Child of the Swamp

by Topazzia

Chapter 9

Sand and gravel clunked and scraped under the wheels as the train thundered down the tracks.

Starlight stepped onto the platform, looking left to right for any sign of life. There was none but their own, and the other train passengers.

Fluttershy, Apple jack, and Rainbow Dash walked out to follow the Unicorn. The Ponies stood still on the aged wood planks, starting at the hiss and clunk as the train pushed forward. It left slowly, the four Ponies watching it slide down the tracks.

Rainbow shifted her gaze to Starlight, “When is it gonna be back?”
Starlight paused, trying to remember.
“I think it’ll be back here the same time tomorrow.” She lights her horn and pulls a map out of her backpack, unrolling it.

While Fluttershy and Rainbow gathered around the map, Apple Jack glanced around at the environment.

What caught her eye was three barrels, stacked on their sides, two on the ground and one on top. She stepped closer, seeing the withered details.

The wood planks were rotted, and fused together. The Metal strips were entirely red with rust, and the lids were gone, revealing the emptiness.

Apple Jack glanced along the ground to the deck, noticing the ground rising into a hill against the wood platform. It would have been the train platform was at least shoulder height to a pony, but now after so many years of neglect and dust build up, almost buried the wood.

Looking past the other three friends AJ saw the remnants of another barrel, completely splintered and the red metal rings.

Starlight looks up and out to the field of grass in front of them, spotting a dirt path leading into the overgrowth. It was just barely visible, with the grass being close to chin high next to a pony. The Unicorn steps over, positioning herself directly in line with the narrow road to see it properly.

She looks back at the others, who had watched her move away. “Over here, it looks like it leads somewhere.”

Rainbow flaps her wings, lifting herself into the air and hovered. She followed just over head Fluttershy and Apple Jack as they trotted over beside Starlight. The four of them looked down the barrow path as it stretched into the distance, not seeming to end.

Starlight looks once at the map, and rolls it up. “Well, we better start walking.”
Rainbow watches as Starlight takes the lead, “And, for how long?”
Apple Jack walks in after the Unicorn, “We’ll find out won’t we.”

Starlight felt the bare ground that made up the path, looking down to see that the sand covering didn’t shift around her hooves. It was only bleached with sand and sun, while being solid rock. It must have taken years upon years of trampling from Zebras, Ponies, and whatever other creatures to have made this path a permanent scar on the terrain.

Other creatures, except Kelpies… why? Starlight stared ahead as her mind worked on several thoughts, as she felt the gentle breeze roll over the tall grass. It carried the scent of dry grass, despite everything being fully green.

The only sounds for an hour were the wind, buzzing of insects, and the crunching of hoofs on dead grass. Large grasshoppers lobbed themselves into the air, gliding away from the approaching ponies. They weren’t like the ones seen around Ponyville, these ones were more than three inches long, and bore various designs along their bodies. Their sheer size was enough to draw Fluttershy’s attention, more so than the other three ponies, all of which stayed focused on the road.

***

Another couple hours later, Rainbow settled to the ground, continuing on hoof. Starlight was eyeing the map again, and had fallen back in pace, letting Apple Jack take the lead. Fluttershy was back by several paces, as every time she’d see a supposed path, or tunnel in the grass, she’d take a peek to try and find small rodents or reptiles to talk with.

A while longer, Starlight looked up from her compass and map. “Whoa ponies.”
Apple Jack stops and turns around, while Fluttershy quickly walked up. The Unicorn looks at the map, and up to the left, and right of the path, out into the wilderness.

She gestures her muzzle to the right, northward. “We can start that way.”
Rainbow tilts her head questioningly, “Why not just follow the path?”
Starlight folds the map and holds it up, “According to the map, the coast is both north and south of the land bridge. If we’ll find any sort of swamp it’ll be those directions.”

She turns to face the wall of grass, lighting her horn to break the stem bases and push the stalks to the ground. Stepping off the sun heated stone road, to the softer padding of grass was a relief to her hooves.

The environment changed almost instantly, with large boulders and gnarled oak trees dotting the landscape around the traveling ponies. Hills rose and fell in the distance, and the ground fell out to large dips no longer hidden by the grass walls.

Clearings, piles of shattered stones, clusters of trees, even small ponds. All manner of land formations made the flat prairie into a patchwork of nature. Birds and rabbits dove for cover at the approach of the ponies, making their appearance only the second before vanishing.

Only Fluttershy took notice of the wildlife, having to be guided from her distractions by Rainbow as Starlight’s path was redirected by rocks and streams.

The Unicorn eventually stopped, squinted her eyes, and viewing the horizon.
AJ comes up beside her, “Why we stoppin’?”

Starlight points a hoof at the distance, pulling the binoculars from her backpack. “Over there,” She looks through them, seeing a dark green line more clearly. “Looks like trees, a forest most likely.”

Rainbow Dash groans, “And we’re walking there too?”
Starlight puts the binoculars back in their pocket, “It’s a good sign we’re getting close.”

Fluttershy, who was then holding a large frog in her hoof, looks up, “Well I’ve been having a great time.”
AJ looks around at the shrubs and shorter weeds, “Certainly a different look to things than back home, much more wild.”
Starlight nods as she continues forward, “Doesn’t look like anyone’s touched this place in forever.”

The sun hadn’t set completely, but the shadows cast by the hills rendered the entire land to darkness. The four ponies halted by a large oak tree, AJ pulls a lantern out of her backpack and sets it on the ground.

Starlight looks around at the pitch blackness, only the crystals dim aura from inside the lantern shown the other three ponies around it. “I guess we should stay here tonight.”

Rainbow Dash sits against the tree trunk, letting her backpack slide off onto the ground. “Finally, I thought we wouldn’t stop walking.”

Starlight lifted the tent with magic, setting the pikes into the ground. Apple Jack walks up and takes her aside, “Starry? Can we talk?”

The Unicorn follows, “Sure, what’s up?”
AJ sits down, having a troubled look on her face. “On the train over, Fluttershy told me about what Mud said.”

Starlight guessed in her head where this was going, but waited for the Earth Pony to finish.
“Do ya’ll think she’s hidin' somethin’?”

Starlight smiled sympathetically, “I think she’s just scared, but we’re doing this to help her, and maybe us.”
AJ shook her head with a sigh, “We did help her, now we’re out here tryin’ to help more. An’ somethin’ just don’t feel right.”
Starlight lifts a hoof and rests it on AJ’s shoulder, “I suppose with you worrying like this, you won’t let anything happen to us. But I’m positive everything’s going to be okay.”