Pinkie Pie and her friends, including Ray and Stevie were at sugar cube corner, Twilight was talking about the second book in the series she had been reading, Rainbow was actively trying to stay awake, Ray was listening with interest to what Twilight was saying.
“I learned so much.” Twilight finished telling her story, she been had reading the book about magical artifacts.
Applejack nudged Rainbow in the ribs, she jolted awake.
“Wuzzzup?” She asked raising an eyebrow at Applejack.
Twilight rolled her eyes and shook her head in amusement.
Applejack put her hoof around Stevie, they had been dating for 4 months now, Stevie kissed her on the cheek.
“Hey, Applejack so when’s the wedding?” Pinkie joked, noticing the exchange.
“Well, we’ve only been datin’ for 4 months, ah’m not sure we’re ready for that!” Applejack blushed as answered her pink friend.
“So you ever thought of children?” Rainbow asked.
“Dash, we haven’t!!” Applejack nearly snapped her face filled with anger and resentment.
Why would Rainbow ask something like that.
“I was only asking!” Rainbow quietly shrunk down in her seat.
Applejack let out a heavy sigh. “Yeah well, we aren’t ready for that!”
After a long and awkward silence.
“I’m going to go to the crystal empire to see Flurry Heart. I’m so excited to see her again.” Twilight exclaimed, eating another cupcake.
“Are you?" Rainbow asked with an inquisitive expression.
"Yeah, I told you about it just last week!" Twilight replied, her eyes sparkling with excitement.
"Can I tag along too?" Stevie asked eagerly, his face filled with anticipation.
"Yeah, can we, can we, please?" Pinkie begged her eyes wide and pleading.
Twilight let out a heavy sigh. "I suppose we could all go."
"Yay!!" Stevie and Pinkie yelled in unison, their voices filled with uncontainable joy.
"It's settled then, tomorrow we go to the Crystal Empire," Twilight spoke her tone decisive and resolute.
Arriving at the train station, Stevie, Ray and the main six sat on the platform, waiting for the train to arrive.
“I’m so excited, ohhh, I can’t wait!” Twilight clapped her hooves together in excitement.
“Ah know.” Stevie nodded in understanding, he was happy that Twilight was happy.
“Can we come?” Three voices asked as three young mares, one with yellow a coat and a red bow in her hair, one with a white coat and purple and white mane, the third one was an orange Pegasus with a purple mane.
All three of their cutie marks were similar yet they somehow looked very different
“Apple Bloom, is that you?” Stevie asked the yellow mare.
“Yeah, and Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo!” Apple Bloom answered, motioning her friends.
Each of the three had a similar cutie mark, but yet it was somehow different, Apple Bloom’s cutie mark was a red apple being painted purple.
Sweetie Belle’s wasis a musical note and a microphone, indicating that her talent had to do something with music.
Scootaloo’s cutie mark was simply a red scooter.
“Well, it’s real nice to meet you!” Stevie greeted the other two.
“So can we come with you?” Sweetie Belle asked.
“Yeah, sure!” Twilight nodded in approval as she walked over to them.
“Awesome!” Scootaloo pumped her hoof in the air as she jumped in excitement.
“Wow, you sure have grown-up!” Twilight said as admired she Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo.
The train arrived and the doors opened and ponies filed out of the train cars.
The main six, the CMC, Ray and Stevie boarded the train and sat down.
“So what are your plans, Twilight?” Stevie asked smiling at her.
“Not sure!” Twilight answered. “But I’m pretty excited to see my niece again!” She added.
Stevie rolled his eyes in annoyance, he already knew that she was excited to see her niece, he was just annoyed that she brought it up constantly, but he kept quiet as he did not want Twilight to be disappointed with him.
“I can’t wait until my coat is all shiny again!” Rarity excitedly grinned.
“That’s gonna be a first for me.” Ray acknowledged.
“Really?” Pinkie gushed. “I will show you everything you’re going to love it, the crystal ponies are so beautiful.”
“I’m sure!” Ray agreed with her, even though he had no idea what she was talking about.
Arriving in the Empire, Shining Armor and Cadence were waiting on a train platform.
