“Here you are Princess Twilight, cabin 6.” The conductor pulled open the door at the end of the last train car and gestured inside. “The kitchen and dining cars are always open for your convenience. We only ask that all riders keep the noise levels low in the sleeper and passenger cars between 11 pm and 7 am.” He explained.
“Thank you very much,” Twilight replied with a nod. The Conductor tipped his cap and walked back toward the front of the train to assist other passengers.
Sunset found their cabin to be pleasantly cozy. There was a loft bed on each wall with plenty of headroom. Below each bed was a nice cushioned bench they could sit on during the day, and in the corner of the room, near the door, was an alcove that contained a tiny sink and mirror they could wash up in.
Sunset took off her saddlebags, threw herself on the bench beneath the right loft, and happily stretched out. “Ahhhh this is comfy. I can’t wait till the train gets moving though. I haven’t been on one in so long.”
“There’s a place to store your bags under the seats,” Twilight said, gesturing to the base of the bench beneath Sunset.
Sunset peered over the edge of her seat. Sure enough, she saw a small set of drawers. She reached down, pulled one open, dropped her bags in, and closed it with a ‘snap’.
“So, give me a more detailed rundown of our journey to Canterlot,” Sunset said, looking back up at Twilight.
Twilight settled herself on her bench and gave Sunset a teasing smile. “I thought you wanted to be surprised?”
“I did,” Sunset replied simply. “Now is the time. Surprise me!”
Twilight gave an amused snort. “Ok, so for the first leg of the journey, the train leaves Ponyville at 3:35. It heads west through the White Tail Woods then turns north, heading up into the Smokey Mountains. It’ll pass through the town of Tall Tale and continue on until it reaches Vanhoover tonight at 9:50, that will be its first stop. It'll stay at the Vanhoover station for 30 minutes while it refuels, then head off again at 10:20.
“It will start the second leg of the journey by heading east through the Unicorn Mountain Range. Once through, it will turn north and run alongside Galloping Gorge. Past the gorge, it will enter the Frozen North and the Crystal Mountains.
“The Crystal Mountains are much more intense than the other ranges the train passes through. In fact, it’ll spend most of the night winding through them before arriving at the Crystal Empire at 9:00 tomorrow morning. It remains at the Crystal Empire for another 30-minute refuel before taking a direct route south to Canterlot, arriving at 2:10 in the afternoon, tomorrow.” She finished.
Sunset held up a hoof. “Hold on. It takes the train nearly 11 hours to go from Vanhoover to the Crystal Empire, but only about 5 to go from the Crystal Empire to Canterlot? How’s that work?”
Twilight smiled. “Well, the Crystal Empire is, more or less, directly North of Canterlot and, conveniently, there is a natural break in the Crystal Mountains along that route. Once it gets south of the Crystal Mountains, the train runs along flat, unobstructed, plains all the way to Canterlot. When it goes from Vanhoover to the Crystal Empire, it has to slowly work its way through the Crystal Mountains without the benefit of such a direct natural pass.”
Sunset thought for a moment, then shrugged. “Okay, that seems reasonable enough.”
The car jostled as the train whistle blew. Sunset smiled at the jolt. She had missed the feeling of being on a train. The train pulled away from the station and began heading out of town.
As the train neared the edge of Ponyville, Sunset heard some muffled shouting coming from outside. A glance at Twilight’s confused expression told Sunset that she had heard it, too. They got up to look out the window. “What is th—”
*POP!*
Before Sunset could finish her thought, there was a loud ‘POP!’ in the cabin and something heavy landed on Sunset’s back, sending her to the ground. At the same time, a thick cloth wrapped around her head, covering her world in darkness.
“Hey, what’s going on?” Sunset cried. Blinded and pinned to the floor, she began to kick out, hoping to hit whatever landed on her. Soon, she felt her hoof connect with something.
