"Stupid... Stairs... Rainbow! You were supposed to climb the stairs with me, not fly above them!" Eldon shouted. He reached the top of the stone stairs, only to find that Rainbow was waiting for him.
"Oops, I guess that must have slipped my mind." Rainbow smiled deviously. "But I have to tell you something Eldon. Why else would I have waited for you?"
"And what- in the world- would that be?" Eldon asked between breaths. Climbing those stairs as fast as he could had really taken its toll on him.
"Oh nothing much..." Rainbow said and she crouched low to the ground. Eldon raised an eyebrow, curious as to what she was doing. "It's just that I want to see the look on your face as I do this!" Rainbow Dash suddenly launched herself off the ground, causing Eldon's mane to blow into his face as she flew away. She looked back at him and laughed. "See you at the finish line!"
Eldon brushed his mane out of his eyes and watched in disbelief as Rainbow Dash disappeared into the depths of the forest. Twilight and the others arrived at the top of the stairs shortly after.
"What in the world are ya waitin for Eldon? You ain't gonna let Rainbow win that easily are ya?" Applejack asked.
Eldon shook his head. "Of course not! I might not win this race, but that doesn't mean I won't try!" He began to gallop after Rainbow, but he had only taken a few steps when he tripped and fell flat on his face. Ouch... I really need to practice using this form... that was just embarrassing.
Eldon suddenly felt himself be lifted off the ground and onto his hooves. Pinkie Pie bounced into view shortly after. "You can't beat Rainbow on the ground silly! Now get out there and show her whatever it is that you're made of!"
"You're right Pinkie, but I just need to do one little thing first..." Eldon said. He dug his hoof into the dirt and wiped it on his face, just underneath both of his eyes. "Now I'm ready. I'll see you on the the other side everyone!" Pinkie and the others watched as Eldon galloped off after Rainbow Dash, disappearing into the depths of the forest as well.
"Do you think he has a chance to win Twilight?" Spike asked
Twilight shook her head. "Rainbow Dash is one of the fastest fliers that we all know Spike! I highly doubt Eldon will be able to beat her or even catch up to her, just look at the way he gallops!"
"Yeah I guess," Spike replied and he laid down on her back. "But you never know Twilight, you never know."
"Pardon me Spike for interrupting your conversation about Rainbow's and Eldon's little... ahem... race, but shouldn't we be making our way to the train station?" Rarity asked. "We've been standing here for a few minutes and I do not, I repeat, DO NOT want to be caught in the Everfree after dark."
"I agree with Rarity," Fluttershy said. "From personal experiences, the Everfree can seriously harm somepony." Suddenly, they heard a howl in the distance, causing Fluttershy to jump and hide behind Applejack.
"I think it's time we get going everypony, that timberwolf howl sounded awfully close," Twilight said. "Eldon and Rainbow better not have gotten themselves into trouble, it would be terrible if something happened to them!" She trotted into the depths of the forest, followed by the others and a trembling Fluttershy.
Deeper in the forest, Eldon was finally able to make out the faint form of Rainbow Dash. She dodged trees and low-lying branches that blocked her path with ease. The trees can't even slow her down and I'm still not moving fast enough! Come on Eldon! Faster! Faster! he thought.
Rainbow turned her head to look behind her, only to see that Eldon was catching up to her. She simply laughed at his effort. "Wow Eldon! Even Granny Smith can move faster than you! You never stood a chance Eldon! I'm the fastest flier out—" She squinted her eyes to see that Eldon had begun to wave his hoof. "What is he doing? Ah whatever, I'm going to win!" She looked ahead of her, only to see in time a tree that blocked her path and her face quickly turned pale. "Oh no—"
Eldon watched as Rainbow crashed into the tree and he shook his head. I tried to warn her... better see if she's okay and,— Oh no, this is not good! Not good! he thought. Up ahead, a timberwolf was slowly prowling towards a dazed Rainbow. I'll never make it in time, not at this speed! "Rainbow! Timberwolf!"
The timberwolf slowly approached Rainbow and sniffed her before he sat down and howled, calling for the rest of his pack.
"Ouch... Never turn around in a race Rainbow," Rainbow mumbled to herself. As her vision came back into focus, she saw the timberwolf standing over her, its teeth bared as saliva dripped from its mouth. "Woah! Hehe... Easy there big fella, I don't want any trouble now, but..." She suddenly kicked the timberwolf in its jaw with her rear legs, causing it to reel back in surprise as its jaw flew off. "...No wolf is going to eat me that easily!"
