Chapter 1: Neutral news
"So…" Twilight sighed, looking around, out of breath, trying to keep up with Fluttershy.
The Ponyville market was extremely busy today, as it was Saturday afternoon. The afternoon also meant that the sun was beaming down on the quaint town, making it feel unbearably hot. The birds chirped for the late spring that was upon Equestria, and there was not a single speck of a raincloud in sight.
"So… you said you wanted something from here, right?" Twilight asked, trotting up to Fluttershy who had stopped to grab a few carrots from one of the stands.
"Oh yes!" Fluttershy said with her sweet, soft voice. "I’m having dinner with Discord tomorrow evening, and he requested I made some soup… I was wondering if you could help me pick out some more exotic ingredients."
"Oh, for sure!" Twilight said. "I’m not the biggest cook, but I do know a lot about herbs and their qualities."
Fluttershy smiled, putting the three medium-sized carrots she had purchased into her bag.
"Thank you, Twilight… And to be fair… I really did just want to spend more time with you before you move to Canterlot."
"Hey! I’m not moving to Canterlot forever! It’ll just be a few months at max, and you can come to visit too!" Twilight said, encouraging Fluttershy it would be ok.
"I know… but I know I’ll still miss you, even if it is just a few months. Actually… What are you doing there exactly? You haven’t told us" Fluttershy asked, curious.
"Yeah…" Twilight laughed nervously. "I’m not supposed to tell you this, but… It’s for royal duties."
"Oh, that is so exciting!" Fluttershy said, clearly overjoyed. "What do you think it’ll be exactly?"
"That’s just it… I don’t know."
Suddenly, both of them heard a familiar voice.
"Hayswirls for both of us, please!"
"Aj?" Twilight said, walking up to the bar counter with Fluttershy.
The overwhelming odor of alcohol and cider came over them as they stepped closer.
"Oh, Twily, Fluttershy!" Applejack said, turning around in her seat.
Next to her was Rainbow Dash, who also turned to look at the two that had just arrived.
"Well, what’s buckin’, then?" Applejack said. "Me and Dash here were just celebrating a bit… ehehe…"
Twilight raised her eyebrows and smirked.
"What’s it about now?" She asked, implying that they had done this before.
"It’s actually something big this time!" Dash groaned, clearly upset that Twilight wasn’t taking them seriously. "Me and The Wonderbolts are going on a world tour this summer, and Aj just secured an amazing business deal!"
"Oh, you bet I did!" Aj laughed. "Once you hear the details, I’m sure you can’t even stay in your seat! Sit down!"
Both Fluttershy and Twilight sat down on the barstools next to Rainbow and Applejack, who had just received their Hayswirls.
"You want somethin’ to drink?" Applejack asked. "It’s on me!"
"Haha" Twilight giggled. "Fine, if it really is that big of a deal. What about you, Fluttershy?"
"Just… some juice, please..." She said, quivering.
"Aw, come on, Fluttytutty!" Rainbow exclaimed. "Just for us? Please?"
"Oh, I’m sorry girls… I just… I have dinner plans with Discord tomorrow, and I don’t want to be all messed up... I would otherwise, of course! I wouldn’t want to let you down…" Fluttershy explained.
"Fine by me, then." Aj said, taking a big gulp. "Oh yeah! What do you want, Twilight?"
"Just one Turnip turn for me." Twilight answered.
"Oi oi!" Aj shouted to the sweaty bartender pony, who had clearly been outside in the heat all day. "One Turnip Turn for Princess Twilight Sparkle here! Oh, and, some apple juice for Fluttershy too. And make it Apple-family branded!"
Both Rainbow and Aj laughed with each other, and Twilight turned to Fluttershy.
"Hm? What’s wrong?" Twilight asked, seeing that Fluttershy was tensing up her muscles and looked scared.
"Oh, it’s just that… I don’t really like… this place. Too… too much noise."
Twilight nodded.
"I understand. You can go sit a bit further away from the crowd if you’d like. I’ll join you once I’ve figured out what exactly is making these two so happy."
The bartender placed the apple juice in front of Fluttershy, who grabbed it and flew away to sit on top of a lone barrel a few meters away.
"So?" Twilight asked, turning to Aj and Rainbow once again. "What’s the deal?"
