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#Post#: 1040--------------------------------------------------
For the Hundredth Time
By: Star Dust Date: October 4, 2016, 2:58 pm
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The rhythmic drone of the train clacked through the night as it
sailed along the tracks cut through Equestria's landscape,
dotting the darkness with a constant hum, and series of clicks.
Rain pattered down on the roof and windows, offering the bleary,
dull sound of water drowning the metal roof, accented now and
then by the quasi-distant, wistful boom of thunder. Lamplights
sailed in steady order past the train's windows as it flew
along, illuminating the stream of water that coursed over the
windows, and a scant amount of the surrounding area. Lights
twinkled far off--small, nostalgic dots of homes and business
that offered promise of warmth, shelter, and pleasant company.
In the midst of absent light, the faint reflection of a snow
white pegasus was left in the glass. Her aquamarine eyes were
lidded half-way in an elegiac, somber expression, left downcast
by the torrent outside. Her tri-colored, silky hair had fallen
over one of her eyes as she laid her head against the glass,
having long-since decided to use it as a support to catch a few,
sparing, restless moments of slumber. She'd drifted in and out
since the sun set below the horizon, the white noise of the
train's clacking lulling her to sleep before a boom of thunder
startled her awake again.
Ponyville. The small, tranquil place she'd begun to hear so much
about. A place for new beginnings, experiences, and friends. At
least, that was the plan. The pegasus shifted her wings, slowly
rustling them against herself alongside a small, despondent
sigh. Another move. Another exodus from a place of old, leaving
behind bad memories and cross acquaintances. It felt like it had
to have been for the hundredth time, though in reality it
probably was closer to the fourth or fifth. It didn't help much
that each move was so exhausting...
A stewardess wandered by, gently clearing her throat to catch
the pegasus' attention. She shifted, lifting her head from the
glass to look over to the mare with a small, but no less warm
for it, smile. "Miss Star. The coffee you asked for," she said,
levitating the cup over to the seated mare. A nod of thanks was
given as she took the cup in her hooves, alongside a,
"Wonderful, dear... Thank you. This rain is enough to chill a
mare to the bone." She blew softly at the top of her coffee as
the stewardess responded.
"A few of us tend to get a little sleepy when it rains like
this, but personally, I love it. It's so relaxing. It brings
back wonderful memories, too. But, I'll leave you to your
coffee. The conductor says we should arrive at the station
around roughly midnight." Star nodded once more at the news, a
hoof rising from her coffee mid-sip to wave farewell to the
already departing mare. Midnight... Chances were the whole town
would be asleep. She couldn't imagine many being out in this
rain, either. Not with the chill already having begun to set
into the air. That was good, she supposed. She wasn't quite sure
she was ready for too much excitement just yet.
Idly, Star sipped at her coffee as she stared out of the window,
gaze locked onto those lights twinkling in the distance,
gradually growing nearer. There was little else for her to do
besides wait, and think.
Those thoughts were eventually interrupted suddenly by the
squeal of the train's tires as it braked, slowing down more and
more until it hissed and came to a complete stop. Thankful for
the chance to stretch her legs, she set the now-empty cup of
coffee down on the seat and gathered her things--a simple
suitcase of the few belongings she'd decided to bring with her,
and an umbrella she'd thought ahead to carry. On tired, stiff
legs, Star shuffled out of the cabin and onto the station before
pushing open her umbrella, cradling it in the crook of one hoof
as her suitcase settled on her back between her wings. For a few
quiet moments, she stared out over the dark streets of the
peaceful town, the sound of that dreary rain her only
company--before she forced herself to step forward and out into
it. Her best idea, for the moment, was to try and find the
town's visitor's center--if it even had one.
The large building seemingly in the center seemed as good a
place as any...
#Post#: 1041--------------------------------------------------
Re: For the Hundredth Time
By: Claire Date: October 4, 2016, 5:39 pm
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The silent night was comforting for Claire as she strolled the
streets of Ponyville again. She had stayed in a few of her
former teammate’s parent’s homes, but she limited it to one
night then she’d leave to find new shelter. However, tonight
seemed different. Like she was going to find a new light in this
tunnel of darkness she was swallowed into again. The controversy
was still high, but at least it wasn’t a front page article here
in Ponyville. At this point though the griffon seemed to agree
with the journalists: “Claire is Equestria’s most hated
athlete”.
On nights like this though she tried to forget about it
temporarily and just enjoy the peace and quiet that she rarely
got after the scandal. The griffon had brought nothing with her
but the old jersey she wore to keep her warm, the wreath that
she was given when her team had qualified for the finals, and
the lucky pink bracelet she rarely took off. Claire finally
reached large building that Star Dust was approaching and sat
down on the front steps gazing at the night sky that she hoped
she could study once again some day.
