“And then I found pony Pinkie’s really neat-oh party cavern under the most amazing, wonderful, delicious-smelling, fantastic, delightful, spectacular, yum-a-rific bakery I’d ever seen. And then an alligator bit my hoof. It tickled!”
“I wrote my name in the sky for the whole town to read. And I did it with my butt flank!”
“My pony’s little sister is one of the most adorable things Ah ever did see. And Ah got to talk to my grandfather again.”
“Miss Cheerilee’s pony seems nice. And Mr. Cranky Doodle Donkey is an actual donkey here.”
“Wow. So he really is an a—?“
“Rainbow!”
As the train went about its way toward the capitol castle, the intrepid pony neophytes regaled themselves with their tales from the past few hours.
Though they were still down one member.
Between stories, Applejack had stolen a few quick glances down the hall toward where Rarity had rushed off to once learning where the restroom was, and now took a look out the window to see their destination much closer than before. A little worried, she considered checking on her, but was relieved when the now familiar white unicorn finally reappeared.
Rarity walked calmly toward the chatty group. Head up, appearance immaculate, stride strong, purposeful, and dignified.
However, the blush on her cheeks told a different tale.
All the conversations stopped as Rarity took a seat next to Applejack.
Rarity ignored the silence and simply, and nonchalantly, looked out the nearest window.
Applejack looked at Rarity with an inquisitive smile. When she was also ignored, she looked to her friends. Rainbow Dash snickered quietly. Fluttershy quietly turned to look out her own window. Pinkie Pie was … much too quiet for Pinkie. Though, Applejack noticed Pinkie’s pony ears were twitching and she was shaking her head slightly with a shifting set of facial expressions as if listening to competing conversations.
Seemingly on her own, Applejack welcomed her friend.
“So, uh, it all come out all right?”
Rarity responded immediately by glaring back at her, eyes seeming to flash as red as her deepening blush.
“Whoa Nelly!” Applejack jerked back, telling herself it was just a trick of the light. “Okay, that was the wrong phrase to use.”
Rainbow Dash let out a snort of laughter as Applejack tried to counter. “What Ah mean is, uh, you feeling … relieved?”
Rarity glared a moment longer before clearing her throat and turning back to the window.
Applejack swallowed and looked around. Fluttershy still looking out her window. Pinkie bonking herself on the head repeatedly, ears still twitching. Rainbow snickering louder.
She considered just waiting until Rainbow surrendered her battle against tact and laughed outright so the heat would shift to a new target. Though, while the thought was certainly appealing, she felt it best to defuse the situation first.
Rainbow beat her to the punch though.
“Must have been like living an episode of National Geographic.”
“So!” Applejack jumped between her blushing and guffawing friends and cheered loudly with a smile larger than was naturally possible. “We’re off to the city palace! Or, perhaps, Rarity’s city boutique! Isn’t that right?”
Applejack sighed with relief to discover the phrase city boutique was not only the more preferred one, but also received well enough to save Rainbow’s life when Rarity’s glare was replaced by a smile as bright as the sun.
“Oh! Yes, yes, yes!” Rarity spoke—and in such a gleeful gush—while turning back toward the group. “Has Applejack told you about my three boutiques? Two of them in cities? One in Manehattan?”
When Rarity paused and turned, expectantly, to Applejack, the latter was quick to pipe up. “Ah! Uh, no, Ah figured you’d want to tell all about it yourself.”
That was the right answer twice in a row as Rarity launched into the full explanation.
Fluttershy turned back around and listened happily.
Rainbow’s laughter faded out to bland resolve, bordering on boredom, before it was able to spark violence.
Pinkie seemed to only get bits and pieces as her attention was split, though split with what was anyone’s guess.
Applejack was just happy they all survived.
Sitting through the full spiel again was a little daunting, but it was always nice to see Rarity so happy, noting her smile was just as cute in pony form.
She quickly turned to the window and adjusted her hat when a flash of memory from the stairwell in Twi’s palace brought a blush to her cheeks.
“So, we’ll find Twi, Claws, and our ponies at your Canterlot boutique?” asked Fluttershy once Rarity was finished.
