//------------------------------// // Chapter 60: Train Trip to Ponyville // Story: A New Point of View // by Cyber V //------------------------------// “Are you ready yet Fe?” I called out towards upstairs, “because if we want to catch the train on time, we have to go right now,” I quickly explained as I felt my saddlebags’ strap bury itself deeper into my back. “Hold on to your horseshoes, I'm coming,” Fe called back as she appeared at the top of the stairs with her own saddlebags strapped onto her back, “besides we still have a few minutes to spare, so there’s no need to hurry,” she pointed out as she walked up to me. “I just want to get us to the train station early so you won’t make any necessary contact with anypony else,” I explained for my rushed manner, “and also I want to meet up with the rest of my friends, because I haven’t seen them for a while.” “Ah, you’re sweet when you care about others,” Fe winked at me as she walked past me and out of the front door. As I was about to follow her outside, somepony called out above, “Wait a minute Aceiro,” I stopped and looked behind and saw the large form of Printing standing at the top of the stairs, “I have something to tell you,” he explained as he walked down the stairs and towards me, towering over me, making me feel even more smaller. "What do you want to tell me?" I nervously asked him. "I want to remind you what would happen to you if Fe gets hurt in some way," he said with a stink eye, reminding me the threat he made at dinner. I nervously nodded and his expression instantly changed, "good have a nice trip now," and then he walked away from me and down the hallway that leads to the kitchen and dining room. Seriously, he scares me, I thought and then I hear Fe call out from outside, "are you coming Aceiro?" she asked me from outside, "Because we are going to miss our train." "Oh yeah, the train," I quickly put out of mind the… tip that Printing gave me and rushed outside and saw Fe comfortably sitting in the taxi carriage, waiting for me. I walked to the carriage, got inside and sat next to my marefriend. The driver looked back towards us, "so where to?" "The train station please," Fe answered him and the driver nodded and we were then off. Fe turns towards me and asked me just we left the fancy neighborhood, "so what happened back there at the house?" "Oh, your dad was just giving me a last minute advice before we left," I responded. "And what was this advice?" she inquired. "To make sure that nothing happens to you while we are on this trip," I responded and was rewarded with a hug from Fe. "Ah that is sweet, but I am sure that nothing bad will happen in a small town." "I don't know, Fate seems to like to stir things up in that town once in awhile," I pointed out that information about the town as we entered the city. "Well if something does happen in Ponyville, I know who is going to watch over me," she hinted as she snuggled in closer to me. I took the hint and wrapped a wing around her shoulders, and we then just sat there and watch the surrounds as we moved through the city, and towards the train station. We soon arrived at the station and we stepped off the carriage and paid the driver, which he accepted and walked away; possibly looking for new customers. We made our way to the entrance of the station and entered through it, and when we stepped inside and saw that there were a few ponies walking about here and there, relieving the stress that I was holding of having to navigate through a bustling crowd with Fe besides me. I spotted the ticket counter with only a few ponies here and there as well, buying tickets from the teller ponies behind the glass. Fe and I made our way an open ticket booth and we saw a very bored looking unicorn mare sitting behind the glass, with her head resting in her hooves. "Slow day?" I asked her as we came up to the counter and saw a nameplate saying Ticket. "You have no idea," Ticket responded back and then with a yawn as well, "Well anyway, what can I do for you two?" she asked us getting down to business. "Two tickets to Ponyville please," Fe answered her. "That will be six bits," Ticket said as she reached underneath the counter and pulls out two slips of paper. I reached into my saddlebag and started rummage through it until I felt the coin sack where my bits are stored in, I pulled out the bag and took out the right amount and gave it to the teller, where she then gave the tickets to me, which I then gave to Fe, "your train leaves in about…" she looks behind her where a clock is hanging on the wall behind her, "… five minutes so I suggest that you should get going," the teller said as if she is repeating this by memory. "Thank you," Fe thanked her as she started to pull me towards the exit that is located on the other side of the building. We rushed down the almost empty lobby of the station, passing an occasionally pony who was in the same rush as we are. Fe and I exited the building and saw the train in