Chapter 1
The train came to a slow, but still pretty rough stop in the town of Appleoosa, creating a cloud of dust as the wind following behind it kicked up a countless amount of dirt and sand. The engine quietened as the horn sounded off to alert passers by of its arrival. The weather was as expected in a desert during the middle of the day; The air was warm and dry, the sky cloudless and blue, and the sunlight was beating down on all who who dared to live in such a climate.
Unlike the usual train that passed by, dropping off ponies that decided to travel out here for whatever reasons they may have, this was a supply train. The only ponies on board were the conductor, a few engine workers, and a three-pony family that hid in one of the empty carts; Accompanied by their furless friend of course, Rusty.
The door to the supposedly empty cart slid open. Steel Hoof, an older stallion with brown fur and a grey mane, dressed in an old, worn and torn suit, stepped out and took a deep breath of the hot, desert air. A smile spread across his face as he took in the area around him, ready to take on the day and whatever it had in store for them. Turning back to the cart, he held out his hand.
In response to his kind gesture; Scarlet, a salmon pink mare with a long, flowing red mane, gently grabbed his hand and stepped out as well. Once free from the confines of their mobile home, she brushed off her equally worn out dress and leaned in to give her husband a short, but sweet kiss.
"Incoming!"
The couple looked back to the cart, separating as they took a step back. Just as they had made a clearing, Rusty came flying out, landing in between the two with a colt, that looked nearly identical to Steel Hoof, piggybacking on him. The young pony was giggling with glee, even as he slid down the creature's hooded form.
"Let's do it again!" Rod exclaimed, the smile on his face being almost too much for his illegitimate brother to say 'No' to. Luckily for him, he didn't have to.
"Maybe another time, dear." Scarlet said sweetly, picking up the colt and holding him in her arms. "You know the rules; Work comes before play."
Though clearly disappointed, Rod understood and submitted to his mother's words. "Yes, mommy."
"That's a good boy." She finished with a smile, poking his nose playfully.
Steel Hoof broke away from the group, walking a few feet toward the front of the train. "How's it going, Steam?" He called out, a small latch opening up just enough for the conductor to stick his head out.
Steam looked out to them, running a hand through his nearly black mane before grabbing the cigarette from his mouth so he could speak. "Steel, ol buddy!" He called back, a great big smile going across his ash grey features. "How was the ride?"
"Pleasant, as always!" Steel replied with a short laugh.
"I hope so, cause we're not staying for long!" Glancing toward the station, he spotted a clock and pointed at it. "You got 'till six o' clock! Make it count!"
After looking at the clock, Steel did a playful salute to the conductor and turned back to rejoin his family. "Alright everypony." He began, clapping his hands to make sure he had their attention. "We've got just a little over an hour to get what we need. Scarlet and Rod; You're the cute ones, so you're on money duty."
"Rusty and I will gather supplies." Steel threw an arm around Rusty, pulling him close to his side. "We'll meet back here ten minutes before the train is set to leave. Sound like a plan?"
"Yes, sir!" Rod saluted, earning a grin from his father, Scarlet nodding in his direction as well.
"That's the spirit!" And on that note, the group broke into their respective teams of two and went off in opposite directions.
Leaving the station behind, Steel led the way to town. He reached into his suit coat, slipping his hand in a pocket and grabbing a handful of the bits concealed within. It wasn't a lot, but it should be enough to stock them up for the next train ride. Holding the bits in one hand, he slid them into the other with his thumb, counting each one individually in head.
Rusty pulled up on the hood of his rust red coat, making sure that it was steady. It wouldn't be enough to hide his more distinct features, but nopony would suspect he was any different from them at first glance. Taking the time to look around, he spotted a small row of market stalls.
Grabbing Steel with a hand, he pointed to the stalls. "There's your spot, buddy."
Steel flashed him a toothy smile. "Good eye, Rusty." Standing in place, he went through their small sum of money one last time. "What do you recon the price of water will be?"