“OUCH! Sunset! That’s me!” Twilight yelled from nearby. A moment later, one of Twilight’s wings smacked Sunset in the face. Knowing roughly where Twilight was, Sunset changed her aim and sent the next kick into the other struggling form.
“OW! DO NOT KICK THE GREAT AND POWERFUL TRIXIE!” Shouted the weight on top of her.
“Well get your great and powerful…mass off of me!” Sunset shouted back.
“Trixie does NOT have mass! Now get off of Trixie’s cloak!” Sunset gave a small yelp as a horn poked her in the back, hard.
“Get off my wing, Trixie!” Twilight shouted as Sunset heard her free wing smack the other pony.
“Ow! I will! As soon as THIS pony gets off my cloak!” Sunset was poked again.
“Ah! I WILL!” Sunset shouted. “As soon as YOUR cloak stops trying to kill me!” She sent another kick into the darkness and was rewarded with a satisfying ‘oomph’. Sadly, this did nothing to improve their situation.
Their struggling increased to no avail and soon, they were hopelessly tangled together in a pile of smacking wings, kicking hooves, poking horns, and binding cloaks.
A second ‘POP!’ filled the cabin. Thankfully, nothing else landed on them. Instead, Sunset heard a voice she recognized. “Oh, hey Twilight. Hey Sunset. What are you doing here?”
“Starlight, a little help!” Twilight pleaded from somewhere in the pony pile.
“Oh, sorry!” Starlight said. The three of them were lifted into the air, and with a third ‘POP!’ they found themselves separated.
With the cloak no longer going all Doctor Strange on her face, Sunset could take in the scene. Twilight’s mane was a mess and it looked as though she had lost a few feathers in the chaos. Next to her, a sky-blue Unicorn with a pale-blue mane, wearing a purple cloak, picked a matching crumpled hat up off the ground and set about trying to smooth it out.
Yep, that certainly looks like the pony version of Trixie, Sunset thought to herself. Turning to the mirror, Sunset cringed when she saw that her mane looked even worse than Twilight’s.
“Sorry about that,” Starlight said with an apologetic grin. “Teleporting Trixie onto the train, without knowing what the inside looked like, while we were both running, wasn’t as easy as I thought it would be.”
“It’s okay, Starlight,” Sunset groaned, rubbing the sore spot on her back. Carefully, she hopped back up onto her bench, settled into a comfortable position, and shot a weary look at the blue unicorn. “Thanks for dropping in, Trixie,” she quipped.
Trixie looked up from her hat and leveled a glare at Sunset. “Apologize for saying Trixie has mass!”
Sunset’s eyes narrowed. “You do have mass. Anything made out of matter has mass! You just have more of it than most ponies!”
“I do NOT have more mass than most ponies!” Trixie yelled as she took a moment to look Sunset up and down. “And who are you anyway?”
“Oh? You haven’t met yet?" Starlight asked excitedly. "Sunset, Trixie. Trixie, Sunset!”
“ENOUGH!” Twilight shouted. She turned to Trixie and Starlight. “First things first, do you have tickets to ride?”
“Why? Are you going to throw us off the train if we don’t, Princess?” Trixie retorted, with an overly bratty tone.
“I might,” Twilight growled, getting in Trixie’s face.
Starlight laughed nervously. “Don’t worry Twilight. We have tickets.” She looked expectantly at Trixie. “Right?”
Trixie looked to Starlight then back at Twilight. Eventually, she rolled her eyes, magically pulled two tickets out of her saddlebag, and shoved them into Twilight’s face. “Here! Two tickets to Vanhoover. Satisfied?”
Twilight checked the tickets, nodded, and floated them back to Trixie. “Ok, now why didn’t you just get on at the station?”
Trixie gave an annoyed sigh. “Because I had to go save Starlight from a goat.”
For a few moments, only the rumbling of the train could be heard.
Sunset closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “What?”
Starlight —who had not denied Trixie’s claim— was the first to respond. “It’s a bit of a story.”
