Longhaul

A little late, but I hope everyone had a good Nightmare Night. No trick-or-treaters where I am (apartment complex + pandemic = more candy for me) but still wasn't a bad night.

Banned because it's Halloween somewhere.

"Pink panthers don’t eat orange tabbies, it’s too much vitamin C."

Loneliness is not a phase Field of pain is where I graze Serenity is far away

The furthest I've been is along the shore of the Pacific Ocean in California, which is the furthest from Connecticut (where I grew up) and Texas (where I currently live).

9. The Long and Winding Road The days passed into weeks, and weeks into months. I always remembered the change of seasons as being somewhat disorderly, with blazing hot weather possible well into the middle of autumn, and the threat of heavy snow going through into late spring in certain parts of the country. There were even years that appeared to skip a season entirely, moving from one extreme to another with no in-between or transition period. It did make things tough to plan, and could even manage to catch one unawares and unprepared. Not so in Equestria. Autumn came with the Running of the Leaves, an event held once all of the leaves were at peak color. Acres of leaves fell at once under the thunder of hoofbeats, denuding the trees in a matter of a few hours. Where this was when I had to rake what seemed like entire forests of leaves, which chose to fall at irregular intervals, is beyond me. At least with this event, all of the leaves fall at just about the same time, making for easy cleanup. Nightmare Night followed not long afterward, and the similarities between this and Halloween were almost too much to be considered coincidence. Although there was a slight element of scariness, the entire event felt more like a harvest festival with the entire town participating. Despite my usual aversion to crowded places, I had a good time, and even got to meet a few more ponies that I had yet to be introduced to, Ponyville being much larger than it appears to the average observer. Hearthswarming time proved to be a bittersweet period in my stay. Between an increase in my workload due to frazzled parents seeking to have their offspring’s toys assembled before the big day, and have it done properly, and Octavia’s increased practice schedule for the holiday concert and play, we barely got to see each other. During one of the rare moments when our schedules both cleared out, we sat down and discussed where our relationship was heading. At times emotional, but mostly rational and collected in nature, we both agreed to maintain friendship, but put any romantic notions on hold. Vinyl, however, took it far worse, making as many hare-brained schemes to get us back together as she could muster. It took both of us sitting down with her and explaining that, for the time being, it was best to wait and be friends rather than rush into something headlong and ruin everything. Once she saw it that way, she relented a bit and let us have our space. The winter gave way to spring. It’s nice that it wraps up so orderly and complete, but I could do without having to hear that dang song over and over again. This was a day for all of the ponies to learn to work as one, it was explained to me, and I took advantage of that by declaring a day of prolonged sleeping-in and general laziness. A good day was had by all, especially me. Hearts and Hooves Day passed with little fanfare for me. Octavia and I gave each other small gifts, and we were able to cement the fact that friendship, not romance, was more the way to go for us. I admit, it hurt being alone, but having at least a few friends that came around and spent time to ease my loneliness took most of the pain away. It’s hard to believe that it’s been close to a year since I gave up a life I knew for a complete re-start in another universe. In that short amount of time, I settled into a new life in a new world, made some new friends, and rebuilt myself to a level I doubt I could have ever achieved back home. It was a trade-up, as far as I was concerned, and something I could be proud of as I looked back. *~*~*~*~* The soft rustling of leaves could be heard as a warm breeze moved through the trees on another beautiful late-spring evening. I had a small fire burning in the pit behind my house, and was sitting in a comfortable chair, sipping a tall glass of sweet tea. Stars twinkled above and the moon made its silent trip across the night sky. It felt good to renew my old habit on nights like this. Winter forced an end to such activities, even though winters here were milder than most winters I had encountered back in the other world. Being able to sit, and simply gaze into the fire, and let most of the troubles in my mind go was an added bonus. A soft thump on the ground behind me, along with the ruffling of long wings, announced my usual nocturnal visitor. “Good evening, Luna,” I called out, “nice of you to stop by. How are things going?” “And a valorous evening to thee, my friend. ‘Tis good to be in thy company again. May we join thee for a while?” Luna asked, approaching slowly. “Of course, you’re always welcome here. Please, sit and have a drink.” Luna made herself comfortable on a pile of cushions I had set out for any pony guests that wished to join me. A small effort in hospitality, granted, which might have been fine had anypony wished to join me. Luna was my usual regular, and at time, only, visitor. She used her magic to pour herself a glass of tea and took a deep drink. Smiling, she said, “Thy tea-crafting art hast not faded, my friend.” Turning to me with a serious expression, she