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On the Line

by TheBigBob

Chapter 1: Waiting in the Rain

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A young filly stood next to a bus stop in the pouring rain, waiting for a carriage that would never come. She held an umbrella over her with one hoof, though it did a poor job at keeping her from getting wet. The filly looked down the left side of the road and saw nothing but the rows of trees lining each side. She turned her head the other direction, but it was just as empty. The pony sighed and looked at the trees behind her. If she hid under the branches, she would get some cover from the rain, but her feet would get wet from the mud instead. The filly sighed and decided to stay in the same spot she had been in for what had seemed like hours.

A short while later, a tall pony she had never seen before walked up in the rain beside her. The filly looked up and saw a mane filled with long, flowing, light blue hair that appeared untouched by the water falling from the sky. This pony was unusual, because she had a unicorn horn in addition to a pair of wings. Not only that, but the pony wore a tiara on her head and a necklace with a picture of a crescent moon. The young filly didn't know why an alicorn would be standing on the side of the road in the rain with her, but she didn't question it. The filly looked forward and stared at the road in front of her, waiting for her ride.

The alicorn stood next to the filly and faced the road as well. As the alicorn waited, she observed her new acquaintance. The young filly's green fur was sopping wet from waiting in the rain, but her dark blonde mane remained dry thanks to her umbrella. Her hair was neat and didn't hide her face, exposing the freckles on her cheeks. The back of her hair was trimmed evenly around her neck. Her tail, on the other hoof, stuck out from under the umbrella, and was sopping wet from the rain. The alicorn and the filly stood next to each other for a few minutes. The only noise anypony could hear was the sound of water hitting the ground. The alicorn sighed, took a deep breath, straightened herself up, then turned her head to address her acquaintance.

“My name is Luna. What is yours, young one?”

The filly looked at her for a moment, but did not say anything before turning her attention back to the road. Luna frowned and stood in silence next to her for a few more minutes. She used the opportunity to look around and observe her surroundings. As far as she could tell, the road on either side of them stretched to infinity. The rain was cold, but fell through Luna as if it did not even exist. The paved road in front of them looked worn, as if it had seen decades of use. She then observed the bus stop sign that the filly stood next to. It seemed odd to have a bus stop out in the middle of nowhere. How could this filly have even gotten here? Luna decided that it didn't matter, and tried talking to the filly again.

“Are you waiting for somepony?”

The filly nodded, staring straight ahead.

“May I ask who?”

She squeaked out a response. “My mom.”

Luna was not the best at talking to other ponies, but this filly's shyness echoed her own. Luna knew that she would have to watch what she said from this point on. “You look like you've been waiting a while. Is your mother late?”

The filly silently nodded in response.

Luna tilted her head. “Is she late a lot?”

The young pony whispered a “yes.”

“What about your father? Does he ever pick you up instead?”

For the first time since Luna arrived, the filly turned to look at her. The young pony's eyes met Luna's for a moment before they dropped and stared at the ground. “Sometimes.”

Luna stopped to consider what the filly said. From what she could gather, this pony had issues at home. It had been eons since Luna had anything resembling a parent. Although she couldn't relate to the filly's problems with her parents, Luna at least knew what it was like to be forgotten. “Why do you think your mom is late?”

“She forgets,” the filly said, sighing. “Or she's busy. I don't know.”

Luna frowned. “Have you said anything to her about it?”

The young pony looked up at Luna. “Sometimes I do.”

“What does she say?”

The filly looked back toward the road. “She says she'll try not to do it anymore." Her voice dropped in tone. "But it's never long before it happens again.”

The two of them became silent again. The rained that poured down all around them showed no sign of stopping. Luna noticed that the filly's leg was getting tired from holding the umbrella for so long.

“Here, let me get that for you.” Luna's horn glowed and the umbrella floated in place, allowing the young pony to set her hoof on the ground and relax it.

“Thank you,” she mumbled, continuing to stare at the road.

Luna pondered for a moment before speaking again. “If your mother is late so often,” she said, “why don't you try going home on your own?”

“She thinks it isn't safe,” the filly told Luna, looking straight ahead. “She says it's dangerous out there. She wants to know I'm okay.”

“And you want to obey her wishes?” Luna asked, looking down at her.

“Mm-hm.” The filly was barely audible, especially in the rain.

Another question popped into Luna's head. “How well do you get along with your parents?”

The young pony considered the question for a moment before responding. “Alright, I guess.”

“What do you mean?”