“Sit,” Sunset instructed, pointing to the bench opposite her. “This will drive me crazy if I don’t get an explanation.”
Twilight joined Sunset on her bench, while Trixie and Starlight took the other.
Trixie cleared her throat. “Ok, it began like this. We had split up about half an hour ago. I went to get our tickets and ensure that my wagon was properly loaded into the baggage car when the train arrived…”
“…and I went into town to grab some last-minute snacks,” Starlight finished. “Speaking of.” She levitated her bag over to herself and began pulling things out. “Candies from Bon-Bon’s, cider from Sweet Apple Acres, a few cupcakes from Sugarcube corner…”
As Starlight continued pulling snacks from the bag, Twilight glanced down at the floor and her horn began to glow. A panel slid back and a large collapsible table unfolded between the two benches, giving them someplace to put the snacks.
When she finished unpacking, Starlight invited them to help themselves and each pony took a moment to grab their favorites.
Sunset took a swig of cider. “Ok,” she said. “Now where does this goat come in?”
Starlight swallowed a cupcake. “Right, so I was at the General Store getting, among other things, the last item on the list, peanut butter crackers.”
“Ok, Miss Starlight. Your total comes to 27 bits.” The clerk informed her.
“Sure, here you are!” Starlight said, floating the coins over to him.
“Thank you very much, have a good day!” He replied, dropping the bits into the cash register as Starlight stored her purchases in her saddlebags.
Starlight turned to leave the store. “Thanks! You too!” Stepping out into the chilly winter air, she glanced up at the Ponyville clock tower and cringed. She had spent more time shopping than she thought; the train was going to be leaving soon! She started trotting towards the station at a brisk pace however, before she got far, a sudden sound from behind made her stop.
“Baaaaaaaah”
Startled, she spun around, coming face to face with a goat wearing a scarf. The goat blinked at her. She blinked back. “Uh… can I help you?” Starlight asked uncertainly.
“Baaaah,” The goat said, pointing at her.
“Me?” She asked, pointing at herself.
“Baaah” The goat responded brusquely, shaking their head.
Starlight sighed. “Ugh. I was never any good at charades. Do… you need help?”
“Baaah” The goat shook their head and pointed again. This time, Starlight realized they were pointing at her bags.
“Do you… want to know where you can get saddlebags?” She asked.
“Baaah” The goat responded once more in the negative. They pointed at the bags more forcefully. “Baaaa-aaaaaaaah”
Starlight didn’t know what to do. She couldn’t understand what the goat was saying, and each wrong guess was clearly annoying them.
In the distance, she heard the train’s whistle, warning of its impending departure. She had to go, but… she didn’t want to be rude and just run off, she felt certain that was against some friendship lesson.
Starlight’s mind went into overdrive as she felt the walls begin to close in.
What she needed was a solution that would accomplish three things: end the interaction immediately, so that Starlight could make the train; not make her rude, by running away without resolving anything; AND appease the goat, despite her having no idea what they want.
Ok, you’ve got this Starlight, she nervously thought to herself, after reviewing the situation. Just think it through. If you don’t know what the goat wants, why not just change what they want into something you know! With the slightest application of Fiducia Compelus, it should be possible to convince the goat that they want a cupcake! Then, I can just give them a cupcake and be on my way! I make the train! The goat has the cupcake they want! Everypony’s happy!
Starlight began weaving the spell then paused. Wait, the last time I used this spell, I went way too far. But… I’m not taking control of the goat. I’m just replacing their unknown desire with a known one. Sort of a…compromise to help smooth this interaction over. The goat will enjoy their cupcake, then resume their normal life.
Starlight shook her head violently. NO! Stop rationalizing this! Compromises aren’t one-sided! It might be uncomfortable but… I have to try again. And if it doesn’t work… I’ll run away.
