He Was Number One

by Acoustic Pulse

Canterlot

Author's Note:

Continuing with the seriousness. Hope you enjoy the 8th chapter!

Rotten Core took another head count. All that remained on board were Octavia, the Pie Sisters, Rainbow Dash, Cherry Jubilee, Golden Harvest, Lyra Heartstrings and Next Level.

The colt was so quiet, Rotten Core had forgotten that he was even there. He spent most of the trip sleeping, just like Lyra. He was wide awake now, watching the scenery passing outside. The sun was beginning to rise.

Rotten Core sighed and said, "Thirteen."

Lyra overheard him, "Thirteen? What are you counting?"

He turned to her and looked out at the rising sun, "That's how many days I have left to live."

"That's depressing. You've got to make the most of the time you have left," Lyra sighed.

"I'm trying, but it's hard, Ms. Heartstrings. I have nothing. I was born as nopony, I lived life as nopony and I will die as nopony," he sighed.

"That's what I'm talking about. That negative horseapples right there! You got thirteen Tirek forsaken days left. That's a lot more time than you think it is. That self-degrading nonsense has me angry enough to hit you. I won't though," Lyra retorted.

"I suppose you're right," Rotten Core sighed.

"Of course I'm right," Lyra Heartstrings said arrogantly.

Rotten Core shook his head, "I don't think you'll understand how I feel until you are in this situation yourself."

"I'll cross that bridge when I get to it," Lyra shrugged.

"That'll happen sooner than you think. Time flies," Rotten Core warned.

"I said I'll worry about that when the time comes!" Lyra snapped. She had a guilty look on her face. She immediately apologized.

"Look, I didn't mean to snap like that. I'm sorry," she said.

"It's fine. Don't worry about it," Rotten Core dismissed it.

"Alright, good," Lyra breathed a sigh of relief. She averted her gaze and closed her eyes once again.

Rotten Core understood the signal and left her alone. He found himself craving company, but nopony on board the train could relate to his situation. They were undoubtedly sympathetic, but they couldn't empathize. Rotten Core wanted empathy, not sympathy. He sat in an empty seat. He closed his eyes. He wasn't tired, but he needed time to decompress.

He was deep in thought, planning out his final two weeks. He felt a tap on his leg. He opened his eyes and looked over. He didn't see anypony.

"Down here," a voice said. He looked down to see Next Level. A folded piece of paper was in his mouth.

Rotten Core looked at it. It was decorated in crayon. A poorly drawn picture of what he assumed to be him was drawn on the front. Along with him, it was other poorly drawn portraits of everypony else on board the train, including the ones who left at previous stops. He opened the paper to look inside. The words 'Get Well Soon' were written inside the card. A picture of a smiling bandage was inside.

Rotten Core was frozen, staring at the card. He could feel himself convulsing and his eyes began to water. He was on the verge of tears, but not for himself. He realized the young colt didn't fully understand that he wasn't going to get well. That hit him really hard, but he tried to maintain his compsure, for Next Level's sake.

He looked up at the young colt and stapled on a smile, "Thank you, that was very thoughtful of you."

"I've been working on it the whole trip. That's why I was so quiet. I go home to my family today. I went to visit my grandparents in Dodge City. They're sending me back home to Canterlot. I heard you were sick and I thought you would like a card since nopony else made one for you," Next Level smiled, he was proud of his little masterpiece.

"You did such a good job on it. I'm proud of you. I will keep this forever. It will give me the strength I need to---to get better," Rotten Core didn't want to tell the child that his sickness had no cure.

"Thank you! I tried my best," Next Level laughed and went back to his seat.

The exchange brightened Rotten Core's day a little. He looked at the card again. The words 'Get Well Soon' stared back at him. He could no longer contain his emotion. He broke down and wept silently.

'How do I tell a colt that I'm dying and that I won't ever be well again? I appreciate his gesture, I'm sure his parents are proud. If only my parents had raised me that well. Perhaps I wouldn't be in the situation I'm in. I'm convinced this terminal illness is a punishment for my mistakes,' he thought to himself.

While caught up in his mental breakdown, he hadn't noticed that somepony had sat beside him. He looked over to see Pinkie Pie. He moved so she could have more room.

