//------------------------------// // 57. We've Got Time // Story: Azure Edge // by Leaf Blade //------------------------------// Twilight’s eyes glistened with admiration and joy as the cold iron steam train rolled into the station. So much was Twilight’s anticipation to see the train that she was nearly on the wrong side of the ‘do not pass’ line, and Pinkie Pie had to drag her back. But she couldn’t help it! This was big! Like, really big! Twilight couldn’t wait to examine the inside once she’d handed her ticket to the ticket… handler person, and she ran through the nearly empty isles of the early morning train taking in all the sights and smells of the locomotive before it took off down the tracks. “Wow, you sure are excited,” Pinkie chirped as Twilight smushed her face against the window. “You a big fan of trains, Twilight?” “Oh absolutely!” Twilight gushed, clasping her hands together and beaming at Pinkie. “I haven’t ridden one since I was a kid, but I’ve always dreamed about being on one again! And this is my first train ride as an adult! I’m so excited!” “That’s awesome!” Pinkie squealed, bouncing into the air. “I know!” Twilight shouted in return, grabbing Pinkie out of the air and spinning her around in a tight hug. With Twilight’s rushed examination of the aisles meeting her standards, she ran frantically to one of the private cabins, a spark of magic from her horn activating the built-in identification spell that would allow only herself and Pinkie, or the train staff, into the cabin for the duration of their trip. Twilight ran to the window, then sat on both benches, then sprawled on the floor and hummed, Pinkie giggling at Twilight’s admittedly immature actions all the while. Twilight finally finished her trainthusiastic trainventure by curling up on one of the benches and purring like a kitten. “Getting comfy, Twi?” Pinkie smirked. “Oh yes,” Twilight hummed, “this is heavenly. I love trains.” “Well don’t get too comfy!” Pinkie’s words caused Twilight to jolt her head up in curiosity. “You haven’t seen my favorite part yet!” “Oh! What’s that?” Twilight beamed ear to ear, eager to see even more of the train for herself, and especially the parts of it that her friend enjoyed. Pinkie motioned for Twilight to follow her out of the cabin and Twilight did so without hesitation, following Pinkie through the aisles to one of the other cars, where she was instantly assaulted by a wave of smells and sounds, the sweet aroma of confections and freshly prepared meals coursing through her as the loud clatter of dozens of chattering ponies were drowned out into mere background noise. “The food car!” Pinkie cheered, and Twilight barely heard her past the sound of her own rumbling stomach. Twilight was overwhelmed by the crowd of people populating the food car, musing to herself that the rest of the train only seemed to be nearly empty because everyone aboard had already been gathered here. She didn’t even know where to start to sate her rapidly growing hunger, and the swell of anxiety mixing with said hunger was only making things worse. Twilight was certain she would have just laid down on the floor and starved right to death if Pinkie Pie hadn’t been there. Pinkie guided Twilight through the car, helping her pick out plates and silverware and such, and plopping all sorts of delicious and inviting treats and sweets onto her plate that she probably wouldn’t have even considered without Pinkie’s help. Twilight probably would’ve settled for six hayburgers and a plate of mac and cheese… which she still got regardless, in addition to all of Pinkie’s suggestions. “You feeling okay?” Pinkie asked as the two sat in a table nestled into the corner of the car, Twilight feeling shielded and safe from the rambunctious energy of the crowd as she prepared to enjoy her meal. “I am now,” Twilight nodded with a soft smile, “thank you very much, Pinkie Pie. Don’t know what I’d do without you!” “That’s really sweet of you to say,” Pinkie blushed and batted her hand at Twilight, but Twilight had the sneaking suspicion that Pinkie was just being polite. “I mean it, Pinkie,” Twilight insisted. “I’m really glad you came back to my library and, I hope this isn’t too forward, but I’m really grateful for the friendship that we’re building together. Is that okay?” “Twilight…” Pinkie’s eyes widened and they looked to be glistening with unshed tears, but then she erupted into giggles and threw a fistful of spaghetti right at Twilight’s face. “Of course it’s okay! You don’t have to ask permission to say something sweet like that!” “I can never tell if I’m being sweet or— or weird,” Twilight admitted sheepishly, twiddling her indexes together. “Big mood!” Pinkie laughed, and Twilight giggled alongside her because it felt nice to be with someone who she could relax around. Twilight found herself thinking about Rarity, and while she didn’t necessarily wish that Rarity was there right now—though she certainly wouldn’t have minded—she