“I’m sorry! I don’t know what you want. Can you please try walking me through it slowly, with gestures, or… pictures?” Starlight asked the goat, hopefully.
The goat rolled their eyes. Well, that’ll make me feel less bad about running away in a second. Starlight thought.
The goat pointed at Starlight, “Baaaaah”. Next, they pointed at the General Store, “Baaa-aaah”. Then, they held up a stack of coins, “Baaaah”. Finally, they pointed at her saddlebag, “Baaaaaaaah”.
“Do you… want to… buy something from me?” She asked tentatively.
“Baa-aa-aa-aah,” The goat said, while happily nodding their head up and down.
Starlight smiled. Okay, progress! Without magic! This feels good!
The train’s whistle sounded again. Starlight checked the town clock, she had less than five minutes to wrap this up!
“Okay, so what do you want to buy?” She quickly asked.
“STARLIGHT!”
Starlight and the goat jumped into the air as Trixie galloped up to them. “The train is about to leave! What are you doing!?”
“Well, I’m… trying to sell something?”
“Sell something? NOW!?” Trixie asked incredulously.
“BAAAAaaaaaAAAH!” The goat yelled at Trixie.
Trixie rounded on the goat, with a look of fury. She looked them dead in the eye and shouted, “BAAAA-AAAA-AAAH!”
The goat blinked. “Baaaa…aaaaah?” They asked uncertainly.
“Bah” Trixie spat, rolling her eyes. “Baaaaaaaaaaahh?” She then asked the goat, pointing at Starlight.
“Baaaah.” They answered.
Trixie spun around and started digging through Starlight’s saddlebag. After a moment, she pulled out a package of peanut butter crackers. “Baah?” She asked.
The goat nodded.
Trixie gave an exasperated sigh and looked at Starlight. “How much did you pay for the peanut butter crackers?”
Starlight didn’t respond, she wasn’t sure what was real anymore.
“STARLIGHT!” Trixie’s yell convinced her this was real.
“Um… five bits.” Starlight stammered.
Trixie turned wordlessly to look at the goat, who held up a small stack of coins and said, “Baa-aaaaaa-ah”.
Trixie looked back to Starlight. “Okay here’s the deal. That pack of peanut butter crackers was the last one the store had, and you bought them before he did. But he really wants them so he’s offering you six bits for them.”
Starlight blinked. “Oh, is that it?” She asked turning toward the goat. “It’s okay, you can just have them.” Starlight said, offering the goat the pack.
“BBBAAAAAAAA-AAAAAHHHH!” The goat bellowed. This time, he was obviously angry.
“What’s wrong?” Starlight cried, jumping back. “I thought you wanted these!”
Trixie sighed. “Look, there’s no way you could’ve known since you aren’t familiar with goat society, but you just insulted him.”
“WHAT? How?”
“Many goats, like this one, come from the Panus Isles. It’s a very mercantile society, everything revolves around trade. Now, he just offered to buy your peanut butter crackers from you for 20% more than what you paid for them. You could’ve accepted, rejected or negotiated and it would’ve been fine; but no, you offered to give them to him for free, after hearing his offer. Which, to him, sounded like you saying, ‘Look, I know you’re too poor to afford that. So, why don’t you just take them, peasant.’”
“WHAT? That’s not what I was saying at all!” Starlight shouted desperately.
“Oh, of course not!” Trixie huffed. “That’s a very specific insult that no creature outside the Panus Isles would even think of! In fact, most goats would brush it off, if it came from a foreigner.” Trixie narrowed her eyes at the goat. “This must be a young goat traveling with his first caravan.”
The goat continued to glare at Starlight. “So, what do I do?” Starlight asked Trixie.
“Accept his 6 bits and give him the peanut butter crackers. In that order, Starlight. I don’t want to miss our train by explaining international manners to this goat!”
Starlight took the bits from the goat and floated the packet of peanut butter crackers over to him in return. This time, he happily reached out and took them.