Rainbow quickly rolled over and stood up, only to discover that the rest of the timberwolves had appeared and were slowly circling her. "Ha! If you haven't noticed already, I'm a Pegasus! You can't get me!" she shouted. She tried to flap her wings, only to have a sharp pain shoot through one of them and she clenched her teeth. "But... a grounded Pegasus can't get away! Help!"
Come on come on! Eldon thought. We never should have left the others behind... this is my fault for challenging her, but I won't let anything happen to her! I won't! As Eldon continued to gallop, he felt himself increasing in speed. Hey, I think I'll actually be able to make it in time! He looked down at his hooves to see they were glowing white, and he continued to steadily increase in speed. "Woah, woah! Rainbow! Move out of the way!"
Rainbow Dash and the timberwolves turned their heads to see Eldon barreling towards them. The timberwolves turned to face this new threat and possible meal.
"Eldon? What are you doing!?" Rainbow Dash shouted and she stepped to the side as Eldon crashed into the timberwolves, sending various parts everywhere. Rainbow was showered with a couple of pieces and she watched as Eldon continued through the forest. "Holy hay... how is he doing that?"
A timberwolf who was smart enough to avoid Eldon slowly rose behind her, ready to strike when a magenta-coloured beam blasted into its chest, causing it to explode shortly after.
"Rainbow! Are you okay?" Twilight asked as she and the others galloped over to her.
Rainbow Dash tried to stretch her right wing, only to have pain shoot through it again. "No... but I would have probably been in a much worse condition if Eldon and you guys didn't come along when you did."
"So that was the timberwolf we heard howl..." Fluttershy whispered as she watched the pieces of it roll across the ground.
Applejack did a quick head count, only to find that one of them was missing. "Hey y'all, where's Eldon?"
Rainbow Dash pointed at the broken branches and hoof prints leading away from them. "He went some sort of crazy speed, but I don't think he can slow down. His hooves were glowing white though when I saw him."
"Oh no... his magic... this is like dealing with a Unicorn foal," Twilight muttered. "Come on everypony... these timberwolves won't stay apart for long, but first, come over here Rainbow."
Rainbow Dash walked over to Twilight and Twilight began to levitate her right wing. "Ouch! Careful there Twilight! My wings are pretty delicate ya know!" Rainbow yelped.
"Sorry! Sorry! It's just that now is the perfect time for me to try using this spell," Twilight said. "Just stay still." Her horn began to spark gold as she channelled the spell and they watched as it enveloped Rainbow's wing, swirling around it until it disappeared.
Twilight ceased levitating Rainbow's wing and she stretched it, expecting it to hurt but felt nothing. "Hey... my wing's all better! How did you do that Twilight?" she asked "Since when did you become a nurse?"
"It's nothing really Rainbow, just a bit of Alicorn magic that I've been practicing," Twilight replied. "Even though I've been an Alicorn for a while, there is still so much to learn about their magic. Now let's catch up to Eldon!" She trotted over to where Eldon had left his hoofprints and galloped down the trail after him, followed by the others and a very happy Rainbow Dash.
Meanwhile, Eldon had dug his hooves into the ground, trying to slow himself but to no avail, leaving small trenches behind him. "AHH! Slow down, slow down!" he shouted. Eldon tried to block off the source like he did yesterday but found himself unable to. Up ahead, he saw a shadowy figure about to walk into his path. "Hey! HEY! Watch out!"
The figure stopped at once and Eldon sighed in relief. "Thank goodness! I didn't want to run into anything else—" he was interrupted as the figure stuck out a leg, tripping him and sending him sprawling across the ground. The glow on his hooves faded as the figure approached him.
"Ow... Hey! You didn't have to do that you know," he said and rolled over, only to be greeted by two glowing amber eyes staring down at him. "B- but I appreciate it, whoever you are." He gulped and slowly began to back up when the figure chuckled.
"Ho ho! Have no fear my Unicorn friend, for I just saved you from your end," the figure said.
"My what?" Eldon asked and he slowly stood up. "Sorry, but what do you mean by—" The figure pointed a hoof behind him and he turned around to see a cliff that he could have ran off. "Oh, that's what you meant. Well, thanks I guess, but who are you?"
He turned around to face the figure and he thought he could make out a smile underneath its hood. "A witch of sorts they use to call me, but follow me and you'll soon shall see," the stranger replied.
