Well, today certainly has been unusual!
Remember that one pony I told you about a week ago? That said I 'wouldn't understand because I was a princess?' Well, it seems more ponies in simular attire have been showing up, and set up a soap box, and a flag that I know I've seen somewhere before, but I just can't place it. A bunch of ponies were surrounding them as the one shouted an inspiring speech. "We are the down trodded masses, the pony nopony thinks about" he shouted. "We till the soil, we grow the crops, and are thoroughly ignored in our pursuit of happiness!" Oh he went on and on; about how their organization supported ponies who were tired of being ignored for not having the 'birthrights of those in Canterlot.'
I had never known just how neglected some ponies felt!
I wrote Celestia a letter, but her response was unusual to say the least. She simply said 'They're in Ponyville too? Whatever you do, don't talk to them, do not encourage them, and if they approach you, stand your ground.' I asked her what she meant but I haven't received a response yet. Still, if they want to help the down trodden, can they be so bad? I rather like their speeches!
Big Mac came by the library today. It was most unusual; as of late, I noticed him moving about Ponyville more often than he normally does, and he always seems so nervous. He just sort of came in and got his book (what he wants with a book about strange and exotic diseases I may never know; that's his business and I won't pry) but he didn't seem to be all there. He almost seemed shocked when he realized what book he had! I sure hope whatever is worrying him isn't TOO bad; a reaction like that, I imagine it must be embarrassing.
Then, I went to Sugar Cube Corner to meet Pinkie, and she was acting strange(er than usual). She was very jittery and pent up with nervous energy, and was always looking over her shoulder and out windows. When questioned as to why, she simply said she had no idea; she had a doozy Pinkie-Sense combo, and that it was bigger than anything she felt before. Weirder yet, she said it was 'persistent'; she was literally going through it near constantly. I wasn't sure if she was having Pinkie-Sense, a panic attack, or potentially a medical condition; I advised her to see a doctor, but the rest is in her hooves.
I got the strangest feeling that something is coming. These ponies, Celestia, Big Mac, Pinkie... what is going on?
Maybe I'm over thinking this. I need sleep.
From the journal of former princess, Twilight Sparkle
One month, three weeks before Ponyville incident
***
"The train for Fillydelphia leaves in thirty minutes!"
I'll admit, it was kind of surreal leaving Vanhoover. For three years, this was my home, and during that three years, so much had changed. I won't lie, I was incredibly nervous, standing on the platform, staring at the train, ready to go on to a new chapter of my life. I sighed and turned to Stock; it was odd thinking I might not see him for a while. Of course, I could probably be back within the next few days, but still, consider all possibilities.
"Well.... guess this is it, eh?" he said, smiling, though I could tell he was a bit sad. I smiled and nodded.
"Yeah... but goodbye doesn't have to be forever..." I have to admit, I didn't know if I was entirely confident it wouldn't be, but right now we both needed some positivity. "... I can't thank you enough for all that you've done for me these past few years, Stock. You've been like a father to me, and the only friend I felt I could truly trust..."
I saw a sight I had never seen before; Stock was blushing, but he smiled and made no attempt to hide it. "And you've been as a daughter to me. It was difficult for a while, but things definitely got better. And ya know what? I wouldn't trade any of it for the world." I was nearly in tears, and with no other words, I simply pulled him into a tight hug.
"Thank you..." I whispered into his ear. I don't think he minded the tears I rubbed into his neck; in fact, as I pulled away, I could swear I saw moisture in his own eyes.
"Take care of yourself, Dawn..." I saw him wince a bit as he used my alias; you never knew who was listening, after all. I smiled and nodded, and stepped onto the train. I made my way to the passenger car and took my seat, looking out the window. Stock stood there, looking at me through the window, a bit of sadness in his eyes, but an honest smile on his face. It broke my heart, really, but I really did intend to come back again if I could. Hopefully with a better Equestria in the works. As the train began it's move, he waved and brought a hoof across his eyes. I made sure to wave back, and we watched each other as the train departed, until we could not see one another anymore.
As I watched the station disappear, I felt a weight on my heart. I was leaving the only home I had known for three years. I was leaving the only friend I had for three years. I was venturing into unknown, hostile territory where a stray gust of wind could expose me and make me national enemy number one. But the more I thought of it, the more I remembered what I was doing this for; my friends, my family, every pony who has lost a loved one in the name of progress. I wasn't doing this for me... I was doing this because it had to be done. And so help me, I was going to do it, or I was going to die trying.