With a final, “Ba-ah”, he turned and walked away.
The train’s whistle echoed loudly through Ponyville, signaling its departure.
“Come on! We’ve got to go!” Trixie beckoned as she turned and galloped toward the train station.
Starlight sprinted after her. “You got our tickets, right?”
“YES! NOW COME ON! IF WE RUN, WE CAN CATCH IT BEFORE IT GETS OUT OF TOWN!”
“…and we were able to catch up to the train, on the edge of town.” Starlight explained. “I teleported Trixie inside before it pulled away and once she was safely onboard, I was able to easily catch up by flying after it.”
Twilight blinked. “Okay, there’s a lot here. First—”
“YOU CAN FLY!?” Sunset blurted out. “WITH MAGIC?”
Starlight blushed and rubbed the back of her head. “Yeah, it’s a spell I whipped up a few months ago for… reasons.”
Twilight cleared her throat, regaining everyone’s attention. “As I was saying,” —she turned to Starlight— “I am very proud of you for resisting the urge to use magic to solve that problem. I know it wasn’t easy in that situation, but you made the right call!”
Starlight happily accepted the praise. “Thanks, Twilight. Honestly, I’m kinda proud of myself too.”
“Well, you should be.” Sunset agreed, “It sounds like you were doing well there on your own. I think you would’ve gotten through, eventually. And if not, that would’ve been a nice subtle use of Fiducia Compelus.”
Starlight gave an awkward laugh. “Maybe, but there’s no way I would’ve made the train on time without Trixie.”
The other three ponies turned to look at the magician, who furrowed her brow and returned their inquisitive expressions with one of her own. “What?”
“How can you speak goat?” Sunset asked, bluntly.
Trixie narrowed her eyes. “I’m insulted that you seem so surprised by the fact that I can. I am a well-traveled magician, after all, you pick up a lot on the road. It may surprise you to learn that I also play several instruments, paint, sew, handle my own pyrotechnics, and am a decent cook.” She explained, listing off her talents. “Anyway, I want to know what your deal is.” She added, pointing at Sunset.
Sunset raised a brow. “My deal?”
Trixie nodded. “A mare appears, as if from nowhere, who is suddenly buddy-buddy with Princess Twilight and clings to her like a lost puppy? Hmmm, I think I’ve heard this story before,” Trixie mused. “Doesn’t it sound familiar, Starlight?”
“Trixie,” Twilight growled warningly.
“Oh, calm down Princess,” Trixie said, taking a bite of a cupcake. “So Sunset, what horrible act of evil did you commit?” She casually blurted out in-between bites.
“Trixie!” Twilight and Starlight yelled.
“No, no it’s fine,” Sunset said, waving it away. “I mean, she’s not wrong. I suppose the first thing you should know about me is that I was a student of Princess Celestia’s, like Twilight…”
As the train made its way through White Tail Woods, Sunset told Starlight and Trixie about her escape through the mirror, her theft of the Element of Magic, and the events surrounding the Fall Formal.
When she finished, they went to the dining car to enjoy a late lunch, while Sunset told them about the Battle of the Bands and the Sirens. Trixie was very surprised to learn that there was another her on the other side of the mirror. She got the conversation off track several times by bombarding Sunset with questions as she tried to determine which of them was the more Great and Powerful.
When Sunset’s tale finished, they headed back to the cabin. As she flopped back down on her bench, Sunset noticed that it was getting dark outside and the view through the window was no longer a forest, but tree-covered mountains. “Are we already in the Smokey Mountains?” She asked Twilight.
Twilight leaned over and glanced outside. “We sure are! Fluttershy and I solved a friendship problem not far from here. Well, it was more of a several generation-long family feud, but we solved it!”
Trixie cleared her throat dramatically, grabbing everyone’s attention. “Ok, Sunset, you shared your dark past, so sit back as I tell you the tragic tale of the Great and Powerful Trixie’s fall from grace.”