Eldon looked past her where he came from, hoping to see any sign of his friends, but they were nowhere to be found. "Uh... sure I guess, you did save my life after all. Lead the way."
The figure began to walk away and Eldon followed at a distance, leaving deep hoofprints in the soft ground as to let the others know where he went. "Hurry along now for it is almost night, most creatures in this place aren't a pretty sight!" the figure called out to him.
"Yes I know," Eldon replied. "Don't worry, I'm right behind you." Please be here soon guys, this stranger is giving me the creeps!
Eldon continued to follow the stranger through the forest, although he was still a bit hesitant. She was right though, the forest would get darker much earlier on the inside than near the outside. He was fortunate that he could still see his own hooves in front of him.
"Here we are," the stranger said. "Please do not leave the door ajar."
"Will do," Eldon replied. He looked past the stranger to see a tree that stood out from the rest. It had windows carved out of it and a solid wooden door on the front. Various bottles hung from the branches and what looked to Eldon like tiki masks decorated the front. Huh, it kind of looks... witchdoctory. That's neat, and rather intimidating at the same time.
The stranger unlocked the door and pushed it open, going inside shortly after. Eldon followed suit and made sure to close the door behind him. The inside of the tree was even stranger than the outside. Bottles littered the shelves and among them were strange plants and spices that Eldon had never seen before in his life. Plenty more tiki masks decorated the walls, but what worried him the most was the bubbling cauldron in the middle.
"Er, nice place you have here miss, but can you tell me who you are?" Eldon asked. The stranger took off her cloak and hung it on a nearby rack before turning to face him. Eldon's eyes widened as he suddenly recognized the face. "Y- you! I know you!"
The zebra laughed and smiled at him. "Zecora is the name, sorry if I scared you for that was not my aim."
"It's not you who should be sorry," Eldon replied. "If anyone, it should be me! I almost trampled you like I did with the timberwolves! Look, I even still have pieces of them in my hair!" He quickly brushed away a few twigs and leaves that were still stuck in his mane and they clattered to the floor.
"It is alright young one, I'm glad there are two of us rather than none," Zecora replied.
Suddenly a loud knocking was heard on the door, soon followed by the voice of who it was. "Hellllooooo! Zecora! It's Pinkie!" Pinkie shouted. "Can I come in for a teeny tiny moment?"
Zecora turned her head from the door back to Eldon. "I will be right back, this one sure does love to yak!" Eldon watched her go to open the door and as soon as she did so, Pinkie bounced in and tackled Eldon to the ground.
"Eldon! You're still alive!" she squeeled with delight. "We thought something terrible had happened to you!" The others filed in shortly after and Zecora closed the door behind them.
"That was quite the scare ya gave us," Applejack said. "Just what in the hay happened to ya?"
Eldon rubbed his head with his hoof. "I think... I think my magic went into overdrive again. Not as much as last time, but I was unable to stop it." He turned to face Rainbow Dash. "But are you okay Rainbow? I hope the timberwolves didn't harm you."
Rainbow Dash shook her head. "Nope! You somehow just obliterated them by simply running into them! I bet that must have been pretty painful though."
"You got that right," Eldon replied. "I'm still finding pieces of them in my hair, but luckily Zecora here saved me from going over a cliff afterwards by... well... tripping me."
"Thank goodness Zecora was there then Eldon. You could have killed yourself because of your lack of control over your magical abilities," Twilight said. Eldon was able to sense worry in her voice. In other words, he had successfully made her upset. Again.
"Listen Twilight... I'm sorry, but Rainbow Dash could have been killed! I didn't know how else I would have reached her in time..." Eldon mumbled.
"Woah, now everypony just settle down," Rainbow said. "Twilight, Eldon saved me and that's that. Can we move on please?"
"Perhaps you're right Rainbow," Twilight replied. "But that still doesn't excuse the fact that Eldon could have seriously harmed you in the process as well!"
Eldon was becoming frustrated now. "Listen Twilight. Unlike you and every other Alicorn and Unicorn in Equestria, I wasn't BORN LIKE THIS! I'm a HUMAN! I come from a place where magic is NOT SUPPOSED TO EXIST! What... what else was I supposed to do?" He hung his head afterwards, his burst of anger subsiding. "I'm sorry..."
The room had gone deathly quiet. Twilight opened her mouth to reply but then thought better of it, realizing that she or the others didn't really know that much about him still. Fluttershy walked over to Eldon and put a hoof on his shoulder, causing the muscles there to relax.