"Anywhere else, a case would run us about twelve bits." Daring to go over the landscape one last time, he couldn't help but feel like the odds wouldn't be in their favor. "But, I get the feeling water is a little scarce out here. Might wanna up the ante."
It's not too often that Steel would find himself frowning, typically being the one to find the best of any bad situation. Life wasn't the easiest for him and his family. What little currency they had was essential for their survival. "That might leave us a little short on food." He said, managing to put his smile back on as he handed the bits over to Rusty. "But, we've braved through worse."
Rusty accepted the bits, pocketing them quickly. He used to envy Steel Hoof's ability to smile no matter how bleak a situation may have seemed. Over time though, he learned to do the same. Now he just felt like a hairless knock-off of the poor, kind soul that was this stallion. The two nodded to each other and agreed to meetup back at the station before dividing.
Steel has been all around Equestria, further even. This gave the pony a pretty good idea on how to do things in certain areas. One thing that he managed to win ponies over with was his charisma. He was always lively and willing to offer kindness even when none was returned. This affected almost everypony he crossed, earning him both attention and hospitality. If he really wanted something, he could get it without even an ounce of deceit. He was just a very likable pony.
Rusty, on the other hand, didn't have it so easy. His personality would win over ponies over time, but his appearance always threw them off and made it slightly more challenging as a result. Still, he always tried hard to make the very best impression he could and be as likable as any other pony. Time seemed to fly by as he wandered the dirt roads that were laid out before him, searching for any place that would sell water. His prayers were finally answered as he stumbled upon a small store, the signs out front conveniently stating that were selling bottled water. Without further delay, he entered the little marketplace and took in the surroundings.
It was a nice spot, albeit smaller than most of the shops he's visited. There were some shelves decorated with knick-knacks of all kinds, a few tools off in the back, some non-perishable foods by the counter, and a large cooler behind the counter.
With his goal now in sight, he pulled down his hood- not wanting them to think he's some sort of thief- and approached the sales pony standing in front of the cooler. Naturally, her eyes went wide as the tan coated mare spotted him, brushing her light brown locks from her face to make sure she was seeing him correctly.
Doing the polite thing, Rusty flashed her a smile as he reached the counter. "Howdy, howdy." He greeted in a soft tone, ignoring her stare as he pointed to the machine behind her. "How much for a case?"
Dumbstruck, the mare could only 'Uhhh' at him for a few seconds before finally processing his question. "Oh! For the uh..." She glanced back, her brain still trying to catch up with her. "For the water?"
"Yes, ma'am." Rusty confirmed with a nod.
"Right! Yes...The water!" The store clerk put on a weird smile as she tried to continue. "It's uh..two bits per bottle. Seventeen for a case."
"I'll take one case then." Rusty reached into his pocket and pulled out the bits, counting what he had and placing the amount on the counter. This left him with three bits total that he placed back into his pocket. He hoped to high heaven that Scarlet and Rod would pull in a decent amount during their rounds. Otherwise, things were going to be pretty tight for the next few days.
Accepting his payment, the mare opened the cooler and pulled out a box wider than her chest. She placed the box on the counter, looking much more at ease as she opened it to examine the contents. "One...four...ten...twelve." Satisfied that everything was in order, she closed the box and slid it over to her odd-looking costumer. "There you are, sir!"
"Thank you, kindly." With that out of the way, he could head back to-
"No disrespect, sir; But..." The shop pony began, causing Rusty to freeze in place. "What uh...what exactly...Are you a-" Now feeling more than a little nervous, the mare couldn't find the words she was looking for. With how kind this creatur has been thus far, the last thing she wanted to do was offend him.
"An alien?" Rusty finished for her, having heard this question more times than he could count. Despite the re-occurrence of this question though, he never let it put a damper on his mood and would instead choose to humor those who asked. "In a sense, I am." He almost laughed as he watched her eyes light up at his response. Knowing what she would ask next, he decided to have a little fun with her. "I come from a world far, far away from here."
"A world rich with technology the likes of which this one may never see!" Leaning over the counter, the shop pony listened intently to what he had to say. "I've only been here for a few short years, but I gotta say; I think I like it better here. You ponies are absolutely remarkable."