Sunset blinked. “Wait, you did something?”
Trixie nodded. “It all began when Trixie came to the town of Ponyville…” Trixie then went over the events of her first visit to Ponyville: her troubles with hecklers, Snips and Snails, the Ursa Major and the destruction of her home.
Sunset kept looking to Twilight, expecting her to correct the record, because, so far, it sounded like Trixie was a victim more than the antagonist. However, the only thing Twilight corrected was that the Ursa Major was really an Ursa Minor.
“Hold up,” Sunset exclaimed as Trixie finished. “How were you the villain in that? You were just a stage pony putting on a show. Bragging is part of the act. Sure, you may have been a bit of a blowhard, but you certainly weren’t the villain.”
Twilight nodded in agreement. “I don’t think I ever apologized to you for that, Trixie.”
Trixie turned to Twilight in surprise. “Why would you apologize? You didn’t do anything to me.”
“No, but I didn’t help you either,” Twilight confessed sadly. “It didn’t occur to me at the time, because I was too worried about being viewed as a braggart by my new friends, but you really were a victim on that first visit. I should’ve stood up for you, or at least offered to help you after your home was destroyed.”
Trixie shrugged like it was no big deal, but her attitude toward Twilight softened considerably. “Thanks, but I do blame myself a bit. You have to read your audience and adjust your act to what they like if you want to put on a good show. Admittedly, I’ve never had a show backfire that severely before.”
“So, if it wasn’t that visit, then what did you do?” Sunset asked.
Trixie returned to her story. “Well, after losing my home and everything I owned, I was in a bad place. I was humiliated and jealous of all the praise Twilight received after defeating the Ursa Minor, so she became the focus of my anger. I wanted to prove I was better than her. So, I spent a few months working on a rock farm until I had enough bits saved up to buy a soul-sucking evil amulet from a curios shop.”
“YOU’RE THE STAGE PONY WHO BOUGHT THE ALICORN AMULET!?” Sunset exclaimed.
Trixie was startled by the outburst. “How do you know about the Alicorn Amulet?”
“Twilight told me about it when she showed me her v—” Sunset winced as Twilight gave her a painful kick under the table. “her…very impressive collection of books on evil artifacts.” Sunset finished, with a pained smile.
Trixie didn’t seem to take notice and resumed her tale. “Oh. Well anyways, I bought the Alicorn Amulet and returned to Ponyville…” Trixie then told them about her brief reign as ruler of Ponyville and how she was ultimately dethroned by the tricks of Twilight and her friends.
“I do feel bad about what I did.” Trixie’s ears flopped down as she looked shamefully at the floor. “Even though the amulet influenced me after I put it on, the jealousy and anger that led me to buy it in the first place, was all me. However,” she added, lighting up with renewed determination, “it was a turning point for me. After having my ‘real’ magic defeated by the kinds of tricks I used to specialize in, I was inspired to become an even greater illusionist than I was before. Since then, I have been constantly improving my act and working to make the name ‘Trixie’ one that ponies across Equestria will shout and cheer for!” She finished with a dramatic flourish.
Sunset never thought she’d feel this way, but she was impressed… by Trixie. The Trixie she knew from school was shallow and boastful. But this one was… well she was boastful, but she was also tenacious and optimistic. Wait, Sunset thought, is the Trixie from school actually like that too, beneath her façade?
Sunset’s thoughts were interrupted by a sigh from Starlight. “Okay, my turn. I should warn you my story is a lot less sympathetic than Trixie’s. Trixie made a bad decision after falling on hard times, but I was a tiny bit… completely and utterly evil,” she said, with a nervous chuckle.
If Sunset was surprised by Trixie’s admission, she was astonished by Starlight’s. She had never encountered the Starlight in the human world, but this one had been nothing but friendly and adorably obsessed with kites ever since Sunset had met her. Though there was that one comment she made in the vault about enslaving an entire village, Sunset remembered.
