//------------------------------// // Chapter 32 // Story: Welcome to the jungle // by Hiver //------------------------------// Snow whirled around the train as it pulled into the station in the middle of a snowstorm. I glowered at the snow for the audacity of existing before I sighed and wrapped myself a bit tighter in my cloak. “At least we’re heading directly to the castle,” I sighed. Not that a lot of it was very warm this time of year. Twilight nodded, “Can’t leave on the airship during this storm anyway. Hopefully it’s only scheduled for today,” she said and pulled on a cloak of her own. Mostly to keep the snow off, she was a pegasus alicorn after all, little cold and snow wouldn’t bother her overly much. Sunset on the other hand was bundled up as much as I was and so was every single non-pegasus in the guard. I looked at Moon Glow, “Everypony ready?” “Ready, sir,” she said and nodded firmly. “Okay, let’s get going then,” I said and flicked my ears before lighting my horn and putting a warming spell over myself. Sparks smiled at me at that before her own horn flowed before she put the same spell on everypony there at once. “Show off,” I whispered into her ear. Sparks smiled and winked at me before heading towards the door as everypony in the guard filed out to form lines on each side of the way to the pony pulled wagon waiting outside the train. It was in the royal colours and… was that a small chimney at the back? There were another two identical wagons behind it, more than enough to move our entire party, each pulled by a pair of royal guard earth ponies. “Prince Page,” a unicorn said as she walked up to us, giving me a bow. I smiled at her, “Grey Velvet, it’s good to see you again.” “You as well, my Prince,” she said with a smile of her own as she stood back up, “Princess Celestia sent me to welcome you and show you to the castle.” “I think I know the way, Velvet,” I teased her with a smile before I nodded, “Lead the way.” With that, we all piled into the warmth of the covered wagons. Sparks, Sunny, me, Flower Rain, Grey Velvet and Moon Glow all settled down in the first wagon. The door closed and a moment later the wagon started to roll forward. Sunset shook her hood back and then looked across at Flower Rain as the small thestral pulled her cloak closer around herself, “You doing okay there, Flower?” Flower smiled slightly at her, “I’m fine, my lady. I just forgot how cold it could get.” Not surprised it affected her strongly even with a warming spell on her and a cloak. Thestrals had even bigger problems with cold than unicorns and… well, Flower was rather petite even for a thestral which tended to be a bit smaller than pegasi in the first place. Every pony tribe had a different average size. Earth pony, unicorn, pegasus and then thestrals. There were outliers of course, but it seems like thestrals on average are slightly smaller than even pegasi…. And Flower was on the small side even for a thestral. Cold likely went straight through her. She used to live in Manehattan… she must have been cold all the time in the winter. Grey Velvet smiled at her and then looked at us, “I should let you know that we have prepared for this for the last week and we have brought every area of the castle you’ll be in up to summer temperatures.” I smiled at her, “And that would be much appreciated,” I said and nodded to her, “That couldn’t have been easy.” “Simply took a while,” she admitted, “It’s a lot of stone to heat up.” Also, not that cheap. There was a reason a lot of the castle was barely kept above freezing during winter other than the frequently used areas and rooms. “We won’t be staying long,” Sparks said, “If the weather allows. How is the preparation of the airship going?” “It’s going well,” Velvet told her, “We’re scheduled for clear skies tomorrow and the airship will be ready to leave tomorrow morning. We’re still loading supplies as I understand it.” I nodded, “Well,” I said and shifted my wings beneath my cloak, “we’re well within schedule, we made good time on the way here.” Looking out the window at Canterlot as we moved along the street. Maybe… maybe stay a week or so on the way back? We’d still get back in time for Founding Day. Assuming things didn’t drag out with the griffons, but then again, what were the odds of that? I snorted softly. Yeah, because we’d be that lucky. The wagon stopped and Grey Velvet moved first exiting before holding the door open with a bow. I blinked as I stepped out of the wagon to see lines of royal guard at attention along the path to the gates inside, solar guard to the right, lunar guard to the left. Oh. We’re getting the full visiting royalty treatment, aren’t we. I glanced at Sparks and Sunny, seeing as both of them came to the same realization as they exited the wagon behind me. Sunset gave me a small nod, moving to flank me to the left as Sparks moved to my right. I raised my head as the wind tugged at my cloak dramatically as I started towards the castle at a measured pace. If they could put on a show, then so could we.