front of us, already steaming and prepared to leave, we made our way up the stairs that were on our right and onto the platform just as we heard the conductor call out, "the train to Ponyville is about to leave, all aboard!" We quickly got inside the passenger train car and made our way down the alley until we found an empty seat for the both of us. I let Fe get into the seat first so she can get the window view and that I can also protect her from accidental contact being made from other ponies. Just as we settled into our seats, the train gave a quick jerk and then we felt it starting to move forward. A few minutes later, the city of Canterlot is behind us and growing smaller, with the conductor coming down the alley repetitively saying, "Ticket please, please show your tickets." We showed him our tickets as he went by us and he then entered into the next car, and then hearing him asking for tickets. "I am so excited," Fe all thrilled about something, "I have never been outside of the city since I moved into the city," she explained as she looked outside of the window and at the scenery passing by. "Then it is going to be a treat," I said to her as I watch the scenery pass by with Fe, until we entered a tunnel and everything became a shade darker. … "Aceiro…" … "Aceiro wake up," and then I felt something hit me in the shoulder. Huh? What? I quickly opened my eyes and saw that it looked later than before, I must have fallen asleep, I concluded as I let out a yawn. "Jeez, you sure can sleep," Fe observed, "I tried to wake you up until I was resorted to hit you." When I heard that she hit me, I felt my shoulder started to throb, "ow, that smarts," I said as I rubbed the area she hit me in and looked towards Fe, "well anyway, are we almost to Ponyville?" I asked as I tried to look outside, but just got a view of a mountainside. "Yes we are," Fe answered, "but there is something going on at Ponyville through." "What is it?" but just as I finished the question, the sight of the mountainside disappeared and Ponyville came into view. At first I didn't anything different with the town, but then I noticed that in the field outside of Ponyville is large amount of tents with what looks like birds flying about here and there above them. "What's going on down there?" Fe asked as she pressed her face against the window, but then the train entered a tunnel, so now we have a view of brickwork rushing by the window, and causing Fe sat back down looking a bit disappointed, "well is a carnival going right now?" Fe asked me. "I don't think it is," I assumed, "it looked more like a campsite than a carnival." The sight of brickwork disappeared as we exited the tunnel and saw Ponyville in the distance and getting closer to it. After a few minutes, the train finally pulled up into the train station at Ponyville and as we were getting up, the conductor walked into our car and announces, "We have arrived at Ponyville, so if there are any ponies that are suppose to get off, please step lightly and depart from the train, thank you." After Fe and I made sure that out saddlebags are still secured, we got off of the train and onto the platform. We looked around and saw that we were the only ones that had gotten off, "So what now?" Fe asked me as the train started up and left the station. "We can either go visit Star and Arcana, or we can go and see what is up with those tents set up outside of Ponyville," I listed our options for us to do. "I would like to go and see the tents, but that can wait after all it doesn't look like they are leaving anytime soon, so let's go and see your friends," Fe answered, but then her stomach started to rumble and soon after mine, "after we go and find something to eat." "Well I know a place that serves some good milkshakes, we can go there," I suggested as I remember the store that Lyra took me to, "then we can go and see what's happening here in Ponyville." "I am good with that," Fe agrees. "Alrighty then, follow me," I said to her as I stepped off of the platform with Fe following me soon after. We made our way through Ponyville enjoying the nostalgic site of Ponyville and Fe looking around in amazement, but as soon as we stepped into the market area and when we saw what was in there, we stopped in our tracks, for there mingling here and there at various food and souvenir stands are deer, lots of deer and were wearing nomadic clothing. "Well that explains what going on," I said as I put the tents and deer together. "What's going on?" Fe asked me as she continues looking at the deer walking about and bowing to their fellow species and ponies, who in return, bow back to them. "It appears that a nomadic tribe of deer have settled outside of town," I explained, "I have never seen deer before, so I would like to meet them." "Me too," Fe concurred, but then our stomachs let out another rumble to remind us that we were going to get something to eat first. We laughed and then made our way through the market