The Horror of Happiness

by CrackedInkWell

Chapter 8: Dinning Conversations with Hidden Trek

November 15th – I have come to the conclusion, that the founder of Our Town, Starlight Glimmer, is a sociopath. For me, this is rather exciting, since this is now the very first time in several decades that I meet another sociopath whose drive is to control a group of ponies in the middle of nowhere. Personally, I consider it a dull occupation, but, who am I to judge?

From what I could gather, many of the ponies that came here did so, because they were down on their luck or curious. Yet, I wonder, how does one go from being an average pony to these grinning things that have the exact same cutie mark? While I’ve seen how they could be kept busy and how they’re trying to be self-sufficient, that alone still hasn’t answered my question.

Luckily, a newcomer has arrived today by the name of Hidden Trek, a young explorer who has stumbled into the village. Since we’re sharing the same house for the moment, perhaps now he would give me the opportunity to see how these ponies are really converted. Maybe he could provide the key to get to know who Starlight really is.

As a side note, I think I should lay off making art projects for the time being. I almost slipped up when I’ve bled the young Finishing Line and I can tell that his parents are now very cautious of me. Still, I must be on the lookout for more happy ponies for the near future. After all, there’s something I’ve always wanted to try, but I need somepony to fit perfectly for that upcoming art project.

“Hey, doc!” a voice from downstairs cried out, “Dinner’s ready.”

“In a moment,” Lovejoy called back as he slipped the journal behind the rows of books. He walked down the steps to where he could smell the stew coming from the kitchen. “What is it that you’re making?”

“Stewed carrots,” Trek answered. “Something I’ve learned from Dodge City, really tiny place I must say.”

The elder stallion stepped into the kitchen, “How close are you?”

“They’re pretty much done. You wanna set the table?”

Lovejoy took out the white and blue china from the cabinets, along with the silverware and glasses. “I must apologize, Mr. Trek, that I’m afraid that we only have room temperature water here. There’s no milk or anything else for miles, and getting ice is nearly impossible to transport and to store as well.”

“I’m fine with that,” the younger unicorn took the frying pan off the stove. “As long as I have something to drink, it’s perfect for me.” He began splitting the meal between him when he asked, “You know, you’re not exactly like those guys out there, why’s that?”

“I don’t know what you mean.”

“You have a different cutie mark, and you look like you’re the oldest guy around… eh, no offense.”

“None taken,” Dr. Lovejoy turned to the phonograph, “before I answer that, you wouldn’t mind of me playing some classical music while we eat?”

“You kidding? From a guy that’s been out there for weeks on hoof, anything sounds great.”

“Very well,” the orange unicorn selected one of his records and levitated one to the phonograph. A few cranks and the needle being placed down, the horn produced a harpsichord and string orchestra playing cold notes before the singing of a soprano in the old Baroque style.

“Istallion, isn’t it?” Trek asked. “I recognize the language, but who’s it from?”

“Vifilly. I think it’s from one of the operas he composed.”

“I think I’ve heard the opening before,” he said taking his seat as the doctor took his. “It sounds like his winter concerto.”

“It does have that feel, yes.”

“I’ve heard his Four Seasons when I was in Istaly. Live too.”

Lovejoy’s eyebrow was raised, “So, you’ve taken the traditional Grand Tour?”

“Several others actually,” Trek chuckled, “I’ve always had a love of traveling. Going into places where very few think about going to. And it’s not just other countries, but in Equestria too!”

“Which begs the question, what exactly do you do as a job?”

“As I’ve said, I go into the most hidden places in Equestria, to places where ponies don’t even think about going to and explore it. Map it out; give detailed descriptions and the like so they’ll be published in a travel magazine that I work for. The best part about it is that I can go wherever I want and get paid for it.” The elderly stallion nodded as he munched away at the carrot dish, “So what about you? What’s your story here?”

“Me?”

