Broken Stems

by TCC56

All The Tired Horses In The Sun

Metal squealed against metal as the train ground to a final halt. The tired conductor cried out their arrival further up - "End of the line - Shire Lanka! Last stop, everypony!"

From their sleeper car at the rear, the six ponies of the rescue party gathered their sparse luggage and debarked with stiff legs and bleary eyes. The long journey hadn't been difficult but days of minimal activity, no schedules and the lulling rock of the rails had left them all half-zombies.

Except for Rainbow Dash. She had gotten plenty of exercise, having repeatedly lept out the window to race the train as practice. And - once she had realized she could catch it easily - flying laps around the moving train.

That wide gulf of energy between her and her companions only served to make their moods worse.

"C'mon! We're finally here and you're all just moping along?" Rainbow fluttered in front of the other five.

A bleary-eyed and painfully makeup-less Rarity glared at the pegasus. "Rainbow Dash, I will remind you that enthusiasm has a time and a place and that unlike you, the rest of us have endured several days in cramped conditions with minimal privacy and sparse accommodations. Right now, I - and I expect I speak for the others as well - would like to simply have a proper meal and the chance to rest in a bed that isn't in motion."

"Seriously? It's, like... two in the afternoon!" Rainbow squinted up at the sun. "Unless being this far south means time works differently. It's a different season so maybe they measure time different?" She swung her head and the topic back around. "Pinkie, back me up here! We can't just go from sleeping on a train car to sleeping in a hotel! Not when there's stuff to do!"

Pinkie Pie yawned widely. "Dashie, I wanna do stuff just as much as you do but this party pony's plain pooped and plans to plant herself presently prior to popping."

Dash quirked an eyebrow in confusion. "Popping?"

"Like a balloon," Pinkie explained without answering a single thing.

Intelligently, Rainbow Dash didn't press further.

Tempest's voice rumbled lowly. "Dash, for somepony who naps more than a cat does, it's ironic to hear you tell us when we are and aren't allowed to rest."

The other four girls snickered. Dash pouted.

"I'll tell you what - we'll go secure some food and a place to stay, and you can check at the docks to see if there's any ships we can catch a ride on or charter." Tempest fixed the pegasus with a steely gaze - a warning one. "Don't buy passage or promise anything, just find out what's available. Alright? Or do I have to make you leave your wallet here to be sure you don't pay for anything."

Dash considered the suggestion. And nodded. "Nah, I get it. I can handle it - I mean, it sounds like a decent plan. No sense in all of us doing a job I can handle on my own totally fine!" She snapped a quick salute and jetted off in a flash of feathers.

Applejack sighed in relief. "Thankya, Tempest. Much as Ah love Rainbow Dash like family, she can get mighty Rainbow Dash at times."

"She means well," Fluttershy softly added.

"She does." Tempest nodded in agreement. "And what she's doing now really will help us."

Rarity steered the group to the left, aiming for a side street. "Yes, but I believe we all know what will help us the most. A warm bath, a filling meal and a room that isn't moving."

---

Many aspects of Shire Lanka were familiar to the Bearers - the size wasn't all that different from Ponyville prior to Twilight Sparkle's arrival (and the subsequent population explosion) and the residents had a similar attitude of friendly openness. There was even the looming danger on the edge of town with the Arimaspi Territories replacing the Everfree Forest.

It wasn't Ponyville, however. In sweeping, general terms the two towns weren't dissimilar. But it was in the small things that comparisons fell apart. The way the architecture favored red terracotta roof shingles over Ponyville's thatch; how the wind out of the west carried the salt of the sea rather than the barest hint of apple; that the posters for the lone movie theatre were weeks out of date. And, at that moment? How local cuisine trended more towards curry than hayburgers.

The open air cafe at least wasn't busy. A table for five (plus one coming) wasn't too difficult to secure - even if Fluttershy was currently taking a nap in her seat. It was clean, described by Rarity as 'quaint' and the food was freshly made.

Swallowing another forkful, Applejack sighed happily. "Ah think we all needed this. Stuff might be strange, but good grub'll settle a pony's stomach an' soul better than just about anythin' else."

Rarity nodded in agreement. "Quite. And it's hardly so odd - Pinkie, do you know what this reminds me of?"

The baker hesitated. "Weeeeeell I bet you're going to say it reminds you of the Tasty Treat. Which it should because they're similar but there's a lot of important differences. Like this curry uses a coconut milk base, while Saffron's uses heavy cream. The rice is a totally different variety too, and--"

Pinkie stopped as she noticed the glazed, confused look on Rarity's face. She smiled. "And that's how it sounds to the rest of us when you talk about the difference between cotton perle and tatting cotton threads."