“So, it all began when I was youn—"
*Ding-Dong*
All four of them jumped as a tone rung throughout the train’s PA system, followed by an announcement.
Attention passengers. The Northwest Express will be arriving at the Vanhoover Station in 10 minutes. If you are getting off at Vanhoover, please make sure you have all your bags and belongings with you before you leave the train. Items stored in the baggage car will be available for pickup inside the station. Thank you for riding with us today.
Trixie turned to Starlight excitedly. “Ooo! This is our stop!”
Twilight collapsed the table into the floor so that Starlight and Trixie could stand up and get their bags ready.
Sunset looked up at the two of them. “I got so drawn in by the goat story that I never did get to ask, why are you two going to Vanhoover?”
Starlight settled her bags into place. “Well, Trixie is actually booked to perform her magic routine this weekend at the Vanhoover Theatre.”
Twilight smiled and turned to Trixie. “Really?”
Trixie looked delighted and excitedly pranced in place. “Really! It was a bit last minute because they had a cancellation, but apparently, the manager saw my magic act on the road and loved it! So, she reached out yesterday to ask if I was available!”
Starlight nodded. “That’s actually why we’re taking the train, instead of just hoofing it there. The first performance is tomorrow.”
Trixie placed her hat on her head. “And I asked my Great and Powerful Assistant to come with me because I want this show to go especially well. It’s not often I get booked in such a large city! We even get a hotel room!” She clapped her hooves gleefully.
“Trixie, that’s fantastic news. Congratulations!” Twilight said excitedly.
Trixie paused for a moment, then a genuinely warm smile spread across her face. “Thanks, Twilight.”
“Good luck you two,” Sunset said. “Let me know how it goes.”
“We will.” Starlight responded cheerfully.
“It was nice meeting you Sunset,” Trixie said, “…well no. Meeting you was painful and involved a lot of kicking. It was nice swapping stories and getting to know you.”
Sunset tittered. “Same here, Trixie.”
The two mares departed the cabin as the train slowed to a stop inside the Vanhoover station.
Two and a half hours later, the Northwest Express had left Vanhoover, passed through the Unicorn Mountains, and was now racing north along Galloping Gorge. Sunset and Twilight passed the time with pleasant conversation. The topics jumped around quite a bit and, as they returned from their very late supper, they had just started a new one.
“What do you mean they were always late starting Spring until you came to town?” Sunset asked Twilight as she settled on her bench. “Winter Wrap-up takes like, 3 hours.”
“In Canterlot it does,” Twilight replied, draping herself across her bench with a lazy sigh, “but Ponyville was founded by Earth Ponies, so they pride themselves on doing it without magic.”
Sunset’s confused expression gave way to one of intrigue. “Really? How do they grow food rapidly after the snow is cleared without Earth Pony magic?”
“Well, passive abilities are allowed.” Twilight explained. “So, Earth Ponies can give crops a boost and Pegasi can fly and manage the weather."
Sunset brought a hoof to her face. “So… the only magic that’s not allowed is Unicorn magic?”
Twilight shook her head. “No! That’s not true. Unicorns are allowed to use basic telekinesis.”
“Oh! So, like, no spells, but they can clear snow with magic.” Sunset suggested.
Twilight hesitated. “Well…no. The snow is cleared by hoof with plows and snow shovels.”
Sunset raised an eyebrow. “It sounds like it’s not so much a ‘no-magic’ rule, as it is a ‘unicorn handicap’ rule. It sounds a bit… tribalist.”
Twilight inhaled deeply. “I am choosing to believe that is a result of ignorance, more than intent. Besides, as a unicorn from Canterlot, I really don’t think it’s my place to say anything.”
Sunset nodded in agreement. “Oh, absolutely! Even if it IS an intentional once-a-year snub? That’s nothing compared to how insufferable the elite of Canterlot can be year-round! I can count on one hoof the number of nobles I’ve never wanted to throw into the moat.”