"It's okay Eldon," Fluttershy said. "We get into fights all the time, and in this case, Twilight was just worried about yours and Rainbow's safety. Just breathe in, breathe out, and relax."
Eldon did as he was told and felt a bit better afterwards. Twilight did the same before she finally came up with a response. "I'm sorry Eldon. I spoke out of turn. Celestia would be very disappointed with me right now. I never realized... I... I had assumed that magic was a natural ability of yours... is it true that there isn't any magic where you are from?"
Eldon slowly nodded his head. "Yes Twilight, it's true. We don't have levitation or conjuration spells. All we could do was just pretend and dream, like in the legends we were told. But actually getting to use it and experience it... it's just not natural to me."
"I believe Eldon here needs some help with his trouble, plus I do not want to see my home turned to rubble," Zecora said and she turned to face Eldon. "Control over your magic you must earn, a teacher perhaps can help you learn."
Eldon's face suddenly lit up. "I think you're right Zecora, a teacher is exactly what I need! What do you think Twilight?"
"Yes... I believe so too. But who would teach you? I think we should consult Celestia about this when we get back," Twilight replied.
"Speaking of getting back," Applejack said. "We are running out of time to catch the train! If we don't leave now we won't be able to get back til tomorrow!"
"Oh dear, Applejack is right!" Rarity said and she lifted her hoof to look at her watch, only to remember that she never brought one. "Drat! I forgot my watch back at home! Well it was nice to stop by Zecora, but we all best be off now. Ta ta! Come along now everypony! Let's get moving! Up and at em'!"
Zecora smiled as the group made their way out her front door. Spike turned around on Twilight's back to wave goodbye. "See ya later Zecora! I'll probably be stopping by later this week to get my—" He stopped himself from speaking, almost having revealed his plan and just continued to wave goodbye in silence.
Eldon was the last one out and he stopped for a moment. "Thank you for your hospitality Zecora. I hope we'll meet again someday, and thank you again for saving my life."
"Do not leave just yet, there is something I have you may want I bet," Zecora replied. She went into her room and retrieved a brown linen bag that held something in it. She brought it to the door and dropped it at his hooves.
"What is it?" Eldon asked, but Zecora merely nodded towards it, indicating that he should open it up. Eldon did so and looked inside the bag, only to see something he thought he would never see again. "My old clothes! Zecora, where did you find these?"
"Deep in the forest while doing my chores, a label on it said it was yours," Zecora answered. Eldon continued to look at the clothing, noticing how damp and dirty they were before putting the bag into the satchel of holding on his back. Once again, the satchel didn't get heavier, just like when he put the chest in there.
"Thanks again Zecora, see you around!" Eldon said.
"Stop by again Eldon my friend, for I know that this isn't the end," Zecora replied and she gently closed the door behind Eldon as he walked away. Zecora watched the group disappear into the darkness through her window and she sighed. "Curious as Eldon may be, he is dangerous to everypony." She then drew the curtains and returned to the cauldron where she was busy brewing Spike's special potion.
Thankfully, Zecora's home wasn't too far from the edge of the Everfree Forest and the group made it out just as the sun dipped beneath the horizon. The moon slowly began to rise and it bathed the land in its white glow.
"Yeehaw! We made it out just in time!" Applejack shouted.
"Yes, but the last train will be leaving any minute now!" Rarity cried. "Come on everypony!"
Twilight quickly looked at Rainbow Dash. "Rainbow! Fly ahead and see if you can get them to delay their departure! Or else we'll just have to spend the night Ponyville, which isn't bad, it would just delay our news."
"I'm on it Twi!" Rainbow replied and flew on ahead towards the train station.
"Hey Twilight, why can't we just send a letter to Celestia? Or better yet, communicate with her via telepathy like you can with me?" Eldon asked.
Twilight shook her head. "For your first question Eldon, sending a letter is out of the question, considering that it took Celestia's letter to appear to us three hours later then intended. As for your second question... let's just say that for now, you're the only one I can communicate with. I've never been able to do it before until you came along. It's the strangest thing."
Oh, so you can't do it with anyone else? At all? Eldon asked her with his thoughts.
Yes, Twilight replied with her own thoughts. Like I said, it's the strangest thing to happen. I'm not even sure Luna and Celestia can do it, unless they are somehow linked like we are.
Huh, that's really strange. Perhaps we'll figure out how and why it happened, Eldon replied and he felt Twilight cut off the connection.