"Me and the wonderbolts are going on a world tour! Well… it’s not exactly a world tour, more of an… Equestria tour, but… you get the idea, right? Isn’t that so exciting?! Just imagine, me front and center, a rainbow trail behind me, swooping above all those canterlot fancypants! Ahhaha!"
"Oh wow, Rainbow Dash!" Twilight said, levitating her glass of Turnip Turn. "That’s… That’s incredible! I’m so proud of you!"
"Hey, hey!" Rainbow continued. "Will you come to watch my show when you’re in Canterlot? I’m sure I’d get… I mean, the Wonderbolts would get a bigger audience if the Princess of Friendship was there!"
"I’ll definitely try to make time.", Twilight smiled. "But, I’m afraid I can’t promise you anything, I’m not sure how much work Princess Celestia will give me… it could be a lot."
"You don’t have to stay for all of the show. Just… at least stop by?" Please? Rainbow said, making puppy-eyes.
"I said I’d try… But what about you, Applejack?" Rainbow said something about a business deal?" Twilight said, curious.
"Right you are, sugarcube! Me and the Flimflam brothers just agreed that they’d do all the paperwork for our farm, which means more time for me and Big Mac to buck for apples! This will double our sales!"
"Flim and Flam?" Twilight said. "Are you absolutely sure? If I was you I’d be scared they had some loophole in their contract… they have a pretty rowdy past with those kinds of things."
"Twi, Twi." Applejack said, encouraging Twilight that it was okay. "I made the contract. There are no loopholes, I can assure you that much. And besides, they actually seemed genuine. They really did want to help."
"They always seem genuine, though…" Twilight said. "Just… be careful, okay? Those two cannot be up to any good."
"Why are you so… distrustful?" Rainbow said. "For the princess of Friendship, you really have a lot of prejudice."
"Prejudice?!" Twilight said. "Prejudice means I have formed an opinion without basing it on actual events! And look at their
past, do you know how many events of that nature have taken place? Point is, I’m just trying to look out for you. Be careful, please…"
"Don’t you worry about non’." Applejack said, laughing. "I know what I’m doing. Hey! Where’d Fluttershy go?"
"Oh, she’s sitting there…" Twilight said, nodding her head towards Fluttershy. "She doesn’t like noisy places like this… I’ll go join her now, have a good day, you two!"
"You too, Princess Twilight!" Aj said, lifting her hat.
"Buy some tickets for our show too!" Rainbow said, waving.
Twilight landed on the ground next to Fluttershy, who smiled. She had already finished her apple juice, so Twilight levitated the cup to the bar counter.
"Feeling better?" Twilight asked.
"Yeah. Come on, we gotta find those potatoes!" Fluttershy replied, springing out from her seat and trotting towards the potato stand that she had spotted.
Twilight flew next to her, and as she reached the stand with Fluttershy, landed.
"Seven potatoes please…" Fluttershy said. "And… uhm… make sure they’re not too small."
"Alrighty." the pony on the other side of the stand said, and started packing a few potatoes in a plastic bag.
"Oh yeah! Those exotic ingredients…" Fluttershy said. "Any ideas?"
"Hmmm…" Twilight thought. "Lavender might be good. It’s smell is calming and it does taste good too. I’d say perfect for soup."
"Well…" Fluttershy said, grabbing the bag that was handed to her.
"5 bits, please." the salespony said, as Fluttershy handed him just that.
"What do you say?" Twilight asked. "Wanna get Lavender?"
"Sure." Fluttershy smiled, putting the plastic bag into her saddle bag.
"Luna?" Celestia’s voice echoed through the empty halls of the Canterlot Castle.
Luna emerged from her bedroom, having heard Celestia’s call for her.
"Were you looking for me?" Luna asked her sister.
"Oh, yes! I… I have something I need to discuss with you, come to the throne room, will you?" Celestia asked, nodding her head towards the throne room doors.
"Well of course, sister." Luna replied, following Celestia across the hallway.
The two sisters entered the sun-lit throne room. Its shiny floor made the light particles jump all over the place, and some spots were as good as blinding. The windowpanes on the sides of the room were all painted, representing some kind of important even that had happened during Equestria's past.