“I hope you’ve never actually done that,” Twilight said, looking at Sunset with a mischievous grin.
A smirk crept across Sunset’s face. “Only the one time.”
“Sunset!” Twilight laughed.
As they laughed, a light outside the window caught Sunset’s attention. She got up and peered out into the darkness. Beyond the window, Sunset could see the plains give way to tall, snow-covered, mountains.
“Oh, we must be entering the Frozen North,” Twilight said, joining Sunset at the window. “The train will probably slow down as it starts winding its way through the mountains.”
Sunset didn’t see the light that brought her to the window in the first place, but she did notice that the ground was far brighter than it had been a few minutes ago. “The moon must be bright tonight,” she said, looking out across the illuminated snow.
Twilight looked thoughtful for a moment, then a smile spread across her face. “That’s not the moon, Sunset!” She said, turning around and walking over to the sink and mirror.
Sunset looked back at Twilight and raised an eyebrow. “What? Is it a space station?”
Twilight gave her a bemused look through the mirror.
“Never mind," Sunset chuckled. "So, if it isn’t the moon. Then what is making all that light out there?”
“I’ll show you,” Twilight said as she began brushing her teeth. “Wash up and get ready for bed.”
A few minutes later, Sunset and Twilight were in their lofts. “Ok, Twilight,” Sunset yawned. “What is it you wanted to show me?”
“Lie down and close your eyes,” Twilight instructed as she turned off the cabin light.
“This better not just be a trick to get me to fall asleep before bedtime,” Sunset mumbled. Nonetheless, she laid her head down on the pillow, pulled the covers up, and closed her eyes.
After a moment, she heard the sound of magic come from Twilight’s loft. “Okay, Sunset. Open your eyes.”
Sunset opened her eyes and gasped.
The entire ceiling of their cabin was gone, and Sunset’s vision was filled with a gorgeous star-filled sky, framed by the snowy peaks of the Crystal Mountains, that towered above the train. But the thing that had stolen Sunset’s breath away was neither the stars nor the mountains, it was the light source.
Hanging far above the ground and illuminating the world below, was a vast river of light that flowed across the sky. Sunset’s mouth hung silently open as her cyan eyes drank in the massive blue-green spectacle above her.
“It’s called the Aurora,” Twilight said softly as, she too, gazed up at it. “It’s a natural phenomenon of the Frozen North.”
Sunset wasn’t a fan of the short days of winter, nor the cold, but this sight was almost enough to make it worth tolerating both year-round. “Natural? I’ve studied magic most of my life and I’ve never seen anything more deserving of the word ‘magical’, and you’re telling me… it’s not?” Sunset whispered, in disbelief.
Twilight shook her head, without looking away from the sky. “Nope. The Crystal Heart interacts with it in some way, but the Aurora exists independent of it. According to the Yaks, during the thousand years, the Crystal Empire was gone, the Aurora still showed up each night. No pony makes this. This… this just happens.”
Sunset smiled at the thought. She never knew that the world could be so beautifully mysterious, all on its own. “Thank you for letting me see this, Twilight,” she said with a tired yawn.
“You’re welcome, Sunset,” Twilight yawned in return.
They didn’t say anything else. Sunset just watched the Aurora dance slowly in the sky, tracing its path with her eyes as the train rocked her to sleep.
Far from the comforting glow of the Aurora, in a dark office, the ‘click’ of a lock pierced the silence of the night. A door swung forward, and a pony quickly slipped inside and shut it behind her. She was dressed head to hoof in a black outfit and wore a pair of large green goggles on her face. She snuck over to the desk and searched it for this month’s ledger. Upon finding it, she began flipping through the ticket sales for the day. After a few minutes, she located the entry she was looking for:
Twilight Sparkle; 2 sleeper tickets on the Northwest Express; Ponyville to Canterlot.