"Oh, you're up," Rotten Core stapled his smile back on.

"Yep. Good morning. I immediately noticed something was wrong. I have a sixth sense for this kinda thing. What's on your mind?" Pinkie Pie interrogated.

"Well, this is one of thirteen mornings I have left. On the fourteenth day, everypony will be mourning instead," Rotten Core sighed.

Pinkie Pie looked and saw the get well card, "Aww, that is too cute. Who made that for you?"

"Next Level," Rotten Core replied.

"He is precious, I love him to bits. He's always smiling, just like me," Pinkie grinned from ear to ear.

"Got any of your own?" Rotten Core asked.

"Nope. I'm too crazy to be a parent! I do foalsit the Cakes tho," Pinkie laughed. She was now hanging from the luggage rack by her back legs.

"That makes two of us," Rotten Core laughed.

"Match made in Tartarus," Pinkie joked.

"Something like that," Rotten Core raised an eyebrow.

Pinkie nodded, "See? No more tears. My work here is done. Another successful mission."

Rotten Core nodded, "Thanks for the smiles."

"Anytime, it's what I'm here for," Pinkie fell from the luggage rack. She rolled off the seat and trotted back over to her sister.

Maud was still asleep. She was guarding Boulder with her life. Rotten Core was convinced that she was the only one on this train that had more issues than he did.

---

It was high noon. They still had 6 hours before they made it to Canterlot. They were halfway to the next stop. Everypony was wide awake now.

Pinkie was showing Maud her slight of hoof by saying, "Maud, what's that behind your ear?"

Maud shrugged, "I dunno, Pinkie."

Pinkie reached behind her ear and showed her hoof. Boulder was sitting there.

Maud laughed, "That was cool."

Pinkie smiled, "Thanks!"

Lyra Heartstrings and Golden Harvest were discussing their plans for when they get home.

"I'm probably going to tend to my crops. They haven't been watered in a couple days. I don't want them to dry out," Golden Harvest said.

"That wouldn't be good. Planning on hanging out with Bon Bon, like I usually do. That's if she's not gone on another trip of her own," Lyra replied.

"Where has she gone off to?" Golden Harvest asked.

"I dunno. She'll disappear unannounced and then reappear unannounced. Sometimes, she's gone for a couple days, other times, she's gone for weeks," Lyra complained.

"What does she do?" Golden Harvest raised an eyebrow.

"Ain't no telling," Lyra was not about to blow her friend's cover. She knew Bon Bon was a secret agent for an elite unit in Canterlot. She wasn't gonna reveal that classified information to anypony.

"For the two of you to be best friends, you don't appear to know much about her," Golden Harvest observed.

"Oh, shut up, you don't even have friends," Lyra snapped.

Golden Harvest looked hurt by Lyra's insult and averted her gaze. She sat, staring down at the floor.

Lyra felt bad and apologized, "That was uncalled for, I'm sorry."

Golden Harvest looked up and nodded, "It's fine, I guess."

Lyra smiled, "Good."

Golden Harvest went back to staring out the window. The mountain that Canterlot stood upon could be seen in the distance. The train was still far from its next stop.

---

Rotten Core decided to make his way back up front with Full Steam. He opened the passenger car door, crossed onto the cab, and entered the control area.

Full Steam sat, staring ahead at the tracks. He heard the door open and turned to see his sidekick. "How are you holding up?"

"In pain now. It wasn't so bad at the beginning of the trip, but towards the end of it, I feel like I'm being pricked by millions of sewing needles," Rotten Core answered.

"Sorry to hear that," Full Steam sighed.

"I'll manage somehow," Rotten Core replied.

"Good, don't give up and don't lose hope," Full Steam tried to motivate his friend.

"I'll try not to," Rotten Core stapled on a smile.

Full Steam nodded, "Good. You of all ponies oughta know that life is short and death is long. I wish I could extend the former and that the latter didn't happen at all, but that's wishful thinking. All of our days will come eventually. Some simply take longer than others."

"Yeah, I'm well aware. I wish I could just clap my hooves and magically be cured so I could stick around a little while, but there's no way in Tartarus that's gonna happen," Rotten Core retorted.

