//------------------------------// // Chapter 4 // Story: To Glimpse a Wider World // by Burraku_Pansa //------------------------------// The Elements’ chosen hotel was—as Rarity had described it the night before—the very definition of opulence. In its dining area, chandeliers of crystal and silver hung from the high, vaulted ceiling. A grand carpet with designs of overtly exotic origin covered the pristinely white, ceramic-tiled floor. Scented candles sat burning at each table, more for the smell than the light, what with the morning sun shining beyond the room’s silken curtains. Rainbow Dash, seated on a mahogany chair, a fine china plate before her, stared disdainfully at her food. “An egg in a fancy cup?” she grumbled. “That’s the sorta thing that passes for breakfast around here? Where’s the sugar? Where’s the taste? Hay, where’s the rest of it?” “Um, Rainbow,” said Fluttershy, seated across from her, “you should really hurry and eat up. You know how hard it was to convince Applejack to let us take a breakfast break…” Fluttershy then gave an almost inaudible gasp. “Oh, but not that I think any less of her! It’s alright, consideri—” “Yeah, yeah, I get it,” Rainbow cut in. “I’m just saying. It’s no wonder these Canterlot ponies are always so stuck-up—they’ve probably never had a decent meal!” “Rainbow, that’s… that’s a little mean of you to say…” said Fluttershy, rubbing her hooves together. “They were nice enough to give us a discount on our rooms, after all. They must have seen how worn out we were after all that searching.” “Don’t give me that,” said Rainbow. “The guy at the counter got one look at Twilight and just started scrambling to make her happy. With the connections that mare’s got, I’m surprised he didn’t give us the rooms for free.” Fluttershy frowned at her fellow pegasus. Before she could respond, however, she looked past Rainbow to see that Applejack was now entering the dining area. Fluttershy returned to her food (a small mound of blueberries and a single slice of apple), downing it hastily. Applejack spotted the pair and walked over, hooves clip-clopping loudly on the tiles. “Are y’all just ‘bout finished yet?” she asked, fidgeting where she'd stopped. Rainbow rolled her eyes. Tying the attached string of a hoof-spoon that she’d be supplied with to her foreleg, she promptly smashed the top of her egg’s shell off. Maneuvering the spoon beneath the remainder of the egg, Rainbow scooped it up and lifted it to her lips, sucking down its contents. She licked the shell’s interior searchingly for a few moments, then sighed. “Now I am,” Rainbow said. “I guess.” Applejack’s expression darkened. “Well, good, then,” she said. “Ah need y’all ta do yer flyin’ around thing again today.” Fluttershy's eyes shot up from her now-empty plate, suddenly looking fearful. “But…” Her eyes darted around, as though searching for something to say at one of the other patrons’ tables. “But that’s what we did yesterday,” she said. “Um, are you sure that we have to do that again?” “See?” said Rainbow, pointing her hoof-spoon at Fluttershy. “Even Shy’s calling you out! You had us flying around this place from the second we got off the train until it got dark, and we didn’t find a thing. It’s a stupid plan.” Fluttershy wilted in her seat. “No, I’m just—” “Don’t sass me, Rainbow!” said Applejack, her tone that of an irate mother. “There’s not a whole lot else I could have y’all doin’ besides flyin’, now is there?” Once more, Rainbow found herself sighing. “Fine,” she said. “Fluttershy, I’ll meet you back here in a couple of hours, when this doesn’t work.” - - - - - When she had awoken this morning, Trixie had taken stock of her gathered bits. She found that she hadn’t earned much from the previous day’s performance, and while there was more than enough for her to purchase a breakfast from the inn that served as her temporary residence, there still wasn’t a lot. Keeping this in mind, and deciding that she wasn’t yet hungry enough to spend what she had on food, Trixie gathered up what little belongings were not kept in her wagon, checked out of the inn, and headed outside to the parking area. It was at this point that the her eyes widened dramatically, and her complexion grew slightly paler. About twenty hooflengths away from her stood… her wagon. Or, at