As the train thundered down the side of Mount Avalon, Celestia’s charge watched the thick, dark clouds disappear behind the equally as far-off mountain range to the south.
The wheels click-clacked over the tracks, small bumps making the carriage moan and creak. With her head leaning against the window, she felt every vibration and wobble, heard every protest of metal and wood and all the joints between through her skull.
It was exciting to be outside of Canterlot for the first time in years. Of course, the palace’s vantage so far up the side of a mountain afforded it gorgeous views that carried on for miles. While everything east was blocked by the mountain, she saw cities connected by lines of smoke to the west and plentiful farmland to the north. The south always looked oddly barren as far as ponykind’s presence went, though it was still green and verdant, a widespread forest that disappeared into the horizon.
The Everfree Forest wasn’t as widespread as it supposedly once was. It once cut across much of the west but had been drawn back over time, first with more farmland, then eventually different forests of brick and concrete covered with a canopy of smog. She never wanted to head there and was glad she wasn’t, taking the train to a small town at the edge of the Everfree where civilisation met nature.
A section of uneven track rocked the charge upright, and she held herself there to avoid banging her head on the window.
She caught a glimpse of the passenger sitting opposite her, holding a cup and saucer in her golden magic so securely it looked as though the world within the carriage revolved around it. Once the ride settled somewhat, she took a sip of her tea. Usually, the mare opposite would be dressed in heavy, golden regalia, but like most days when she left for less official functions, she’d eschewed the near-armour for robes as white and pristine as her coat.
“I thought you’d be more talkative,” said Celestia. “Do you not have other questions you want to ask?”
Her charge smiled and rolled her eyes. “I am allowed to enjoy the scenery a little, I think.”
Celestia nodded. “True, but you get to see this plenty from the castle.” With another sip, she set the saucer and cup down, where it was quickly picked up by a grey mare dressed in a black jacket, her black mane held up in a tight bun.
The charge looked back at the window but not through it. Now that her attention had returned to the carriage, its reflection was more apparent. Like a microcosm of the palace, its garish fake pillars and pastel walls felt like tacky affectations. Golden filigree swirled in the skirting at the top and bottom, and if it weren’t for the apparent anchor points, she would have been surprised that the chair and tables stayed still at all.
She also got a look at herself, seeing a dimmed reflection she saw every single morning in the mirror. Faint blue-green eyes glittered the brightest, like ponds reflecting the moon in a dark forest. The rest of her coat and even her mane were too dark to make out, mostly acting as a negative space that contrasted with the brighter colours in the rest of the car.
“I am simply curious why now of all times,” said her charge. “I have so much I want to do in the palace, but you want to take me away elsewhere.”
Chuckling, Celestia shook her head. “Every single one of you just wants to stay inside the palace when there is so much to do and see beyond those stifling walls.” She looked to the grey mare for a moment, a few looks exchanged, and the mare made her way to one of the rooms at the far end of the carriage.
With that done, Celestia turned her attention to the window as well. At a glance, it seemed she was looking at the town to the south, a small pile of dots from that distance.
“I want you to actually experience the world a little. Get a taste of the world, of other ponies.” She held up a hoof as her charge drew a breath. “Ponies that aren’t staff or ministers of parliament. Books and my lessons can only go so far, and Ponyville is growing nicely, even if it isn’t at the front of any technological advancements. It’s a good place to be right now, so it’s the perfect place to take you.”
Celestia’s charge nodded. “That all makes sense, and I do not object to any of it. But my question remains.”
Celestia sat in silence, dragging it out long enough her charge deflated a little and followed her gaze outside.
The tracks ran a little east around the mountain, eventually losing sight of the valley they were headed to. East was where the rest of the mountain range was at its highest, though one of the flatter peaks was home to a sprawling city that climbed down its steep sides. Equestria was so large and vast that even from atop the home mountain, there wasn’t a hope of seeing any of the borders.
“Something is different, and I’m not sure I can put my hoof on why,” Celestia finally answered, her voice low and wandering. “With how much I’ve taught you, bringing you to Ponyville will be invaluable to me. My plans are to leave you there for a time once my business is concluded. With the building celebrations and everything afterwards, there will be plenty of things to do and plenty of ponies to talk to. Just do that and tell me what you learn.”