“Well,” Rarity whined, “to be fair, we’re not absolutely sure. But it’s either there or the castle. We know they were all called by the head princess.” After a slight pause, Rarity squealed happily. “Either way this will be a fun trip. Either we see one of my city boutiques or we get to meet royalty! More royalty that is! Or maybe both! Perhaps the other princesses are at my shop as well.”
“Royalty?! Oh my! Is my mane okay? Should I brush my …” Fluttershy checked her mane, then a thought occurred to her and she also checked her tail and fur coat noting her fresh-from-the-dangerous-forest appearance, “everything? I’m not sure how I’d do that.”
“Not to worry,” Rarity lit her horn and a variety of horse grooming paraphernalia including brushes, combs, even hoof picks levitated out of her stylish saddlebags, “I prepared for such an occasion!”
Applejack chuckled, “Of course you did,” but checked herself over as well, taking off her hat to smooth down her mane.
Fluttershy gasped excitedly at the floating tools, then smiled happily as Rarity started pampering her all over, removing remains of forrest and smoothing her hair, tail, and coat. “I guess not wearing clothing wouldn’t make getting ready for the day much quicker after all. Not with all the fur and tail to tidy.”
Rainbow shrugged then just shook her head and hips to refresh her wind-blown look and was done with it.
As for Pinkie … the group, years ago, had learned that brushing her curls was not something to be attempted in less than ideal situations, such as while on a moving train, or without strong conditioners and specially designed power-tools, and was left alone.
During the sprucing up, the five ponies filled Rarity in on the cliff notes of what she had missed while she was indisposed.
“Has anyone thought about what to do when we get there and ponies start wondering why there’s two of all of us?” asked Rainbow once Rarity was caught up. “And won’t there be security around a bunch of royal princesses?”
Rarity stopped brushing down Fluttershy’s coat, Applejack stopped brushing off her hat. Pinkie kept on scratching at her ears, having completely stopped paying attention.
“Cosplay!” Fluttershy offered cheerfully. “We’ll just tell ponies we’re cosplaying as our heroes! Like that convention in Baltimare.”
When she realized what she had just said, Fluttershy blushed and Rarity helped Fluttershy hide behind her long, pink mane with a quick brush. Rarity herself discreetly avoided eye-contact with their other friends.
“Is that something ponies do?” asked Rainbow. “Most of us, and most everyone else we’ve met here, were naked. What, we say we dyed our fur and put fake pictures on our butt flanks?”
“Why do you keep saying ‘butt flanks’?” asked Applejack.
Rainbow gave hers a pat. “It’s funny!”
“That’s more like our hips ain’t it? Not our butts?”
“Well, maybe you had to be there.”
“Uh huh,” Applejack decided to just let that one stand. “Ah suppose in a clothing-optional shindig like this that might be how the ponies do it. If anybody asks, we’re just really good at it and we don’t break character often.”
“Of course! I’m good at everything I do,” Rainbow pointed a hoof at herself.
“Case in point.” Applejack rolled her eyes.
“Gah! That’s it!” Pinkie shouted, startling the others in the car. “I am putting my hoof down!” She then did so with a bang and continued to shout at her head, bonking herself occasionally. “Numbers Twenty through Forty-Two! Quiet down up there! I can't hear the others think!”
“Pinkie?” Fluttershy put a hoof on her friend’s withers. “Are you okay? Should we talk louder?”
“No, not you, girls,” Pinkie replied. “I think Forty-Five through Fifty-Three are trying to talk to me but Twenty through Forty-Two are so loud I can't hear them. And it sounds like some of them are bowling—" she winced, "—It feels like some of them are bowling. And now I smell pizza. Someone smell my ears! Is there pizza in my head?”
Pinkie looked to her left. “Dashie, smell my ears!"
“Do wha—?!” Rainbow leaned back and fell off her bench as Pinkie pushed the top of her head right up to Rainbow’s muzzle.
“Smell my ear pizza!”
“Ugh! Pinkie, no way!” Rainbow rolled onto her belly and haphazardly re-categorized her hooves beneath her.
“Come on, please? I need to know I’m not crazy.”