Both Celestia and Luna sat on their thrones, as Celestia began to explain.
Don’t you think it’s time we invite Twilight over?"
"For her studies?" Luna asked.
"Yes." Celestia replied, levitating a large parchment out of the bag next to her throne. "This is all she needs to learn, and looking at it… it might take us more than the summer to teach her what she needs to know, it might be good to get started early."
Luna levitated the parchment towards herself, reading it as she did.
"Raising the sun, lowering the moon…" She read out loud. "How to give logical orders to the royal guards… How to walk in dreams… Yeah, this does seem like a lot for her, especially since she hasn’t even touched these kinds of subjects, ever."
"I know… She also needs to pick good students for the school of gifted unicorns, let me write that down, actually." Celestia said.
Luna levitated the parchment towards her sister, who grabbed it with her own magic and began writing down what she had just said.
"Pick.. good… students for… the school…" Celestia said as she wrote.
"I’ll go tell the royal guard to start preparing for her arrival." Luna said, flying away.
"Alright." Celestia said, putting the parchment back in the saddle bag.
Luna swooped through the throne room, but landed soon to trot, as it was dangerous to fly inside. She approached one of the guards standing by the window.
"Excuse me, sir?"
"Yes, Princess Luna?" The guard said, raising his head to appear more serious.
"Do you know where platoon leader Flash Sentry might be? I have something I need to tell him."
"Mr. Sentry is outside in the courtyard, training new troops."
"Oh, okay. Thank you!" Luna said, shortly before trotting off.
"We are always at your service, Princess Luna, ma’am!"
Luna chuckled at how seriously that guard was taking his job. She was glad he wasn’t messing around, but also hoped that some of the guards would relax a little.
Luna trotted down the stairs, and opened the gate to the courtyard outside the castle. The overwhelming heat instantly hit her, and her dark fur made it even worse.
"Ugh…" She groaned, as she continued on her way, looking for Flash.
She soon decided to take a little flight to look for them, but also to cool down with the wind. Her starry, glowing mane was visible from far away, so as Flash’s platoon spotted her, they all went in formation. Luna spotted them as well, and landed next to Flash.
"Good evening, Flash!" Luna said, cheerfully. "Training new troops, it seems."
"Good evening to you, princess!" Flash said, smiling like he always did. "Pretty hot outside, don’t you think?"
"Oh yes, very. And, hello, everyone!" She said turning to the new troops that were learning how to march. "I’m Princess Luna, but you can just… call me Luna. I hope the weather’s not too hot for you all!"
The troops seemed tense, careful to not do anything wrong in front of princess Luna.
"Anyway, Flash." Luna said, turning back to the platoon leader. "Princess Twilight will probably be arriving here tomorrow, can you secure her travel and make sure her bedroom is in order?"
"I will do just that!" Flash said, encouraging Luna that he was obedient. "I will tell some of my bodyguards to accompany Princess Twilight on her arrival, and order a few maids to clean her place up, you can count on me!"
"Thank you, Flash. And everyone, have fun training!" Luna waved, trying to calm the new guards down.
Luna flew away, likely back to Celestia to report that she had ordered Flash to prepare.
Fluttershy was trotting back to her house, the sun still beaming down. Thankfully a slight breeze cooled her down, and as she stepped into her home, the scent of her pets calmed her. She laid her groceries on the table, and Angel-Bunny hopped to the bag to see what she had bought.
"These are not for you, Angel.." She tried to say as the bunny was reaching for a carrot. "Oh dear… well, maybe you can have one."
Angel hopped back to her bed with the stolen carrot. He was completely content.
Fluttershy sighed and started unpacking. She knew she would have to get cooking soon to finish before Discord arrived.
"Two carrots… five lavender… okay, I got this..." she said, nervous of how it would go.
Meanwhile at Twilight’s Castle, Spike was going through Twilight’s mail, to her request.
"Taxes… Bills… Fanmail…" he said as he sorted through.
Twilight was sitting next to him, organizing the letters he was handing her into separate piles on the floor.
"Can’t you just check them one at a time? What’s the point of sorting?" Spike asked.
