//------------------------------// // Chapter the Twentieth // Story: Guide You Home // by Magical Trevor //------------------------------// “I still don’t get why somepony needs more than one house,” Moonstone grumbled, bashing his head against the desk. “Have ya ever done something ta show off, Moonstone?” Applejack asked, arching an eyebrow. “It’s the same thing. Noble ponies have more money than they know what ta do with. They’re as wasteful as a pony waterin’ a lily pad.” “But how am I supposed to know where I want to live? There’s too many options!” Moonstone complained. “Neigh, there’s not,” Luna shook her head. “Because th... you look like an alicorn, you have two choices. Either you can stay here in Canterlot-” “*cough* “Stupid idea!” *cough* Luna glared at Discord, who had decided to interrupt the conversation. Discord shrugged innocently. “Who, me? What, that, I didn’t do that! You must be hearing things!” Luna rolled her eyes as a halo appeared above Discord’s head. “Uh-huh... As we were saying, we’d like you to either stay here in Canterlot, where we can keep an eye on you, just in case of complications, or in Ponyville, with the rest of the elements.” “Pfft, as if the moron’s got a choice,” Rainbow Dash scoffed, rolling her eyes. All eyes turned to the proud pegasus, who was casually leaning against a wall, her legs crossed. Rainbow Dash smirked as she flared her wings, striking an impressive pose. “What, as if anypony else would be able to teach him how to fly! If not for him, I wouldn’t be able to prove to my best friends that being a pegasus is the best thing in the world! Besides, he still owes us the rest of a movie party!” “Nu-uh!” Milky Way protested, peaking out angrily from beneath her sister’s wing. “Moony’s gotta stay here! He maded a promise to teach me magics! And-and he still owes sissy a date!” Starlight blushed wildly as all attention in the room was focused, if only for a moment, on her. “I-it, I, that... It’s just a mock date, don’t look at me like that!” she stammered, her wings fluttering as she tried to compose herself. “That’s true,” Moonstone nodded, though the effect was lost on the table he rested upon. “I did promise...” “Why do you want Moonstone in Ponyville so badly, Discord?” Luna asked warily, her mane hiding an eye. “What, I can’t want to save somepony from a fate worse than death?” Discord asked, clutching his talons to his chest. “You wound me!” “A fate worse than death? Seriously? Discord, aren’t you being just a little melodramat-” “If I had to choose between living with the Canterlot nobility, and being a lawn ornament,” Discord deadpanned seriously, “then I’d wait in Ponyville for the elements to turn me back. The worst part of my ‘punishment’ wasn’t being stuck as a statue, not being able to do anything. The worst part was being stuck around the ‘nobles’. I wouldn’t wish that on my worst enemy! “Besides, Ponyville is much more chaotic!” Discord grinned, floating around the room. “As much as I’m sure mister... Moony, was it? As much as he said that he wants to settle down, a traveller like him would grow bored of Canterlot in days. Ponyville might be smaller, but at least something interesting is always happening there.” “But I still promised Digit Pi I’d teach Milly magic,” Moonstone pointed out. “How can I teach her if I’m in Ponyville?” .o.O.o. “Yayifications! I’ve never eber been on a train ride!” Milky Way bounced around the cabin, her eyes wide and bright, full of excitement. “Milly, you stop bouncing around this instant, you’re going to tip the car over!” her sister lectured, taking wing briefly to jump over Fluttershy as she dove for her sister. “I still can’t believe ponies made this!” Moonstone gaped, looking around the car in wonder. “What, you’ve never been on a train before?” Rainbow Dash asked, quirking an eyebrow. “No,” Moonstone admitted, staring at the electric lighting in the ceiling. “And definitely not one run on magic! How many unicorns does it take to run this thing?” While Moonstone discovered the intricacies that was the modern steam-powered engine train, Twilight looked at her checklist once more, trying to push past the distractions and rabbit holes her brain wanted to take her. “Come on, Twilight, just concentrate,” she muttered softly to herself, using her magic to carefully levitate a scroll of parchment to herself, remembering how she had accidentally made the tea set explode earlier that day when she tried to levitate it. Stupid alicorn powers... I know I wanted them secretly a few times... I mean, what filly didn’t want to be like the princess at some point? But this is- Twilight shook her head sharply, refocusing. She looked over the checklist, reading it to herself. “Let’s see... Head to Town Hall to take care of paperwork for Moonstone, and to file the new paperwork on the deed to his house. Step two, figure out where Moonstone’s house is. Step three, send Pinkie and the others ahead so they can get the ‘Welcome to Your New Home in Ponyville’ party set up. Step four, visit the Library to comfort Spike. Step five... is still a work in progress... And then step six, go to the party and enjoy!” “However did you talk your parents into letting you and Milky Way come to Ponyville all by yourselves, Darling?” Rarity questioned Starlight, curious. “Aren’t they afraid of you and Milly staying with a strange stallion in a new town? I mean, I know you’ve known him for a few