The trip was going to take a while, so I reached into my saddlebag and fished around for a book, pulling out none other than the latest in a popular series; 'The Adventures of Keen Eye'. It was a very fascinating story about a pony and her sidekick who went on various adventures, solving crimes, and saving the day. While I genuinely loved the story, sometimes it brought me some sense of nostalgia.
And so, I read from where I had left off the previous day.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
When Keen Eye awoke, she found herself in a cavern, and her body racked with pain. She glanced around to find herself alone, surrounded by bones. Where was she? She looked up to find a hole in the ceiling; she had likely been thrown down, which would explain her soreness. She moved around and examined herself, determining that nothing was broken, though she might have bruised a rib. Steadily, she got to her hooves and moved around a bit to work out the aches and pains, as well as get a better understanding of where she was. For all intents and purposes, it seemed the only way out of the cavern was up. Keen Eye began to search around for something, anything she could use. Lots of bones, a few ragged bits of clothing, some rocks... nothing that seemed useful. Best she could do is tie some clothes to a rock and throw it up, but if she could throw it, she doubted it would serve as a good weight to climb.
She was trapped.
"Great" she said to nopony. "I'm trapped here, and a fraud is going to murder my brother for money. Way to go, Keen Eye." She slumped to her stomach and sighed. She had never felt so alone, so lost before in her life. Her friend didn't believe her, her brother didn't believe her... for once in her life, she felt as though she may have been beat. She had even doubted herself! If there was one thing she had always said was to never doubt yourself.
And now, she was going to die in a hole.
It was then she heard something. It was muffled, but it was there. A noise. Keen Eye got to her hooves and held her ear out, listening, trying to figure out what that sound was. She trotted towards a wall and placed her ear against it, and heard it.
Water.
"Is it possible...?"
She looked around the cavern a bit for something to use, finding a rock she could carry with her hooves. Holding it up, she looked towards the wall and focused. She readied herself and then, with all her might, threw the rock. It slammed into the wall, and cracked it.
And made a hole.
It was a small hole, just big enough she could peek through it. Keen Eye looked through the little hole, and her spirits lifted at what she saw; a stream. Another cavern, with water bubbling through it. Chances were, that water was going, or coming from, somewhere. Either way, it was leagues better than her current situation. Picking up the rock, she began to strike against the hole, trying to chip away the wall; much to her surprise, it broke away easier than she thought it would (not that it was an easy task) and soon enough, she had gotten the hole big enough she could fit through. Dropping the rock, she pushed her head through, then her hooves, and yanked herself through the hole, landing on solid ground next to a stream. She looked both ways, to find that down the tunnel there was a hint of light. And so, she ran as fast as she could, as fast as her legs would take her.
She had a wedding to crash.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
My thoughts were interrupted when the train began screeching. It was then that I turned my attention out the window to find that it was stopping. "Well that's peculiar..." I thought out loud. It was then that I saw something that made my heart sink into my stomach.
Auto Carriages.
"Oh no..."
Ponies were wandering about the train. Several wore masks that covered everything but their mouths and eyes; goggles that covered said eyes, and uniforms with armored torsos that covered all but their hooves. Several had swords, but two or three of them had a more dangerous weapon: Battle Saddles. One of the ponies began to give orders, pointing his hooves, and the ponies made their ways to various points of the train.
"Nonono, this can't be happening..." I muttered to myself in a panic. Had I been found out? How would that be possible? Nopony knew my identity but Stock. Was there even a reason to be afraid? I took a deep breath and calmed myself. For all I knew, they were simply abusing power to get some bigwig onto the train. That was reasonable, right?
And so, I waited. I waited for who knows how long. Eventually, there was a knock on the door to my little closet-sized room. Fearfully, I opened the door, and was greeted by three ponies; two of them in the usual uniforms, and one wearing a uniform that seemed to place him in a higher rank. He simply smiled an almost kindly smile.
"May I step in?"
I simply nodded, trying to mask my nervousness; likely failing. As he stepped inside, he never let his eyes off of me, as if sizing me up, looking for a weakness... I don't know. Then he spoke. "I do apologize for the interruption of your train ride, but we have reason to believe there maybe a fugitive on this very train." I felt myself tense up. "This fugitive is very dangerous, is wanted for acts of murder, treason, and one count of jaywalking." He reached into his saddlebag, and I felt my muscles tense for a moment, until he pulled from it a photo, and passed it to me. I took hold of it and looked at the photo to see a familiar mare staring back at me. The black and white photo made it difficult to tell any color, but I noticed a few things; first, she was a pegasus, was dressed in combat fatigues and a barrette. The right side of her face seemed slightly warped, as if she had gotten a burn or something, but it wasn't grossly misshapen.
