Stations

by Mint Essence

Day 3873

Waking up, Positive Thinking lazily rolled over, smashing his hoof down on his blaring alarm clock as he pulled himself out of bed.

‘Day 3873.’ He thought, smirking to himself. It had really been ten, almost eleven years since he had started his work at Sunny Deserts. 127 more days to go until he hit the big four, he’d have to celebrate, as he had done for every other anniversary, each more cynical than the last.

He had started the count as an old joke from back in his younger days, when he was in his mid 30s. He and his co-workers had always joked about the endless monotony of their day to day lives, how each day that followed seemed to blend into the last, as would weeks, months, years, and so on.

Approaching middle age each pony had seemed to find their groove. They weren’t 20 something young fillies and colts anymore, they were adults with jobs, responsibilities, most of them were well settled down with foals approaching or just entering their teenage years.

They simply couldn’t afford to take any risks, do anything new or be spontaneous in any way whatsoever. Even the smallest curiosity spelled danger. Most every day was spent at work, their late afternoons and nights were spent between commute times and the few precious ‘free hours’ of the day they had left, virtually every second of which being spent between rearing their younger foals and the odd and ends of everyday life, eating, sleeping, taking a dump, et cetera.

They were lucky to get a hoofful of holiday days out of the year or the odd weekend where they could really just be free, and even then for most that involved dragging screaming toddlers or bratty teenagers along with them.

The simple pleasure of a foal wasting away his day in complete ignorance of time or care had gone from them. They could no longer run around aimlessly, constructing little dens or exploring the wide meadows, deep valleys, or endless forests of their youths, from the crack of dawn well into the cool darkness of the night.

Eventually he had found a new job, his ten and a half year old new job, older that a lot of his old colleagues little fillies and colts way back then.

He wasn’t approaching middle age anymore, he was middle aged, they all were. 47, approaching 50, and soon enough he’d be well on his way to approaching his old age. He wondered if he would joke about that when it came time.

Ending his train of thought Positive rushed for his suit and tie, his suit being a simple shirt and vest which covered his front from chest down to his hooves. Quickly adorning both he rushed with equal speed through the rest of his usual morning routine, freshening himself before grabbing a light breakfast.

Leaving his home the stallion took a brisk walk down the quiet suburban streets that surrounded his home, before briefly arriving in the town centre on the way to the train station.

He arrived at a tiny wooden building with a beautifully cobbled stone facade. Stepping inside he was greeted by a similar door at the opposite end of the building, and a small ticket booth facing off to his left.

Approaching the booth he retrieved his yearly pass from his breast pocket. The stallion then diligently hoofed it over to the mare behind the counter.

After quickly confirming the pass’ authenticity, as had she had done every other day since he had been issued it the mare simply hoofed it back to him, allowing him to trot off.

Trotting over to the aforementioned opposing door Positive swung it open to find another far smaller wooden building, no bigger than a hutch, and little taller.

In said hutch stood the same comically bulky earth pony stallion he had seen every other day, comical at least relative to tiny pen he was caged in.

Giving Positive a brisk nod he threw his muscular hooves around a large studded wheel in front of him, yanking it around with great strength. Causing a long sturdy, dark oak wood bridge to come out of the ground underneath Positive’s hooves, extending a good 10 hooves (feet) in front of him right over the station’s train tracks.

Pulling another lever a set of wooden barriers popped up at either side of the bridge, adorned with small magical lamps set to automatically shine as soon as the surrounding area became too dark.

Trotting onto the bridge the stallion idly looked across to the seemingly endless tracks before having gotten to the other side he took his seat.

The train station proper was built upon what was once a small long grassy hill separated by two equally long ditches at either side. As such it was unusually thin but no less spacious in terms of actual area than any other station built to service such a small town.

It stood like a strange little artificial island with drawn bridge and all. Off to right side of said island was an excessively long set of wooden benches that at least ensured even on a busy day that a stallion might get a nice seat to himself far off from anypony else.

Waiting in his seat for a good 20 minutes or so the stallion watched as the various mechanisms in the bridge he had just crossed were all reeled, causing everypony including himself to rise up from their seats simultaneously, as if in tune with the very machinery of the station.

Sure enough not a minute had passed until the blaring horn of an oncoming train could be heard far off in the distance.

Getting aboard the train he trotted down the long carriageway before taking his usual seat to the right side of the train, as did three other stallions, all dressed in near identical suits and ties, each sitting down next to him, two on the opposing side, one to left.

The four sat in complete silence, passing the first half hour of the journey reading the exact same kind of newspaper as the stallion sitting next to them, only occasionally looking up to idly peer out the window.

Passing by a station solely familiar by its odd passenger, not that the stallion had ever gotten off at this, or indeed any other station than the sole two he needed to, Positive idly wondered whether or not she’d show up, and looking at the four seats adjacent theirs at the left side of the train he began to dread the idea.

His suspicions were confirmed as in trotted an elderly mare, around 75, maybe 80 years old. Despite her age she was very pleasant to look at, and with the bright animated smile she wore everywhere she went seemed far more lively than any of the train’s other somber passengers.

Immaculately clear with a beautifully combed if grey mane and tail she must have been quite the sight in her younger years, and now as an older mare appeared as a kind living caricature of the ideal sweet old lady, tartan trolley and all.

