Book 3 The Shadows [OUTDATED]

by Penelope Anne Ink

Chapter Six

Because the train ride had started so late, they still had a ways to go in the morning.

Starry felt the warm sun creeping up through her window and yawned. She started crawling down from her bunk to get some breakfast, hoping she wouldn’t wake too many of the ponies in the car. As she went past Edgy’s bunk, she noticed he wasn’t there and felt a little cross that he hadn’t woken her up sooner.

He was sitting back in the same seats they were in yesterday, except this time he was staring out the window. Starry thought he looked really thoughtful for once, like a changed pony, but, in reality, he was thinking about the food in Canterlot. The food on the train hadn’t been nearly as good.

Starry thought about trotting up and pouncing onto the bench beside him, but went ahead and tiptoed as best she could by him and went back to the dining car for breakfast.

They hadn’t picked up too many ponies overnight, it seemed. She could only remember a few the night before and there weren’t too many this morning. They were already nearing Ponyville anyway.

She took an apple from the dining car and trotted back to where Edgy was sitting. He continued to ignore her so she decided to continue her designs in her notebook. She pictured making a fireplace screen with his scars as the design. It would cast the best shapes on the walls and give the fire a mysterious air.

Letting her mind wander, she could see the screen as a forest. Not like the one they had to travel through. One from the founding of Equestria, when there were small villages and brave pegasus warriors and the unicorns were the head of the land. Then things wouldn’t be too bad. She could wield a sword and have Edgy as her trusty, though negligent, companion.

Edgy peered over at Starry’s notebook. She hadn’t noticed when her scribbling had gotten increasingly loud and could be heard throughout the train car. He thought he could make out the image of a unicorn and an earth pony, but it looked like the earth pony was being yelled at. Starry’s eyes were fixated on where she was moving her pencil. Edgy couldn’t really tell how, but her eyes looked lighter colored than usual.

He turned back out the window. It seemed like he’d be a regular resident in Ponyville now. For the first time in his life he was going to have to be a normal citizen.

The skies outside turned grey for the first time in the past week, and he could just see where the pegasus ponies had patched up the remaining sunny bits of sky. Everything looked gloomy and when the rain started pattering on the train roof he could just imagine what it would be like if it was a shadowy army.

Starry had finally completed the image she was working on and stood up.

It was going to be a bold move, but she thought she could take the risk.

Her magic aura lit up for one second and Edgy nearly leapt to the ceiling. He looked at where he felt like he was hit and felt more confused than ever. A scrap of paper had been pinned to his flank and on it was a faint scribble of a sword. He took one look at Starry.

“I think it matches,” she said with a small grin.

Edgy frowned a bit, but he had an idea.

“Have you ever actually made one before? A real sword?”

Starry stopped and thought about it for a minute. She had one memory of an enthusiast that she attempted to make a sword for, but really...

“I tried once, but I can’t make a real one. It’s not the sort of thing I’m into, anyway. I don’t like the thought of making weapons.”

They both had to admit it would be out of place in Ponyville. Most ponies would falter at a raised voice if it wasn’t their own.

Edgy glanced back at his temporary cutie mark and for a second he was going to remove it, but then he thought better of it.

...But the train was nearly back in Ponyville and he wasn’t trotting out with it on.

He took a hoof and brushed it off, letting it fall with a small clatter onto the floor.

Starry pretended not to notice.

“Train rides are awfully dull sometimes, aren’t they?” she said.

“Depends on how you look at it!”

The orange mare was sitting behind Edgy. With a slight hop he turned around so that he and Starry were both facing the mare.

“Trains are interesting things. They’re more than just a method of transport. They are bridges into the unknown, they are an innovation for the past, they lead us into death and into life. I wouldn’t underestimate that.”

The orange mare flashed them a smile that reflected on all the pearls she wore.

Starry suddenly felt a connection with the mare.

“I like the sound of that! My name’s Starry by the way.”

The two mares shook hooves and the orange mare told Starry her name. Edgy didn’t quite catch it. He was once again struck by the odd sensation he felt.

The orange mare eventually left the train car and Edgy and Starry were once again nearly alone. The rain had stopped, and they could see one or two pegasus ponies clearing up the sky. Celestia’s sun was once again shining over the still empty green open spaces. It was almost calming how empty it was.

In the next hour they finally made it back to Ponyville. With a screech, the train rested its worn wheels next to the welcoming station.

They hopped off onto the train station platform and turned back toward the train. They could see the orange mare still sitting on one of the benches. She gave them a wink and Starry and Edgy turned around to head off the platform when Edgy took one last look at the mare.

Strange, they had only gone a few steps but it seemed like the mare and the train itself was getting farther away. Even while he was standing still, it began to fade more and more.

Starry had stopped trotting to see why Edgy had stopped and looked back at where the train was.

It had vanished. Starry blinked a few times and turned to look around the line to see if the train had quietly moved on without her hearing. As suddenly as the old one disappeared, a new one appeared in the same spot. No other pony except her and Edgy seemed to notice, so she figured it was just her imagining things from her lack of sleep.