“That ship might have sailed,” Rainbow muttered as she stood back up.
“I also need to know what toppings they’re using so I can update my shopping list.”
“Yeah, out of port and full steam ahead,” Rainbow finished her previous thought.
Now upright, Rainbow turned back to Pinkie only to have a large, pink ear filling her whole vision and jumped back in surprise. “Gah!” She took to the air, rising near the ceiling and hovering away a bit.
Pinkie pronked after her. “Are they having a pizza and bowling party without us?”
“Don’t ask me!” Rainbow flew off with Pinkie giving chase up and down the narrow train hall. Pinkie was easily able to pronk up to Rainbow’s altitude but was not quick enough to counter her evasive maneuvers—poneuvers?—and never managed ear-to-nose sniffing range.
Their friends just watched on. They knew there really wasn’t much they could do but let it play out.
“Uh, Rainbow Dash?” Pinkie eventually stopped and called from the floor near her original seat, allowing Rainbow to get some distance hovering near a window. “You might want to come down.”
“I’m not smelling your ears.”
“No, that’s not it. The train’s gonna—“
“Whoa!” Rainbow shouted as the train’s path took a sharp turn and she found herself pushed through the open window.
“Rainbow!” gasped Fluttershy as Rainbow got left behind the speeding train. Pinkie waved.
“Is there any way to request a stop?” asked Rarity.
“Ah got it!” Applejack turned toward her window, having noticed the pull-cords above them. She had nearly trapped it between her teeth when a blue pegasus flew up and splat into her window from the other side, startling her onto the floor.
Rarity lit her horn and opened the window to let Rainbow tumble back in, on top of Applejack.
Pinkie couldn’t help but comment. “You caught back up to the train, Dashie! And a seven-point-five point landing too! I'd give it a thumbs-up if I had any left."
"Of course I caught up," Rainbow countered after Applejack pushed her back into a sitting position so she could get up. "It's a steam-powered train. No way it'd be faster than me. But how'd I get sucked out the window?"
"The train turned and you didn't," Pinkie explained. "Isn’t it kind’a weird how physics in this world just seem to pick and choose when they are going to kick in?”
The other girls, including Rainbow and Applejack still on the floor, stared at Pinkie thinking back over the past few years. “In this world?” they all secretly thought.
Lost in thought, Pinkie mumbled to herself, "Or I guess it should be 'it is'? Number eighty is saying physics singular, not plural." Not waiting for comment, Pinkie shrugged and walked up to Fluttershy. “Smell my ears please?”
Fluttershy scrunched up her muzzle at the concept, but, seeing that their two friends were alright and had already untangled themselves, leaned toward the top of Pinkie’s head and gave a sniff. Then a couple more.
“What do you smell?” asked Pinkie. “Cheese? Pineapple? Pepperoni? Deluxe? Meat lovers’? Triple-Decker cupcake surprise? What kind of pizza is it? There’s no Vegemite is there? I’m allergic and I don’t want that stuff in my brain; I get itchy.”
“Um. Cotton-candy and strawberry bubblegum?”
“There’s gum in my ears too?!” Pinkie shouted. “Eww!”
Pinkie shook her head and flicked her ears while Fluttershy tried to clarify, “No, I think that’s just your mane. Your shampoo maybe?” But Pinkie had already changed tactics: her forehooves were clamped over her muzzle and her cheeks were puffed out.
The girls could only stare as pressure seemed to build, her mane and cheeks expanding, until there was a POP and a small shower of confetti blew out of Pinkie’s ears.
“Wow!” Pinkie cheered. “That feels much better!” She sniffed the air. “All clear!”
The girls stared a moment longer as Pinkie returned to her seat before Applejack piped up. “Physics ain’t the only thing strange ‘round here.” She thought on that some more. “Though Ah suppose that ain’t all that new, is it?”
Three heads nodded in agreement, and the girls just avoided the spots where the confetti had fluttered to the floor.
“Well then,” Rarity eventually returned the group to task, “What’s the new plan? For when we get to the city.”
“Are we going to the castle or the boutique?” asked Fluttershy.
“If we are voting, then I of course vote for my boutique,” Rarity chippered a vote.