#Post#: 1042--------------------------------------------------
Re: For the Hundredth Time
By: Star Dust Date: October 4, 2016, 6:24 pm
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It seemed not even here the rain was ready to let up. Star was
momentarily sympathetic for the weather pegasi who had to work
so late to work the clouds--before the downpour that continued
to assault the quiet town pushed those thoughts away, returning
the pegasus to her bleak, fuzzy-headed state. She did her best
to stick to the cobbles on the pathways of Ponyville, though now
and then she either slipped or there were simply no cobbles for
her to use, resulting in her muddying her pure white coat. Just
another reason to hate the rain...
The way forward was illuminated only by the streetlights that
dotted the streets. A welcome guide, in the otherwise pitch
night. The sky was completely clouded over, offering no respite
or possibility of clearing in the near future--even the silvery
light of the moon was blocked out, leaving only emptiness and
the icy pellets of rain. She was thankful that she'd had the
clarity to think ahead and bring the umbrella as she had. Had
she not, she was sure she'd be suffering a cold in the
morning--perhaps even worse.
There was something almost strange about the stillness of
Ponyville. It was a far cry from the busy thrums of the bigger
cities, even during the night. There was typically something
going on, even in the later hours--but not here. The rain might
have had something to do with it, but even then, there weren't
many out and about who enjoyed walking in the weather, much less
those who simply enjoyed being out at night. Something that, she
decided, was better off not thought about so soon after
arriving, but that she'd have to see in the coming days...
assuming she could even start getting herself settled in.
Star's efforts eventually lead her to the building in the center
of the town, one much larger than the buildings surrounding
it--but not the largest she'd ever seen in the slightest. Many
buildings in Los Pegasus dwarfed this one, though it had its
certain charms. The lights on the exterior kept it lit up,
almost as a sort of beacon for the whole town--and certainly for
the pegasus who'd stumbled her way here. The mare wasn't
expecting to see a griffon seated at its base, however. One of
the only denizens she'd seen thus far, aside from those few
she'd caught glimpses of through opened, lit windows, either
chatting with friends or loved ones, or seated near fireplaces,
enjoying the rain with a book and a blanket.
Keeping her aquamarine gaze on the griffon, Star moved towards
the feathered creature, her legs now thoroughly muddied and
looking worse for wear, and the tall mare shivering openly from
the freezing rain. Her head tossed slightly, sweeping her mane
back away from her eye, revealing better the pattern that set
between them: a purple, symmetrical mark, with two sweeping
lines that extended over her eyes and curved downwards to the
three symbols in the middle of her forehead--two diamonds both
above and below a heart. She smiled warmly, amiably, to the
griffon who sat there, despite the chill that had soaked her
through to the bone, and canted her head some in greeting.
"Evening, sweetie... I don't suppose you'd happen to know if
this is the visitor's center, do you? Or if it's not, where I
might be able to find it?" Her voice was calm and soothing, and
pleasant in its slightly deeper than average pitch. "Just
arrived here, and I'm trying to find somewhere I can rest my
head for the night."
#Post#: 1044--------------------------------------------------
Re: For the Hundredth Time
By: Claire Date: October 4, 2016, 7:31 pm
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Claire did notice the unfamiliar mare approach her. Though half
her attention was off in the sky reminiscing about the days
before things went south. Something did catch her eye though,
and it was the marking on this mare's head. It would be to rude
to ask about it and she probably would tell her to mind her own
business and call her a mean....sweetie? That was the most
positive name she had all week. Suddenly she realized that the
mare was actually speaking to her. "Oh! Yes I'm sorry. I uh...
just moved here myself a few days ago so I really don't know
where a lot of things like the visitor center are... but I can
bring you to a nice place where you can stay a few nights. They
have warm meals and drinks at the lobby too... which should feel
nice after being in this rain." Claire tried her best to put up
a smile before standing up. "Do you need help with your things?"
When she stood up she, her Canterlot jersey was plastered onto
her body and soaked as water turning the navy color even darker,
but the gold letters and her number (24) were still a bright
gold color. After trying to stretch the wet spandex jersey out,
she gave up and held her talon out to take a suitcase off of
her.
#Post#: 1046--------------------------------------------------
Re: For the Hundredth Time
By: Star Dust Date: October 4, 2016, 8:09 pm
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It didn't seem like the griffon was all there at first. Star's
head tilted some at the apparent distraction, wondering if
either she'd caught the creature at a bad time, or if her sudden
appearance had simply caught it off-guard. The pegasus stared
almost expectantly at the griffon, before eventually taking
another breath and starting to speak--only to cut herself short
when she was addressed.