said with concern, “We had meant to check on thee ev’r since thy breakup with the cellist. Pray, how art thou holding up?” Sighing, I took a drink and stared into the fire. “I’d be lying if I said I was doing well, at least at first. Despite everything, it hit me pretty hard. We remain friends, but for about a month it hurt to even see her on the street. Over time, I was able to let things go and accept the fact that it just wasn’t meant to be. We talk now and again. I admit, it was a shock to hear she was looking into dating somepony else, but … I still wished her well, and I do hope she finds somepony she truly loves.” “And what of thee, my lief? Is there anypony that has caught thy eye?” Luna quizzed. “I haven’t really been looking,” I admitted. “Truth is, I’m getting too old for the dating scene. I think the only one even close to my age would be the mayor, and she doesn’t seem to be looking to start a fling anytime soon.” Luna scoffed. “Thou dost not appear that old to me. We believe t’would be a benefit to a fair one to be thy consort.” “I’m glad you do, you seem to be the only one.” I stirred the fire a bit and added another log, After sitting in silence for a short while, the quiet occasionally broken by the gentle sounds of tea being sipped, Luna turned back to me. “Pray, why didst thou apply to come to Equestria in the first place?” Taking a long pull from my glass, I thought a bit before I answered. “I suppose I could give the trite answers — I saw it as a challenge, it would be a new adventure, I was looking for a fresh start … truth be told, I did so because I had absolutely nothing to lose.” “And, how didst thou come to that conclusion?” Luna asked, intrigued. “Simple,” I explained. “At the time, I had reached a point of relative stagnation in my life. I lived alone, no family or friends, working a dead-end job that I figured I’d die in because I couldn’t afford to ever retire. Then, along came the whole portals thing and when I saw you were accepting applications from single people as well as families, I figured I could at least give it a try. You could have either said yes, in which case I had a chance to better myself in a new land, or you could have said no, and my life would have continued on as it was. No matter the option, I knew I’d be okay either way.” Luna pondered this, and nodded. “Thy reasoning is sound. And thou was not seeking fame, or glory, for thy actions?” I shook my head. “Nope. Just wanted to see what would happen.” Luna smiled. “It doth seem the outcome was favorable to thee. Pray, now that thou has lived amongst us for some time now, dost thou have any regrets about coming here?” Luna’s question rolled around in my mind for a short while as I reflected on the time I spent in this new and strange land. All of my experiences, good and bad, flooded my memories. Eventually, after some deep contemplation, I arrived at Luna’s unasked question: if I had to do it all over again, would I have? A smile crossed my face when I turned back to Luna. “No. I have no regrets about coming here and I doubt I ever will. I’ve resigned myself to living day by day, and accepting whatever happens. And, most surprising to myself most of all, I’m fine with that.” “We are most pleased to hear that,” Luna responded, a smile on her face. She stood up and fluffed her wings. “We must attend to our nightly duties, but before we part, we were tasked to ask thee if thou would join us at the castle three weeks hence. Our sister is planning a feast to mark the first anniversary of the program, and wishes the remaining humans to attend.” “Sure, I can be there,” I replied. “I’ll be sure to keep my calendar clear that week, and might make a vacation out of it.” I stood up and stretched. “And thanks again for stopping by, it’s always good to see you.” Wrapped in a feathery embrace, Luna pulled me closer. “’Tis always a pleasure to sit with thee, my friend. We shall see thee anon.” She broke the embrace and, with a few mighty flaps, flew off into the night sky. Returning to my seat after putting another log on the fire, I refilled my glass and settled back to look at the night sky once again. Yes, there was no denying things were different here. Apart from the inhabitants, the sky was different. The stars formed constellations completely foreign to me. The sun and moon were controlled by magical power rather than some force in the cosmos. Life in general moved at a different pace, a different vibe. A vibe I was slowly tuning in to with each day I spent here. I reflected on past moves in my life. Visits to places I used to live after having been away for so long didn’t have the same feel of familiarity, progress inevitably writing its changes upon the things I once knew, making me the outsider instead of a native son. It only reinforced the fact that time moves on, and your memories and experiences remain stagnant. It was best to move along and not dwell on what once was. I took a long sip of tea and stared back up at the sky. Yes, time is moving along at its own pace, and the world I once knew is moving and changing without me. I suspect it will be completely unknown to me in a few years, and even more surprising, it didn’t matter much right now. I was moving with this new world, shaping new experiences and new possibilities, growing and changing along with it. And, deep down, that’s exactly what I hoped would happen. The pitch of this world resonates through me now. This is, I was finally able to say without hesitation, my home. *~END~* And thus ends my foray into multipart writing. Thank you for reading, I was amazed it gained as many views as it has.