Bridlewater seemed like a pleasant place, Party Popper thought. The rural town, located about an hour's trot to the northwest of Manehattan through the woods, sat idyllically between the Manehattan forest and a lake.
Party Popper had passed through the town once before, while looking for her place in the world. Ponyville had been violently ripped off the table, and there had been several reasons she couldn't go to Canterlot or the rock farm she knew Pinkie Pie had been raised on, so she had picked a direction at random and ended up on a train to Manehattan.
Now that she saw Bridlewater from within, rather than sulking behind a window, she couldn't help but think that maybe this was where she should have stepped off the train. The town reminded her of what she'd seen and known of Ponyville before she left. Earth ponies were walking the roads, interspersed with the occasional unicorn, but unlike in Manehattan, many of them wore happy smiles and greeted each other.
Working at the Glazed Miracles Bakery for Sweet Tooth and Bear Hug had been great, but Manehattan had never quite felt like a home. It had only been a distorted reflection of one she didn't truly remember. Bridlewater was just another such reflection. She knew that. But maybe it would have been a better one.
She thought she caught a few of the locals giving her and her travel companions odd looks before hurrying along in the opposite direction. Or was she just imagining that?
The changelings seemed unconcerned. They had all taken on earth pony forms before they entered the town, except for Gena, who had remained a pegasus.
Popper suddenly realized they all looked a little tired. Sometimes she forgot that not everypony had as much energy as she did.
"Is it much further?" she asked.
Gena squinted at her. "Of course it is. You know where it is, don't you?"
Oh right. Party Popper had no idea where the changeling hive was, but they thought she was a changeling and Clypeus had said not to let them know otherwise, so…
"I forgot," she said simply. Keeping secrets was hard, but she had been hiding what she was for years now, so the lie came easily.
"You forgot," Gena repeated flatly. "How long have you been out of the hive anyway?"
"Oh, at least a few years." That was true. She had never been to the hive in the few years she could remember. She didn't know anything about the hive beyond that it existed, so she didn't think Pinkie Pie had been there either (at least before Popper's creation), but that wouldn't have counted anyway.
Mandible cut in, "The hive is on the other side of the country, in the forests ponies call the Undiscovered West. It's a long way yet, unless you know any more shortcuts." He wrung the last word like a wet towel, squeezing a waterfall of irritation out of it.
"Sorry, I don't know any that go there," Popper said, bouncing over the puddle of irritation on the metaphorical floor. "That far, huh. Sounds like we have a lot of walking ahead of us!"
Clypeus' frown deepened at that. Popper really had to do something about his seemingly near-permanent frown at some point. It sorely needed to be turned upside-down.
Labrum wasn't happy about the long walk either. "I really wish you could fly, Proboscis. All this trotting is going to kill me."
"That's why we're in town rather than walking around it," Frons said. "We're going to take the train."
The rest of the squad – except Gena, who was still staring at Popper – looked about as relieved as Popper felt. She hadn't really wanted to bounce the whole way on her hooves either, especially dressed in clothes of Rarity's design. If she couldn't burn them, maybe throwing them out a train window would be the next best thing.
Thinking of ways to dispose of the expensive clothes reminded her of something.
"Um, do you guys have any bits? I don't think I have enough left for six cross-country tickets."
"Can you pay for your own?" Frons asked. "Mandible, Clypeus and I will handle the rest."
"Oki doki!"
Why did that make Clypeus frown?
As instructed, Party Popper bought a single adult ticket to Las Pegasus – all the while feeling Gena's gaze on her back – and soon enough, Frons, Mandible and Clypeus returned. Somehow, they had gotten five tickets, getting the entire squad on board, though Gena, Labrum and Clypeus had to shift into foals first.
Clypeus sat down next to Party Popper in the train, taking the middle seat. Before the others found their seats next to them, he whispered, "That's a family of five losing their train ride."
Oh.
"Well," she whispered back, "I guess we'd better enjoy it a little on their behalf, then!"
The attempt to cheer Clypeus up clearly failed. He simply said, "I guess."
For whatever it was worth, the train ride was rather enjoyable, even if it did leave her a little restless. The view was great, as the mountains and hills and rural towns of northeastern Equestria passed by them, and when she couldn't sit still anymore, the train's dining car was there to occupy both her mind and her stomach with delicious desserts. She was even allowed to help out a little in the kitchen car afterwards, until Mandible found her. Party Popper didn't see what the big deal was – the kitchen staff had been very nice and welcoming.
Even with those things to occupy herself with, the ride was slow. The train stopped at nearly every station it passed through, only skipping a town that appeared to be abandoned for some reason, and there was a long way to travel. By the afternoon, they were only halfway to their destination, with Canterlot Mountain in sight on the horizon.
Something about that tugged at Party Popper's mind. It felt like there was something obvious and important that she hadn't thought about, but she couldn't place what it was.
Meanwhile, Frons was looking at a railroad map he'd picked up in Bridlewater.
"So according to this," he said, "we actually need to get off the train at the next stop, since this line goes on to Canterlot, and then wait there for a few hours until the next train to Las Pegasus departs."
"Sounds fine by me," Labrum said, "Taking the train sure beats walking across the country, but I'd still like to stretch these babies a little." He gestured to his back hooves.
"Wait, wait, wait," Party Popper said as the pieces began to click together in her mind. "Which stop is that?"
She really hoped Frons wasn't about to say what she thought he was about to say.
"Ponyville."
He was.