Twilight's journey

by Skarsnik

Chapter 15 - Train station

Author's Note:

(Sorry for the 6 month Hiatus)
Previously on Twilight Journey:
Spike found Twilight as an alicorn after she was declared dead for 20 years. With his assistant, Emerald Scroll, they get her back on shape. Wanting to have a better way for the new alicorn to hide her true nature from ponies, Spike and Twilight went to see Queen Chrysalis. Meanwhile Emerald get back in Canterlot where he had a meeting with Princess Luna and learn a bit more about the nature of Alicorn.

Spike was anxious. He was waiting at the train station of the town of Tours. It was a sizeable town with a few thousands of pony living here. It was a nice city with a center where houses were still of an older style than the current area. He had also the particularity of not being centered around one type of ponies, cloudhouses were quite close to the ground to not have the pegasus population too reclused. They were here for only 2 weeks, just the time to replace a sick local teacher before heading to another place where Spike was less eager to go for various reason.

He was nervous because he was not sure Emerald would show up at all. Spike last letter to him had just pointed out where to meet, but since the stallion could not give a reply it was impossible to know if he wanted to show at all. Spike was aware that it was an annoying situation to be in, to keep so many secrets to other ponies and be careful with what he said in the presence of Twilight. Spike was himself used to this, considering all the know ponies involved in his life and the secrets he could learn from Cadance and Shining Armor, but sometime it was overwhelming. Spike liked to tease the stallion because of his noble birth, but it was an advantage for him. It gives the stallion lot of social education and he had probably some things only ponies of his house were in the know.

At Spike side was a yellow unicorn mare, she was pacing on the train station, checking the clock every minute or so, even if the train was only supposed to arrive in 30 minutes. Spike tried to remain calm for his part, he does not want to put more stress on her.

He was glad to be out of the Changeling’s cave. It had been a tense situation, even if in the end it was not that bad. In second thought it was just a big gamble, a lone dragon and an untrained alicorn going to meet an unknown situation. Well, Spike was pretty sure they would have no trouble to escape if the changelings did not have proper anti-magic measures, but it was hard to forget that their Queen managed to empower Princess Celestia. It was no surprise Emerald did not want to join then.

It was a crazy endeavor. They followed the location given by the map on the verso of Princess Luna’s letter. They took a train to reach another isolated forest area, then they have to walk toward the entrance of a cave. To their surprise, there were welcomed by only 4 changelings guards wearing spears. They were led straight to their queen. Neither Spike or Twilight spoke before the guards went away. Queen Chrysalis beamed with a mad glee when Twilight removed her hood. After Twilight made her request to learn a way to disguise herself, the queen dismissed Spike. He had tried to protest, he did not want to let Twilight alone in a dangerous situation, but his mother had insisted that she would be fine.

Spike quickly discovered that the cave was a temporary place of meeting, probably chosen by Princess Luna herself because beside the guards there were only 2 other changelings. They constituted a small servant staff to cook, clean or just whatever need the Changelings could have. It took fifteen days for Twilight to manage to be able to change her appearance. She had tried to hide it from Spike, but her training with the Queen was painful, she even passed out the first day. Spike had to lie to Emerald in his letters, just saying that they were doing fine when he was worried about Twilight well-being. She always looked exhausted when getting back from her “training” or whatever the Queen was doing to her. But as days passed he could see Twilight coming back for dinner with a different coat color, then it was her mane and tail. Hiding her wings took more time but she could not really change her general morphology neither fully her cutie mark. When it was enough to foul most ponies, they left. Spike was uncertain of the queen’s motives to help them and let them just leave when they wanted.

During their stay, Spike occupied his day learning what he can on the changelings. It was not that hard since he was mostly left unattended. The issue was the changelings themselves, Queen Chrysalis was staying away from him and the other changelings hissed at him the first days when he was getting too close to them. After a week he finally managed to talk with a guard that was off shift, he must have been getting bored of hissing. Spike learned that Changelings does not trust dragon because warriors were trained to fend them away from their hive.

He did not manage to get that much useful information but Spike was pretty sure Shining Armor and the guards would be happy if he decided to share the gained knowledge without having to answer how he get it.

“Hey, are you Spike the dragon?” Spike felt a tiny hoof poking him on the back, bringing him out of his thought.

He turned on his feet and put a gentle smile on his face seeing a young filly with a slightly glimmering coat and a horn on her head. He recognized her as a rare case of a hybrid between a crystal pony and an unicorn. “Yes, it’s me. What is your name young filly?”

The filly turned around and rushed to an unicorn stallion with a yellow coat waiting near a bench. She beamed “Daddy! Daddy! I told you, it’s Spike the dragon!”

The stallion walked toward Spike and Twilight followed by the filly “I am sorry.”

Spike kept smiling to the stallion, he was used to Crystal Ponies having this kind of reaction when meeting him, but it was rare to meet some outside the Empire or the principal big city of Equestria. “It’s alright, don’t worry” he crouched to be at head level with the filly “You did not answer my question. What is your name?”

The filly blinked and then beamed “My name is Orchid Rose!”

“That’s a very cute name,” Spike stated.

“Thank you! My mommy talk a lot about you!” Orchid turned her head toward the yellow unicorn at the side of Spike and said keeping her enthusiasm “Is she your special somepony?”

That get the attention of Twilight as she finally turned her head away from the clock, “Hu?”

Spike laughed both at the filly statement and Twilight bewildered expression “No, she is…” he trailed “family.” yes it’s a better answer than Emerald’s sister.

“Hoo” the filly put a hoof under her chin “You don’t have a…” the rest of the sentence was muffled by a hoof placed on her mouth by her father.