The mare blushed, leaning back as she reached up and started playing with her mane. "Well, I-I...I don't know about that-"
Rusty reached over the counter, placing two fingers to her lips as she shushed her. "Don't sell yourself so short. It's ponies like you who have given my life so much more meaning than it once had." He went on to say, causing her blush to deepen. "If it wasn't for this world and all of the wonderful creatures, I never would have lived this long."
Pulling back, the shop pony now dead silent and completely still, Rusty grabbed the box in front of him and lifted it onto his shoulder. "Have a lovely day."
It took her a few seconds to recollect herself, but she managed to respond just as he went out of the door. "You too... um..."
"Rusty Nails!" He called back, leaving the flustered mare alone in her shop.
She was cute. I wonder how long it would take to seduce her.
Rusty smiled as he walked back down the road, throwing up his hood before he could draw any attention to himself. He really enjoyed talking to other ponies like that. Given his unique species, they would think that there was something special about him. It was this belief that gave him the opportunity to make them feel special. Granted, the way he went about doing this was as simple as it came, but that's what he loved the most about his life. The simplicity of being nice and surviving made everything just perfect in his eyes.
Still ignoring me, huh?
The walk down here took longer than Rusty had anticipated, but at least he kept tabs on which directions he took. The only problem now was whether or not he would make it back to the train in time. Still keeping a tight grip on the case he was holding, he glanced in almost every direction as he tried to find a clock.
Do you have any idea how boring this is for me?
Rusty couldn't spot any way to tell the exact time. A few years back, he tried learning to tell the time through the position of the sun, but was never very accurate with his readings. With his attention elsewhere, he nearly made the mistake of bumping into a few ponies. He apologized, of course, but kept trying to find a clock so he would know whether or not he would need to start running to catch the train.
Heads up!
As fate would have it, the next Pony that Rusty bumped into ended up colliding with him head on. The impact caused both parties to recoil, dropping their respective items; Rusty losing his grip on his water case, and the pony releasing the arms of a wagon they were pulling.
Placing a hand to his head, Rusty rubbed the spot where they made contact. His sights immediately went downward, where he spotted his fallen case and a hat. "I'm terribly sorry." Keeling down, he grabbed his water case and the dirty stetson. "That was my fault, I wasn't paying attention..." His words trailed off as he stood back to his full height, his eyes widening as he got a look at who he had bumped into.
Farm Horse!
Applejack of Sweet Apple Acres, the pony who's family he considered to be his own flesh and blood at one point, was standing before him, her eyes sealed shut as she attempted to massage away the headache she now had. Part of him was actually a little excited to see her, but that was nothing compared to the amount of pain and guilt that immediately resurfaced upon laying his eyes on her.
"The fault aint all yers." Applejack said through gritted teeth, more out of pain than anger. "Ah didn't have my eyes rightly where they should have been either." She opened her eyes, seeing the odd pony she bumped into apparently refusing to look at her. His head was aimed down, the faded red hood making it nearly impossible to see his face. She followed his gaze, noticing her hat in his grip.
Rusty all but shoved the stetson into her hands, quickly retracting his own and slipping it into his pocket before walking around her. "Sorry, but I'm in a rush."
Applejack held on to her hat, unsure of how to feel about all of that. He was probably the weirdest pony she's met in a while. Not to mention he had the strangest looking hand she's seen since...Her mind came to a rather preposterous conclusion, but not one she could so easily overlook. Turning around, she eyed the odd 'pony' walking away from her at a rather suspicious pace.
Narrowing her eyes at him, she focused on every little detail. Nothing seemed out of place, aside from the exposed wrist she could just barely make out from this distance. It looked like it hardly had any fur on it, which is very odd for a pony. Keeping her sights on him, she caught a glimpse of his face as he glanced back at her. Her heart stopped for a few seconds as she spotted the scruffy human's, unshaven features; His muzzle-less mouth, the smooth skin on his forehead, those messy locks of yellow hair.
