//------------------------------// // Arrival // Story: A New Beginning // by Mr101 //------------------------------// Twilight was busy talking to Rarity who had stopped by to pick up a book on hats when Spike suddenly burst in through the door holding a letter but before he could say anything he saw Rarity blushed causing him to trip up and drop the letter, Twilight caught the letter using her magic and tilted her head at Spike he swayed to his feet. “Are you ok Spike?” “I’m fine thank you Susan” Spike murmured in response before shaking his head and blinking twice. “I came to give you a letter but I don’t know where it…” He looked up seeing the letter hovering “Oh you got it?” Spike tilted his head in confusion as Twilight giggled. “Go have a cookie Spike, thank you for the letter” “Yeah…ok Twilight” Spike walked to the kitchen still confused as Twilight opened the letter and read it aloud. “Dear Twilight I have an important task I need you to do, as you may or may not be aware of Ponyville needs a new engineer and such a pony has been found and is on his way here. Please can you meet him at the train station and welcome him to Ponyville and give him a grand tour, thank you. Yours, the Mayor” “What kind of job is that?” Rarity asked her tilting her head. Twilight giggled and explained “It’s a pony who works to fix things like the carts or trains or anything like-“she was cut off by a disgusted Rarity “You mean they get covered in…FILTH?!?” Twilight tried her hardest not to laugh at her horrified face. “Yes Rarity they do tend to now and again get dirty but without engineers there would be no-one to repair the trains or maintain them. Then how will you get your lovely imported silks?” she teased Rarity. “Well I uh….” Rarity tried to respond but Twilight had already begun to laugh loudly as Rarity first scowling her then began giggling as well. “We should go and get the other girls especially Pinkie” Twilight suggested to Rarity who nodded in agreement. Spike emerged from the kitchen now smiling his face covered in cookie crumbs. “Spike can you stay here and make the place spotless? I reckon Pinkie will want to have a party for the new guy here” Twilight giggled seeing Spike covered in cookie crumbs, he saluted with a smile before dashing off back to the kitchen. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ratchet had fallen asleep on the long train journey and was awoken by a smiling mare pushing a refreshments trolley, after buying some apple juice he sipped it slowly and looked out of the window. It was nearing mid-day and the train was rushing by woodland as far as his eye could see, a crackle was heard over the intercom before a cough followed by an old colts voice “Attention passengers –cough- we will be arriving in Ponyville in one hour –cough-“the intercom crackled again. “That long huh” Ratchet thought to himself “I wonder what the ponies there are like…” he let his mind drift off as he let out a soft yawn and closed his eyes quietly dozing as he listened to the sound of the train rumbling down the tracks. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Walking down the road near the station Twilight had gathered her friends to join her in welcoming the newcomer to Ponyville, Pinkie was rapidly talking about how she would throw a massive party weather or not it was to be a surprise party or a party at the station if she should use her party cannon, her friends just ignored her for the most part chattering amongst themselves. “What ya’ll suppose he looks like?” Applejack asked Twilight who was going over an additional letter the mayor had given her. “From what the mayor has said he has a brown-“before she could finish Pinkie popped up next to Twilight with a loud scream of delight holding a large chocolate cake. “THIS CAKE IS PERFECT FOR THE PARTY!” she squealed in delight before landing awkwardly on her hoof and losing her balance dropped the cake over Twilight covering her, and the letter, in chocolate cake. There was a brief silence before Applejack and Rainbow Dash burst into fits of laughter rolling on the floor as Rarity struggled to stop giggling along with Fluttershy, Pinkie just blinked and licked a large portion of the cake from her cheek as Twilight scowled at her. “For buck sake Pinkie!” she yelled” look what you did to the letter! Now we won’t know who the pony is other then he has something brown about him” Pinkie rubbed the back of her head with a sheepish grin. “That’s not the only thing that’s brown!” Rainbow said pointing as hoof at Twilight before all the girls began laughing again, Twilight scowled at Rainbow before giggling and then laughing herself. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- As the train approached the station Ratchet stood up and stretched out his body descending from the train smiling as he took in his surroundings, Ponyville station was much like Coltchester’s only smaller looking around he found the porter and collected his luggage and spotted a small room with the sign ‘Tourist Information’. “Seems a good enough place to start on knowing my new home” he thought to himself as he wondered inside, as he did Twilight and her friends stepped onto the platform still giggling over the chocolate cake incident, Twilight scanned the platform and cocked her eyebrow up when she saw no pony matching the description she was given. “Alright girls, spread out and see if you can find a brown coated pony with a cutie mark resembling something engineer like” The girls nodded and began to walk up and down the platform Twilight Fluttershy and Rarity went towards the start of the train and Pinkie Pie Applejack and Rainbow Dash headed towards the bottom part of the train, Twilight was just about to enter the tourist information room when she head Pinkie call out. “THERE HE IS!” she pointed with her hoof bouncing on the spot to a brown coated colt who was fast asleep on the carriage, her excitement suddenly vanished as the train began to pull away and she stood there mouth agape. “BUCK!” Applejack shouted “The fellah musta fallen asleep!” Twilight began to panic as she watched the train pull away she began to pace rapidly. “No no no no no no!” she said rapidly in a worried tone “The Mayor will be disappointed with me what am I going to do?!” she was tapped on the shoulder and she spun round to see an elderly mare in a porters uniform smiling at her. “Is there a problem my dear?” she inquired softly. “We were supposed to meet some pony here but we think he fell asleep on the train and now we don’t know what we should do” Twilight replied sadly, the mare smiled and chuckled softly placing a reassuring hoof on her shoulder. “Not to worry my dear, you lot come with me and we will telephone the next station and ask them to send your friend back to here” she led the six to an office at the southern end of the station where Pinkie Applejack and Rainbow Dash had walked to earlier “Erm…what does he look like dearie?” the mare inquired as they entered the room just as another pony left the room on the far side of the station. “Ok thanks!” Ratchet called behind him as he left the tourist office, as he turned he saw the six walk into an office saying ‘Railway Assistance’ “Hope there ok” he thought and walked out of the station building towards the taxi lot.