"What?!" Marco gasped, jumping off the bed. "But...we can't!"
"Sure we can!" Star replied. "I mean, why be a boring Princess stuck on Earth for 'training' when I can be a REAL Princess here?"
"Cause I've got a family, Star!" Marco snapped. "Back on Earth!"
"But look at how much there must be here!" Star smiled a bright grin. "Look at what we've already seen! Unicorns, pegasi! Alicorns!"
Marco blew the fur off from his eye and walked closer to her.
"What?" Star asked.
"Get. Back. In. The. Bed." Marco said in a serious tone.
"NURSE!" Star shouted, pulling her wand from the cabinet nearby and pointing it at Marco.
"Yes, dear! Are you alright?" Nurse Redheart gasped.
"Yeah, she's just refusing to stay in the bed!" Marco hissed.
"Well...if she's well enough to leave, why don't you let her?" Nurse Redheart asked. "Your mate seems much better this morning."
Marco felt like he was about to burst with that comment, why couldn't his friend stay in the stupid bed?
"I'm ready to leave, nurse!" Star declared, still holding her wand.
"Okay dear, just sign the paperwork at the reception." Nurse Redheart said.
Star dashed ahead of Marco.
In anger, Marco spreaded his wings and went after her, but his wings got caught in the IV sets and made him trip and fall in a tangle of wires.
"Okay, Star Butterfly, is it?" The receptionist said. "Just sign here and here. Your hospital bill is 500 bits."
"Like as in bits off the ground?" Star asked puzzled.
"No, hun." The receptionist said unamused. "The currency of Equestria is bits. Like these."
Star looked at the yellow coin in the receptionist's hoof.
"Oh hey guys!" Pinkie Pie called cheerfully, entering the room. "I figured that you wouldn't have any bits so I brought 500! All of us pitched in!"
Pinkie carried over a bag full of bits and placed it on the counter.
"And in return, YOU two come with me!" Pinkie Pie gave a crazy smile.
"No!" Marco covered Star with his wings. "She's not even supposed to leave the hospital!"
"Nonsense, just look at her! She looks like she's ready for a taste of Ponyville!"
Marco looked over his shoulder and saw Star moving her hooves in anticipation. He felt defeat as he lowered his wings and looked angrily at the pink mare.
"Alright, let's go!" Pinkie cheerfully galloped ahead, unaware at the hesitancy in Marco's movements.
...
Star and Marco followed Pinkie toward a purple castle. Ponies all around the streets greeted the two newcomers.
Star waved back enthusiastically trying not to activate the wand in her mouth.
Marco entered the castle first and looked wide-eyed for any signs of more ponies. He saw a yellow feather fall from the balcony and instantly knew it was so.
"Please don't tell me we're at..." Marco was stopped by Pinkie bursting into the castle.
"A PARTY!" Pinkie screamed in excitement.
Twilight, Dash, Fluttershy, Applejack, Rarity, and a purple and green dragon leaped off the balcony and landed before Star and Marco.
"Hey guys!" The dragon chirped enthusiastically. "I'm Spike!"
The rest of the Mane 6 were much cheerful and eager to talk to the newcomers of Ponyville. Star was just as eager, if not more so.
Marco slumped over against one of the pillars and gave a loud sigh.
"Are we not throwing a good party?"
Marco looked over and saw Fluttershy looking up shyly, having distanced herself from the group just to talk to him.
Oh! She was talking to me!
"No! It's a great party!" Marco stammered. "I just don't..."
"Like parties?" Fluttershy suggested.
"I...I don't know." Marco sighed. "I think I just want to go home."
"I've never really had a feel for homesickness." Fluttershy replied. "Cloudsdale never really felt like home to me."
Marco nodded and was still aware of Star chatting mostly to Twilight.
"Yeah, I could introduce you to the Princesses." Twilight smiled to Star. "There's Celestia, Luna, Candace-"
"So where are you from?" Fluttershy asked, snapping Marco back to the conversation.
"I..have you heard of a place called Earth?" Marco asked, smiling. At least there was one normal pony here.
"We're on it SILLY!" Pinkie laughed.
Marco's eye twitched at her and he looked back to Fluttershy.
"I mean...Echo Creek?" Marco asked.
"Never heard of an Echo Creek in Equestria." Fluttershy replied.
"It's not in Equestria." Marco said. "It's in America."
"Never heard of it." Fluttershy smiled, getting more curious about what Marco was talking about.
Star looked by seeing Marco and Fluttershy and was relieved that he was starting to feel more at home here.
We'll be here a while yet. After all, I'll be Celestia's student.
"Did you say that Celestia and Luna are in Canterlot?" Star asked.
"Yes." Twilight said.
"I'd like to visit there." Star grinned.
"Cool! When?" Rarity asked.
Star looked over at Marco, would they be ready to go to another town so soon after Ponyville?
"Sure!" Star replied. "Marco, we're going to Canterlot!"
"So Echo Creek is-wait what?!" Marco stammered, looking over away from Fluttershy and at Star. "Canterlot?"
"It's a nice place with the castles n' Princesses." Applejack explained. "Celestia and Luna both."
Because Star wants to become a princess, of course. Marco realized.
"Star? Could we talk in private?" Marco asked, frustrated.
"About what?" Star asked clearly aware of what Marco was frustrated about, but she wouldn't let him have it. "We have no stuff to pack, so we should take the next train!"
"Look guys! The map!" Spike gasped.
Everyone looked at the map in the center of the castle and saw Twilight's, Rarity's, and Fluttershy's cutie marks spinning over Canterlot on the map.
"Looks like the map has spoken." Fluttershy said beside Marco. "We are meant to go."
Marco looked at the ponies including Star, who seemed destined to go to Canterlot. He could only go with them.
He walked over to Star's side.
"Okay, we will go." Marco said defeated.