least, Trixie thought it was her wagon. Looking about herself, the mare could see that the spot where she had parked was indeed empty, and there now stood a new wagon outside of an adjacent lumber yard, surrounded by scraps of wood, tools, and empty paint cans. This vehicle was smaller than average, as hers had been, but that was where the similarities seemed to end. Trixie’s had been a simple canvas-covered wagon, while this one was a four walled, gable-style affair, solid pine if the scent in the air was to be believed. In this regard it reminded the mare very much of the wagon that she had lost to Ponyville. Something made this particular wagon decidedly different from her old one, however. It was very intense shade of pink. Remarkably so, some would say. Painfully so, most others. Trixie felt herself almost vomit up the breakfast that she hadn’t eaten. It was decorated, too. Patterns, some white and flowery in nature, and others red and fiery—all of them crude—were painted all along the walls of the newly resurrected wagon. White-painted moulding was present along the edges, as well, though Trixie almost didn’t notice, as it was fairly well done, by comparison. As she walked around to the far side, Trixie was surprised to find that there was actually a retractable stage resting between what would, on the inside of the wagon, be the floorboards. It wasn’t actually attached to the wagon in any way, and it was really more like one half of a table with folding legs than an actual stage, but its presence impressed her regardless. ‘If nothing else, these three are exceptionally hard workers…’ the mare thought to herself. Trixie came around the back of the wagon to a simple plywood door that had been added there. ‘I wonder who I’ll find inside…’ She opened the door as slowly and quietly as she could, though it still creaked on its apparently rusted hinges, no younger despite their fresh coat of paint. There, on the floor of the wagon, illuminated by the sawdust-filled morning light filtering in through the open doorway, slept three fillies. They were curled into little, furry balls, patches of their colorful coats crusted with dried paint. After staring for a few moments, Trixie gave a defeated sigh. Backing away from the wagon, the mare trotted towards the inn and entered it once more. A few minutes later, she re-emerged, two plates trailing behind in a field of her carnation-pink magic—one was filled with scrambled eggs and hash browns, the other piled with toast and waffles. Reaching her vehicle, Trixie withdrew a pair of cloths, wrapped the plates of food up, and slipped them in through the door. As an afterthought, the mare also drew her coin pouch out from her hair, jostling it with her magic and listening to her last two copper bits tink together tinnily. A frown on her face, she tossed it into the wagon as well. Shutting the almost flimsy plywood thing, Trixie walked to the front of the wagon. At its shafts, she donned the wagon’s harness, tightening the belt around her waist. She then began to make her way towards Canterlot’s northern exit gate via the scenic route, devoid of both the crowds and the wagon-rattling, filly-waking cobblestone streets the city was known for. - - - - - Fluttershy had never kept it a secret that she didn’t care much for flying. Whereas Rainbow Dash had always had a penchant for stunts and thin air, Fluttershy found that she could only be truly comfortable when all four of her hooves were on—or at least no more than a few hooflengths above—the ground. However, it wasn’t only for a fear of heights that she disliked being high up. ‘They’re… they’re all looking at me…’ Her eyes wide open in a combination of fear and attentiveness, Fluttershy searched the ground for any sign of Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, or Scootaloo, all while trying not to look directly at any of the numerous ponies staring up at her. Birds and pegasi both were a rare sight in the skies above the high-altitude city of Canterlot, and though she was a bit too far above the crowds to actually see them observing her, she could feel their stares. ‘Just calm down,’ the pegasus thought. ‘They’re staring with you, not at you… Oh. No, wait…’ Fluttershy had been at it for hours, but felt that she had covered little ground; Canterlot