"Have you seen this mare?"
I shook my head slowly. "I... I'm afraid not..."
He once again looked at me, considering me. "You do understand that lying to an officer of the Empire is a crime punishable by imprisonment?"
I gulped and nodded, sweating a bit. He continued to stare and nodded. "Very well. Have you seen any other potentially suspicious ponies? Perhaps wearing unusual clothes or marks?" Once more, I shook my head, and he gave a nod. "Thank you for your time ma'am." With that, he turned and made his way to the door, and closed it behind him. I heard the group move away from my room, and collapsed to my stomach. That had to have been the single most terrifying moment of my life.
After what seemed like maybe an hour, the ponies finally climbed off the train, and it began to move forward. All the tension I had felt the whole time melted away as I watched the auto carriages disappear over the hills. Twilight sighed and lay in her bed, deciding she was much too emotionally exhausted to stay awake. A nap would do her good. She fixed her wig atop her head, making sure it was well in place, just in case they got stopped again. After all, it wasn't a short trip to get from Vanhoover to Fillydelphia!
Plus, if she was potentially going to suffer that again, she would rather be a little rested up. It was a long way to Fillydelphia.
***
Ponies milled about in the train station, searching out loved ones, food stands, and more at their recent stop. I always felt so odd in public, knowing that I could be the only none earth pony in any group. Fortunately, I never really felt odd wearing clothes to cover my body; it had become popular among the masses to wear clothes, supposedly a statement made to 'separate the new, industrious empire from the primitive ways of old Equestria', though I sometimes wondered it if was orchestrated somehow to give those who would be persecuted some chance of hiding in plain sight. I was rather fond of the sweater vest I wore, to be honest; it had gotten me through some tough (and occasionally chilly) times!
As I made my way away from the train station, I took a moment to take in the sights of Phillydelphia. It was just as much a city as Manehattan, but the view of ponies' homes built on hills gave it it's own charm. "Well... I guess there's no time like the present..." I reached into my saddlebag and pulled from it a small piece of paper, and unfolded. Within minutes, I found myself on a strange hunt; trying to find certain buildings, signs, anything. Once or twice, I had to stop for directions, and in one point I honestly thought I was hopelessly lost, but eventually, I managed to find the place I was looking for. I looked to the sign above the door of the small building, curious, a little worried that I may have found the wrong place...
"Pastry Parade?"
Not really an ideal place to find information. I stepped forward slowly, eying the building up and down. Certainly, it seemed bright in color, but nothing to write home about. I placed a hoof to the door and pressed it open, the sound of a bell jingling to announce that somepony was there.
"I'll be in just a minute!"
As I made my way into the building, I glanced around, a strange feeling of nostalgia hitting me. Something about this place was familiar... it wasn't just the smell, or the decor... wait... it was...
"How can I help you?"
It was then that I turned to the pony who addressed me as he stepped out from the back room. A lanky, yellow stallion with an orange mane and a bit of stubble stared back at me, wearing a small hat and an apron. He froze a bit as he stared, squinting. "... It... can't be..."
I gulped. I knew this stallion. It all made sense now. Kind of. "I-I... I dream fondly of home?"
The stallion continued to stare at me, trotting around the counter to get close to me, putting his hooves on my shoulders and staring at me, looking me over; not in a predatory way, but in that kind of way that told me he was not sure I was real. He seemed to eye my mane most; I was wearing a hat and a wig, of course, to cover my horn. "C...can you... lift your hat just a bit...?" I placed a hoof under her hat and pressing it up slowly; from a small hole in the rim, my horn slid free. The stallion's jaw dropped, and once he had what he needed, I gently pushed said horn back into it's hiding place.
"Oh my goodness... Tw... Twilight Sparkle?"
"Carrot Cake...?"
He shook his head, and suddenly his shocked expression shifted to utter excitement. He leaped forward and grabbed me in a hug, and spoke in what was at once a whisper and excited shouting. "HAHA! Oh it, it really is you! I can't believe-- they said you-- but here you are! You're alive! You're..."
I think he must have noticed my tension. Or maybe something else. He pulled away, staring at me, a bit shocked. He shook his head. "... I... didn't you-"
"Yes..." I said, suddenly very self conscious.