“Yeah, but how do we get there?” asked Rainbow. “It’s a city. It’s not like the train will bring us right to your door.”
“Ohh! Unless the train station is like a mall and your shop is inside!” Pinkie offered.
Rarity bit her lip and made no attempt to answer.
Sensing the hesitation, Applejack spoke up, “You wouldn’t happen to know where your shop is do ya?”
Rarity drooped her head with a sigh.
Fluttershy gave her a hug. “I’m sure we’ll find it.”
Applejack joined in, pointing toward the car’s doors. “There’s a rail map by the entrance, Ah saw it commin’ in. Seems the city is divided into districts. There’s a station right near the castle, and a few more elsewhere ‘round about.”
“Ha!” Rainbow perked up. “That’s perfect! We’ll just split up again, take a different station each and meet up at the castle.”
“Uh,” Applejack groaned, “We found out what happens when we split up back in pony Canterville—”
“Ponyville,” Fluttershy corrected.
“—Maybe it’s best to keep to a single group while in the city. Bigger place and all.”
“Was there a fashion district? Shopping district?” asked Rarity, heading to the map to check. “There is! My boutique’s bound to be in this area,” she said, tapping a spot on the map. “Seems modest enough for an easy search.”
“Is it near a station? Or in one?” asked Fluttershy.
“Or on one?” added Pinkie, drawing odd looks. “What? There are ponies with wings, floating houses made out of clouds, and castles made out of trees made out of crystal grown in seconds with living areas and furniture already inside. Couldn’t there be a train station with a mall on a second floor?”
The girls looked at each other sheepishly. “The map doesn’t,” Rarity cleared her throat, “specify, exactly. But there is a station in the appropriate district. It’s even the first station we’ll come to!”
“That’s all well and good,” Applejack offered, walking up to join Rarity, “but Ah say the castle would be the best bet. We know exactly where it is and there’s a station right to it instead of somewhere nearby. And Ah bet if our ponies ain’t there, the big princess already knows of Twi’s portal and we can just tell her the truth. She was Sunset’s teacher and all. She might even help us herself.”
Rarity turned to Applejack, pouting.
Applejack frowned slightly. “Ah know, Rares, ya want to see your pony’s other shops, and Ah don’t blame ya. Ah’d want the same if Ah was the creative type.”
Rarity’s eyes got larger, shimmering.
Applejack flinched back. “N-now don’t give me that. Going to the castle ought to be the best, quickest way to get’er done.”
Rarity let her bottom lip quiver just a little bit.
Applejack held her ground.
But didn’t last long. “Alright, alright. We’ll make two teams.”
“Splendid, darling!” Rarity cheered, instantly recovering and pulling Applejack into a snuggle. “So which of you are coming with me and who’s going to the castle?” she called to their friends, missing Applejack’s blush.
“I’m with AJ,” piped Rainbow. “I’d rather take the direct route.”
“I’ll go with you, Rarity,” offered Fluttershy. “I’d like to see some pony dresses if it doesn't take long.”
All eyes turned to Pinkie to see her mumbling to herself again.
“So,” Pinkie seemed to ask the air, “usually it’s just an indeterminable number of hours and other times it’s overnight, but only when there’s cake and a mystery plot? What kind of train service is that?”
“Yoo-hoo,” Rarity called cheerfully. “Pinkie, dear. Which team would you like to accompany?”
“Huh, what?” Pinkie turned back to her friends. “Teams?”
“Yes, we’ve decided that one team will go directly to the castle and the other will search for our ponies at my boutique. They’re bound to be at one of the two locations. Each team will get off at a different train station.”
“Oh, but why both? Doesn’t the castle make more sense? That's where Sunny’s old teacher lives and she’d know who we are, right?”
Applejack nodded in agreement. "See? Even Pinkie—" she was cut off when Rarity’s flank gave hers a little bump.
“We’re doing both because it’s possible they are performing special royal duties at my boutique, for visiting dignitaries, perhaps in secret, I suspect.”
“Ooh!” Pinkie’s face brightened in understanding. “I guess it would be super secret if their doing there duties over they’re and not the castle! And Team Boutique wouldn’t have to worry about the royal guards putting them in the dungeon if they think Team Castle is up to something nefarious.”