was humongous in her eyes, certainly a great many times larger than Ponyville. Though she’d visited in the past, she had never truly grasped the scope of it. Deciding to find out just how much of the area there still was for her to search through, the pegasus pushed herself higher into the atmosphere. Cold winds began to buffet her to and fro, forcing her to struggle to stay in flight. The air was notably thinner, as well, and the mare began to recall some of the reasons she had left her old home of Cloudsdale. Now, as she looked down on Canterlot from above, its citizens little more than specks of color between the indistinct shapes of the city’s buildings, Fluttershy shivered pitifully. She began to think, despite her hopeful side, that their efforts to find the Crusaders might be in vain. This thought scared the timid pegasus far more than the ponies watching her from below. ‘I should go and meet up with everypony else,' Fluttershy thought. ‘I’m sure Twilight can come up with a better way of looking for them.' As Fluttershy turned to head back towards the Elements’ hotel, another thought occurred to her. ‘Oh my. What if… What if they aren’t even in Canterlot anymore?’ she thought, speeding up as best she could. ‘Maybe we could ask the gate guards if they’ve seen any fillies leaving the city.’ - - - - - When Apple Bloom awoke, it was to a world of rumbling and darkness. Bleary, and with dreams still nipping at her hooves, confusion began to drive her into a panic. As the fog in her mind cleared, however, everything from the day before came back to her. “Ah told ya we should ‘a put in a window…” the filly grumbled to no one in particular. Apple Bloom fumbled around in the dark for anything she could use as a light source. At long last, one of her forelegs came into contact with what felt like the glass and metal of a lantern, but not before the rest of her bumped into something soft and squishy. “Nngh,” groaned Scootaloo. “No, dun’ go yet, I… Wha… Huh? What?” The interior of the wagon lit up suddenly, the lantern flaring to life. “WAH!” Seeing Scootaloo jump back from the light, Apple Bloom rolled her eyes. “Aw, calm down, ya big chicken.” Scootaloo scowled, but her response was preempted by a contented yawn from Sweetie Belle, now waking up as well. “Mmm…” the unicorn almost moaned. She raised her head, stretching out the kinks in her neck. “What’s—” Another yawn came, and the filly held a fore hoof in front of her mouth until it passed. “What’s that smell? It’s really nice…” Apple Bloom and Scootaloo took a whiff of the air, soon catching on to something delicious hidden beneath the scent of pine. They tracked the smell to a pair of cloths resting by the wagon’s entrance. The pair of them each reached a hoof out, lifting the cloths up. “Breakfast!” Eyes dancing, the trio happily began to dig in, tiredness all but forgotten. Scootaloo eyed the rumbling walls of the wagon as she ate, noting them for the first time. Mouth full of waffles, she said, “Ya know whaf fiff meanf?” Sweetie made it a point to swallow before responding, trying to keep from snickering. “What what means?” Scootaloo motioned all around with a foreleg. “Fha ragon moofin’”—she downed her bite—“I mean, the wagon moving, ‘n all. Trixie’s taking it for a spin around Canterlot! She must’ve liked it.” “Ah hope so,” said Apple Bloom. “Woulda been a lotta work for nothin’ if she didn’t.” Sweetie Belle looked around the freshly built vehicle. “I still can’t believe you did all of this, Apple Bloom.” The earth pony blushed. “Aw, c’mon,” she said, “y’all did just as much as ah did.” “Suuure,” said Sweetie, giving her friend a look halfway between admiration and disbelief, “if by ‘did just as much’, you mean ‘did your best to stay out of my way while you all painted’.” “Yeah,” said Scootaloo from the other side of the wagon, having wandered to Trixie’s belongings after finishing her breakfast. “You were bangin’ away at this thing like a maniac all night! I mean, it’s got nothing on my flames, but you worked crazy hard.” Apple Bloom’s face grew redder, and Sweetie Belle did her best to hold back giggles. “Man, Trixie sure doesn’t have much stuff, does she?” said Scootaloo, flipping idly through a book on magic, one of the only four in the wagon. Curious, Sweetie Belle worked her way