The balloon ride to Canterlot was oddly uneventful despite the fact, or maybe because, Pinkie Pie spent the entire flight standing on the edge of the basket with her forehooves wrapped around the suspension cables. For awhile Applejack was worried Pinkie would fall, but she seemed to have the matter firmly in hoof. Applejack decided she would safely stay in the basket next to the two white boxes that contained the special cakes Pinkie had baked for Rarity.
The basket creaked as they floated high above the gently rolling hills. Small groups of puffy white clouds hung in the air as a flock of birds flew by. Pinkie Pie didn't notice, she was busy watching Canterlot get closer. "I'm coming Rarity, nothing is gonna get in my way. OHLOOKBIRDIES!" Pinkie Pie waved to the birds as they flew by. "HI BIRDIES!" She called out and almost lost her hoof hold on the cable before she grabbed it again and giggled. "That was almost bad."
Pinkie grabbed a cord hanging down from the balloon and the gleaming white towers of Canterlot rose around them as the balloon descended. Ponies who had been going about their day stopped to watch as the light purple balloon landed in a small square in the middle of the intersection for hoof traffic.
Pinkie scanned her surroundings quickly. None of the ponies walking around the intersection were Hoity Toity. She took a closer look at the shops that lined the street. They all looked very similar, almost all of them were white with gold trimmed windows and purple roofs. She giggled to herself. "These buildings look like Rarity although she doesn't wear gold much and she is much prettier." The pink pony hopped out of the basket of the hot air balloon and landed on the soft green grass. "C'mon Applejack."
Applejack stood up with her front hooves on the side of the basket. "Y'all sure it's a good idea to just leave the balloon and the cake boxes here? What if the guards think it's been abandoned?"
"Oh, that's good thinking, I'll leave a note." Pinkie reached behind her and frowned at her hoof when it came back empty. "I'll go borrow some paper and a quill." She ran off to a nearby shop, leaving Applejack standing on the side of the basket.
Applejack started to feel self conscious when she looked around the square and it seemed like everypony was staring at her. She was about to duck back into the basket when the pink pony burst out of a shop door and ran to the balloon. She stuck a piece of paper to the side of the basket and wrote 'Pinkie's balloon, be back soon.' on the paper. "Almost forgot." She said to herself as she reached to the side of the basket and grabbed a rope with a spike on the end. She hammered it into the ground with her hoof. "Don't want you getting away again, silly balloon. Ok, c'mon Applejack, let's go," she said as she trotted off down the road, followed closely by an embarrassed orange earth pony.
The two earth ponies trotted down the street, attracting the occasional glance from one of the many unicorns who lived in Canterlot. Applejack leaned close to Pinkie and softly said. "So, y'all know where we're headin?"
The pink pony smiled. "Mhm, Hoity Toity's letter had a return address of 540 Boardtrot Lane. We just gotta find it then we talk to Hoity Toity then we find Rarity. It's gonna be easy peasy."
Around them the shops seemed to stretch on endlessly. Applejack glanced around, looking for some indication of their location. She spotted a sign at the end of the street. "It looks like we're on Lamare Avenue, ya know where Boardtrot is from here?" Pinkie Pie stopped and stood statue still in the middle of the street. "Uhh, Pinkie? Ya ok?" Applejack asked as she poked Pinkie in the ribs.
Pinkie suddenly became animated again and hopped up and down as she gave a frustrated grunt. "Arrrhh We need to ask somepony where the street is." Or, that's what Applejack would have heard if Pinkie hadn't raced into a shop while saying it. Instead Applejack only heard "We need to as...."
"What was that Pin..." She looked around but saw no sign of the pink pony anywhere. "Kie... Now where did that darn pony get to."
As if on cue the pink pony galloped out of a nearby shop with a big hat on its sign. "Ok, we keep going along Lamare then we turn right onto Fleethoove Way, then another right onto Trotsdale and that should lead us to Uppercrust Blvd and eventually we will find Boardtrot on the left." She gave a huge grin. "C'mon, we've got no time to lose." Pinkie started trotting down the road. Applejack cantered up beside her and the two ponies made their way thought the big city.
After a couple of turns Applejack was feeling lost. "Ah don't see how anypony can find their way through this place." Applejack looked this way and that, only seeing rows and rows of white shops with purple roofs. "Everything looks the same."
