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// Growing Into the Night 
// Story: Radiant Night 
// by Not 
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Radiant had grown very close to her uncle in the 4 years since she'd met him. It was actually he that had talked her into what she was about to do. They stood there on the front porch with her bags packed and ready. "You're really sure that this is the best thing to do?"

"Radiant," He smiled at her with the same smile he'd always had. "of course I'm not sure. The only one that can know what's best for you is YOU. Though if you want to learn more of the drinking trade you'll have to travel, or become an apprentice to some other brew-master. All I know how to make is lager, and I can't mix drinks to save my life." Jay laughed a bit remembering the last time he'd tried to invent a mixed drink. "Besides, you might actually make a friend or two if you spend some time away."

Her doubts faded quickly as he spoke. How did he always know the exact words to make her feel better? He was certainly right about that last bit though. Not many mares really want to be friends with a mare who lives in a brothel, no matter how reputable an establishment it really was, and only ONE type of colt wanted to. She hugged her uncle. "I'll miss you uncle Jay."

"And I'll miss you. Now go or you'll miss your train, and we'll have to put off missing each other for another two days!" He laughed.

Radiant looked at the clock. "Oh, crap! You're right." she threw both bags onto her back and began trotting away. "I'll write every week!"

"I'll read every week!"

She chuckled as she continued on her way to the train station. If there was one thing she wouldn't miss it was THAT. He made way to many awful jokes. He was great at his job, and he made some of the best beer she'd ever tasted, but Jay was most certainly not a comedian.

She soon arrived at the station. She purchased her ticked, payed her bits and was on her way to Scoltland. The plan was Scoltland, then through the land of Ire, and then end her trip in Prance before taking the boat back home. She still had a rather lengthy boat ride after the train took her to the coast, but it would be just days before she could visit the drinking capitals of the world!

Radiant stepped aboard the train with a smile upon her face. There were already many other passengers from the previous stops aboard, so it would be impossible to find an empty car, and being alone with just one other passenger can get awkward... Would it be better to sit with a family, older ponies, or ponies around her own age? How could she decide?
Or did she even have to decide? Chance seemed like the best option. Why decide when you didn't have to? ...The first two cars are why.

She knocked on the door and poked her head in. As soon as she did she was greeted by- "Can't we have a moments peace?!? We're in the middle of something here!!!" an arguing couple. The second car wasn't so violent, and they let her sit, but... sitting next to a couple making out and across from two more couples that are doing the same isn't exactly a good time. She'd try one more car before giving up.

She knocked on the door before poking her head in. There were two mares that were about her age, and a colt that was several years younger. "Excuse me, but can I sit with you? I don't think they'd want me riding in the dining car all the way to the coast."

"Well you're legs are going go get tired out there!" Radiant was amazed. The car had two mares, about her age, and a colt that seemed a few years younger. The amazing part was that they were normal, willing to talk to her, and headed almost as far as she was. SCORE!

Radiant walked in and sat down. "Thank you. I'm Radiant." She smiled at each one of them in turn.

The first mare was sitting next to Radiant. "I'm Rose." She stated with a smile.

"I'm Daisy." She was sitting opposite Rose with the colt's head on her lap.

The colt was laying there with his eyes closed. "I'm hungry, can we go eat?" he turned to face Radiant. "The name's Clover."

Daisy turned her head to look at Clover. "We ate an hour ago. How can you still be hungry?"

"How can you not be hungry? We only had a salad! There weren't even croutons!"

Daisy effectively applied her hoof to her face. "Your salad alone had two heads of lettuce, four tomatoes, six full carrots, and half a bottle of dressing. That is not just a salad" She turned her head to Radiant. "I'm sorry for my little brother."

"Be sorry for my stomach!"

She pushed his head off of her lap and moved to a more natural sitting position. "Sit up or find a new pillow."

Radiant just had to ask it. "Why were you sitting like that?"

Daisy shrugged. "I saw a mare in Ponyville sitting like that and I thought it looked cool." She then had to ask her own question about something strange. "Why're you wearing that dress? Going on a hot date later?"

Radiant felt a little playful. "Why? Are you looking for one?" She smirked. "I always wear something." She slid the top of the dress down enough to expose her right wing, and extended it to it's full length, which was half of what it should have been. "It's not something that you really advertise, you know?"

Rose was surprised and embarassed. "Oh I am so sorry!" She managed.

"Don't be. It was a good question, and It doesn't bother me any more. At least I can still walk on clouds." She slid the dress back over her wing.

For the next few hours they talked openly about where they were going and what they were doing. Daisy, Rose, and Clover were visiting relatives in the first big city any of them had been to, and they were all looking forward to it. Daisy and Rose had several shopping areas, and two botanical gardens that they wanted to visit, and Clover had a few areas where he wanted to test his luck. Unlike most of his family Clover didn't get his cutie mark from gardening. He got his from the friendly poker games that they played every Saturday night. Well... they were friendly until he won every single one of them for 6 weeks straight. The conversation was about those three for a while, but then Clover expertly shifted it back to Radiant while simultaneously dodging the hoof his sister aimed for his head.