"Perhaps," Twilight said out loud. "Come on everypony! Let's see if Rainbow was able to stop the train."
They all galloped towards the station as fast as they could, each of them making sure that none of them fell behind. Spike clung to Twilight for dear life as he bounced up and down due to their speed. When they arrived there though, there unfortunately wasn't a train to be found, only Rainbow Dash who sat on one of the benches waiting for them to show up.
"Rainbow! W- where is the- the train?" Twilight asked between breaths.
Rainbow stood up and walked over to them. "The train apparently left an hour ago, so it most likely left while we were heading back to Ponyville from the Tree of Harmony. I'm really sorry Twilight, but I guess we'll be spending the night in Ponyville after all."
The group stood there in silence for a minute, waiting for their breathing to return to normal until Rarity spoke. "Well, since we're staying the night, this will give me the perfect opportunity to check up on Sweetie Belle," she said. "As well as get myself cleaned up for when we do leave tomorrow. I feel so... grungy."
"And ah can return to Sweet Apple Acres to see how mah family is doing," Applejack said. "And ah can enjoy the night in mah own bed of course, not that there is anythin wrong with Canterlot's beds though."
"Oh... I wonder how Discord and Angel are doing," Fluttershy whispered. "They've been having a really hard time getting along lately... I don't know why."
"Well, see you in the morning then everypony," Rainbow said and yawned. "Goodnight!" She flew off towards her home, only to just land on a nearby cloud. "Eh, that's far enough." She collapsed and quickly fell asleep.
"Ooo! Eldon! I just realized that you don't have anywhere to sleep!" Pinkie giggled. "Would you like to come and stay at Sugarcube with me? It'll be lots of fun!"
Eldon ran the scenario in his mind again over and over. He knew that Mr. and Mrs. Cake just had two foals recently. Mix Pinkie in there and... he stopped thinking about it and quickly shook his head. "Sorry Pinkie, maybe next time though." He saw that Pinkie had a look of disappointment on her face and he quickly followed up with something he knew that he was probably going to regret. "But I promise that I will next time. I'll even show you that I mean it."
I can't believe I'm about to do this... Eldon thought and he sighed. "Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye." He even performed the actions as he did so and Pinkie's face of disappointment was replaced by that of a huge smile.
"Okie dokie lokie! Remember Twilight, I still have those parties to throw," Pinkie said and she bounced away whistling a familiar tune. "Goodnight everypony!"
"I should be off as well," Rarity said. "Sleep well everypony." Rarity then trotted away and Applejack yawned.
"See y'all in the mornin," Applejack said and she too left the group, heading for Sweet Apple Acres which was actually quite the lengthy walk from where they were standing.
"Goodnight everypony," Fluttershy whispered and she began to walk away.
"Wait Fluttershy! Let me walk you back to your home," Twilight said.
"Oh, you really don't have to Twilight, I'll be okay," Fluttershy replied.
"I insist Fluttershy, after all you do live pretty close to the Everfree," Twilight said and she turned to face Eldon. "What about you Eldon? Will you be sleeping at my home tonight?"
Eldon quickly shook his head. "Thanks, but no thanks Twilight. I think I'll find a spot in one of the fields to sleep in. It'll allow me some time to think and reflect in peace."
"Alright then, I can't make your decision, so I guess we'll just see you in the morning then," Twilight said. "Goodnight Eldon. Spike would say goodnight too but he kind of fell asleep a few minutes ago."
Twilight and Fluttershy both walked away into the darkness, leaving Eldon standing alone underneath one of the train station's lights. What a day... Eldon thought. I thought that I would be able to get along with most of them right away, but I guess gaining their true trust is going to take some time, especially with Twilight since she's so concerned about my abilities, known and unknown. He sighed and began to walk away towards Ponyville's outskirts.
It wasn't long until he was in the surrounding fields and he quickly found a spot to make himself comfortable in. He stared at the moon and watched as it continued to rise, but what awed him the most were the stars. Thousands upon thousands of stars sparkled in the night, plenty more than what he was usually able to see back on Earth. A warm late night wind blew across the field, pushing the clouds across the sky and warming Eldon from his head to his hooves. What a wonderful evening, he thought. I wonder what tomorrow will bring...
Eldon felt his eyelids slowly become heavier and heavier until he finally closed them. After a few minutes he had already fallen into a deep slumber. It would be his last restful sleep for the many days to come.