"Hehehehehe silly Applejack, all the shops might be white but they look nothing alike. See, that shop has a sign with a fancy tophat on it, ohh Rarity might like to look around that shop, and this shop..." Pinkie pointed at the shop next to the one with the tophat sign. "This shop has a sign with a cupcake on it, plus the windows and roof are totally different."
"If yew say so Pinkie, Ah reckon Ah'll just let ya lead tha way."
As the two ponies meandered through the streets of Canterlot, the small shops gave way to increasingly opulent townhouses which lined the streets as thickly as the shops previously had.
"These buildings still all look alike," Applejack mumbled just before she saw Pinkie Pie perk up.
"Oohoohoohooh, there it is!" Pinkie hopped up and down, pointing at a fancy house that looked, to Applejack like all the others, until she noticed the 540 next to the massive double doors at the front of the house. Before Applejack could react, Pinkie was galloping up to the front doors. She quickly galloped after the pink pony and arrived just as Pinkie banged her hoof on the solid oak door three times.
The two didn't have to wait long before the large double doors opened and they were greeted by a grass-green coated pony wearing a black suit and bow tie. "EEE-Yeeeeeeessssss?"
"Are ya some kinda butler?"
"EEE-Noooooooooo, I just thought it would be fun to wear this tuxedo and answer doors."
"Hahahahehehehe *snort* ohhhh I like him." Pinkie said to Applejack and poked her side. "I'm Pinkie Pie and this is Applejack, we're looking for Hoity Toity," she said with a smile.
Before the butler could respond a grey, effete stallion with silver hair, wearing a lapel around his neck and large purple sunglasses appeared behind him. "Neihlson, who is responsible for this banging on my door?" He said as he looked over the two ponies at his door.
"EEE-Weeeellllll the pink one says she is Pinkie Pieee and the rustic one calls herself Apple Jack."
"Now wait just a cotton pickin minute, who ya calling rustic, ya rude crude colt."
"I'm sorry, I must have been mistaken, surely a pony with such a... utilitarian hat would have to be some kind of trend setter."
Applejack held her hoof out. "Okay then, apology accepted."
The butler just looked at her slack jawed till she put her hoof down, then he turned to Hoity Toity. "I do believe I've missed something here."
Hoity Toity seemed to roll his eyes, but neither mare could tell because they were hidden behind his glasses. "Be that as it may, it still does not explain why you two are knocking at my door... although you do both look familiar and I swear I've heard the name Pinkie Pie recently." He tapped his chin with his hoof.
Pinkie piped up. "Well we came here looking for Rar..." Only to be cut off by Hoity Toity.
"Eureka! That's where I know your name from. Miss Rarity was absolutely gushing about her special somepony." Hoity Toity poked his head out of the door and gave Pinkie Pie a quick head to hoof examination. "Well, I frankly don't see what..." He stopped and looked closer at the pink pony who shuffled nervously under his intense stare. "Hmmm, well there is certainly some untapped potential here but... Well, never mind, Miss Rarity must have her reasons. So what brings you two lovely mares to my door?"
"Well, we got a letter from you, well it wasn't really for us, it was for Rarity but Rarity still isn't back home yet and your letter said something about some 'rather brutish ponies' that needed her help so we came here to find you so you could tell us who those brutish ponies were and where Rarity went, then we could go find her and bring her back." Pinkie grinned as she finished and caught her breath.
The two stallions looked at each other and the butler was the first to speak. "EEE-Weeell between the two of them the pink one certainly makes the most sense."
Hoity Toity just frowned. "You mean she never came back? She left with those ponies over a week ago... Wait, you mean you also had no idea about her leaving with those brutish ponies? But I sent a letter she wrote for you the very day she left, I specifically remember putting it on my in table and..." He turned around and noticed a white letter laying on the table inside his front hall. "Oh dear, well I intended to send it. Neihlson, why did you not inform me that I had not sent the correspondence Miss Rarity requested of me?"
"Eeeee-Well I don't know, what do you think I am, some kind of butler?"
Hoity Toity turned and trotted down the hall to the table, picked up the letter in his mouth and gave it to Pinkie. "I am afraid it is a bit late but here is Miss Rarity's correspondence."