Carrot Cake continued to look at me, as if seeing an entirely new pony, leaning to the side, biting his lip. "Oh my... then... what the reports said was true..." He cleared his throat, shaking his head. "I... I'm sorry to hear about that..." But, as quickly as it had faded, his smile returned. "But... but you're alive! That's all that matters right now! You have to tell--OH! Pinkie! Pinkie will want to know!"
Suddenly, all the tension vanished, and I smiled as big as I could. "Pinkie? You know where she is?"
"Yeah!" He nodded. "She lives nearby... I can give you instructions to get to her place and--" He stopped. "Wait... did you utter 'I dream fondly of home?" I nodded a bit, raising a brow... was it really so odd to hear? Carrot stared at me a moment, apprehension clear in his expression. "... You.... you do know what that means right...?"
"No..." What was going on here? "I was just told to tell it to you, and that the rest was up to me." Carrot, for a moment, seemed torn. It was just then that something dawned on me, and I leaned to the side, looking behind him. "I... I hope I'm not touching a sore subject by asking but... where are Cup Cake and the twins...?"
Carrot blinked. "Oh? Oh! Yes, Cup Cake... uh..." He seemed to space a bit. "Cup Cake... is in the kitchen. We're baking a cake, and somepony has to make sure it's fine. The twins are with Pinkie..." Carrot smiled a bit. "She promised she would do everything in her power to take care of those two... hide them, transport them, everything... it's really the nicest thing I think anypony has ever done for us..."
I couldn't help but smile. Leave it to Pinkie Pie to be so kindly. "Anyway... if you want to catch Pinkie Pie, I suggest going to her place as soon as you can. She occasionally tends to disappear, sometimes for days at a time, so yeah..."
"Oh! I will, thanks Carrot!" He took a small piece of paper from his apron and wrote some directions on it (more exploration, yay) and handed it to me.
"Take this note... when the pony answers the door, and tell him you're not a Party Pooper." With that, I nodded in thanks, and I turned and was about ready to leave. "Twilight?" I turned to see Carrot looking at me with a sad smile on his face. "... Remember.... times have changed a lot of us.... some in more subtle ways than others..." His smile turned into a frown. "... Please... remember... so that whatever you learn... you hopefully won't let it break your spirit..." More cryptic statements? Just what was I going to find? Did I really want to know? No, one way or another, I was going through with this.
"I'll remember..."
I made my way out of the bakery, my heart at once lifted and at the same time on edge.
I wasn't there to see Carrot's features sag as he returned to his kitchen to kitchen and spoke to his wife, telling her how much he loves her.
How much he misses her.
And placed a loving, sad kiss on a photo sitting on a counter.
***
I had followed the directions correctly, far as I had known, but there was something unusual about where it lead me. Before me was a hill, and on that hill was a mansion. Did Pinkie Pie know somepony wealthy? I guess if you needed friends in these times, somepony with a fortune might help. Still, I hoped she wasn't using the poor ponies involved just for money. Oh, who am I kidding; Pinkie would never do that. Even if the money was a goal, she truly wants to make friends with the world.
I made my way up the hill, and gently knocked on the door. It wasn't very effective. It was then that I noticed a doorbell on the side. Reaching, I pressed into it with my hoof; a rather cheery tune responded. What a weird doorbell. Slowly, the door opened, and standing before me was a stallion wearing a suit, with a curious, if indifferent expression on his face.
"Uhm... excuse me... I'm... oh! I'm not a party pooper!"
The pony blinked and sighed. "Right this way." He stepped aside and beckoned me in; I made sure to oblige, and stepped into the house. It was rather impressive; whoever owned this house had to have quite a bit of money. The stallion before me, grey in color with a sleeked back white mane and a cutie mark of a teacup, lead me down a hall; the walls had various paintings on them, all of which were colorful, definitely a focus on abstract art. Eventually, we reached a pair of double doors. "If madam would wait right here?" I nodded, and he opened the doors and stepped inside, shutting the door behind him. I heard voices from the other side, but it was much too muffled to make out any words. After a bit, there was suddenly a lot of noise, like moving or hoof stomps. After a bit of silence, the door opened, and the butler returned. "Please step inside... and... if you have any heart conditions... we shall pay for any medical requirements you need as a result." He stepped aside and beckoned me in.
I entered the room to see a large... play room? There was a large, plush, pink couch in the center, before it being a large screen for a projector. Nearby, there was a table with various crayons and coloring books, and in one corner, there was a basket full of balls, among other children's toys. Something was off here. I made my way forward, looking around this oddly colorful room.
And then, a familiar pink form popped out of no where, accompanied by two young foals, all three shouting in unison.
"SURPRISE!"
TO BE CONTINUED...