Applejack throws her hat on and starts walking, moving slightly faster than the human as she follows behind him. He turns a corner, giving her the opportunity to pick up the pace while he's no longer looking. Nearly running now, she rounds the corner and...nothing.
The person she could have sworn she saw was gone, nowhere to be seen. Her eyes dart every which way, looking for any places that he could have ducked off to. However, the only things in her sights were other ponies, a few connected buildinga, a long dirt road, and a small playhouse for foals, which she could see a lone filly playing in through its tiny window.
Unsure of what just happened, or if what she saw was even real, Applejack turned away from the path and went back to the wagon she left behind.
The filly within the playhouse peeked out of the window before turning to face her over-sized visitor, crouched down beneath the window with a box in his lap. She regarded him with curious eyes, expecting an answer as to why he so rudely barged in and asked her to pretend like he wasn't there.
Looking back at the filly, Rusty knew he was in a rough spot. This kid could easily turn on him if she wanted to and he really wasn't looking forward to that. But, what could he possibly do to make sure she wouldn't say anything?
I might have an idea.
Rusty took a deep breath, normally doing what he could to shut out the one part of his old self that refused to go away. If he were being honest though, it's saved his sorry flank on more than one occasion. And at least this suggestion wasn't as bad as some of the others.
Slipping a hand into his pocket, he pulled out a single bit and slid it across the plastic table in front of him. "You never saw me." The filly eyed the bit for a few seconds before collecting it and nodding to him with a smug grin plastered across her face.
I hate kids...
A loud, deep whistle tore through the play-set walls, causing Rusty's whole body to tense up. "Uh oh..." Was all he could get out as he nearly broke through the toy house's front door and started sprinting back to the train station. "Sorry!"
Rusty ran as fast as his legs could carry him, still holding on tightly to the case of water that he placed back onto his shoulder. The station wasn't too far off from him now, but as the final whistle blew, it started to leave without him. He pushed himself a little more, his legs beginning to cry out in pain as he ran faster. Making it to the station, he spotted the train just a short ways down the tracks, still moving slowly from having just started back up.
Without stopping, Rusty flew past several ponies waiting at the station, jumping off of the platform and running after the train. He was starting to catch up, but the train was moving faster and faster. By some miracle, he manged to get close enough to reach the caboose. It took everything he had to do this, but he did it.
Rusty jumped, grabbing onto the rail with his free hand and pulling himself up. He finally came to a stop, taking a few minutes to catch his breath as he looked back at the city of Appleoosa slowly disappearing behind him.
Azure looks out at the town of Ponyville from her spot on the cloud, watching as the sun begins its descent and night falls over her home. Ever since her talk with Big Mac earlier that day, she's kept mostly to herself; Sorting through thoughts and feelings with no real idea of what to do about any of them. Although she was happy to have learned more about her late father, something still felt out of sorts. She thought that, by learning about him, she would be able to move on with her life and no longer have to hold onto this emptiness that's filled her for as long as she can remember. Instead, it feels as though it's grown.
Having spent most of the day crying into Big Mac's shoulder, she couldn't produce any more tears. There were none left to be shed. But that emptiness, as well as that sadness that would accompany it, still remained.
The small amount of knowledge she had gathered wasn't enough. She wanted to know more, so much more. She wanted to know who he was, what he was, what he looked like, what he felt like, and how it would feel to be wrapped in his arms as he told her he loved her.
This wasn't a desire just to learn and hear about him, as it had started out. No. This was a need to know him, to see him, to be with him. But, no matter how much she wanted to, there was no bringing him back. Her father was dead and there wasn't a single thing she could do about it.
Resigned to simply wallowing in her own sadness, Azure rolled onto her back and looked up at the darkening sky. Before too long, the moon began to rise and she spotted the first star to appear before the rest began to shine through. Her eyes stayed locked onto that one star, never letting it leave her sight.
How about we make a wish?
Azure sniffed loudly, though no tears were forming, her feelings still managed to manifest. "W-Why?" She asked aloud, her voice trembling. "It's not l-like i-it'll come t-true..."
Honey, how many wishes ever come true?