Without a second's hesitation Pinkie ripped open the letter and began to read silently. The three ponies watched as the pink pony gasped, then giggled, then laughed, then gasped again, then fainted but not really, then jumped to her hooves and finally smiled and squealed.
Applejack and the two stallions looked at each other then back to Pinkie. "Well, what's it say sugarcube?"
"Oh, heeheeheehee. Well, she says she loves me *squeeee* and that she would be back no more than three days later than she thought..." Pinkie frowned. "Which means she should have been back at least two days ago." She held the letter in her hooves and looked worried. "Something DID happen to her!"
"Well, does it say where she went?" Applejack asked as she moved up beside Pinkie.
"She took the airship to go make a dress for somepony named Lady Amethyst." The pink pony looked to Hoity Toity. "Do you know who that is?"
Hoity Toity raised an eyebrow and looked at her. "Are you sure you're Miss Rarity's special somepony?" He sighed and muttered under his breath, "I never thought Rarity would end up with somepony who knew so little of the fashion world." He picked up a magazine that had been sitting on the table next to the letter and showed it to the two mares. On the cover was a smiling violet pegasus with pure white hair that had a black streak down one side. She was wearing an emerald covered dress so stunning that even Applejack had to admit she wouldn't mind wearing it. "She is the duchess of Prancington and the most fashionable pegasus in all of Equestria. No wonder lady Rarity refused to tell me where she was off to. Being called upon by Lady Amethyst is such a magnificent honor..." He trailed off as he dreamily looked into the sky.
Applejack cleared her throat. "Well that's all fine and dandy but ain't Prancington pretty far away? How are we gonna get there ta find Rarity?"
The butler eyed Hoity Toity as the fashionable pony was still lost in this own fashionable world. "Eeee-well, the airship won't return for another week but I'm sure Hoity wouldn't mind you both taking his bed while you wait. He will most likely be standing here for the next houuur or so. Perhaps we should prop him against the wall so he doesn't get in the way."
Pinkie Pie wasn't listening. She hopped up to Hoity Toity and looked at him. She slowly moved her muzzle forward until it was less than an inch from his.
"Err Pinkie, what are ya do.."
Suddenly Pinkie head butted him. Applejack and the butler looked on with horrified expressions on their faces as Hoity Toity stumbled and fell on his rump. "Wha... what just happened?" He said as he struggled to his hooves.
Without missing a beat Pinkie Replied "A low flying bird hit you," she smiled at him like nothing was wrong. "So how are we supposed to get to Prancington without the airship?"
The butler leaned over to Applejack and whispered "Remind me to never day dream around her."
"err yeah..." Applejack replied.
Hoity Toity finally managed to stand. He held his hoof to his forehead, rubbing the bump that Pinkie had left as he wobbled unsteadily. "A train... there's a train that will take you to Backwoods Glenn, it is about half way there." He leaned against the door way. "I'm going to have to do something about those birds." He shook his head. "You should be able to find a carriage or chariot or something to take you the rest of the way from there. I believe I shall retire now, at least until the world stops spinning." He said as he turned and stumbled back into the apartment.
"Weeellllll, okaaaay." The butler turned back to them and gave Pinkie an odd look. "You know where to go now, so unless you feel like finishing off Hoity's concussion, I shall bid you mares, a good-day." And with that he shut the door, leaving the two mares standing on the door step.
Pinkie turned and started hopping back to the street "Cmon Applejack, let's go get the balloon and get to the train station."
Applejack galloped to catch up with Pinkie and fell into a canter beside her. "Y'all sure going to Prancington is a good idea? Comin' to Canterlot was one thing but this will take days. Ya didn't even give me any chance to pack and is Gummy gonna be ok on his own?"
"Oh Gummy will be fine, the Cakes will watch over him while I'm gone and we have everything we need in the balloon." Pinkie said as she happily hopped along the road.
"But ah..." Applejack sighed, it was obvious she wasn't going to be able to talk Pinkie into going back to Ponyville. She trotted in silence next to the pink pony. The trip back to the balloon went by quickly and before she knew it they were back at the square where the balloon still sat. Pinkie Pie hopped into the basket and pulled on a cable that caused the balloon to rapidly collapse. She hopped out of the basket and started stuffing the deflating fabric into it till it sat nice and neat in the basket just on top of the boxes of cake.