days, dear, but that’s not a very long time to have known him.” Starlight flushed, glancing out the window to watch the countryside. Rarity watched as Star chewed on her cheek, deep in thought, before the purple pegasus finally answered. “W-well... Princess Luna trusted him, firstly. Secondly, he helped protect both myself and Milly when some thugs broke my wing while I was taking Milly on a griffin-back ride.” “And?” Rarity questioned, her wings fluttering a little. Rarity cursed her wings mentally for a second. She resolved to talk to Rainbow Dash as soon as possible about controlling her wings better. As a socialite, Rarity knew the importance of schooling her face, but now that she had wings, they seemed to respond where she had trained her face not to show anything. Showing excitement at the worst possible time could make certain ponies quiet themselves if they realized that they were saying too much. Luckily, Starlight was too flustered to be paying attention to Rarity’s new appendages. “... And... a lady always knows how to... deter unwanted advances.” Rarity hummed to herself for a second, before sliding up next to Starlight with a sly grin, asking softly, “And is Moonstone an unwanted advance?” Starlight blinked, shocked that Rarity would suggest at something like... that! As she struggled to retort, however, the train whistle blew, followed by a loud stallion yelling through the cars, “Next stop is Ponyville! All off who are getting off!” “Milly, be careful, you’re going to make somepony trip!” Starlight chided Milky Way, quickly winging her way to her sister, who was bouncing up and down and all around the other passengers waiting to disembark. Rarity’s wings fluttered in agitation, but the snowy mare choked down a frustrated grunt, schooling her face, as a true lady should. As she waited next to Twilight to disembark, she inquired, “So what’s the plan, Twilight?” “In short, Town Hall, get Moonstone’s paperwork, find the location of Operation Surprise, reassure Spike that everything is going to be alright, keep Moonstone distracted somehow, then head to O.S.” “Sounds simple enough,” Rarity agreed, nodding. “Though I think you’re forgetting about-” “Cutie Mark Crusader Welcoming Committee! Yay!” *KABOOOOOOM* The entire train station platform found itself engulfed in tons of confetti, plumes of billowing smoke, and the sounds of coughing and gasping for breath. ”Bernardo, no!” Pinkie dashed forward, her mane going flat as she shed a tear, holding the remains of one of her beloved party cannons. The barrel was horribly disfigured, as if it had been overstuffed, the bottom charred, and the end cracked into pieces, all of which splayed outwards like a flower. Pinkie stroked her cannon tenderly, her voice broken. “I-it’s okay, Bernardo, momma’s here... E-every-everything’s going to be alright, okay? Just, just hang in there until momma can make you better, alright? Just try to relax, and don’t... N-no, don’t go to sleep, don’t- no! Y-you can’t leave me, Bernardo! You can’t leave me! Bernardo! No!” Pinkie threw herself onto her destroyed party cannon, sobbing her heart out, only fragmented words being understood. Milly was right next to Pinkie Pie, trying to comfort her new best friend, nuzzling her. While several of the passengers were stunned that a mare would be crying over a destroyed piece of machinery, everypony else kept moving on, familiar with Pinkie’s antics, and Lyra even offered Pinkie Pie a quick hug before moving on herself. Applejack took her hat off for a moment out of respect for her friend, all of them bowing their heads, leaving behind a confused Moonstone and Starlight. Right as Moonstone opened his mouth, two spotlights appeared out of nowhere, centering on Pinkie Pie as applause and upbeat music began to play as two fashionably dressed ponies made their way onto the platform, smiling widely, carrying a large, golden statue between them. “Congratulations to a miss Pinkamena Diane Pie, for her heartbreaking performance on the passing of Bernardo the Party Cannon! Pinkie Pie, do you have anything to say to all of the ponies out there watching?” Pinkie Pie bounced to her hooves, her eyes still shimmering with tears, but she was grinning ear to ear. “Oh thank you! You don’t know what this means to me! I, I want to thank my mom and dad, for encouraging me when I got my cutie mark in partyology, and my sisters Inkie and Blinkie, for loving me when I call them silly nicknames, and my bestest best friends, for helping me when I really need it, and for M-” “And that’s all the time we have for today, folks!” the mare cut Pinkie off, somehow managing to smile and talk through her teeth at the same time. “Remember, the drawing for the book publisher sweepstakes is just next week, so submit your letters to the address below today for your chance to win 500 bits a week for the rest of your life! And now, a word from our sponsors!” As quick as a flash, the mare and stallion disappeared, leaving behind a group of confused ponies. “I... what... they... but... What just even happened?!” Moonstone exclaimed, his brain short-circuiting. Starlight let out a strangled cry as she also tried to give voice to her muddled mind, but nothing comprehensible could be made out. As she and Moonstone slowly made their way after Milly, they both came to one conclusion: life in Ponyville? It was certainly going to be an interesting and educating experience...