"Where do ya reckon he's from?" a voice asked.
"Well he's definitely not from Ponyville, we would have seen a Unicorn like this before," another voice replied.
"Hey! Do you think there's a cutie mark for finding other ponies? We could be search and rescue ponies!" a third voice suggested.
"Quiet Scootaloo! Ya don't wanna wake the feller do ya?" the first voice whispered.
"I think it's too late for that Apple Bloom. He's waking up!" the second voice said.
Eldon had rolled over and slowly opened his eyes, only to see three young fillies crowding around him. "Hello? Can I... can I help you?" A yawn followed afterwards as the three looked at each other, unsure who should speak first. "Well?"
The yellow pony with a red mane and a large pink bow stepped forward. "Uh... good morning mister. We were just out and about on our daily walk when we came across you sleeping here. Why are you out here anyways? Don't you have a home?"
As his tiredness began to fade away, Eldon was able to recognize at last the three ponies who were talking to him, especially the one with a southern-like accent similar to Applejack's. As not to scare them though, he decided to pretend that he didn't know them.
"Please, call me Eldon," Eldon said. "I am out here because I like to sleep... uh... under the stars. As for a home, well, I'm more of a... a wanderer. Yeah that's it. A wanderer!"
"Oh! So have ya been through Ponyville before?" the yellow pony asked.
Eldon nodded. "Only once so far, but I never really had the chance to check it out. "By the way, what are your names?"
"Ah... mah name is Apple Bloom. This here is Sweetie Belle," she replied and pointed at the white unicorn. "And the Pegasus is our friend Scootaloo!"
"I shall remember those names well," Eldon said. "But I believe I should get going now, I have to—"
"Wait! Don't leave yet!" Apple Bloom said, interrupting him. "How about a tour of Ponyville first?"
"Uh, Apple Bloom? Are you sure about this?" Scootaloo asked. "He's a total stranger! He could probably be up to something."
"Aw come on Scoots! What if we got our cutie marks for being tour guides?" Apple Bloom suggested. "What say you Eldon? Would ya like a tour?"
Eldon rubbed his chin with his hoof, pretending to think as Apple Bloom eagerly leaned towards him, waiting for a response. "I... Of course Apple Bloom. A tour sounds like a neat idea."
"Woohoo!" Apple Bloom cheered. "Ya won't regret this Eldon! Now... where should we start? Do you have any ideas Sweetie Belle?"
"Hmm..." Sweetie Belle said as her brain worked to come up with a plan. "I think we should take him to town hall, that way we can point out places and perhaps even other ponies on the way."
"That sounds good to me. I appreciate you doing this girls, but you said something about getting your cutie mark?" Eldon asked them, although he knew the response he was going to recieve.
"We are the CMCs!" Apple Bloom proudly told him. "The Cutie Mark Crusaders!"
"Basically, what we do is try different amounts of tasks to see what we are good at," Sweetie Belle explained to him.
"But so far, we haven't been successful.... yet," Scootaloo said, completing the explanation.
"Ah, I see, a worthy cause!" Eldon said. "Well? What are we waiting for? Let's see if the three of you have what it takes to be tour guide ponies!"
The girls looked at each other and nodded. "Alrighty then Mr. Eldon, if you would follow us please," Apple Bloom said and the three began to make their way towards the town.
Heh, cute girls. I'll play along for as long as I can, I still have to get to Canterlot, Eldon thought and he followed them back into town.
"So over there is the Quills and Sofas shop, although they're always out of quills for some strange reason," Apple Bloom said. "And over there's the market where ponies come together to sell their goods! Ah sometimes help Applejack out when we go to sell our apples we harvested."
Eldon had been following the trio for roughly half an hour now. He had been interested in what they had to say at first, but as time wore on, he slowly became bored, although he didn't dare show his true feelings to the Crusaders. "That's... very interesting Apple Bloom, how much longer until the town hall?"
"Not much longer!" Sweetie Belle replied. "Just a few more spots and we'll be there!" They continued walking down the dirt street when Scootaloo suddenly said something out of the blue.
"So everypony, hear any more news about the Canterlot monster?" she asked.
Apple Bloom rolled her eyes. "No Scoots, all we know is that the strange creature appeared out of nowhere and apparently saved Canterlot." The conversation between the two had gained Eldon's interest and he decided to join in.
"Excuse me? What's this about a Canterlot monster?" he asked. The trio suddenly stopped and turned to face him.