"Ok, that should do it, let's go to the train station." Pinkie said as she started pushing the basket down the road, oblivious to the curious stares of onlookers. Applejack joined Pinkie in pushing the basket down the road. If she was going to get looks from all these fancy ponies then she was at least going to do something to earn those looks.
As they left the walled portion of Canterlot and approached the train station, the buildings around the street became more spread out and the shops and apartments were replaced by warehouses. The fancy upper class ponies who had been wandering the streets had long since vanished and the two mares were now surrounded by working class ponies that went about their days.
"Look, there it is." Pinkie called as she looked around the side of the basket and saw the train station. The long violet building had large arching windows at the front around the ticket booth. In front of the train station was something new, it was pink with heart shaped windows and had cars like the normal train did but it had a much sleeker appearance to it. It was like a tube that's front tapered down to the tracks, giving it a very streamlined appearance. "Ohhhhh, is that a new train? It looks fast. I don't see any places for ponies to pull it, it must be magic, how much magic power do you think it has?"
"Got me, ah ain't the pony to ask bout that." Applejack said, just happy to finally be at the train station. The sooner they found Rarity the sooner she could get back to Sweet Apple Acres.
Pinkie Pie zipped to the ticket booth, leaving Applejack to push the basket the rest of the way herself. The bored-looking ticket master jumped as the pink pony appeared before him suddenly. "Hiya, we need two tickets, well two tickets and something for my balloon, to get to Backwoods Glenn."
She waited as the ticket master caught his breath till he finally recovered and looked at her. "Err that'll be thirty bits." He said as he watched a large basket move up beside the pink pony who had suddenly occupied his vision.
Pinkie gasped. "THIRTY BITS! That's highway, I mean uhh trainway robbery!"
"Well you need space for that, err balloon, and the only train going to Backwoods Glenn for the next two days is the new express train."
Pinkie eyed the light green stallion in the booth. "What makes it so express?"
"Normally it would take three days to get to Backwoods Glenn."
"Three days!?" Applejack whimpered from behind the basket.
"But on the express, you will be there tomorrow."
"Well, tomorrow is much faster than three days from now, well I guess five days since the next train isn't for two more days. You win this round." Pinkie turned around and dove head first into the basket. The whole thing rocked as she rummaged around inside before she finally sprang out of it carrying a small coin purse. She landed next to Applejack and leaned over to her. "Psssssssst, hey Applejack, do you have any bits on you? I've only got twenty-two bits."
"If it's so much why don't we just take yer balloon there?"
"The train is sooo much faster, cmoooooon pleeeeeeeese." Pinkie shot Applejack with her biggest puppy dog eyes.
Applejack shook her head and groaned. "Fine, ah wish ya let me get mah stuff from Sweet Apple Acres before we came here." She took off her hat and reached her hoof into it, extracting eight bits. "Thats mah emergency stash so ya better pay me back when we get back to Ponyville."
"Okie Dokie Loki." Pinkie took the bits and tossed them on the counter along with all the bits in her purse. "There ya go, thirty bits for two tickets and whatever we need for the balloon."
The ticket master took the bits and pulled a switch behind him making two tickets pop out. He ripped them off and gave them to Pinkie then he rang a bell next to him. A large white earth pony mare with a long dark blue mane and tail cantered up to the window. She appeared to be as big as Applejack's brother, Big Mac.
"Hey Thistle, when the train is ready to be loaded I need you to load up this basket for these two mares." She nodded and motioned with her hoof for to the two mares to follow her then she pressed her nose under the corner of the basket and with a quick flick of her head, tossed it up into the air letting it land on her back. Once it was in place she slowly started to walk to the train.
Pinkie and Applejack trotted after her "Whoo -wee, Ah didn't think they made em this big here in Canterlot." Applejack said as she eyed the huge white mare.
"I am not from Canterlot," she said in a thick accent that neither pony could place. "I came here from Ponyvskov, it is a city far to the north," she said without facing them. Her tongue rolled around the words as if it was still uncomfortable with the pronunciation.
"Are all the ponies there as big as you are?" Pinkie asked while she hopped next to the white mare.
"Nyeht, I vas the largest mare in the city."
"What brought ya to Canterlot?"