Azure wasn't sure how to respond to that. Not that she would be able to, given how hard she was fighting herself just to keep from having another emotional breakdown.
Exactly! It's not about having it come true; It's about declaring what you want, getting it off of your chest and out into the open!
"W-Well it's s-s-stupid!" Azure declared.
Then why do ponies all over the place do it, hmm...Because it makes them feel better, you twit. It gives them hope for better days to come.
With it being put that way, it kinda made sense to the distressed filly.
You deserve to have your wish granted just as much as anypony else.
So, my cute, little friend; What is your wish?
Taking a few shaky breaths, Azure continued to stare down the first star she saw appear into the night sky. "M-My wish..." She didn't notice this at first, but one of the stars above her was glowing a few shades brighter than the rest. "I wish...I wish my daddy was here." Said star became bigger and brighter, almost as if-
Sweet Celestia!
Azure's eyes went wide as she watched the star fall, going right toward Princess Twilight's castle. It came down so fast she could barely keep up with it. Just as she thought it was going to tear down the crystal tower, the star disintegrated. The light that once followed bounced off of the reflective structure, illuminating both the castle itself and the massive star-shaped crystal at the top.
Rusty sat beside the train cart's open door, looking out at the tree-covered landscape as they zipped by. The sun would be setting soon and he would have to head to bed, but he was finding it hard to even think about sleep right now. That short run-in with Applejack in Appleoosa stirred up a lot of old feelings. His heart ached at the memories of all of the mistakes his former self made, all of the hearts he broke, all of the pain he caused.
More than anything else, he felt guilty for all of that and more. It must have been a nightmare for those he cared about to hear of his 'passing', then for the one that watched him 'die' to see him casually roaming the streets. Who knows what this is doing to her. Every little thing that has happened since his arrival in Equestria has been eating at him since he saw her again. He thought that he was finally free of all of this pain. But, as it turns out, he was just suppressing it under this new identity. He can see that now, moreover, he can feel it.
Steel and Rusty had a long talk over what happened earlier today before the stallion went to join his family in their makeshift bed off to the side. Once again, that old stallion threw down some heavy wisdom. It helped him come to terms with everything before, but this wasn't going to be so simple.
Rusty had a new name and a new life, Ryan was long gone. But, if that part of him is truly gone, then why is he still running from his past mistakes? When he really broke it down, that's all Ryan ever did was run away from things. Whether it be literally of figuratively depended on the situation, but regardless, he never faced his problems like he should have.
Ryan was a coward that hid behind closed doors and alcohol so that he wouldn't have to face things head on...but that is not who Rusty is.
All of the guilt from earlier practically vanished into thin air as a newfound sense of determination filled Rusty from head to toe. Climbing to his feet, he got to work on gathering supplies. There was an old bag in one of the crates they used to store everything they would acquire. He grabbed the bag and filled it with a few of the essentials; Which only consisted of a few bottles of water and some canned food. Taking less than his share, he zipped the bag and strapped it on.
"Rusty..." Rusty froze, his head slowly turning to see his new family looking at him from their bed. Out of all of them, Rod had the saddest look in his eyes. "What are you doing?"
"I uh..." The words didn't want to come out. His confidence from earlier was slipping away as he looked into the melancholy eyes of the ones who had done so much for him. "I didn't mean to wake you. I was just..." He struggled to put together a full sentence, not wanting to hurt any of them. "I have to...I NEED to go and..." Steel rose up from the bed, walking over to Rusty and placing a hand on his shoulder. The sad look in his eyes shifted to something that Rusty couldn't quite identify as the stallion started to smile at him.
"It's okay, Rusty." Steel said with a nod. "Go...Go and make things right."
Tears started to form in Rusty's eyes as he threw his arms around Steel, who happily returned the embrace. "Thank you...Thank you for everything."
The embrace ended when Scarlet found her way to the two, offering Rusty a delighted smile. "You're doing the right thing, sweetie." Mimicking Rusty, she all but crushed him as she forced her own embrace upon the human with happy tears in her eyes. "I'm so proud of you..."