“I am sorry, she is a bit too curious.”

Spike watched the filly trying to struggle to get out her father grip, then he looked at Twilight. She had a small smile of her own. Twilight bite her lips and asked, “I never saw a filly like you.”

The filly managed to wiggle free from the hoof restraining her “I am a very super special filly!”

Twilight narrowed her eyes, her horn glowed with a faint purple aura and soon the filly was engulfed by it. Spike thought for a second to stop whatever Twilight was trying to do but she was able to eat without issue with her magic and he does not want for her to feel like she was being bribed.

“Hey, it tickles!” the filly giggled but that did not break Twilight focused expression. The disguised alicorn levitated the filly in front of her, slowly spinning her, eliciting some ‘Weeee‘ from the jovial filly.

Spike tried to keep smiling to prevent the father from panicking seeing his daughter being used like a plush doll.

“You are a very interesting filly! You have two flows of magic inside you, but one is dormant. I think it can fuel the other. It’s so fascinating! Spike take some notes! We need to start some experiment! Study more of it.” Twilight spoke still making the filly spin in front of her.

“Right on…” Spike trailed “Wait. No.” He shook his head. He almost replied ‘right on it’ like he was back at being a baby dragon and the number one assistant of Twilight Sparkle, but the frown on the father of the filly stopped him.

He put a claw on Twilight’s shoulder “Now, Now. Twilight, first we don’t experiment on fillies,” he paused “Please, let’s her go.”

The filly pouted as she was deposed gently on the floor. His father gently checking on her, pulling her between his legs. Twilight’s ears dropped.

Spike felt like he was negotiating with one of Cadance’s foal; better distract her with something else “And we are waiting for somepony, remember?”

“Oh” The alicorn face lite up and nodded to Spike “Right.”

Spike rolled his eyes and focused on the stallion. “I am sorry, Mister. She does not go out very often, she forgets her manners.”

“I am sorry, Mister.” the disguised alicorn parroted.

“It was so cool!” the filly replied, but was hushed by the stallion.

Both filly and stallion shared goodbye with the dragon and Twilight. They get back to the bench they were previously occupying.

Spike was still busy giving a lecture on proper use of magic to the alicorn when the speakers announced the upcoming arrival of the train from Canterlot. Soon the train followed with the hiss of the brake and vapor and come to a stop.

Spike anxiety went back full force. Would the stallion show at all? He squeezed the handle of his bag, marking each second passed, waiting for the conductor give the signal for passengers to disembark. Please be here, Please be here.

Luckily for him, the first class cabins were at the front of the train and soon the first passengers were out.

A green head with a perfectly groomed yellow mane poked out. Spike could swear his mane was shimmering, but it was probably a trick of the light. He followed with his eyes the stallion getting out the car. Like his mane, his coat was trimmed groomed to perfection. He was wearing what Spike called the “Full Lord” suit. The collar was adorned with the two lines of colours. symbol of his house. A golden badge with a scroll symbol was pinned on it.

Spike also knew the fabric was more delicate that the usual suit Emerald wore when they are traveling. Normally he would tease the stallion or just be annoyed but knew the purpose of him wearing it.

When he met the eyes of Emerald, the stallion smiled at him, all Spike’s worries were gone. He wanted to rush to hug stallion to show how he was glad he was here. But he extended an arm in front of Twilight to block her.

A light pink mare followed the stallion. She planted a kiss on his cheek and giggled while putting a piece of paper in one of his pockets before trotting away. Emerald just rolled his eyes at the gesture. He started moving and immediately stopped. He sighed noticing the 2 city guards walking toward him.

The first one to reach him talked first “Sir, please can you wait a minute-”

“-Changeling control” Emerald finished.

“What are they doing to him?” asked a worried Twilight to Spike.

“Guards must perform checks on important ponies to see if they are not infiltrated changelings. Don’t worry, he gets that every time we travel to a major city.”

Twilight watched the weird procedure. One guard asking mundanes questions about pony society while the other, an unicorn, cast a spell on the stallion. When it was over they saluted respectfully and get back at watching passenger disembark.

Emerald approached the duo, stopped unsure of what to do. Spike moved first and hugged the stallion and patted him on the back. “I am glad you are here.”

“I am glad you are alright. I was so worried” Emerald smiled to both of them and eyed the yellow mare “Is that you, Twilight?”

The unicorn snap out and threw her hooves around the stallion neck, imitating Spike previous gesture. The dragon smiled at the slightly embarrassed expression of Emerald and the genuine smile on Twilight face.

“You are back!”

Comments

[Cross Lament]

Eeee! Nice to see an update!

I have to wonder what Chrysalis was getting in exchange for her help...

[lishmael]

Is it just me, or grammar deteriorates rather drastically starting chapter 8?

[Skarsnik]

7530378

Yes, the first 7-8 chapters get edited by someone and I did not do yet another pass myself after that.

[lishmael]

7530655 well, I'd really recommend addressing that soon(ish). I've read first seven chapters in stride, and my mind than come to grinding halt around ninth, which I was unable to even finish... I appreciate your plot, but one honestly expects quality to go up (or at least stay level) as story progresses, not just drop.

[cheetored20]

*Pokes* is it dead? I hope it isn't.

[cheetored20]

Is this story still being worked on?

[Skarsnik]

8451329

More or Less. I should maybe put it on hiatus since I focus on progressing another story. But I really want to at least close this arc.

[cheetored20]

8451799
What's the other story called?

[Skarsnik]

8452654

https://www.fimfiction.net/story/257170/morning-in-ponyville But I will try to finish to edit a chapter of TJ for this week.

[cheetored20]

8464467
Thanks.