"I want to get my mind focused on replying to one type of message at a time! If I do a hundred replies to fanmails, and then move onto business mail, my focus will shift only once. If I do one fanmail, then one business mail, I can’t keep track of what I’m doing!" Twilight explained.
Spike decided to not protest.
"Mail from Celestia…" He said, handing the letter to Twilight.
"Mail from Celestia?!" Twilight said, freaking out.
She opened it instantly after receiving it.
"And now you’re breaking your own rules!" Spike lashed out, confused as to why Twilight wasn’t organizing that letter as well.
Twilight didn’t reply, as she was all focused on reading that letter. Even after she looked away from it, implying she was done, she didn’t say anything.
"What? What is it?" Spike asked. "Oh for Celestia’s sake, tell me…"
"I’m… I’m gonna… leave for Canterlot… I’m gonna… become… Equestria’s new leader…!" Twilight stuttered.
Spike raised his eyebrows, and flew up to grab the letter from Twilight’s magic.
"Good evening, Twilight!" Spike read out loud. " Me and Princess Luna are pleased to invite you to stay at Canterlot castle for your studies about future royal duties. Seeing as you’ll be taking over both our jobs, it is extremely important we start coaching you a few years in advance. Your train will leave from Ponyville on the 22nd of July, at 7pm. A few of our royal guards will be traveling alongside you to assure your safety. Royal Guard’s platoon leader Flash Sentry is there to accompany you as well. Have a safe trip, we look forward to seeing you tomorrow. Singed by Celestia."
Twilight was hyperventilating, and Spike looked at her, smiling to encourage her, but he was also a bit worried.
"Calm down, Twilight… I’ll have everything sorted while you’re gone, you have absolutely nothing to worry about. And I’m sure Starlight and Sunburst don’t mind helping with your school either."
"I know, I know, but… I’ll be taking on both of their jobs??? That’s… I can’t do that, I’m just… me! I’m just me, Twilight!" Twilight started freaking out.
"Relax, Twilight." Spike said. "I’m sure that Celestia and Luna will help you get started and teach you all that you need to know. And as I said, I’ll have your things handled back here in Ponyville."
"I trust that, but… I don’t trust myself. I can’t just… start out of nowhere?"
"You have to start somewhere, you know. I’m sure it’ll be fine." Spike said.
Twilight sighed.
"Well… we’ll see what happens. I’ll go pack."
"Have fun packing!"
Twilight rolled her eyes as she walked towards her room. She took a left turn at the end of the hallway to go up the stairs, leaving Spike to organize the letters on his own.
Rarity was galloping through the almost empty streets in Ponyville. She was heading for the train station, and glanced at the clock as she passed the Town Hall. 6:57pm. She sped up, careful not to trip on her breezy dress. She reached the train station, and saw Twilight and the rest of their four friends hugging.
"Rarity!" Twilight said, letting go of Pinkie Pie.
"Oh, I am so sorry dear!" Rarity panted as Twilight approached her to give a hug. "Time goes by fast when you’re having fun, I didn’t realize your train would leave so soon."
"Speaking of trains..." Rainbow said, her speech kind of wobbly. "You think it’s that one?"
Everyone turned to look at the direction Dash was pointing in, and saw an approaching train.
"Must be…" Twilight sighed.
"Oh Twilight…" Fluttershy said, putting her hoof on Twilight’s shoulder. "Please don’t stress too much. We all know it’s going to be okay!"
Twilight smiled, and everyone came in for a group hug. The train stopped on the station, and the mane six saw five royal guards, plus platoon leader Flash Sentry emerge from one of the doors.
"Good evening, Princess. Ready to leave?" Flash asked, taking a small bow.
"Sure. And you five..." she said referring to her friends. "Make sure Starlight and Sunburst can handle the school."
"Of course, sugarcube! Have a safe trip!" Applejack said, smiling. "Everything will be all well and dandy here, even if you're gone!"
Twilight followed the guards into the train, and waved her friends the last goodbyes.
"Have fun!" Pinkie shouted. "And treat yourself during breaks!
"Stay safe!" Fluttershy said.
"And make sure to come see my tour!" Rainbow said, making Twilight giggle.
"I’ll miss you all!" She said. "Goodbye!"
The door closed behind Twilight, and soon she popped her head out of one of the windows.
