• Published 21st Mar 2022
  • 355 Views, 6 Comments

The First Train Outta Here - The Red Parade



The train runs parallel to Apple Fritter's farm, and every day she watches it pass.

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Chapter 5

Thoughts of Apple Fritter still clung to Strawberry as she clocked in, smiling at the receptionist and meandering over to her desk. She almost danced over to her desk, the smell of earth still fresh in her nostrils.

It was such a shame that the tiny garden was under such scrutiny. She sighed, wondering what would become of Apple Fritter if she would be unable to pay.

Automatically, she began sorting through the mail cluttering her desk.

One telegram caught her eye. It was not addressed to her but to another fellow collector. The mailmare must have made a mistake.

As Strawberry rose to bring the letter to its intended destination, something in it caught her eye: Miss Apple Fritter.

Strawberry froze, reading the rest of the line. ...is proving to be stubborn. Perhaps further persuasion is necessary.

Her eyes widened. “No.” She quickly scanned the letter rapidly, words flying through her mind.

Make a statement. Destroy what you can, not that there’s much there. Send her a message. If that’s still not enough, then tomorrow we send in the bailiffs. Debtors' prison will make her sing a different song soon enough. We’ll soon find out if she believes all this is really worth it.

“Miss Sunrise!”

She jumped as Gasket’s voice rang out across the office. “Miss Sunrise! My office! Now!

Strawberry looked at the letter, then back towards Gasket’s office.

She knew what she had to do.

Strawberry bolted away, racing for the station.


“Please please please,” Strawberry panted as she flew around the street corner. She dodged angry pedestrians and wagons, ignoring all of them as she barreled towards her destination. “Please don’t be too late.”

She skidded to a halt in front of the garden.

A yellow mare was sitting in the middle. Strawberry sighed in relief, but her breath quickly hitched when the rest of the garden came into view.

The plants had been uprooted and trampled. The shovels were broken in half and strewn across the land. The soil had been flung around, the remains of young buds were scattered across the earth, and on the far side of the fence was a message in spray paint: WAS IT WORTH IT?

Apple Fritter slowly turned around, her face expressionless but the tears trailing down her cheeks all too real.

“Oh… oh no.” Strawberry rushed forwards and seized Apple Fritter in a hug.

“They came… they came during the night,” Apple Fritter whispered, her voice rapidly dissolving into hiccups. “They… they took everything.”

“It’s okay,” Strawberry said, rapidly stroking Apple Fritter’s mane and squeezing her tightly. “It’s okay.”

“It’s not, it’s not, it’s not,” Apple Fritter whimpered. She buried her face into Strawberry’s chest and muttered something incomprehensible.

Then, she screamed.

Strawberry winced as Apple Fritter clung to her, screaming and wailing for what felt like hours.

When she finally fell still, Strawberry looked around.

Something was stirring inside of her, something that she hadn’t felt in years.

The sky seemed to open a crack, and through the endless ocean of smog, a tiny bit of sunlight dropped from the sky and shot directly into her heart.

Apple Fritter was warm in her arms, and the tears falling onto her coat shot a new life into Strawberry.

“I’ve heard there’s land out west.” It took her a second to even register that she had said this, but once the words came out, Strawberry’s mind was running faster than a train could ever hope to.

Apple Fritter looked up at her, eyes bleary. “W-What?”

“Out west. There’s land,” Strawberry said. “Land that hasn’t been ruined yet by this city. Fresh, fertile land, with nothing but clear skies and earth for miles and miles.”

“What does it matter?” Fritter grumbled, wiping her eyes. “I’m never payin’ this off. Gasket’s gonna take everythin’ I got.”

“That’s just it!” Strawberry said, a smile widening on her face. “You don’t have to pay this off!”

“W-What?!” Apple Fritter pulled away, eyes wide in confusion.

“There’s one thing Gasket can’t take from you,” Strawberry continued, starting to hover in her eagerness. “Your choice! You can choose freedom!”

“Strawberry Sunrise, what the hay are you on about?!”

Strawberry rubbed her hooves together, something shining in her eyes. “Follow me.”

Apple Fritter fell onto her haunches. “You… you’re sayin’ I run away. Leave this behind?”

“Yes! Exactly! And… and I’m going with you!” Strawberry declared. “Screw Whinnyapolis, screw Gasket and his goons, screw everything!” She pulled Apple Fritter to her hooves and gently started dragging her to the garden’s entrance.

A laugh pulled from her lips at the sheer incredulity of the plan, and Apple Fritter let herself be pulled along. “But -- but where are we going?”

“Anywhere!” beamed Strawberry. “Let’s take the first train out of here!”

“The train to where?”.

Strawberry answered with a wild shrug, a toss of the mane. “East, west, who cares! We’ll make it work!”

It was crazy, it was ridiculous -- but Strawberry Sunrise was galloping, and Apple Fritter was galloping too. Laughing like mares possessed, they sprinted down the narrow path between the tiny gardens, each one parcelled into its own little fence.

Fresh loam fell from their hooves as they ran, their bellies spattered with mud, but it didn’t matter. They dipped and dodged between laundry lines and trash cans, not even sparing the brick walls a second glance. None of it mattered. They were free.

As one they hurdled the fence that barred the way to the railroad, and skipping lightly over the sleepers, they thundered down the tracks. The station loomed ahead, iron girders and brick stained dark with soot, but it was suddenly the most welcoming place Apple Fritter had ever seen.

A groan of brakes, and Strawberry gasped. “There! The 4:15!”

A freight train, creaking and cumbersome, like a tortoise become enormous over centuries of slow growth, awaited them. It was pulling out, and the two mares gave chase, abandoning the train track in favour of the platform. Businessmares and suited stallions gasped and drew back from the two sweaty, muddy madmares suddenly stampeding through their midst, but Apple Fritter was beyond caring.

The whistle shrieked, and still shaking with laughter, the two mares upped their pace again as the train began to move. Apple Fritter made the leap first, struggled into the open door of the freight car, and turned back to offer her hoof. Strawberry caught it, and with one heave the buttercream mare hauled her aboard.

Side by side, the two of them settled down and watched the city roll by. Banks and mansions, slums and skyscrapers. Apple Fritter’s flank was warm against Strawberry’s, and the mare could not keep the smile from her face. They had reached the end of the line, and now they were going to see what lay at the other end.

Together.

Comments ( 6 )

This was truly a heart-warming story, one that I read all in one sitting.

I liked the ending, and I was impressed that you didn't answer all the questions but left parts of the story for the reader to decide. The best stories are written that way!

This is going in my Group Rated 'E' for Everyone in a place of honor: the Folder 'The Best of the Best.'

Great story that managed to set up this whole setting and make me cheer for Strawberry and Fritter to run away together by the end. It all felt natural for the situation, especially with your evocative descriptions.

This one gave me emotions, I can imagine everything so clearly in my head and I love the relationship between these two. Catch that train!

Aw, that was sweet. Bittersweet in the middle too, and depressingly realistic, but, I loved that ending so much.

This is a wonderful story. You paint a depressing canvas, a cement wasteland, yet it manages to birth the shining star of friendship, a friendship that takes off into the skies (or train tracks) to find a spot to shine...

This was lovely !! A sweet little bite of story that leaves me wondering about what would happen next. I love how you characterize the pair !

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