This hug lasted a little longer than the last, but when it finally broke, Rusty's attention went downward. He could see Rod standing a few feet away from the group, his features being genuinely sad.
Taking a knee, Rusty locked eyes with the colt and opened his arms. Though hesitant at first, Rod came running into his arms and cried softly into his brother's red coat.
"You're not leaving forever, are you?" Rod asked solemnly, his voice muffled from having his face buried in Rusty's shoulder.
Rusty nodded, stroking his little brother's mane to coax him out of hiding. "Of course not..." Rod pulled his face from his shoulder, looking up at him with red surrounding his eyes. "You're my family and I could never abandon any of you." Wiping the tears from the colt's eyes, he gave him a quick nuzzle. "We'll see each other again. I promise."
After releasing Rod from his hold, Rusty stood back to his full height and walked back to the open cart door. Having been on this train for as long as he has, he knew they'd be passing by Ponyville soon. It never stopped there persay, but followed a secondary track that would pass by the town.
Now that night had fallen, it was nearly impossible to see where the town was. It was small, so it wasn't like he was looking at Las Vegas from the mountains of Nevada again. This was more like searching for one lightning bug in a field. If it weren't for the stars- literally- he never would have found it.
A shooting star seemed to come down at the perfect time, somehow causing the crystal star at the top of Twilight's castle to glow bright enough for him to see. His destination now in sight, he walked away from the door and to the other side of the cart.
Rusty looked over at his family one last time. "You know...It's been a while since I've done this."
Steel and Scarlet seemed to get the joke, but Rod was lost on its meaning. "Done what?"
"Something really stupid." Rusty answered before charging straight for the exit and making a powerful leap right when he reached the edge. His body soared for what felt like minutes, but really only lasted for a few seconds.
At the end of that time, Rusty hit the ground and quickly came down to meet the dirt below with his face, the rest of his body following suit right after. He rolled to the side, soon reaching a steep edge and tumbling down the small hill until he finally came to a painful stop at the bottom.
You were right...That was really stupid....
Groaning, Rusty flipped himself over and got back to his feet, albeit with some difficulty. After a quick dusting to get some of the dirt off his everything, he looked toward where he saw the castle. Now that he was level with the town, he was able to spot a few dim lights in the distance from those few who stayed up this late.
Well, buddy...You better get to steppin' if you wanna make it there before morning. That's a long fuckin' walk.
That in mind, Rusty got moving. He walked at a decent pace, taking careful steps as to not trip over anything and hurt himself even more in the process. Last thing he needed was to show up broken. Wouldn't that be a hell of way to re-introduce yourself to the entire world.
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OK i have to admit i was pissed with the way you ended the last one but im very glad to see you didnt just leave it there. looking forward to the next chapter buddy
Also because i can : 1st!
YES! I Just got off reading the first one, 'cos this release intrigued me... Gotta be honest, I Love You. Looking forward to more!
8941379
You are in for a world of fuckery if you've fallen for me. I wish you the best of luck with the hell you are welcoming into your life.
Genetic voices in your head, hers sounds a little nicer at least.
Looking forward to seeing how badly Rusty gets his arse kicked for saying hello.
Will be a short story when rainbow kills him
leme just throw this in my trackin' folder
Hurry up with the next chapter!!!
.... Please!
Dude... I read the whole history in a single day (thanks narrator function) and now I'm here. It truly was a RollerCoaster of emotions, but I know one thing and only one thing: Spike is best princess, also I need more of this
FUCKING UPDATE ALL READY OR I WILL RIP OFF BOTH YOJR ARMS AND SHOVE THEM SO FAR UP YOUR ASS THEY WILL BE STICKING OUT OF YOUR THROAT
8958400
Threatening me with a good time ain't gonna get you anywhere but in my bed.
HOLY SHIT THIS iS REALLY GOOD I CAN'T WAIT FOR THE NEXT CHAPTER!!
Damn! To be honest, on its own, the ending to the last story just wasn't good, but this...makes it complete somehow. And I'm getting that feeling, the one you only get when you know you're reading a bloody good fic.