About ten city blocks away from the Fillidelpha's Penstable Hospital was the new(ish) B&S Penstable train-station. As a urban city station it was the terminal train station for several different major long distance train lines, as for example to Manehatten and Baltimare but also a major hub for the extensive local trolley and subway service that served the city of Fillidelpha.
“Whoa Nellie!” Applejack exclaimed “Have you ever seen such a mess of train tracks!”
“Indeed Applejack,” Rarity commented, “These Fillidelpha platforms are way too long and far too few exit ramps, they would learn a thing or two from the station in Manehatten.”
“But Rarity, don’t they call the big train station in Manehatten, Penstable as well? Isn't it the twin of this one?” Fluttershy asked in a very tiny voice. “I mean I’m sure the Mainhatten station is nice.”
“Oh but the Manhatten station just is host to so much more class, dear. All the glamorous ponies going to and through, so busy making their mark!” Rarity replied. “Sometimes I wish I spent more time in the hustle and bustle of the city that never sleeps. Don’t get me wrong girls, Fillidelphia does have its charms, but OH MY CELESITA WHAT IS THAT DEAR WEARING!”
By this point they had all made it to the street level and Rarity was pointing as a bunch of farm ponies dressed somewhat oddly, the mares in long dresses and the stallions in tight black and white work clothing, very plain. Unlike most ponies who wore clothing only for decoration, entertainment and a status symbol, these ponies dresses were way too simple and unadorned. Rarities saw the fashion not just as a ugly, but an assault on fashion.
“No no no!” She started walking towards the group, so far her outburst having gone unnoticed, “This will simply not do! I must give these dears some fashion advice, this is an emergency!”
But Rarity was stopped by a sudden attack of Pink. Pink pony to be precise. “Please Rarity! Just leave them alone, you’ll make them upset!” Pinkie Pie said with surprising earnestness. “And then they be all mopey and not smile, well actually they don’t smile that often, but still please don’t give them a reason to not smile more!”
Rarity looked around Pinkie who was trying to block her view, but after failing twice, she sighed “Yes of course dear, we're here for Twilight and Rainbow Dash, we mustn't forget our mission for the Princess., but I say, if later opportunity allows, I must give them some fashion pointers! For the good of all Equestria!” She gave the group one last dainful look and turned to join her other friends.
When Rarity had moved on, Pinkie approached the oddly dressed group and spoke to them in a strange language that sounded like a flavor of Dansk Germane with a rustic tang. One of the older stallions gave her an enthusiastic greeting, which for him meant he almost smiled. Two of the younger fillies walked up to Pinkie and playfully hugged her, but they were immediately taken away by the eldest mare, who gave Pinkie a nasty look and turned her back on the Pink Pony before walking away. The older stallion gave Pinkie a VERY subtle apologetic look and followed his wife and daughters away from the Pink Pony.
With a slightly wistful smile Pinkie whispered “That OK Uncle Harzburgite, you’re not supposed to talk to me.” Pinkie shook her mane which had got a little flat, to puff it back up and shaking off the any gloomy thoughts she bounced off to follow her friends.
They reached the street, where the midday traffic of pony drawn carts and wagons, along with the odd cow and donkey made it a scene of organized chaos.
“Spike, Sugarcube you have any idea on how to find Twilight and Rainbow in all this big city mess.” Applejack asked Spike who was sitting on her back looking side to side.
Spike made a big show to looking at a big clock on a poll then at the sun and then licking a claw finger to test the direction the wind was blowing. “If my calculations are correct, it is directly south!”
“You read that sign over there which says hospital this way, didn't you” Applejack dead panned.
Spike looked guilty but only said, “A dragon never tells”
“Oh gosh Spike! That’s great! My Pinkie sense says she is south also, but it also says that we have to get some pretzels and they are to the west, and perhaps some good cheese sandwiches but they’re too far to the south east, so we’ll have to go past Twilight to get the fried cheese sandwiches. Wait do you think we should get the pretzels then the sandwiches then go to Twilight? Or should we get Twilight and get the Pretzels? No then we need to go back past the Hospital get the sandwiches, and we need to get the sandwiches before we go to the Hospital because everyone knows the Hospital food is not a...
