The setting sun filtered into one of the many office/study rooms that were within Canterlots Castle. Inside sat a group of ponies just one short of a dozen in number: Princess Cadence, Shining Armor, Twilight, her friends, and a handful of guards who were keeping a watchful eye over them. Each of the non-guard ponies present had recently been involved with the changeling invasion just two weeks prior. Currently, however, the group was confronted with a week-long invasion of paperwork and magical tests to ensure that they themselves weren't changelings in disguise.
"...and after filling out these sheets right here," a guard pony indicated the stacks of papers that stood taller than he was on top of each table in the room, "you'll be finished with the last of the paperwork. Anypony have any questions?" He gave the room a once-over from his desk at the front of the room before he and the couple of guards that accompanied him made their way to the door, satisfied that nopony had raised their hooves.
Soon thereafter, the sound of writing filled the room once more. In days prior there had been idle conversations that filled the room as the paperwork was steadily labored over, however in recent days the small talk had waned. As time wore on, the socializing had devolved into casual topics that one would talk about with acquaintances, and from there it fell into ponies taking turns half-heartedly answering the increasingly weird and mind-numbing questions that Pinkie would ask whenever the mood in the room became too heavy for her to bear.
Twilight was seated at the back of the room. In the desk closest to the windows along the wall that looked out upon one of the many royal gardens, her mind went into autopilot as she filled in the paperwork that sat upon her desk.
"....."
"...do you think?"
Suddenly the room was a blur of bright pink as if a flash bang had been dipped in dye, causing Twilight to jump back in shock as she was pulled back into reality. "Hey! Didja hear me?" the concerned voice of her pink friend called to her.
"Wuh-what happened?" was all Twilight could muster as she reeled back in shock from the pink party pony who currently stood on top of her desk, knocking over the paperwork in the process. A chorus of slight giggles erupted at Twilight's reaction.
"C'mon, silly-filly, I thought you were a smarty pants." Pinkie began to lower herself off of the table before continuing, "There I was in the middle of drawing my favorite flavor of cake on the back of one the fancy papers they gave us when I remembered the time in middle school when they served the ickiest most worstest cake ever. Then I remembered I had a Big Mac last month-"
How does a bad cake relate to Princess Luna? Wait, what's this about Applejack's brother? Twilight half listened to Pinkie Pie's rambling as she tried to make sense of Pinkie Pie's, Pinkie-ness.
"... and then a pony in a blue box appeared. And that is how I met your mother."
"Wait. What?" Twilight was beyond confused as Pinkie abruptly stopped her rambling and wore a wise look on her face as if she had just explained the secrets of the universe to her.
"Oh, darling, you know how Pinkie here gets sometimes. You see, Rainbow made a comment about the 'vibe,' as she put it, being the same as that of a high school classroom." Rarity flipped a completed paper over as she began filling out the back of it. "Anyway, one thing led to another, and Pinkie here practically demanded to know what a 'high school sweetheart' was. Then she began inquiring about everypony's high school affairs."
"Nuh-uh. I was just making sure you guys knew what it meant."
"I don't see how beggin' to know who somepony was sweet on when she was young and how she got on with 'em is makin' sure, Pinkie." Applejack huffed as she glanced over a paper that she pulled from the top of her pile. "Oh, consarn it, does anypony know what in the hay my great-granny's cousin's maiden name has to do with any'a this legal mumbo-jumbo we're filling out?"
Rainbow Dash was in the middle of making yet another paper airplane, The Sonic Rainboom Mark 3.4 (its predecessors had proven to be catastrophically aerodynamically unsound), when she chimed in, "Hah! AJ's just embarrassed that she didn't have anypony to smooch on back in high school, unlike some of us." As soon as she finished folding its tailfin she tossed it towards the mare in question. It performed an admirable immelman turn along its intercept course.
"I'll have you know I had plenty'a stallions who had their eyes on me. I just never had the time fer'em what with me workin' the family farm an' all. Why, I bet you couldn't even recall a name of one'a them stallions that you claim you were smoochin'-AACK!" The Sonic Rainboom M3.4 flew in hot and engaged Applejack's face, avenging its manufacturer against the heinous accusation and drawing a retaliatory salvo from Applejack's forehoof.
"Ha! I totally can. There was... uh, what's his name, y-y'know with the face, and then umm… that other one with that one mane style." A shade of red rivaling the one in her mane rushed onto her face as Rainbow Dash looked around in embarrassment, "Back me up here, Fluttershy. You remember, right?"
A squeak came from behind a stack of papers near the front of the room as Fluttershy tried to hide behind them. "I-I dunno Rainbow Dash. I don't think lying is a good thing."
"Ah-ha! I knew ya didn't have nopony tryin'ta get with your mangy hide."
Sensing the tension rising between her friends, Rarity stepped in, "Now girls, we shouldn't raise a fuss over something as trivial as school romances, or the lack thereof."
Rainbow Dash shot up from her desk. "Hey! I resent that. Besides, what about everypony else? What about you, Rarity?"