"Make sure to check up on Spike too!" She said, waving as the train started moving.
"We will!" Applejack shouted.
"Don’t forget to bring your dresses to Ponyville so I can revamp them for you!" Rarity exclaimed. "Love you!"
As Twilight couldn’t see the train station anymore, she pulled her head back in, and looked at Flash, who was smiling.
"You’re really close to your friends, aren’t you?"
"Well… I am the princess of friendship, after all." Twilight said, chuckling. "Wouldn't it be weird if I wasn't close to my friends?"
"Maybe so, maybe so." Flash said, smiling. "Are you nervous about your studies? It sounds stressful- at least to me."
"Not so much the studies… I’m just worried how I’ll be able to handle two ponies’ jobs. Sounds like a lot." Twilight replied, casually gazing out of the window at the changing scenery.
"Well, I’m sure you’re up for the job… Princess Celestia did choose you after all." Flash replied to her encouranginly.
"Hmm.. Guess she did. But… what about you? Is being the Royal Guard’s leader hard? It sounds like one of those jobs that would either be really hard or really easy, you know what I'm saying?"
"It's really not that hard, actually. I have it easier than most guards."
"Really? Why?" Twilight questioned. Flash's reply seemed odd to her.
"Well, these guys basically do anything I tell them to… meaning I don’t have to do any work. Well I mean, I do have to do work, just not physical work, you get me?"
"I see…" Twilight said.
"But princess, princess." Flash began saying. "Are you tired? I can get your cabin ready if you are.."
"Definitely not yet, it’s 7 pm. But I am hungry… I could eat a whole horse, ha!"
"I’ll go fetch you a meal from the restaurant wagon. And please, ma’am… don’t resort to eating a horse, it's not healthy."
Twilight giggled as Flash got up and left for the restaurant.
"I wasn’t serious, you know…" Twilight said, rolling her eyes.
"I know, princess." Flash replied shortly before leaving for the restaurant wagon at the opposite side of the train.
Twilight looked to her right to look out of the window next to their seat. She could still see a part of Ponyville and the countryside around it, but she knew it would soon switch to a mountainous landscape.
"Oh!" Twilight said. "I forgot."
She reached into her saddle bag, and pulled out her crown, necklace and shoes with her levitation magic. She quickly swapped them on.
"Gotta make sure to wear these while in public now…" She groaned, fitting her necklace.
Twilight really didn’t like the crown, but the necklace and shoes were even worse. It made her feel like she was bragging about her status as princess, so she preferred to just dress like a normal pony would. But of course, to princess Celestia’s request, she kept them on while in public.
As the minutes went by, Twilight got curious as to what was taking Flash so long. She tried to get up, but a guard stopped her before she could exit the wagon.
"May I accompany you?" The guard asked, blocking Twilight's path.
"Oh uhm… I was just going to check on Flash. No need, ma’am." Twilight replied nervously.
"Allow me, Princess. You can rest up here."
"Oh… okay?" Twilight replied.
The guard exited the wagon to find Flash, leaving Twilight behind. Twilight sighed, and went back to sit on her chair. She really didn’t like how she was treated as some godly being, it was just her. It was just Twilight.
Soon, Flash emerged from the door connecting the wagons, accompanied by the guard that had set out to look for him.
"Here you go, princess." Flash said, laying out the fancy-looking meal in front of Twilight. "Apologies for the time taken. The ponies working at the restaurant wanted to make sure they got every bit of Princess Twilight’s meal as tasty as it could possibly be."
"Oh, wow…." Twilight said, looking at the meal before her. "Look delish. Mind saying thank you to the cook? They really didn’t have to go this far."
"Of course, princess." Flash nodded as a reply.
Just as Flash was about to leave, Twilight stopped him.
"Hey, not now! You can do it in the morning or something."
"Apologies, princess." Flash formally apologized.
"Hey, come on!" Twilight groaned as Flash sat beside her again. "Don’t talk to me like I’m royalty! I’m just your average pony, just with wings… And please, just call me Twilight from now on."
"It’d be my pleasure… Twilight." Flash replied.
Twilight smiled, and dug into her meal.
"Did you get anything for yourself?" She asked, face full of food.