“Yes, like I was saying, I’ve noticed that you’re the only one around here that doesn’t have an equal sign as a cutie mark, why is that?”

“I’ve only arrived here about a week ago.”

“Okay, so from the cutie mark, I’m guessing you’re the doctor here?

“Retired, actually,” he corrected him, “I was looking for a place to spend my last days in, and I found it.”

Trek blinked, “Last days?”

“Simply put, I have a brain aneurysm that could kill me at any moment. Mind passing the salt?” but the younger stallion stared at him.

“Whoa, are you’re just… okay with this? I-I mean, you’re not scared of this fact?”

Lovejoy chuckled, “Why, of course, I’m scared, terrified even! I find it’s best to either not think about it or find some humor in it.”

“Doc I… ponyfeathers, I’m so sorry about that.”

The older unicorn waved a hoof, “You had nothing to do with it. At least I’ve found a nice, quiet place to spend my retirement on. But, let’s not focus all this on me. Let’s talk about you. Where are you from?”

“Baltamare,” he answered. “Really boring place after you grow up in it for a good fifteen years. I guess that when you already know the city inside and out to the point where you can literally walk around the streets blindfolded and not have a problem getting lost… I’ll bet even you couldn’t help but want something a little more. So I started traveling, but not towards the places where everypony could simply point it on a map, but rather to the places that no one’s ever heard of before. You might say that getting lost is part of the job description,” the brown stallion chuckled.

“Lost?”

“Well, if you want to find something that nopony knows about you must first get yourself lost, otherwise everypony would know where to find it.”

Lovejoy shrugged, “Can’t argue with that logic.”

“But what about you and this place, do you know why all of them are all… creepy like?”

“Not at the moment. I do know that Starlight Glimmer is the real leader of this place, and they’re trying to be self-sufficient as they can. Although I’ve been here for about six days now, they’ve kept mentioning how equal they all are here. It’s as if for some of them life has wronged them in some way that they formed this community to counter that.”

“Ooh… Now that’s fascinating,” Trek said, “I think that my readers are going to be really curious about this place. Perhaps I can get straight to the bottom of all of this.”

Lovejoy thought for a moment, “Perhaps I could talk to Starlight for you to have the grand tour of this place. Who knows, maybe you’ll find out something about this place that I haven’t yet to find out.”

Comments

[Skye Mist]

What are you up to, Lovejoy?

[Mix-up]

This is interesting, Trek seem to also be a of a curious nature, so the Doc doesn't need to act the part as much on his and can let Trek ask the basic question and stay more on the side lines to examine everyponies behavior without being in the line of fire in conversations so that he has more time to muse on planing in his "future art projects". Trek seem to the sort of pony that is hooves on pony and very open mind and is not really judged mental about other ways of viewing the world so he might be initially interested in living in Our Town for a time at least until he tries at least all the basic daily activities that the townsfolk do every day and start to get board. Seeing this could be an interesting opportunity for Starlight seeing that Trek work for a travail guide magazine it would mean that he know ponies in the media industry and have at least a band of loyal readers that are receptive to his comment and she could show all the good stuff of Our Town tel him of all its lifestyle philosophy and could make an article about it so that ponies from the out side might actually willingly seek out to go this place in the middle of nowhere so she might . The problem with it is that it might attract unwanted attention from the Equestrian government about the happenings there, but the biggest problem that I would see if their is an increase in tourism, with would be a chance to give away books that talks about the "evils of cutie mark" is that Our Town the place might become just an other tourist attraction for outsides and might actually undermined Starlight's cause and authority. For the doctor having tourism there might be a great for him, strangers no pony knows anything about them coming and leaving with no pony really conserving them about them specifically and he wouldn't have to pray on the Townsfolk anymore giving him more chances to do his art in an isolated aria. I wander how things will be going on. Personalty I would prefer that Trek just stay in Our Town and be subjected to the treatment, but Starlight and the Doc might at least consider the option.