"So... what's a fine mare like you doing going to the coast all alone?" That's when he dodged the hoof. Then he puffed out his chest as much as he could. "Do you need any protection?"

Radiant laughed. "Well tough colt, unless you want to protect me for the next four years, I think I'll do without. Besides, when I get off the train I'm only spending one night in a hotel before I'm getting on a ship headed to Scoltland."

That's when Rose chided in. "There are so many great wildflowers there! I just want to run through a big field of them." After a moment she returned from her fantasy. "So, you'll be spending four years in Scoltland?"

"Actually," Radiant informed, "I'll be spending a little over a year in Scoltland before heading to the land of Ire, and after a little over a year there I'll be heading to Prance."

Daisy looked slightly jealous. "Aw, you get to travel around for 4 years? Are you staying with relatives?"

Radiant smiled as she knew she was about to blow their minds. "I probably won't see anypony that I know at all for the next few years, actually."

Clover being more clever than his sisters gave him credit spoke up at this time. "Wait. You're going to be learning how to make alcohol, right?" His sisters looked at him oddly, and Radiant was pleasantly surprised. "What? She's visiting the three alcohol capitals, and staying alone in an area where she doesn't know anypony. In addition," he turned to Radiant. "though I mean no insult, you don't really look like the kind of pony that has enough bits to rent a hotel room for 4 years, or the kind that is that into camping, so you'd probably be apprenticing under somepony while you stay.” The three mares fall silent, Rose and Daisy looked at each other, amazed. It was about at this point that a smile spread across Clover's face. "Also I saw your cutie mark. A frothy mug usually doesn't mean soda." He fall back laughing to scornful looks from his sisters, but when Radiant started laughing too even they giggled a little. They all joked and talked for a while longer.

They would have continued talking if they hadn't realized that it was now rather late, and the dining car would stop making proper meals in under an hour. Rose and Daisy left first to get a table. Clover, of course, was the last to get up. Radiant stood in the doorway, turned to him and smiled. "About the alcohol joke from earlier?"

"Yeah?" Clover wondered.

"I'm glad somepony was checking out my flank." With that she trotted down toward the dining car.

Clover simply stood there slack-jawed for a stunned second, then picked up the pace and followed her. "Hey wait up!"

He was cute, if not much else, but still a bit young for Radiant's taste.

They soon caught up to Rose and Lilly and sat down for some food. They hadn't been lying earlier about how much that colt could eat! She thought she was eating a lot when she ordered the sandwich platter with three sandwiches on it. A standard daisy sandwich, a spicy cinnamon and rhubarb sandwich (which was a bit odd, but still good), and some sandwich she couldn't identify. They were all standard sized sandwiches.

Somehow Clover managed to finish a large salad, a bowl and a cup of soup, 2lbs of spicy stir fry, half of each of his sisters' plates that they couldn't finish, and a third of a cake for dessert. The three mares stared in awe as he finished the last bite of chocolatey goodness. Radiant was the first to speak up.

“How... how is it even possible to eat that much in one sitting?”

Clover smiled. “Practice.” He would not elaborate.

She shook her head. “No seriously. I thought I was a big eater, but that doesn't seem ponily possible to actually fit inside your body.”

His smile remained. “Practice.” He still would not elaborate.

She gave up on asking him and turned to Lilly and Rose. “Can either of you shed some light on this?”

They both shrugged. “Practice.” they said simultaneously.

Radiant decided to leave it at that for now.

They all paid for themselves, and went back to their car. They sat down in the same spots as before. Clover was lying down... just like before. Radiant then realized one inherent issue with their current situation. She would be on the train for not just hours, but DAYS, and she hadn't seen any beds aboard the train yet. Granted she had only gone through about a third of the train, but that was beside the point.

She decided to ask about it. “So, where do we sleep? I'm fine sleeping sitting up, but I usually prefer to lie down.”

Rose was the one to respond. “Well, there are sleeper cars, but they're really expensive. You can spend the night here with us if you want.”

Clover made some comment under his breath followed quickly by his nearest sister slamming her hoof into his shoulder. Radiant strained to hear what he said next, but it sounded like “Worth it.”

Radiant offered to sleep on the floor, and let Rose take the bench for herself, but Clover being the chivalrous colt that he was wouldn't have it! So his sisters agreed to share one bench and allow Radiant the other. Then they pushed Clover onto the floor, and were lying down taking up the bench before he could get back up. Radiant winked at the girls as she put on a sexy face and offered to share her bench with Clover.

Daisy and Rose looked at each other and giggled as Clover blushed and turned away. Radiant sighed, smiling. “Well at least sit here until we do decide to go to sleep.”

They all joked and talked for a few more hours. A few of the jokes were admittedly at Clover's expense. Some time after the sun went down they all settled in to sleep. Clover rolled lazily onto the floor, and the mares lay on their respective benches. Maybe if she got him to work up the courage, Clover would have a bench to share the next night.