Rarity blinked once. Twice. And then started laughing. The others (who were awake) at the table joined in a few moments later.

"There you are!" Heads turned as Rainbow Dash came flapping down to the cafe. "I've been looking all over for you!"

Applejack's eyes narrowed. "Dash. There's maybe half a dozen places to eat in this whole town, an' we can see most of them from here."

Just as quickly as she arrived, Rainbow dismissed the subject. "Doesn't matter, I found you now! And guess who else I found!" She was met by silence and unamused looks. So Dash flitted to the side and motioned to the two ponies coming up behind her. "Mane Allgood and Snap Shutter!"

Recognition flickered in Applejack and Rarity's eyes. "Oh, yes! You're Scootaloo's parents, correct?" The unicorn immediately threw on a smile. "Now that it comes up, I do remember that this is where you said your new study was taking you. What a happy coincidence!"

"Yeh, Rainbow 'ere told us you were in town for a bit, then lookin' to charter yerselves a boat after that." Snap adjusted his hat, pushing it up out of his eyes. "I figure it'd only be propah to repay some kindness an' let you bunk up in ours instead of some cramped hotel here'bouts."

Smugly, Rainbow added her own twist to the tale. "Plus they owe me since I basically raised Scoots for them."

Nearly every non-Rainbow Dash pony present shifted uneasily at that. Tempest simply looked confused and Fluttershy continued to nap.

"Point is," Applejack thankfully cut in with, "we're mighty thankful for your hospitality. Only other thing Ah can really ask is if you know much about those boats and us gettin' transport squared away."

The two locals looked at each other for a moment, exchanging an unsaid conversation between them. When they turned back, it was Allgood that took the lead. "Well, I guess that you're not looking for one of the fishing boats that stop here. There aren't any larger ones right now, but a merchant ship from Zebrica due in about three days. They're going to be your best chance, and there isn't another large ship due in for some time after that. At least, that I'm aware of."

The farmer turned to look at her longtime friend. "An' what'd the folks at the harbor say, Dash?"

Rainbow Dash shrugged. "Dunno. Didn't ask 'em. Figured it'd be smarter to ask locals I trusted and you're the ones saying how tired you are. So I busted two clouds with one buck."

Applejack groaned in frustration and thumped her head against the table. This, in turn, woke Fluttershy up with a startled yelp. Her tired eyes looked over. "Oh, um. Hello, Rainbow. You got here quickly."

"I know," bragged Dash, smugly polishing her hoof.

It was at this point that Pinkie Pie started giggling maniacally.

Tempest loudly thumped a hoof on the table, causing the others to jolt. "That's enough. We need to stay focused!" She paused, looking around the table to be sure she had everypony's attention - she did. "Dash, good job at connecting with local forces and securing a proper billet. Bad job at failing to follow orders and reconnoitering our future transport situation. Fortunately we have an adequate timeframe to correct this and secure provisions for the next stage in our campaign.. to..." She trailed off, eyes darting around to the others. "...I'm doing the military thing again."

Applejack nodded and put a hoof on Tempest's shoulder. "You're doin' the military thing again. But it's okay. It's been a long trip for everypony, an' nothin' you said is wrong. We got a place to stay with plenty of time ahead of us. We'll get ourselves situated an' in order tomorrow, agreed?"

Around the table were nods of agreement - even from Allgood and Shutter. "Right then. Since that's all settled, Ah figure we at least ought to have you two for lunch since you're hostin' us." Applejack waved her hoof in the air and whistled. "Waiter! Mind pullin' s'more menus an' chairs for us?"

Comments

[JustFalcon]

Tempest reverting into Military planning had me laughing/

[Nitro Indigo]

"Like a balloon," Pinkie explained without answering a single thing.

But she did answer a single thing.

I like the characterisation of Tempest at the end.

[TCC56]

10206568

That bit's actually taken from a veteran friend of mine - he'll occasionally just fall into whole paragraphs of incomprehensible jibberish that the rest of us don't understand at all. Then follow up with "I'm speaking jarhead again, aren't I."

[Heavyhauler75622]

10207295
I was IN the military; did six years in the Army...

And I'm speaking to you from experience--military changes quickly and in incomprehensible ways if you're not actively participating...

Somewhere along the line from then to now, mess halls, a traditional name in a rich culture of traditions, somehow became DFACs...

Dining Facility and Cafeteria just loses the cachet...

[Heavyhauler75622]

10207295
I was IN the military; did six years in the Army...

And I'm speaking to you from experience--military changes quickly and in incomprehensible ways if you're not actively participating...

Somewhere along the line from then to now, mess halls and chow halls, a traditional name in a rich culture of traditions, somehow became DFACs...

Dining Facility and Cafeteria just loses the cachet...