over to Scootaloo. Aside from the books, the lantern that currently lit the wagon, and the wizard’s hat and cape that the trio had seen Trixie purchase, all that the showmare seemed to possess—excepting the wagon itself—was a single, small cauldron and a number of pouches. Sweetie hefted one such pouch, noting that the fabric was a soft, grey velvet. To her disbelief, another thing she observed was that, despite the fact that the little bag seemed to be filled to the brim with something, it was almost weightless. The unicorn shook the pouch lightly, and heard definite sounds of clinking and clattering from within. Even more intrigued, she gripped the top in her teeth and opened it up. Within the velvety folds of the pouch were what appeared to be a number of small, ash-colored marbles. They glowed softly in the dim light of the wagon and, as Sweetie had already discovered, they seemed to weigh next to nothing. “What… are these?” Suddenly, a crash came from the wagon’s front, the entire vehicle lurching upwards. Sweetie Belle’s head jerked forward, her horn finding its way into the pouch. The next thing she knew—and the last thing she remembered—was an unholy, roaring blast sounding in her ears. - - - - - ‘Going down the mountain. This is more like it.’ Though she had left Canterlot only an hour ago, Trixie already found herself past the halfway point to the base of the mountain it jutted from. The grade of the winding path she was taking was almost too steep for comfort, and the mare found herself making a conscious effort not to move too quickly. ‘Can’t have my wagon go careening off the path with me attached, now can we?’ Despite the tension she felt, Trixie couldn’t help but find the view from her pathway breathtaking. Spread out before her, between the sparsely placed trees nearby, was much of the northern half of Equestria, and then some. To the west, an expanse of yellows, oranges, and browns marked a forest getting ready for fall. ‘The White Tail Woods, perhaps,’ Trixie mused. Far above the treetops, the mare spotted a large grouping of clouds that swept lazily through the air, but remained absolutely still otherwise. A few trickles of rainbow fell through their bottoms. ‘And that must be Cloudsdale.’ Turning north, Trixie’s eyes met with rolling green plains, a latticework of shimmering rivers, and a range of mountains much smaller than the one she currently descended. ‘Not much to speak of out there, if I recall my geography lessons correctly. Oh, but wait…’ Trixie narrowed her eyes and stared at the horizon, barely able to spot the white silhouette of snow-capped peaks. ‘That might well be the Crystal Kingdom, or maybe the Griffon Kingdom. I should travel to the land of the griffons one day. A bit of quality entertainment might be just the thing they need, if they are even half as boorish as I’ve heard.’ Trixie turned now to the east. Rows of mountains were there, a long valley forming a pathway between them. Past the mountains, the valley seemed to spread out into open fields. She thought she could make out a collection of large buildings beyond one area of the plains, but the details eluded her. ‘That could be any number of cities,’ Trixie thought. ‘Fillydelphia or Manehattan, most likely. Perhaps even Trottingham.’ The unicorn turned her attention back to the path before her, coming around yet another curve. She grinned, as she could now clearly see Canterlot’s mountain’s base, and the small village that resided there at its northern end. ‘And this,' she thought happily, ‘must be Dappleton.’ Trixie allowed herself to pick up the pace, with her short-term goal in sight. Hooves aching from the downhill hike, the mare shut her eyes and sucked in a lungful of the crisp mountain air, letting out a satisfied sigh. Eyes still closed, Trixie failed to notice a large rock jutting out of the dirt path, the wagon’s wheel rapidly approaching it. A loud, wooden thump came from behind her as the rock made contact, and her eyes snapped open. Next, though, came the sound of an explosion. Trixie’s head spun back. She spotted the plywood door of her wagon at least ten hooflengths away, blown off its hinges. Smoke poured out into the air from the wagon itself. “Oh, sweet Celestia, no!” the showmare cried out, eyes wide and fearful. “Trixie’s outfit!”