When the train arrived, the ponies disembarked, the first ponies Twilight saw were her brother and her sister-in-law.
“Shining Armor, Cadence!” Twilight’s sparkled as she saw her brother and her sister-in-law.
“Twilight, we are so glad to see you! Cadence spoke excitedly, hugging Twilight.
“It is also very good to see you again, Cadence, I would like to see Flurry.” Twilight reciprocated the hug.
As they both pulled away, Cadence looked Twilight up and down, noting how tall she had gotten over the years.
“This way.” Shining Armor pointed them in the right direction as he and his wife lead the friends out of the train station.
After walking for a little while they reached the crystal castle, going inside, they went down a hallway, Stevie listened to his surroundings as he heard his footsteps on the crystal floor.
“This is incredible!” Ray whispered as they walked his hoof steps echoing off the walls around him.
“Agreed!” Stevie whispered back.
Arriving at a door entirely made of crystal, Shining Armor opened the door to reveal a young alicorn filly.
“Flurry Heart, I’m so glad to see you, come give your favorite aunt a hug!” Twilight beamed as she saw her niece.
The filly got up from her bed that she had been sitting on and ran to Twilight.
“Auntie Twilight, auntie Twilight, I’m so glad to see you!” Flurry excitedly rushed over to her aunt and hugged her tightly.
Then she turned to see Stevie and Ray standing in the doorway.
“Auntie, who are those ponies?” Flurry questioned pointing a hoof at Stevie and Ray.
“Those are my friends, they are famous musicians!” Twilight answered her niece.
“But why do they wear those funny glasses?” Flurry asked looking puzzled at the two ponies before her.
“Flurry Heart, be nice!” Her mother scolded with a stern look on her face.
“Don’t worry about it, well you see, our eyes do not work like yours do, so that’s why we need these glasses!” Stevie answered as he smiled.
“Oh, hope you get better soon!” Flurry wished them well.
“We can’t, it’s permanent!” Ray spoke with some hesitation in his voice.
“So, how old are you?” Applejack asked the filly as she knelt down to her.
“I am…..7!” Flurry shyly admitted.
“That’s nice!” Applejack spoke as she went back to Stevie’s side.
“Hey, Flurry, you remember the bear game we played when you were younger?” Twilight asked.
“Yeah, I do.” Flurry answered jumping up and down in excitement.
Twilight produced stuffed bears out of thin air, and gave one to her niece.
“You can’t catch me!” Twilight excitedly shouted as she ran with her bear in her magic around the room, followed by her niece, and joined by Fluttershy and Rainbow
“Tag, you’re it.” Flurry shouted as she chased Rainbow around the room.
“Nice try!” Rainbow snuggly commented.
Flurry‘s horn lit up as she teleported behind Twilight to tag her.
Twilight noticed her niece behind her and turned around and tapped her on the shoulder.
“Tag!” Twilight shouted in glee.
Flurry stopped running and tackled her aunt hugging her, Twilight reciprocated the hug.
“Hey!” Ray spoke from the doorway.
The young filly looked up to the stallion, and flew over to him.
“Yeah?” She questioned tilting her head to one side.
“Are you not a princess?” Ray asked coming down to her level.
“Yeah, but I am not of maturity to rule yet!” The filly admitted shyly.
Twilight, Rainbow and Fluttershy stopped running when they saw Flurry conversing with Ray.
“Flurry, why don’t we show our guests around.” Cadence spoke gently as she came over to where Flurry was sitting, intensely staring at Ray.
“Yes, mother!” Flurry said as she took Ray and Stevie’s hooves and was followed by Twilight out of the room.
Her parents were so proud of her, she had really become a princess even if she was not of maturity to rule yet.
“So, Stevie, we would like to get to know you and Ray a little more, how about dinner tonight?” Cadence asked, as she and the others walked down the hall together.
“Sure, we would love to, right Ray?” Stevie agreed as he turned his head in the direction of Cadence’s gentle voice.
“I wonder what the meal is going to be?” Stevie asked himself quietly as they walked along behind Cadence.
“I hope that it’s hey, because isn’t that what horses eat?” Ray chuckled softly under his breath.
As they kept walking, they reached the dining hall, Cadence opened the door with her magic.