Your eyes shoot open as you take deep breaths; there’s a cold sweat running down your neck. You look around the room, it was still dark and Twilight snored lightly. The ticking of a wall clock could be heard echoing throughout the tree house.
You slowly slip out of your bed, trying not to make any noise as you slowly walk over to the window. Outside the moon was shining bright, casting a white glow upon everything outside; the snow, the leaves, and the buildings all shimmered in the moon’s glow. The snow had stopped falling and there was an obvious new layer on the ground; it was a very thick layer too.
You hear shuffling behind you, you look back and see Twilight facing you; she was still asleep and was still snoring. It was quite adorable to be honest. You look back out the window and recede into your thoughts; your inner voices arguing.
“I should head back to Canterlot today.” You say in your head.
“Go to Canterlot and leave a mare who obviously likes you alone!” Your conscious barks back.
“I would tell her of course.” You say.
“How do you think she would feel? She let you read her books, eat her food and sleep in her house, and you suddenly take off for Canterlot.” Your mind argues back.
“I could ask her to come with me.” You say pathetically.
“And make her leave her work and friends here?” Your mind says.
“I could stay; maybe help her if I can.” You suggest.
“And miss out on visiting your old friends?” You mind argues.
“Well what can I do?!” You scream in your head.
“Wait and time will show you.” The voice in your head fades out as you return focus to the real world.
You let out a long sigh and return to the bed. You slip under the covers and sit up. You look at Twilight who was still sleeping in the bed opposite yours. She twitched and murmured to her dreams. You give a little smile before laying your head down on the pillow.
You stare restlessly at the ceiling; the ticking of the clock almost becoming louder. As the ticking continues your vision slowly fades to black.
Your vision slowly comes back, everything is brighter now. You sit up and rub your eyes; the sun had risen and is now flooding the room with a bright light. You yawn and look over at Twilight’s bed; it was empty and very nicely made. You stand from your bed and make it; it wasn’t as nice as Twilight’s, but at least it was made.
You trot over to the edge of the overhang and look down at the rest of the house. Twilight was sitting at the table with a book levitating in front of her. You trot down the stairs and sit at the table.
“Good morning.” You say in that rough morning voice.
“Good morning, how’d you sleep?” Twilight asks.
“Good.” You say, trying not to think about the dream.
“That’s good, there’s some hot chocolate on the counter for you.” Twilight says as she puts the book down on the table. She looks at you, then up at your mane and lets out a little chuckle.
You raise your hoof and flatten your mane before standing. You trot over to the counter and pick up the mug. You take a sip from the mug and trot back to the table. You sit across from Twilight, sipping from the cup.
“I’m going into Canterlot today.” You say.
“Oh?” Twilight says looking at you.
“Yeah, I got a letter from an old friend; I’m heading up to Canterlot during Hearths Warming to see them.” You say, you cringe, recalling your thoughts.
“That’s convenient. I have to hand in a report to Princess Celestia, so I too will be heading into Canterlot.” Twilight said.
“Okay, I felt really bad about telling you I was leaving.” You say with a sigh.
“Why?” Twilight asks with a confused look on her face.
“You’ve been far too kind to me. You’ve let me stay in your house, eat your food, and sleep in your bed. It doesn’t feel fair to just leave.” You say. You notice a small smile forming on Twilight’s face.
“I’ve been nice because if you’re not nice to other ponies, it’ll get you nowhere.” Twilight said.
“Wish I knew that earlier.” You say under your breath.
“What’s that?” Twilight asks.
“Oh nothing,” You shrug. “When should we get the tickets to Canterlot?” You ask, taking the final sip of your hot chocolate.
“Right now.” Twilight said. Her horn started to glow as she levitated your cup and hers into the sink. She stood from the table and trotted down to the library; your eyes falling upon her flank. You shake your head and break your vision.
You follow Twilight down the stairs. Once you reach the bottom step you spy Twilight tying a scarf around her neck. You trot over and do the same with your scarf.
“You ready?” Twilight asks looking at you.
“Yeah.” You reply with a nod.
Twilight opens the door and cold breeze rushes in. Twilight pulls her scarf up over her face and walks out. You follow her out, closing the door as you exit.
The snow is deep and cold, both you and Twilight fight to get through. You follow in Twilight’s wake; she’s leaving deep trenches where she walks. You two finally make it to the train station.
“Phew, we’re here.” Twilight sighed. She shook off the snow that was stuck to her coat. You follow her in and do the same.
“Yeah, now let’s get those tickets.” You say, pulling down your scarf.
Twilight nods and trots over to an empty counter. She raises a hoof and rings the bell on the counter. You look around at the bright white interior of the station. It seemed to sparkle in the light. You look over at Twilight; she is talking to a griffin behind the counter. This griffin looked familiar, almost as if you’ve seen him in Ponyville before. You shrug it off and look over at the tracks. You can hear hoof steps approaching you from behind.
“I got the tickets; the train will be here in a few minutes.” Twilight said, she levitated a ticket over to you.
“Thanks, I owe you one.” You say taking the ticket.
“You don’t owe me a thing.” Twilight said with a smile.
“Alright then.” You chuckle. You trot over and sit on a bench that looks over the tracks, Twilight sits beside you.
“Where will you be staying in Canterlot?” Twilight asked.
“With my friend Chance, I don’t know where he lives though,” You say. “What about you?”
“I stay in the palace; Princess Celestia keeps one of the rooms open for me or my friends.” Twilight says.