The filly looked up at Luna for a moment, then back at the road. “They take care of me. I'm never hungry. They don't yell at me or anything. So I guess it could be worse.”

“You don't sound very close to them,” Luna observed. “Do you have any friends?”

The filly looked down at the ground. “Not really,” she said.

“What about hobbies?” Luna asked her. “What do you like to do for fun?”

“Well...” The filly thought about it for a moment. “I do read a lot...”

As a princess, Luna didn't have a lot of time for reading and other leisurely activities. She had seen the libraries of Canterlot a few times, but she rarely picked up a novel and read it from cover to cover. However, Luna had just found something the filly seemed to enjoy. That alone made her curious.

“Have you ever read... what was it called?” Luna searched her mind for the name of that book series that seemed so popular. The title started with a 'd', it was an adventure series, the protagonist was a pegasus... “Oh!” Luna exclaimed. “Daring Do! Have you read that one?”

The filly's ears perked up at the sound of the title, she turned to Luna and smiled for the first time. “I love Daring Do! She's so cool!”

The young pony's enthusiasm infected Luna, who smirked back. “What do you like about her? I've never read the books.”

“Oh, you really need to!” The filly began to talk excitedly about her hero. “She's really brave, and clever, and she always knows how to get out of trouble! I really love in the third book how she handled those bandits in the city...”

The filly went on and on about Daring Do as Luna listened. A lot of the conversation was lost on the princess, but it didn't matter. Luna finally discovered what made the filly happy. She was a little concerned about how the filly seemed more enthusiastic about a fictional character than her own mother, but it was hardly uncommon. After all, most children only see the mundane aspects of their parents, not the hardships they endured in order to get where they are today.

As the child talked, Luna noticed that the rain that surrounded them began to dissipate. Slowly but surely, the clouds were scattering. The darkness that had covered the road started to light up, revealing a beautiful sky overhead. The filly, however, had barely noticed the change in scenery, as she was too busy telling Luna all about the adventures of Daring Do.

“I can't wait for the next book in the series!” she told the princess. “There's going to be this lost civilization covered in snow! I hope she gets to meet a yeti! I've never seen one myself!”

Luna laughed, thankful that she managed to catch one of the young pony's excited comments. “It sounds like you have quite the active imagination.”

“Mm-hm!” The filly nodded excitedly

“Have you ever thought about writing your own story?” Luna saw where the filly's enthusiasm lay, and wanted her to use it in any way she could.

The young pony frowned and her eyes looked away from Luna. “I've tried, but when I do it, it never comes out any good...”

Luna put a hoof on the filly's shoulder. “Just keep at it. It just takes practice, that's all.”

The filly looked back up at her. “You think so?”

“Of course.”

The filly perked up. At this point, the rain had completely stopped. The two of them looked around. The trees shone a vibrant shade of green, and the sunlight reflected off of a few puddles on the road. The filly's fur coat looked completely dry, and Luna was finally able to see how neat and groomed her mane and tail were. Without her sour mood weighing her down, the pony was quite cute.

Off in the distance, the two of them heard the sound of hooves hitting the ground. As the noise got closer, they saw a carriage being pulled by two workhorses.

“My mom's here!” The filly turned to Luna. “Thanks for keeping me company, miss! You're really nice!”

Luna smiled at the girl's compliment. “Why, thank you.”

The carriage rode up, and the filly walked up to it and opened the door. Luna couldn't see anypony inside, but all that mattered right now was that the filly was okay. She watched the young pony climb inside before remembering something.

“Oh!” Luna exclaimed. “You never told me your name!”

The filly stuck her head out of the carriage window and laughed. “It's Novella! Your name was Luna, right?”

“That's correct!”

“See you later, Luna!” The carriage walked down the road, and Luna sighed in relief.

As the carriage disappeared out of sight, Luna took a look at the scenery. Slowly but surely, everything began to fade to white. One by one, the trees dissolved into nothingness, and the ends of the road on each horizon started to disappear. Soon, the only thing in sight was the small patch of grass Luna was standing on.

“I guess that's it for tonight,” she said to herself. Her horn began to glow before she heard a peculiar sound.

Beep... beep... beep...

“That's unusual,” Luna wondered out loud. “I shouldn't be hearing anything right now.”

She continued to listen, and the beeping continued. Over time, the beeping grew more distant before disappearing altogether. Luna shook her head and shrugged her shoulders. With nothing left to do, she closed her eyes and focused. Her horn glowed brightly, and with a flash, she was gone as well.

Next Chapter: A Cup of Tea Estimated time remaining: 1 Hour, 58 Minutes
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