"What? Are you saying ya haven't heard about the monster yet?" Apple Bloom asked and Eldon nodded.
"It has been the talk of all of Equestria recently," Sweetie Belle said. "Apparently this monster walks on only two legs! And it has ten weird tentacle things instead of hooves!"
"It's strange though," Scootaloo said. "Why would a monster save a city full of ponies?"
"How are you so sure that this monster is a monster?" Eldon asked. "Have any of you actually seen this monster do anything bad? This monster so far doesn't sound like much of a monster to me."
The three fillies looked at one another. "Well... I guess we don't really know," Sweetie Belle said. "We've only heard about what other ponies have said about it, some good and some really nasty."
"Well, if you promise to keep a secret young ones, I know something about the monster because I was there in Canterlot two days ago," Eldon said.
The trio gasped. "What? Really!? Tell us tell us tell us!" they shouted.
"Only if you promise," Eldon repeated. The trio then closed their mouths and swiped their hooves across them, indicating their lips were sealed.
"Well... I know that the monster would never hurt anyone, because guess what? I—" He was interrupted when a stone pelted his head, bouncing off of him and coming to a stop somewhere on the ground. "Hey! Who threw that?"
"Sorry mister! We weren't trying to aim for you, only the blank flanks!" a new voice shouted. Eldon turned around to see two small fillies. One was a pinkish pony wearing what looked like a tiara, and the other one was grey and wore glasses.
"Why in the world would you want to do that?" Eldon asked. "You're lucky that it didn't hit one of them!"
"Come on Eldon, let's go," Apple Bloom said. "Those ponies are real jerks. Just ignore them and come with us. We are almost at town hall."
"And what are you gonna do about it?" the pink one asked. "Lay one hoof on me and my father will put you in the Canterlot dungeons for the rest of your miserable life!"
"Yeah! What she said!" the grey one chimed in.
Eldon clenched his teeth and turned around. It was best if he didn't cause a scene, especially if it were to involve little fillies. "Come on girls, let's go. You really don't want to see the bad side of me."
He heard the two fillies laugh behind them as they walked away, infuriating Eldon even further. Remember Eldon, they are just kids. They'll see soon enough that acting like that won't get you far in the long run.
Their group eventually made it to town hall just as the mayor was leaving the building. "Hey Mayor Mare!" Sweetie Belle called out. "How are you this morning?"
"Oh same old same old little fillies," Mayor Mare replied. "What brings you over here at this hour?"
"We've been giving Eldon here a tour of our town! He's new here," Scootaloo said.
Eldon approached the mayor and stuck at a hoof. "It's a pleasure to meet you Mayor Mare," he said and the mayor grabbed his hoof with her own. "Woah! That's quite the grip you have there mayor!"
"Yes, so I've been told by the many other citizens living here in Ponyville," she replied. "I would love to stay and chat, but I'm afraid you caught me at a bad time. See you later everypony!" They watched Mayor Mare trot away when not a moment later, Twilight and the others appeared around the side of the building.
"They you are Eldon! We've been looking for you all morning," Twilight said when she noticed the crusaders next to him. "Oh! I see you've met the Crusaders. No wonder you weren't at the field this morning!"
"Yeah... sorry about that," Eldon said. "You could have contacted me at any time though instead of looking for me."
"Eh, pardon me for interrupting, but Twilight, you know him?" Apple Bloom asked and Twilight nodded in return. "Does mah sister and the others know him as well then?" The rest of them nodded their heads and Apple Bloom quickly looked at Eldon. "Ya never told us you knew them Eldon!"
"It, uh, must have slipped my mind," Eldon said, feeling rather embarrassed for some strange reason and quickly decided to change the subject. "But I really enjoyed the tour you gave me you three! Did you get your cutie marks for being a tour guide pony?"
The three gasped, suddenly remembering why they were there and quickly checked their rear ends, only to be disappointed when nothing had showed up. "Shoot," Apple Bloom said. "I thought fer sure we would get our mark that time."
"Well, I still think you gave me a wonderful tour you three," Eldon continued. "I wish you all good luck on whatever you try next!"
"Thanks Eldon! It was nice meeting you too!"Sweetie Belle replied before she turned to face her fellow crusaders. "What do you think we should do next girls? The day is still young which means there will be plenty more things to do!"
"I'm sure we'll figure something out along the way," Scootaloo said. "Let's go!" They began to trot away, throwing ideas around as they did so.