“Fancy. I doubt Chance has anything like that, I see him living in a tiny little two pony apartment.” You say with a chuckle. Twilight chuckles as well.
A loud screech is heard and the train slides to a halt in front of the platform. The doors open and some ponies come trotting out; tourists and parents by the looks of it. You and Twilight stand and head for the train. There’s a pony standing by the doors checking tickets. You show him your ticket and head into the train. It is roomie on the inside; the walls of the cart were pastel colored like the houses in Ponyville, the seats are a dark blue color and had little heart buttons.
“Come on, I know a good place to sit.” Twilight said. She walks past you and makes her way to the back of the train. You follow her to the back.
In the car before the caboose there are four seating booths. The booths have doors on them, probably for VIP travelers. Twilight heads into one and sits down; you follow her in and sit across. Twilight closes the door with her magic and looks out the window. She sighed as she looked.
“What’s wrong?” You ask.
“I don’t like leaving this place, I feel as if I’m leaving all my friends behind when I go alone.” Twilight says. She reaches up and pulls a curtain down over the window.
“I’m here, so you aren’t leaving them all behind.” You say, your heart skips a beat when you realize what you just said.
“Aww, thanks.” Twilight smiles.
You smile back and lean into the seat.
There is a loud whistle and a screech. The car jerks forward then begins to move. The ride is smooth and the seats are soft, you like this trip. You and Twilight sit in awkward silence as the train continues forward.
“So…” Twilight says.
“What’s up?” You ask.
“Just trying to break the silence.” Twilight says. You chuckle a little.
You notice Twilight’s brow wrinkle slightly, almost as if she’s trying to say something but can’t for some reason. You’ve learned how to read body language very well; it was a little trick the streets taught you. Twilight was showing all the signs of anxiety, almost as if there’s something on her chest she can’t get off.
“What’s on your mind?” You ask.
“What makes you think there’s something on my mind?” Twilight says defensively.
“I know how to read pony’s body language. I can see there’s something welling up inside of you.” You explain.
“Just some questions, but I’ll save them for another time.” Twilight says with a blush.
“Well, we have a good hour before we arrive at Canterlot. I can answer some now.” You say.
“I guess you’re right,” Twilight mumbled, she played around with her hooves. “Yesterday I asked you about Canterlot and you said it was a long story. I kinda want hear that story.”
“Alright, where to begin... Oh yes, lets start when I was a little colt.” You say, you lean forward. Twilight shifted in her seat for a more comfortable position.
“When I was a little colt my father started to do some not so nice things to help the family. He began stealing from others. My mother hated it, and they got into a lot fights. One day, I got home from school and my father was drinking, and he didn’t stop drinking. He drank himself into a coma shortly after I finished school. He died shortly after. Even though my mother always fought with him, she still loved him, so when he passed she went into a crippling depression.” You pause for a moment.
“It was up to me and my brother to take care of her. But I was still a little colt, so I couldn’t do too much to help them out. I was more of a hassle than a help. One day my brother left for the market, and while he was gone I gathered my saddlebag, grabbed some bits and snuck out through the back door. My mother didn’t notice, and even if she did I don’t think she would have said anything.” You take another pause.
“From there I went to the train station and bought a ticket for Canterlot. I wanted to see the city of gold my father always talked about. But when I arrived it was nothing like what he said it was. He said Canterlot had streets paved in gold and towers that kissed the sky. When I arrived it was the opposite. The streets were dirty and dark. I was a young colt with little money, so I think it’s needless to say I wasn’t going anywhere in that city. I stayed in the poorer side of Canterlot, I begged on the streets for a long time. Finally some other kids found me and offered me shelter. They too came to Canterlot hoping to see the sights with little money.” You pause once again.
“You lived on the streets in Canterlot?” Twilight asked, a shocked expression adorned her face.
“Yes, the entire time I was in Canterlot I lived on the streets.” You reply.
“That’s horrible.” Twilight said.
“Could have been much worse. Anyway. These kids who brought me in helped me get enough money for a train ride to Ponyville. I know for a fact they stole the money, but I really didn’t care, I just wanted out of that city. Once I got the ticket I said goodbye to them and headed down to Ponyville. When I arrived here life instantly turned around. Everypony was nice and kind, they all welcomed me with open arms. Hell, I’m pretty sure it was the ponies there who gave me my cutie mark.” You say.
“Have you heard from these kids?” Twilight asked.
“Yes, that’s why I’m going to Canterlot now. I’m going to see them.” You reply.
“I see. Well I’m sorry to hear about your family.” Twilight says, she reaches out and places her hoof on yours. You look up and meet her eyes; you can see tears building up.
“Don’t cry for me, I’ve already shed enough tears.” You say softly. You see Twilight’s cheeks start to become a flushed red.
Twilight leans forward and looks you dead in the eye. You fidget as she gets closer. Twilight closes her eyes and gets closer to you. Before you could move you feel something touch you lips. Twilight’s cheeks are a bright red now, you realize Twilight just kissed you. You look at her as she backs up.
“I’m sorry,” Twilight says in a shaking voice. “I don’t know what came over me, I wa-”
You raise your hoof up to Twilight’s lips and shush her. She looks up at you with trembling eyes.
“It’s okay Twilight... It’s okay.” You say.
You remove your hoof and kiss Twilight. She pulls away for a brief second before leaning in. She raises a hoof and wraps it around your neck. You smile and continue to kiss her.
Suddenly this train ride started to pay off.