alas, this isn't my cup of tea. Too many stories like this tend to either make Twilight Twilight, or Twilight Edward. And neither of those work for this kind of story. It just feels like a retelling with Twilight acting for Edward. If she were suddenly thrust into his world, however, but keeping them all ponies, that would captivate me.

I give you a solid 3/5. Your grammar and spelling is fine, but your pacing and vocabulary need some work. In addition, the idea feels too similar to most other stories. But don't get discouraged by this. I'm sure this story will be a resounding success, it simply doesn't have the hook I'm looking for.

[Leoshi]

6991754 That's fair. I am trying to evolve my writing style with this project, which I hope will be reflected as I go further along, but I accept my shortcomings. With time and patience, perhaps one day I can make something that will really captivate people. At least, that's one of my goals. Thank you for your honesty and for taking the time to share it.

[FaelaArts]

6991779 Best of luck.

[reading is magic]

Gotta say, this story wasn't that compelling for me. The characters didn't feel alive for me, like they just filled the shoes of the FMA characters, and didn't feel like Twilight nor Edward. It's a good concept, I'll give you that, but I expected something else other than inserting alchemy or inserting the characters into another world.

The writing is very descriptive, that's a plus. The characters, however, didn't get that descriptive power at all. I ended up skimming a lot just to see if it gets better, but in the end, I just wanted Whiteout's side of story since they were something different. I can't read the whole thing, sorry.

[Vutava]

Author's Note:

In case you missed it, it's a big world out there. See you all next week!

Is this map canon to the story?

[AyeNowWai]

I was unable to use any of the links. Any advice on how to fix this?

[Leoshi]

7857793 They seem to be working fine on my end, so I don't know what's causing your error. Nonetheless, I moved both images into imgur mirrors, which you can see below.

The first is for the map used for this story: http://imgur.com/erVO0OE

The second is for Pappy's first-version character model: http://imgur.com/qpBdjg4

As I recall, imgur has still got FIMfic blacklisted from allowing images to show up in posts. So if clicking the links isn't enough, try refreshing or pasting them in a new tab. Hope they help!

[Animatorsnake]

I'm guessing that Pappy is based off the brigadier general related to Hawkeye from the show

[Leoshi]

10158204
The thought often occurred to me, but I don't think I ever settled on a relation to anyone other than Carrot Cake (Mr Cake - thus why the name Poppy Seed was such a fun idea for me).