//------------------------------// // Chapter 5 // Story: MLP A New Generation 2: The Last of The Alicorns // by TwiShine45 //------------------------------// Railroads are interesting innovations. Track laid upon the ground bears witness to a large chugging ball of steam and metal churning up the landscape on its way. The destination is almost irrelevant, but for the five ponies aboard this one, it made all the difference in the world. However, railways also give one time to ponder life’s biggest decisions. For one of these ponies, a great amount of internal dialoguing was taking place. Her spirit of reconciliation and friendship did battle with her own misgivings. But, she knew that if she were to take this journey all the way to its proper conclusion, she needed to have faith in this calling. Even so, Pipp’s earlier doubt combined with Sprout’s out and out hatred to create an emotionally unbalanced mixture inside of her. So, she sat on her bench, looking out the window as the train rumbled and stirred along its path of spikes and track. “What am I doing?” She asked aloud to nopony in particular. “Looks to me like you’re staring out the window aimlessly,” a cheerful voice responded. Sunny turned and saw Izzy standing there with a goofy grin plastered on her face. The young Alicorn couldn’t help but smile at this as her unicorn friend took up residence on the bench opposite her. Izzy held the extreme opposite of doubt: endless optimism. She carried the happiness of life within her soul, and she sought to bare it to the entire world. Sunny immediately felt better, just by having her best friend so close. As much as she loved her other friends, she knew that Izzy was just the pony she needed to see in this situation. The skies outside the train car may have been gray and gloomy, but inside, Izzy was as bright as the noontime sun. She looked across the small canyon between the two benches and brought an inquisitive hoof up to make some kind of point. “So…are you doing any deep existential questioning of the universe or are you just staring out the window?” She asked. “Honestly, a little of both,” Sunny responded, “but I’m happy for the company.” “Yeah, I could see that you needed somepony,” Izzy said, “and we’ve got each other’s backs, right?” “Right.” “Good. So…care to share?” Sunny sighed. “It’s just…look, I don’t know if what I’m doing is right or not. I don’t even know what we’ll find out there! I guess, I’m just experiencing a lot of reservations right now. Maybe Pipp’s just gotten into my head.” “Oh, I don’t think so,” Izzy said, “remember, we’re doing this together, and we’re doing it to advance the causes of friendship and amiability in Equestria. I certainly don’t think anything will happen!” “But, Izzy…” Sunny said. “Yeah?” “…I…I just couldn’t bear to lose any of you,” Sunny said. “What if Pipp’s right? What if we all die on this trip? What if-“ She was stopped by a sudden hoof to her mouth. “Now, Sunny, I don’t want to hear any downy talk like that! Downy talk is for those who’ve given up, and we’ve barely started! We will make it through. I don’t know how, exactly, but I just do. I have faith in our friendships, Sunny, and nopony’s gonna let us down.” Sunny smiled as Izzy retracted her hoof. “Thanks, Izz. I needed to hear that.” “By the way, where are we going exactly?” Izzy asked. Sunny responded by pulling a map out of her saddlebag. She unfurled it and pointed to a spot just on the edge of their exploration area. “Here. The small town of Bridle Falls. It’s relatively new, and part of the EPUP Initiative.” “Oh, yeah! The Earth Pony-Unicorn-Pegasus Initiative!” Izzy squeaked. “I’ve always wanted to see what one of those places was like.” “Considering their role, I’d hope that they’d be harmonious places full of friendliness and curiosity,” Sunny said. Her comments were not unfounded. When Equestria returned to its roots of friendship, leaders from the different pony communities had met to decide how to run the country. They came away with the EPUP Initiative, a comprehensive plan meant to help the different pony kinds come together. Part of this plan was to build towns specifically designed to house all three races. Yes, different kinds of ponies had come to Maretime Bay, but the EPUP towns were something special, considering they were the first dwelling places meant for friendship in quite some time. In fact, nopony could remember the last town that could claim the title of “friendliest place in Equestria.” Embarrassed by this, all the pony kinds had sworn to do better by their ancestors, especially when the story of Twilight and her friends had circulated through the nation once more. “So…are we going to see somepony specific?” Izzy asked. Sunny nodded. “I’ve been in recent correspondence with a young pegasus named Meadow Bloom. She says she has something that she wants to show us, but she’s only willing to share it with our specific group of friends. She said something about having issues trusting other ponies. But, anyway, she seems really nice.” “I can’t wait to meet her!” Izzy chirped, instantly interested in meeting the other equine. Meanwhile, across the train, Hitch watched the goings on with a curious eye. Sunny had been his best friend since they were foals, and he had every intention of protecting her. He didn’t have deeper feelings for her, but saw her as a sister in need of his guardianship. While he had no problem with her speaking with ponies like Izzy, the very thought that she might be hurt or killed on this journey had him on pins and needles. He began to wonder why he’d agreed to come on the trip in the first place. Lost in his thoughts, he did not hear Zipp’s soft hoofsteps trot up beside him. “Something the matter, sheriff?” the blue-eyed, sleek pegasus asked, startling Hitch from his reverie. “Oh, it’s you, Zipp. No, nothing’s wrong, per se…I just…” “Uh-huh,” Zipp said, noticing where Hitch’s eyes were focused, “I get it.” “No, it’s not like that!” Hitch exclaimed, noting the tone in Zipp’s voice. “Sunny’s like a sister to me…and I just couldn’t stand it if she were to get hurt.” “I wouldn’t worry about that, Hitch,” Zipp said. “Sunny has a way of getting herself out of tight situations. Besides, we’ll all be there to support her. Remember, nopony’s doing this alone.” “I know,” Hitch said, “but I still worry about her. True, a lot of those worries were silly and based off of things that, now, I know to be untrue.” “Like…pegasus abductions?” Zipp asked, raising an eyebrow. “Yes, like pegasus abductions,” Hitch admitted, blushing with embarrassment. Zipp giggled, and Hitch was surprised at the joy it gave him. “It’s okay, sheriff. We all believed stupid things about other kinds of ponies. I remember, earlier in my life, my mom would tell us that Unicorns were going to invade Zephyr Heights and that we should arm ourselves with tennis balls. Now, THAT was silly!” The two ponies shared a laugh as Zipp sat on the bench across from Hitch. Having his deputy there made the sheriff feel a whole lot better. In fact, she’d become more than just a deputy to him. She was a very close friend, and somepony he knew he could trust. Firing Sprout and hiring her had been the best decision he’d ever made, and he was very happy working with her. But as she sat across from him, he got a chance to admire her physical appearance for the first time. Her blue eyes seemed to pierce right into his soul, and he suddenly wondered if she could see the pony within. Good grief! He thought, I…I’ve never seen somepony this way before. She certainly does carry her own kind of beauty. But, I wonder…I wonder…what she thinks…of me.