There was one problem however. This sweet older mare absolutely stank of rotten fish guts. Not a lingering smell, but the kind of smell that could completely contaminate an entire carriage. The kind of smell that would make you physically wrench, if not throw up if you got too close to it.

And here this lovely little old lady was, the literal and unmistakable smell of death reaping off her as if it was actually infused with her very soul.

She didn’t ride the train everyday, but she was a regular enough passenger, appearing sporadically two, three, or maybe at most four times a week. Similarly she rarely got on the same carriage or took the same seat.

He imagined that the way she seemed to shift around the burden of her absolutely foul stench combined with the fact that despite her smell she seemed to be the very embodiment of the sweet old lady character taken right out of a foal’s fairy tale just kept her from being pulled up or banned from the train altogether.

The train continued on for a single stop, or about twenty minutes before the older mare got up from her seat and left to her usual station. Watching her get off the train from his window to what was otherwise a completely mundane station.

He had often wondered exactly where she went. It was simply her usual routine, she’d always get on this exact train at a time that linked up with his journey, and she’d always get off at this exact stop with the exact same tartan trolley in tow. But why? What happened after that?

He had never heard a word from her or seen her in any other context than this exact one. In a way they had known each other for years, or at least been aware of each other’s existence, but they were complete strangers in all but this very particular repeating circumstance.

The train continued on for another good twenty minutes, passing a few more stops before it finally arrived at Positive’s destination.

Getting off the train he trotted up to the station, once again diligently hoofing over his ticket for inspection before he briskly trotted off to his job.

His place of work needs no description, being just as typically bland as any set of office blocks.

“Eleven minutes late, jamming problems with the station’s drawbridge.” He casually lied to his secretary before taking his seat behind his desk.

The next hour or so was spent simply sitting at his desk in near complete silence from his part as he listened to his secretary read of various desert related telegrams, letters, and complaints all direct towards the company Sunny Deserts itself. Each letter would be systematically be finished off by him dictating a quick and snappy reply for her secretary to jot down on her typewriter.

Soon after he was called up by a sudden knock at his office to go and see his boss. Standing outside said office he was called in by a very loud and unwelcoming “Come in!”

Entering he took a seat in front of his boss, Citrus Jest’s desk, looking back across at the mare with no particular expression or emotion on his face.

His boss herself was a very stern looking mare with an unusually high forehead and almost comically large black suit.

“Eleven minutes late.” She simply said, smirking to herself.

“Oh, you’ve heard already, CJ?” He simply asked, CJ being the name the mare was most commonly referred to as.

“No I didn’t, it was a guess. I’ve been counting, and for the past 37 days you’ve been exactly eleven minutes late. Not five, or eight, or fifteen, no, exactly eleven minutes, virtually to the second.”

“I didn’t get where I am today by being exactly eleven minutes late!” She said, gesturing her hoof with real passion.

“Regardless I have to say I admire your time management. It does present us with a certain problem though. This lateness of yours it’s not accidental, it’s intentional, very intentional and particular at that.”

“To be quite frank we need you Positive. Your name didn’t come from nowhere. No, you have good ideas, especially as they relate to the desert business, always have. It’s why you’re still here.”

“But again, being frank, I think you might be losing your edge, or coming close enough to it. You’re ideas themselves, your dictations, those are just as good as they’ve ever been, but this eleven minutes late business, I just don’t understand it, and neither me nor mister CJ have ever been fully satisfied with an unsolved mystery.” She continued, fully laying down her position.

“Well in that case I’m going to be completely honest, I don’t know what you’re suggesting or where we go from here?” He asked casually, not feeling too uncomfortable, having known the mare for a good ten years.

“Well, first of I want offer you the rest of the week off, as a gesture of my goodwill. It being Thursday you could leave right now and come back on Monday, unless you would personally like to stay on for the rest of the week. But, I want you in exactly eleven minutes early every day following that, for exactly thirty eight days. Not five minutes, or eight, or fifteen, eleven by the second.” CJ explained, laying down her proposal.

Hearing the “unless” tagged on at the end their by his boss Positive knew exactly what she was trying to get at. He could leave if he wanted and she wouldn’t take any action against him, but she was clearly heavily suggesting that he stay. Goodwill his flank!

“That seems perfectly fair and generous of you CJ. You can expect to see me tomorrow morning, exactly eleven minutes early.” Positive said, gaining a large curious smile from his boss in response.

“That’s what I like to hear. I’ll see you then.” She simply said, still adorning her smile.

Leaving his boss’ office Positive continued the rest of the day as he had the first hour before heading back off home in preparation of the day to follow.

Author's Note:

A tartan trolley for those who may not be familiar.

This story was partially based on The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perin. There are also many references to the show throughout this specific chapter.

CJ, Positive’s boss is also directly based on Reggie Perin’s boss, CJ.

I didn’t get where I am today without making obscure references to satirical 70s British sitcoms on My Little Pony fanfiction sites.

Comments

[Bronycommander]

interesting, what got you the idea?

[Alondro]

And so Alondro was 22 minutes late the next day. But then he drew up a quantum mechanical equation proving that the rest of the universe had simply accelerated entropy relative to his existence, and the boss' brain exploded.