Applejack and Rainbow gave each other slightly uneasy glances for a moment before Applejack smiled. “Ah'm sure they’ve seen ‘cosplayers’ before if we need to lie our way in.” She blinked, "Can't believe Ah just said that."
“Wait!” Pinkie scratched at her chin, forcing herself to not giggle at how fuzzy it was. “That didn’t feel right.
“What didn’t feel right, Pinkie?” asked Fluttershy.
“Applejack planning to lie to royal guards?” asked Rainbow.
“Only if necessary,” clarified Applejack. “We can tell the princesses and our ponies the truth, but the guards might not believe us and things could go sour before we get to them if we say or do something too weird.”
Pinkie had ignored the exchange and was counting on her forehooves. “‘Their doing’; ‘there duties’—,” out of forehooves, Pinkie rolled onto her back and continued with her hindhooves, “—‘over they’re’? What’s wrong with that?”
“That sounded right to me,” Rarity said.
“Yeah, it sounded right, but something was off.”
Applejack and Rainbow gave each other slightly less slightly uneasy glances again before Rainbow scratched the back of her head. “Why don’t you go with Rarity?” she offered with a big grin before mumbling to Applejack, “Best she goes where there won’t be guards.”
“Yeah,” agreed Applejack. “Try on some dresses while you’re there.”
“Their?” asked Pinkie. “Which one?”
“Uh …, yes?” Applejack tried.
Pinkie nodded, but kept on her back, talking to herself and counting on her hooves again. “This was easier with fingers,” she mused.
“O…kay?” Rainbow concluded and flew a few benches away, after checking out the window to make sure the train tracks were heading straight. “I’m going to take a catnap.”
"You mean a ponynap?" Fluttershy giggled.
"Do ponies take naps?" Rarity asked her.
"Well, this pony is going to take a nap,” Rainbow answered. “Wake me when we get there. I want to be rested when we meet the other me."
"Whyever for? You’re the athlete among us. Surely you can’t be tired already. Or did that stunt back in Ponyville take a toll?"
Rainbow scoffed. "Of course I’m not tired, but you think I can meet another me without some kind of awesome competition happening? I'm planning to be at the top of my game and show her who's the best Rainbow Dash in the multiverse!"
As Rainbow lay down on her chosen napping bench, Applejack and Rarity looked to each other with concern. Applejack leaned in and whispered up at Rarity’s pony ear. "You thinking what I'm thinking?"
"That, perhaps, we should have come to this world with a smaller group?" Rarity whispered back.
"Dash could be home right now using her super speed looking for Sunset."
"Fluttershy could be organizing the local birds for a massive search."
"And Pinkie …," Applejack trailed off and the two of them looked over to their pink friend.
“What?” Pinkie looked up at the roof. “Whose 'pink friend'? Who said that? Number Two, was that you? All you voices are giving me a super unfun headache.”
"Would be at a more comfortable level of 'Pinkie' back home?" Rarity suggested.
"Exactly. Ah think they might have been more effective staying there helping Twily, with just us two working on finding Twi." Applejack rolled her eyes. "Ten seconds flat my—uh," she looked down at herself, "plot?"
"Yes, less time playing with her new pony wings, and putting her face through sofas, and more time putting her already practiced skills to use. But c'est la vie. We can't change anything now and I suppose there hasn't been too much damage aside from some broken glass and scraped floors."
Only just enough time had passed after Rarity's summation for her and Applejack to notice Rainbow's deep snoring when an explosion of light and sound blared out. It was hard to tell from inside the train as it wound through a patch of forest, but the origin seemed to be from the mountain they were heading for.
Applejack, Rarity, and Fluttershy quickly looked out their nearest windows to see a rainbow streak bee-lining straight for the little town they had just left.
There was something very familiar about that trail and the rainbow ring spreading out from behind it.
After a few blinks, all three of them slowly turned to face the bench their rainbow pegasus friend had selected for a siesta and saw her still snoring away.
“Um,” began Fluttershy, “do you think they know we’re here?”