"I know, I hate it for you. I'm glad you agreed to tag along though, this trip wouldn't have been the same without ya," Full Steam smiled reassuringly.

"I'm glad I did too," Rotten Core agreed.

"Yeah. I also have good news. It is about 3 or 4 hours before we reach Canterlot," Full Steam said.

"That is good news! That's only 5 or 6 before we reach Ponyville," Rotten Core's eyes lit up.

"Yeah. End of a long trip. How long do you plan on staying in Ponyville? I can take you back to Appleloosa whenever you're ready. I'll be stopped in the Ville for a few days taking ponies back and forth between Canterlot and Ponyville," Rotten Core inquired.

"I'm probably going to spend my final days with my cousin and her friends. I have already met 2 of them on this train. I don't know what the other 3 are like. I only know half of the group," Rotten Core clarified.

"I'm sure they'll warm up to you. You got everypony on this train to grow fond of you, except Ink Well, but everypony hates that guy because he's dishonest. I'm sure your cousin's other friends will warm up to you," Full Steam again attempted to motivate his friend.

"I hope you're right. My only problem is that I ain't got a lot of time left. Once that two weeks is up, I'll be gone just as they start to hate me a little less," Rotten Core realized.

"Look, do what Lyra said, worry about it when the time comes," Full Steam quoted.

"How did you know she said that? You always complain that the passenger car is too far away," Rotten Core looked surprised.

"She hasn't talked much on this trip, but when she does, she's loud as Tartarus. I can easily hear her through the walls," Full Steam laughed.

"Is that right?" Rotten Core couldn't help but laugh as well. A revelation entered his mind. He never asked Applejack's friends why they were in Appleloosa to begin with.

"I'll be back in a few minutes," Rotten Core told his engineer friend.

"Alright," Full Steam focused on the track ahead.

Rotten Core left the cab and re-entered the passenger car. He called Applejack's friends over, "Hey uh, Pinkie and Rainbow, can I ask y'all something? I meant to ask earlier, but I forgot."

The two friends approached him, ready for his question.

"Go ahead, shoot," Rainbow said.

"What were y'all doing in Appleloosa yesterday?" Rotten Core asked.

"Applejack asked us to check on you. When we got there, we asked Braeburn, he sent us nextdoor. We saw your note and figured you'd be here," Pinkie answered.

Rainbow nodded in agreement, which provided the corroboration Rotten Core needed.

"I reckon that shows us how small Equestria is," he chuckled.

"Looks even smaller from the air," Rainbow added.

"Oh, I believe it," Rotten Core laughed.

"Speaking of air, maybe we can get Twilight to take you up in her balloon," Pinkie joked.

"That would be awesome," Rotten Core thought of how small things would look from above.

"It is. I wish I could fly," Pinkie sighed.

"I had that same thought come across my mind on the way to the Crystal Empire last night. I told one of the guards that I wish I could exprience that freedom," Rotten Core revealed.

"Great minds think alike," Pinkie giggled.

"So it would seem," Rotten Core nodded in agreement.

---

He thanked the two Elements for their time and went back to the cab with Full Steam.

"I'm back, I also lied. I did meet a 3rd friend of Applejack's. I just don't remember her name. She was purple. She had wings like a pegasus, but a horn like a unicorn. The only three I've seen who looked like that were the Princesses. Celestia, Luna, and Cadence," Rotten Core pondered.

"Obviously meaning she's another Princess. Twilight Sparkle, the Princess of Friendship. She basically put Ponyville on the map," Full Steam laughed.

Rotten Core facehoofed, "Of course! How did I not realize that? She was just so down to Equestria. She didn't come off as aloof or holier-than-thou at all. In fact, she was sympathetic of my situation. I didn't think anypony of her status would have time to be concerned about menial things like that."

"Did you just call a terminal illness menial?" Full Steam couldn't help but laugh at that.

"Yeah, she has all of Equestria to worry about. One dude being sick ain't really her problem, you know?" Rotten Core explained.

"Oh. I get what you mean, but nah, she's cool. She's not like that Prince Blueblood guy. Blueblood is a total moron. Dude wouldn't know his tail from a hole in the ground," Full Steam joked.

"Yeah, if he is a Prince, then who is he kin to that made that possible?" Rotten Core asked.