"Stay outta touble you three!" Applejack called after them. "I don't wanna be told that any of you had been hurt while I'm gone!"
"Don't let anything bite you in the rear Scootaloo!" Rainbow shouted.
"Um, I agree with Applejack! Stay safe Sweetie Belle! Don't try to cook anything!" Rarity called after the trio. They watched them until they were blocked from their view by the townsfolk who had gotten up and were ready to start the day.
Eldon walked over to the group and joined them. "So, uh... good morning everyone. Nice day isn't it?"
"Yes, good morning to you as well Eldon," Twilight replied. "I hope you didn't forget what we are supposed to do this morning."
Eldon shook his head. "Of course not! I haven't stopped thinking about it since last night! We have a train to catch!"
Twilight nodded in agreement. "Good, I'm glad we are on the same page here. Let's go, we shouldn't keep Celestia waiting any longer than she already has."
The train station was a short walk from town hall and they arrived there with ease. Unfortunately, the morning train had yet to arrive still. "That's strange," Rainbow said. "Shouldn't there be, ya know, a train here?"
"Hang on, let me ask the salespony at the ticket booth," Twilight said. She trotted over to the booth to find the employee there reading a newspaper. "Uh, hello? Do you know when the next train to Canterlot will arrive?"
The employee glanced up from his paper to see Twilight, only to return his gaze to the paper right after. "Sorry princess, all of Equestria's trains have been experiencing small delays due to increased security in Canterlot. That last attack really has the other princesses on edge, says so in the paper."
"So... you don't know when the next train will arrive?" Twilight asked.
"Nope," the employee replied. "Don't worry about paying though when it does arrive, you are a princess after all." He turned to the next page in his paper and Twilight sighed.
"Well, thanks anyway," Twilight said and the employee just grunted in return. She slowly made her way back to the group who were eagerly waiting for some news.
"Well Twi? Does he know when the next train will arrive?" Applejack asked.
Twilight shook her head. "No he does not. There apparently have been some delays so we should all just sit tight for now," Twilight replied.
"Sit tight? Gahhh, I hate waiting almost as much as I hate losing!" Rainbow groaned. "Waiting is like the opposite of fast! Why is there SO much waiting involved in every adventure we go on?"
"Hey! No need to get upset now," Eldon said. "This is the perfect time to see how each of our nights were! How about we start with you Rainbow?"
"Uh, okay... I kind of fell asleep and woke up this morning when I fell to the ground," Rainbow said. "That's uh... yeah. That's pretty much it."
"Alright next pony!" Eldon said.
"Oh oh! Pick me pick me!" Pinkie waved her hoof in the air. "I have a great story to tell!"
"Go ahead then Pinkie," Eldon said. "How was your night?"
Pinkie opened her mouth to speak when a train whistle suddenly blew in the distance. "Wow! I didn't know I was part train!"
Rarity quickly shook her head. "No darling! That was the train! The train's here!" she told her.
"FINALLY!" Rainbow shouted. "I wish we could all just fly though, it's so much faster than taking the train..."
"Wait... aren't you banned from the train Rainbow?" Eldon asked.
They stood there in silence as the train drew nearer. "Oh, yeah," she replied. "Well, it's a good thing I can fly then! See you soon everypony! Don't take too long..."
The train blew its whistle again as they watched Rainbow Dash fly away. The ground rumbled as the train drew closer to the station. Finally, the train slowly screeched to a halt, hissing steam shortly after. The doors of the trained open and the Conductor stepped out of one of the cars.
"Alllll aboooard!" he shouted.
"Come on everypony! Celestia awaits! We need to deliver Star Swirl's news as soon as possible," Twilight said. She was the first to board the train, followed by the rest of the group.
"Finally we can go to Canterlot," Spike said and he hopped off of Twilight's back. "Hey Eldon, want to join me for a bit of breakfast when we get there? I know a great place!"
Eldon quickly nodded. "Yes I very much would. Thank you for the offer Spike.
"Just... don't take too long you two," Twilight said. "Remember, the sooner we find Star Swirl, the better!"
"Yes Twilight, we know," Spike and Eldon said in unison and they quickly found a place to sit.
Outside of the train, the Conductor looked at his pocket watch and then waved his hat at the front, signalling for the engineer to start the train. "Next stop, Canterlot!" The Conductor stepped back on the train and the doors slid shut shortly after. With a hiss, the wheels of the train slowly began to rotate until the train was moving at full speed towards its next destination.