"Just Hold your horses Pinkie!" Applejack interrupted, "let's not bother with the small stuff, and go find Twilight before even thinking of food."
“Excuse me girls.” Whispered Fluttershy, but no one was listening.
Rarity walked to the nearest corner and held up a hoof, waving at a passing cab. “Cabby Oh Cabby!”
“What are you doing Rarity?” Applejack asked.
Rarity replied while keeping her eyes on the yellow cabs speeding by, “What does it look like dear? I’m hailing a cab.”
“It only a few blocks, it be faster to walk.”
“Excused me please, I think these fellows here are, uhh oh never mind.!” Fluttershy said again, and was again unnoticed.
Pinkie bounced over to the nearest cab and stood in front of it, grabbing the uniformed pony pulling the cab in a hug.
“Hay what’s the deal!”, the surprised cab driver asked crossly. “I already have a fair! Move it!”
Pinkie ignored the driver and called over the Rarity, “I caught a cab, but what I do with it?”
“Oh dear!” Rarity stepped in front of Pinkie, “Please let the nice driver go, Pinkie.”
She continued to apologize as the cab driver pulled his cart away grumbling about foolish pink ponies.
Meanwhile Pinkie just waved goodbye happily to the driver and his passengers. “Next time it’s be your turn to be IT.” She called to them.
“Oh girls, perhaps we just need to ask these uhhh” Fluttershy tried again.
“ATTENTION!” A stallion’s voice called out from behind the group.
Everypony turned to see a troop of royal guards stepping out from behind them. It was a company of armored Pegasus, all of them looking very tired and frazzled as if they had been up all night and would benefit from several gallons of coffee each.
“Or we could just ask them.” Fluttershy squeaked.
The leader of Pegasus guards ignored most of the mares, but walked straight to Applejack, or more precisely to Spike who was still on Applejack’s back.
“You are Sir Spike? First Assistant to the Princess Twilight Sparkle?” he asked, but it wasn't much of a question, how many dragons would be hanging around ponies in all of Equestria?
Spike coughed a bit nervously, trying to think if there was any reason he would be in trouble with the guards but could not think if any, unless it was that time with the donuts and the … oh by that was so long ago, hardly anyone in the castle would remember the great doughnut raid when Twilight was still a filly. Nervously he answered “Yes? What can I do for you sirs?”
“I’m lieutenant Sharp Wing, I have news for the Princess but other than telling us she would be in Fillydelphia, she neglected to inform us where she would be staying. Can you assist us, the matter is of some urgency.”
“But of course Lieutenant,” Rarity answered for Spike, “We are heading to meet Princess Twilight at the Hospital right now, perhaps your guards would be willing to escort us through this dreadful city traffic? We would be most grateful.” Rarity punctuated her request with some carefully timed eyelid flutters.
Sharp Wing just looked over at Rarity with tired eyes. Her efforts at flirting seemed to be completely wasted on the Pegasus, but he answered smoothly, “If it will get a message to the Princess faster, I’ll carry you over their myself.”
Turning to his troops, none of which seemed to have much energy about them, “Sargent Cool Breeze lead the Second and Third Wings, you head down to the port and get some shuteye. First Wing follow me and these ladies to the Princess.”
Applejack looked over the tired troops, and from the frown she wore she didn't like what she saw. “Lieutenant?” She asked “I seems to me you have a piece of bad news to give Twilight, What got your feathers in such a tinny?”
The Lieutenant gave the farm pony a cold look. “I’m not at liberty to talk about it, mam.”
But even as Sharp Wing was refusing to answer Applejack, in the crowd of troopers, some pony whispered, just loud enough to be heard, without giving away which pony spoke. The whisper was, “They’re all dead, the whole town’s destroyed, Coltsdale is gone.”
Sharp Wing spun around to spot the offender, but none of the exhausted Pegasus stepped forward. After a long and fruitless stare-down, he turned to the shocked mares. “Please Mams, lead the way.”
A quite string of ponies soon waded through the crowd, most of the ponies they passed unaware of the burden they carried.