A female, from the sound of the griffon's voice. Something she'd
never been very good at telling from the start. A trivial
matter, besides. Star listened with perked ears, gaze kept on
the griffon in front of her. Warm meals... Star's stomach
grumbled a bit at the mention of that, as if wanting to offer
its thoughts in the conversation. A faint blush colored the
mare's cheeks as the grumbling died down, but she tried to play
it off cooly, her weight shifting on her hooves.
However, she seemed to almost shy away some when the griffon
offered to help her with the suitcase she carried. The big city
mare didn't seem too eager to trust for the moment, and shook
her head with that same, warm smile still worn on her face. "I'm
fine... It's not as if I have a lot, or that my suitcase is very
heavy. I should be able to manage until we get to... Where,
exactly, did you say? I'm afraid I didn't catch the name of this
place you have in mind."
#Post#: 1051--------------------------------------------------
Re: For the Hundredth Time
By: Claire Date: October 4, 2016, 9:17 pm
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The griffon genuinely giggled when her stomach growled. Laughing
felt sure felt good for her.
"Alright, well if you are ever getting tired I'd be happy to
help you." Claire began walking quickly. "It's a common place
travelers stay at appropriately called the Traveller's Inn. We
area almost there." She pointed a a building with all the lights
still on.
#Post#: 1052--------------------------------------------------
Re: For the Hundredth Time
By: Star Dust Date: October 4, 2016, 9:44 pm
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Star pouted faintly at the giggling directly her way, unable to
hide her momentary frustration of her stomach's betrayal. She'd
not eaten in... many, many hours, but she'd not have preferred
to advertise it as such--especially not to a complete stranger.
Then, the griffon near sprang forward, and moved just as
quickly. Despite that, she followed, her long, slender legs
allowing her to easily catch up and keep even stride with her.
"Traveler's Inn... Shame I'd not heard of it before or I'd have
gone there, first. I wasn't able to do much research on this
place before coming here. My name is Star Dust, by the way. A...
professional aide, of sorts. What of yours, miss? Was there... A
game recently, or something?" she asked, evidently referring to
the jersey worn around the griffon's torso.
#Post#: 1053--------------------------------------------------
Re: For the Hundredth Time
By: Claire Date: October 4, 2016, 10:03 pm
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"I stayed there for a night before... having to move but I did
enjoy the stay. It's really nice to meet you Star Dust, my name
is Claire." The Griffon responded before stopping in her tracks
at the mention of a game. "Oh... Um.. Yeah there was a game a
while ago... I'm sure if you are from Canterlot or anywhere
really you know what recently happened. Thats me, Claire, the
most hated athlete in college sports. On all the headlines..."
The griffon resumed walking and held the door open for the Star
Dust.
#Post#: 1054--------------------------------------------------
Re: For the Hundredth Time
By: Star Dust Date: October 4, 2016, 10:27 pm
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Star guessed that the Traveler's Inn must have been one of the
hot spots of the town. She couldn't imagine much competition for
multiple inns in the tiny village, so the one must have been
quaint and welcoming. Whether the price was steep or not was a
different story; given the town's size, either there wasn't much
in the way of economy there, and the prices were lowered as a
result--or the inn took advantage of being the only inn, and
raised their prices to drive profit. There was low supply of it,
so it all really depended on the demand... as well as the ponies
who owned it.
Her thoughts were abruptly interrupted as Claire stopped,
causing Star to nearly crash into the griffon. She stumbled a
bit, strafing a little to the side to avoid running into her,
before arching a brow at the response given. She wasn't all too
surprised to hear her origin having been guessed from Canterlot.
Many other ponies had come to the selfsame assumption before,
typically because of her appearance, and elegant wings. It was
the 'hated athlete' part that caught her, and from the
expression on the griffon's face, it was a very sore subject.
Treading carefully, Star spoke as she moved into the inn as the
door was held open for her. "I'm from Los Pegasus, actually...
But I just came from Baltimare." Her nose wrinkled some at the
mention of the place, though she moved on smoothly, her hooves
wiping clean on the rug at the entrance. "Going to have to hope
there's a farrier who works for cheap, here... Ah, but, I don't
tend to keep up with sports. In general, really. The good news
about news, though," she said, turning to face the griffon with
a warm, reassuring smile. "It moves on quickly. Especially
somewhere in Canterlot. One big story is on everypony's lips one
week--then forgotten completely the next as something else
catches their attention."
#Post#: 1055--------------------------------------------------
Re: For the Hundredth Time
By: Claire Date: October 5, 2016, 7:57 am
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"Yeah... Well my dream burning up in flames with the whole
thing." Claire responded wiping her hooves off on the carpet and
shaking away from Star to get dry. "I don't think anypony is
going to give me a second chance anywhere." Claire shook her
head. "I shouldn't be talking about this. I'm sorry. I didn't
mean to put all of this on you by venting. Anyways, here is the
Traveler's Inn, there is a place over there where they serve not
warm meals." She pointed to an open door to the right of them.
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