did wish that Rarity was waiting for them at the end of their train ride. Oh well, she would see Rarity again once they returned to Canterlot, and Twilight would have a great story about her adventures with Pinkie to share with Rarity. “I’m glad,” Pinkie said uncharacteristically somberly all of a sudden, “I’m glad that you wanna be my friend, Twilight.” “Why’s that?” Twilight asked in confusion, wiping her messy lips with her shirt. “Who wouldn’t want to be your friend?” “I dunno,” Pinkie chuckled, but there was no joy or humor in it. “I just don’t have a lot of friends. Pretty much just Applejack and Rarity, actually. And my family, but that’s… complicated.” “I know how that can be,” Twilight grumbled. She cleared her throat and said proudly, “Well, you can consider Spike and me to be your friends, and I’m sure you and Rainbow will get along great too!” “Yeah,” Pinkie said wistfully, but then she shook her head furiously and banged her little fists on the table, the clattering of plates ringing in Twilight’s ears. “Yeah! You’re right, Twilight! I may not have a lot of friends, but I do have some really great ones!” “That’s the spirit!” Twilight beamed, stretching out her hand to Pinkie and instinctively curling all her fingers except for the littlest one. Pinkie giggled and wrapped her own little finger around Twilight’s, and the two smiled at each other for one blissful moment where they could just forget everything else but them and their joy at finding each other. “So,” Twilight said as she resumed eating, “how’d you meet Applejack and Rarity anyway?” “It’s, uh, kinda a long story,” Pinkie muttered. “We’ve got time,” Twilight only noticed the anxiousness in Pinkie’s voice after she had already spoken, and she wondered if perhaps she shouldn’t have kept her mouth shut instead. “Uh, I mean, I guess, if you really wanna hear it.” “Um,” Twilight gulped and felt a shiver go up her neck, and yet her curiosity still managed to get the best of her. “If you’re comfortable with sharing, I’d really like to hear it.” “When I was a kid,” Pinkie regaled, Twilight leaning into the table and sitting on the edge of her seat, “I lived with my Granny Pie. She took me in from my parents, cuz I didn’t really get along with them too well, they were always so serious and stuffy, and I’m always so… not that. “Anyway,” Pinkie cleared her throat, “when I was in like my early teens, the little fishing hamlet we lived in got attacked by a dragon.” Twilight’s blood ran cold. This was not a story that was going to end well for anyone. “She—it,” Pinkie continued, “it pretended to be a pony, and it got friendly with a lot of people in the village. I barely knew it, but my Granny was friendly enough with it. Anyway, long story short, it didn’t stay friendly for long.” Twilight leaned back, a choking storm of rage and anxiety keeping her dead silent. Twilight was born and raised in the country of Zebrica, where dragons and zebra lived hand and hand and helped each other to live happy, mutually beneficial lives and learn the magic of friendship and such. She knew that’s not how it worked in Equestria. Ponies and dragons did not see eye to eye, and she knew that a confrontation between a dragon and Equestrian pony could only end with one party dead. It was one of many things that made Twilight constantly wonder why she left home in the first place. “So,” Pinkie loudly and abrasively cleared her throat, slapping her hands on the table, “that’s the story of how I became the only survivor of my village!” “Uh,” Twilight said nervously, not sure if she wanted to press the matter any further but she didn’t actually get the answers she was seeking, “where do Applejack and Rarity come in?” “Oh, right,” Pinkie conked herself on the head. “They were the ones who killed the dragon. And I wasn’t the only survivor, there were maybe a dozen and a half who survived the initial attack, but if anypony else lasted the night, I never heard about it. “Point is, Applejack and Rarity found me in the wreckage and nursed me back to health, and Applejack retired from being a Slayer shortly after that, so she decided to help take care of me.” Applejack had been a Slayer? That was news to Twilight. She didn’t know too much about the Celestial Slayers, but she did know that early retirement was virtually nonexistent. How odd. Twilight didn’t know what to say. She knew about the bad blood Equestrian ponies had with dragons, but she didn’t want to believe any of her newfound friends held that same hatred. Even though she had seen the dragon fang necklace that Rarity wore, she very intentionally had never asked Rarity about it. It was a lot to take in for someone who owed her life to dragons and who cherished their friendship and culture. “That’s—” Twilight struggled to say something to help break the tension in the air. “That’s a downer.” “Yup,” Pinkie chuckled bitterly, which Twilight figured was as good a sign as any she could realistically hope for, “sure is.”