"I'll be Luna damned if I know. Your guess is as good as mine," Full Steam laughed.

"I remember now! He's Celestia's nephew. I never would have guessed because Celestia was chill that time I attended Cadence and Shining Armor's wedding," Full Steam added after he stopped laughing.

"I bet they were chill, it's cold up there," Rotten Core joked.

"Oh, shut up," Full Steam laughed along with him.

"You can't tell me that wasn't at least a little funny," Rotten Core regained his composure.

"It was," Full Steam confirmed.

"I have my moments," Rotten Core chuckled. He thought of Braeburn and wondered how he was doing.

It got quiet for a moment, but they started laughing again.

"You're a trip," Rotten Core shook his head.

Full Steam regained his composure, "We still got another hour or two before we get to Canterlot. It depends on how fast i can go and get away with it."

"Don't haul flank too fast. When you think no pony's looking, that's when everypony is," Rotten Core warned.

"Fair enough. Two hours it is. We're almost to the base of the mountain. It'll take half that time to get to the base and the other half to get up to the top of it," Full Steam estimated.

"Alright, wouldn't it be easier to stop at Ponyville first?"

"Yeah, but I gotta do everything by the book and log each stop. If I don't go in order, EQR's top brass will be giving me the stink eye. I don't want that," Full Steam explained.

"I understand. i don't want you to get in trouble either," Rotten Core concurred.

---

The train had finally made it to the mountain. It slowed to a screeching halt at the train station.

"I'll let everypony out," Rotten Core said and went back across to the passenger car.

"Alright," Full Steam replied and opened the passenger door with a switch next to the lever that blows the whistle. He had been letting Rotten Core open it manually, but he didn't want his friend to overwork himself. He had mentioned feeling worse than before.

Octavia exited first, "Goodbye, Rotten Core, take care of yourself.".

Next Level followed, "Bye. I hope you feel better."

Cherry Jubilee stopper at the door, "Rotten Core, I know we ain't blood kin, but I still consider Applejack family. Please, give her my best for me."

"Absolutely," Rotten Core promised.

She hugged him, "I appreciate that. Enjoy the time you have left. I'm sorry it's being cut short."

"It ain't your fault, Cherry," Rotten Core replied.

"Well, I'll let you go then. I don't want to hold this train up. It still has one more stop," she smiled and exited.

He waved and the door closed. There was one more stop this train had to make.

"I'll have y'all know that this is the longest day and a half I have ever experienced," Golden Harvest laughed.

Lyra nodded in agreement, "I know. It's been endless. We still have to go back down the mountain before we can get back home."

"Yep. We'll get there tho. First thing I'm doing is throwing a huge Welcome to Ponyville party for my buddy over here," Pinkie jumped with joy, pointing at Rotten Core.

"A party? For me?" Rotten Core laughed.

"Yeah, it'll be fun. Pinkie's parties are always ridiculous, she is the party-throwing expert," Rainbow vouched.

"Why am I not surprised?" Rotten Core smiled.

"Because I told you about it. Duh," Pinkie joked.

"I'll probably drag Bon Bon along to it. It'll be fun," Lyra said.

"I'll be there later on. I have to tend to my crops before I do anything else. I will not pass Go, I will not collect 200 bits until that is done," Golden Harvest added.

"I certainly look forward to it," Rotten Core smiled.

The train began to pull out of the station. It looped around the city and began to head back the way it had entered. This trip wasn't over yet. They still had to make it to Ponyville.

The train began to slowly move back down the mountain. Full Steam was worried that the train would derail if he went too fast. That would have been catastrophic because the train would have plummeted all the way down to the ground.

End of Chapter 8!

Comments

[Skittlebug]

"So it would seem," Rotten Core nodded in agreement.

DA DA DA DA, DA DA DA DA, DA DA DA DA, DA DA DA-DA. DA DA DA DA, DA DA DA DA, DA DA DA DA, DA DA DA. DA DA DA DA, DA DA DA DA, DA DA DA DA, DA DA DA-DA. DA DA DA DA DA DA-DA, DA DA DA DA, DA DA DA.

[Acoustic Pulse]

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I was just playing around, trying to be funny. I'm assuming you weren't a fan. Apologies.