Thistle grunted and closed her eyes. "I vanted to be where the sun shone longer."
"Ya mean closer to Princess Celestia?"
"No... yes but not in that vay, in the north it is cold and night lasts for months, I got tired of vaiting for the sun to come up so I came to the sun."
"A place where night lasts awhile. Ah'll bet Princess Luna likes it there."
"I do not think she has ever seen it. It did not always have nights that lasted months at a time. I used to hear stories of how it vas long ago, where the days and nights vere equal. Now it is just cold and dark." The white mare arched her back and the basket bounced off her back and landed on the platform.
"I know how you feel, I grew up on a rock farm, with no smiling and no happiness. So I know just what you need sister, you need a Party!" Pinkie hopped up and raised her front legs then frowned. "Arrrgh. You still need a party but I can't give you one right now, I'll give you one when I get back with Rarity."
Thistle gave her a suspicious look. "Vhy vould you throw me a party?"
"Duh, because everypony likes a party and its just the thing to help you forget about all the dark and cold of Ponyvskov." Pinkie said as she hopped up and down, grinning at the large white mare.
"A party vould be nice, but I still do not understand why you vould throw a party for a pony you just met."
"Because everypony is my friend and I LOOOOOVE to see my friends smile," she said as she hopped around Thistle.
The big white pony was at a loss for words as she stared at the strange pink bundle of energy. "T... Thank you, I shall look forward to it then, it vould be nice to do something fun besides vork."
A loud clang startled the two Ponyville mares. They watched as all the cars except for the first four passenger ones were unhooked from the train.
"The train vill be ready to leave soon, they just need to attach the cargo cars." Thistle explained.
"Ain't this a passanger train?"
"It vill be once the track is finished, for now, it is used mostly to move supplies to Backwoods Glenn. Once the track is finished, a pony shall be able to ride from Canterlot to Prancington in two days."
"Ohhhhhh thats fast."
"Yes, so vhy are you ponies going to Backwoods Glenn? Most ponies I see who go there are labor ponies. You do not look as they do." She examined them. "The orange one does look as a labor pony vould, but you do not," she finished as she looked at Pinkie.
Applejack puffed out her chest. "Nice to see somepony who recognizes a good hardworkin' pony when she sees one."
Pinkie giggled at Applejack's comment then replied to Thistle. "Well my special somepony, Rarity, went to Prancington but she was supposed to be back days ago so we're gonna go to Prancington to get her."
"Vell, I hope you find your special somepony, but now I must go. They vill need me to help attach the cargo cars, you may leave the basket here, I shall load it once the cargo cars are hitched up. I shall look forward to the party vhen you return." She said as a small smile across her lips.
Pinkie just stood there and beamed. "Ha, I knew I would get a smile from you, I just wish I could throw you that party now instead of having to wait for it, I hate waiting for a party it feels like it takes foooorever. OH heheheheh, I almost forgot, my name is Pinkie Pie and this is Applejack, well my full name is Pinkamena Diane Pie but all my friends just call me Pinkie Pie."
"You may call me Thistle Berry." Thistle said as her smile grew. "It is good to meet you both, I vish you both good fortune on your journey." Pinkie could see a happy spring in her step as Thistle trotted to a group of work ponies who had just finished unhooking the cars.
"Heeheeheehee, what a nice pony, I can't wait to throw her a 'Welcome to Canterlot' party when we get back with Rarity." Pinkie said as she trotted into a passenger car, followed closely by Applejack.
There were a few ponies who looked like they would be staying in Backwoods Glenn and one or two that might be headed for Prancington. Most of the passengers looked like worker ponies, probably going to help with the construction of the rail line, thought Applejack. They quickly found their cabin and each took a seat as they waited for the train to leave the station. They could feel the train shaking and loud clanging as the cargo cars were attached.
Pinkie Pie stood on her hind legs and looked out of the window. "Oh oh, there she is." She waved her front leg at the white pony they had just met, who trotted up to the window and waved back at them smiling. "I feel bad for her."
Applejack waved at Thistle. "How come?"
"I don't think she has any friends yet in Canterlot, did you see how happy she is now compared to how she was before we talked to her. Everypony needs friends." The pink pony said as the train jerked and started to pull away from the station. Their new friend stood on the platform and waved at them till she was just a white dot on the horizon.