"I had my eye on many stallions in high school, but, alas, a true lady never kisses and tells." Rarity scanned the room as she said this, eager to rid herself of the sudden attention. In truth, Rarity had been a hopeless romantic with hopelessly high standards even back in high school, but, unlike Rainbow Dash and Applejack, she knew how to pivot away from a potentially embarrassing social situation, namely by throwing someone else into it. "Twilight, darling, what sort of romantic adventures did you get into? You attended Princess Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns, did you not? We on the outside can only dream of the star-crossed romances that must surely bloom behind those walls."
"EEYES! We're finally back to my question again." Pinkie Pie shouted as she appeared from somewhere nopony was looking. "Oooh, tell me-tell me-tell me. Was it a stallion? Do I know him? Oh! Was he royalty? Didja do that star-crossing thingy that Rarity was talking about? Huh? Didja?"
Twilight's ears folded back as she backed away from Pinkie Pie, who was only inches away from her face. "O-oh, I've never been one for romance. I'd rather be reading a book or something. Besides, why the sudden interest in me? What about Cadence or Shining Armor? I bet they have more interesting stories than I do."
Finally speaking up from the front of the room, next to where Fluttershy was trying to disappear behind her stack of papers, Shining Armor said with a laugh, "Y'know, I don't think it's proper to talk about other mares when my wife is sitting next to me. Besides, I doubt my li'l sis had any friends besides the teachers or somepony she only knew from a book like Starswirl the Bearded."
Cadence nuzzled her husband before she added, "My Shining here is right. You girls should have seen how Twilight adored Starswirl as a filly. I think I remember seeing posters of him in her room whenever I babysat her."
"Hey! StarSwirl was an inspirational role model for me. Unlike all the other foals, he never laughed at me for liking to read."
"Wow, Twilight, you were even worse than I was back then. At least I had Fluttershy to keep me company." Rainbow Dash commented as she put the finishing touches on The Sonic Rainboom M4.0--this model was at least twenty-percent cooler than its predecessor thanks to its paperclip nose.
Applejack spoke up after succssfully recalling the name of her cousin Marmalade, "Don't let Rainbow get to you none, sugarcube. I think it's better to study and get some proper learnin' done than to pretend that ya kissed every stallion within five country miles."
"Y'know sis, your friend is right, when the time comes you'll know who your special somepony will be, even if you're a late bloomer. Just make sure you find a special somepony before mom and dad kick the bucket." Shining Armor's last comment earned him a light jab from Cadence as she tried to stifle a laugh.
~~
The nearly empty train car rattled along in the late moonlight. A comfortable silence filled the air as the conversation between the two mares currently occupying the train car had died down in favor of watching the midnight landscape pass by.
'I wonder how Lyra and Bon Bon are doing. It's been a while since I've seen them around Ponyville.' Cheerilee glanced across the cabin at her friend Colgate, intending to ask her about their mutual friends, but she decided against it when she realized that the other mare was already fast asleep. I should get some rest too. It's going to be a busy weekend.
Despite her reasoning, Cheerilee continued to stare out the window beside her; she figured that she couldn't sleep if she wanted to through the constant bumps and sounds that the train made as it chugged along the tracks. The hours seemed to crawl by at a snail's pace until, with a suddenness that surprised Cheerilee, the tall towers of Canterlot came into view.
"Attention, all passengers: Our next stop is Western Canterlot Station, arriving in fifteen minutes. Please have all luggage and personal belongings ready to debark before arrival. Thank you for choosing Sunshine Express for your travel needs."
Colgate's ears flicked at the compressed robotic sound that came from the overhead speakers. She slowly stood and stretched her limbs, causing various cracking sounds to emerge from her joints. With a mighty yawn, she asked, "Are we here already? How long was I out for?"
Cheerilee glanced out the window at the rising sun over the fast-approaching cityscape before replying. "Well, considering the fact that the sun is rising I'd hazard a guess that it's been a few hours at the minimum."
"Sarcasm just comes naturally to you, doesn't it? What's the matter? Couldn't sleep on the train or something?" Colgate chuckled slightly as she began collecting her portable mountain of luggage from the various overhead storage compartments above the seats of the train car.
Cheerilee rolled her eyes as she watched her friend amass a hoard of luggage that'd make a dragon blush. "Do me a favor, and use that horn of yours to hand me my luggage, would you?" Seconds later a familiar guitar case floated towards Cheerilee, before setting itself onto the seat cushion beside her.
As soon as Mt. Colgate was fully reassembled, the train jolted to a stop at the station platform, causing it to collapse onto its founder. The doors opened before Colgate could utter a cry for help as a rush of business ponies and tourists filled the car. After a couple of minutes the two friends managed to get out onto the train station platform with their mountain beside them.
"Y'know, for what it's worth, you're pretty strong for a middle-aged school teacher."
And you're two years older than I am. Cheerilee snorted as the thought entered her mind. "I'm barely thirty, if anything you're the middle-aged mare here."
Colgate hummed a low note and squinted at Cheerilee. "Tell you what, let's go find Lyra and Bon Bon. They said that they would be waiting at the usual café that we visit. I'll buy you a coffee or something if you promise not to mention my age ever again." Without waiting for a response, Colgate's horn lit up as she magically lifted her pile of luggage and made her way out into the city streets.
I swear some of my students have more maturity and sense than that mare. Cheerilee sighed to herself as she heaved her surprisingly light case onto her back and trotted after the blue unicorn.