"Me and the rest of the night shift guards are eating at sunset, don’t worry, prin…. Twilight." Flash said.
"Night shift? What the heck does that mean?"
"Half of us are going to stay up for the night guarding you… I’m actually supposed to be asleep, as these guys here are working the day shift… but I wanted to make sure you were doing alright before I headed off to bed."
"Guarding me? Oh, bother… And hey, head off to bed. You can’t stay up all night, can you?" Twilight questioned.
"Don’t worry, Twilight. We’ll arrive at Canterlot at exactly 5 am tomorrow, meaning I get to sleep at around 6 am. And believe me when I say this, us guards are very much used to staying up all night." Flash laughed.
Twilight still looked worried. She, however, shook it off and continued eating, simultaneously glancing out of the window, seeing the changing scenery. It still seemed Ponyville-like, which made Twilight feel more comfortable. Knowing that her friends were safe and sound in Ponyville brought calmness to her.
After Twilight was done, she decided to grab a newspaper and start reading. Somehow the word had already gotten around, as the headline was: “Princess Celestia retiring? Equestria about to have a new leader?” Twilight rolled her eyes, opened the paper up more and started reading. Flash seemed to have spotted the headline too, and asked:
"Damn… are you really ok with headlines like that?"
"It’s just people doing their job, I don’t really mind it. I would prefer something else, but… what can I do?"
"What can you do?" Flash said. "You can do almost anything, Prin… Twilight! You are a princess, after all. I’m sure the press would listen-"
"I don’t want to make them listen! Those poor people are just doing what they can to make a living, and they aren’t even hurting anyone! Just… It’s fine." Twilight lashed out.
"Sorry, Twilight…" Flash said.
Twilight sighed, and read aloud:
"The identity of this new leader for Equestria remains unknown. It is worth mentioning that Equestrians around are speculating the possibility of a new alicorn."
"Why would anyone assume that? I mean, you’re the most likely choice, and well, would you look at it, you are the choice!" Flash said.
"I don’t know, Twilight said. - People really love gossiping and speculating nowadays, that’s for sure…"
"Oh, yeah, definitely." Flash agreed with Twilight’s statement.
"Rainbow!" Rainbow suddenly heard Spitfire’s calls. She was at the Apple family orchard, seeing Applejack, who was standing right beside her at the barn.
Spitfire landed on the ground, and with her, Soarin and Fleetfoot.
"What’s up?" Rainbow asked, a concerned look on her face. "Why are you here…?"
"Just came by to say that we’re actually leaving tomorrow instead of the day after tomorrow…" Spitfire informed Rainbow. "We’re gonna have to hurry up if we want to make it to Appaloosa in time, the railroad tracks might be blocked."
"Again." Soarin groaned. "I don’t know why those farmer ponies don’t just keep ‘em in pastures."
"So, Rainbow." Spitfire continued. "Can you make it to the train tomorrow morning? I think it's really important that you do..."
"Sure. I don’t see why not." Rainbow replied, smiling encouragingly.
"Alright, cool." Spitfire said. "Thanks for being so flexible… Surprise and Blaze said they couldn’t because of family issues…"
"I feel like their family can wait." Fleetfoot added. "They’re not going to go anywhere during our show, are they?"
"True, true." Soarin said.
"We’ll see you at the train station tomorrow, Dash-" Spitfire said, and waved to Rainbow as they lifted off from the ground. "Don’t be late!"
"Am I ever?" Rainbow shouted at the trio when they were already high in the sky.
"Wow, Rainbow…" Applejack said, putting her hoof on Rainbow’s shoulder. "Remember when you were just so excited to meet them at the gala a few years ago?"
"Ha, yeah, I do. That was really the best worst day of my life!" Rainbow chuckled. "But I’m sorry I have to leave so soon, I promised I’d help for the entire evening… I have to pack and practice a bit."
"Gotcha." Applejack said, taking her hoof off of Rainbow. "Besides, this show of yours is definitely more important than one evening’s work at the orchard. Have fun, why don’t ya!"
"Of course I’ll have fun!" Rainbow said as she lifted off to fly.
"Hah, well, sure I guess. Goodbye for now!"
"You too!" Rainbow shouted as she flew off into the cloudtop house, which was flying just above Sugarcube corner.