The grey mare returned, sliding some papers onto the desk in front of Celestia. One was emblazoned with a headline, “Mare Terrorises Village,” while the others were machine-copied type that immediately bored her charge the moment she tried reading them.
“That does not sound too hard.”
Celestia chuckled, holding up one of the boring pages. “Trust me, it is harder than you expect. Palace etiquette won’t have prepared you for interacting with the common pony. There is less to keep them from speaking their mind, which I quite like.”
The charge mulled that over. She thought being close to the Princess as she was would afford someone a great deal of honesty.
“There must be something specific you are looking for. If you told me, I could try and focus on that.”
Celestia shook her head. “No. No, I want you to use some initiative. You’re not the only pony working for me there, so if you don’t do quite as well as I’d hope, it’s not too much of a bother.”
With a wince, her charge pulled back from the window to stare at Celestia. “I will not let you down.”
“I know you won’t.” While Celestia’s smile was hidden by paperwork, their eyes met, the twinkle of satisfaction twinkling in Celestia’s gaze. “You and Twilight both meet and exceed my expectations every day.”
She smiled at that, then let her eyes focus back on the world outside of the window. She’d packed some books in a pack one of the guards had taken care of for her, stowing them in the luggage on the opposite end of the car, but she had no desire to take them out.
Eventually, they rotated around the northern edge of the mountain, then back around to the west. The trip took them low enough that by the time they were back in the valley, she couldn’t see Ponyville or the Everfree in the distance, just the rolling hills and smaller forests they had to pass in between.
She recalled some time, long ago, when she was last outside of the palace, outside of Canterlot itself, while under the strict supervision of Princess Celestia. The dates eluded her mind, unsure of when it possibly was. Likely, she was a young child when Celestia first took her as her charge.
The forests they passed through weren’t as thick as the one from her memory. Most forests in Equestria had been managed in recent years, and their underbrush was mostly picked clean to make more room for useful forage like mushrooms and berries. Instead, her memory featured an overgrown path leading away from another familiar location.
She liked to think it was some lesser-used home of Celestia’s. A hidden retreat built somewhere she had privacy, which she’d gracefully allowed her charge to enjoy before her memories could truly form.
After a while, the grassy hills gave way to increasingly more frequent fields spotted with farmhouses and barns. The occasional windmill also cropped up on the taller mounds, with plenty of rock-walled paths and roads between. The buildings grew gradually more frequent from there, the trees less so, until the train began to slow in the thickest growth of brick and plaster.
“We’re pulling into Ponyville now, Your Highness,” the grey mare said, yanking the charge from her reverie.
She’d expected a wall to announce that, like the one that encircled Canterlot. Then again, the town hadn’t much to worry about in the way of feudal invasions. A wall wouldn't amount to much if a modern army arrived at that moment.
The train’s chugging slowed, and the carriage around them whined as the brakes brought the entire vehicle to a lurching stop. She only caught a few glances of Ponyville’s streets by the time they pulled into a station not too dissimilar to the one they’d departed from earlier that day.
There was shouting and activity on the station, a few barked orders and more soldiers in gold that passed by the carriage below. The charge rose in her seat to try and get a better look, only to be distracted by Celestia’s impressive form rising from her seat.
“Let’s get going,” Celestia said. “I’m sure Twilight is already waiting for us and has somewhere picked out for us to stay.” She chuckled. “I do hope it’s somewhere similar to last time. I do wonder how the Cake’s descendants are doing nowadays.”
After two guards cleared a space on the station ahead of them, Celestia clambered out of the back of the carriage and onto the station floor. Her charge followed after, her head held high as a member of her household should, though there weren’t any ponies aside from guards on the station.
“Odd,” Celestia said. “I’d have thought Twilight would allow at least a few of the local officials in.”
Celestia started off, and the guards ahead and behind moved as though they knew exactly when and where she would move. Her charge had to stumble to follow, but she managed. They weren’t headed for the street, however. Instead, they walked the breadth of the platform until reaching what was assumedly a ticket office. The door opened, and Celestia stepped inside.
When her charge entered, she was surprised to see a frazzled Twilight Sparkle waiting for them, wringing her hooves.
“Twilight?” Celestia asked. “What is going on?”
Sparing but the briefest of glances at Celestia’s charge, Twilight spoke. “There’s another golemancer here.”