area, taking care in making sure that Fe isn't going to make contact with ponies and deer alike. After a few "excuse me" and "sorry" we finally made it to the milkshake shop. Fe and I got comfortable at one of the tables outside of the store like I did when I met with Lyra, wow that was such a long time ago, I recounted my first time here. A few seconds later, a waiter stepped out of the restaurant and came right up to us, "is there anything you would like today?" she asked us. "I would like a strawberry shake please," Fe replied. "I would also like a strawberry shake as well." The waiter wrote down our orders and walked back inside, "so how many times have you been here?" Fe asked me. "Just once, but I can't say that my first time went great." "Why?" "Well it was after the attack in Canterlot and the reporters were doing a hunting competition for the Unsung Heroes, and they bugged me like crazy until I was forced to threaten them," I told her what happened. "Wait a second," Fe realized something, "you're the reason why my dad was acting different when he came home that day?" she asked me, making me wince in the inside, crap she knows about the threat I made, I nodded and braced myself for a tongue-lashing, but instead I got laughter, "my dad was mighty impressed that he was stood up to, so I guess that helped you getting on his good side." I let out a sigh of relief and at that moment our milkshakes arrived. After I paid for the shakes and gave the waitress a tip as well, Fe and I sat there and enjoying our shakes and each other's company. We soon finished our milkshakes and made our way to the residential area. I looked around for Star and Arcana's house trying to find the address that I get letters from them occasionally. I finally found the street where they lived on and we made our way down the street, looking for their house. We found it and made our way to the front door and as I was about to knock on the door, the sounds of banging pots and pans was heard from the inside followed by cries of frustration. The sounds of fluttering wings drew our attention to the open window and there I saw confused me, for there, perched on the window still, was a bird, but it was colorful and it looked like a mixture of a toucan and a parrot and it also has a green band on its beak. "What kind of bird is that?" Fe whispery asked as observed the bird. "I don't know, I was going to ask you as well," I replied back in the same tone. The bird must have heard us, for I turned and stared at us, and we back at it. However the staring contest was broken as the sounds of a struggle formed inside the house and Star crying out, "you damn birds," and all of a sudden a swarm of birds of the same strange species of bird as the one on the window still flew out of the open window in a colorful blur. A few seconds later after we saw the swarm of birds flew out of the window, we heard rushed hoof steps and then Star lean out of the window soaking wet and yelling at the mysterious birds, "you damn birds, what do you want? You already got back at me." He stood there for a few more second until he then must have realized that he wasn't alone, for he then turn towards us and looked at us with a blank look until it finally registered in his mind, "oh pony feathers, sorry you two have to see that." "What was all that about?" I asked him, "and what were those birds?" "Hold that thought," Star said, "I feel like Mr. Timn here," and with that he drew back into the house. "But Mr. Timn is supposed to be on the outside, not inside," I corrected him as I heard hoof steps move away from the window and then heard Star call out, probably to Arcana. "Who's Mr. Timn?" Fe asked me confused. "A comedian that pops in through windows," I answered her, and then the sounds of hoof steps coming towards to the door was heard The door opened and there stood Star and Arcana, with Star looking a bit drier than before, "hello Aceiro, Fe, it's good to see you again," Arcana greeted us, "what brings you two to this interesting little town." "Oh just taking some vacation time," Fe answered, oblivious about the way Arcana described Ponyville, "that and I also wanted to see and visit this town." "Well come in and tell us what happened to you so far," Star said as he and Arcana moved away from the door, allowing us to enter and showing me a view of Star's damaged tail. "Okay," I agreed as Fe and I walked inside, "but, tell me first, what happened to your tail?" I asked, which Star then answers back with a frustrated groan, as Fe and I stepped inside and close the door. A/N Sorry about the long wait everyone, but life has been getting the jump on me a lot lately, causing me to only write a few hundred words at a time. Also today is Shadow Breeze's birthday. So let me say this, happy birthday Shadow. Now remember to post your comments, reviews, and questions in the comments and I will answer them and also go and check out Shadow Breeze's story, Living Between two Worlds. End A/N