The Matrix of Friendship
Chapter 4- Cupcakes and Handbrakes
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Twilight Sparkle trotted down Mane street to the Ponyville train station, still feeling slightly guilty for leaving spike at home for the day.
Well, he was going over to Fluttershy’s today.
The thought comforted her, and she quickly became distracted by the thought of spending a whole day studying in Equestria’s fanciest library.
This day is going to be perfeccttttt!
With that small bout of fangirling out of the way, her attention turned to the slowly approaching train station. She would be catching the 10:20 train to the Crystal Empire, giving her 5 minutes to spare- almost perfectly on time.
As was most of Twilight’s life. She planned everything, a month in advance, right down to a time for planning the next month.
Ponyville’s train station was nothing too fancy. Just a single track and platform, paired with a single straw-roofed wooden building. The stations at the Crystal Empire and Canterlot were far larger and fancier, as were the cities they were in.
The 10:15 train to Las Pegasus arrived at the small wooden platform. As were most of the other trains, it was a small steam train. Its funnel- at the front of the boiler- was silver, with a gloss black crown, and its bell, right behind the funnel, was golden. The train had a cow-catcher decorated with small butter-coloured love hearts, and had 3 lights. Two small ones were mounted on the side of the boiler, and third was a large one mounted in front of the boiler, decorated with the outline of a red love heart. The driver’s compartment had large windows on each side, the front one being in the shape of another love heart. Those seemed to be the theme.
The whole train was finished in a hot pink, and had yellow accents.
The train slowly came to the stop with the slight sound of screeching brakes. As soon as the vehicle stopped, clouds of steam jetted out from its pistons, accompanied with a ‘hissssss’.
A few dozen ponies exited the multi-coloured carriages, and it occurred to Twilight that she had never been to Las Pegasus. In fact, she had hardly heard anything about it, aside from when she studied geography before unicorn school. Ponies never spent much time learning it. Rainbow Dash had been there, but when Twilight asked, she simply replied “What happens in Pegasus, stays in Pegasus.”, not caring to elaborate.
I mean, it’s not like there’s some sort of law there or anything.
Ponies began to enter the train. Twilight recognised a few of them.
Lyra, Bon Bon...…Minuette…...and Pinky?!
Twilight said that last name aloud, and the pink pony turned around to see who said it. The two friends made eye-contact, before a pony walked in between their line of sight.
Next thing twilight knew, Pinky Pie was right next to her.
“HEY! TWILIGHT! HOWS IT GOING!? I DIDN’T EXPECT YOU TO BE HERE!”
If twilight had hands, her head would be resting in the palms of both of them. “I could say the same about you. Are you going to Las Pegasus?”
Pinky had managed to calm down. “No, I was looking for you!”
“Why?” Twilight was perplexed, but then again, what was the expecting from Pinky?
“I thought you might need a little help!”
“With what?” At this point, Twilight was just playing along.
“Studying, silly! What else are you going to be doing today?”
Twilight was taken aback by the sudden seriousness of Pinky. “I…um…how do you know what I’m doing today?”
“Pinky sense!”
Twilight decided not to question it any further. She submitted defeat, and let out a massive sigh.
“All aboard!” The conductor shouted, shortly before stepping onto the train himself.
With another ‘hisssss’, the train slowly started moving, some passengers waving at ponies on the platform. Pinky waved back at all of them.
In a few seconds, the Crystal Empire train would be arriving. “Uhmmm, Pinky, do you have a train ticket?”
Pinky flatly replied “No.”.
“But you need one to go on the train.”
“I don’t need any tickets, I get train rides for free!” Pinky could see the lost expression on Twilight’s face. “Long story…”
A powerful, unrivalled darkness filled the conceivable world- an awkward silence. As quick as it attacked, it fled, as the Crystal Empire train glided into the station.
This was a train, like no other. It was, in its entirety, made out of crystals.
It was long, sleek, and a glossy light blue. Just as the standard train, it had a cow-catcher on its front, only this time, its crystal structure was jagged, and sharp. Its slope merged seamlessly with the front of the train, where the windshield was. On the roof of the train, was the funnel. Just like everything else, it was blue crystal. It widened as it got to the tip, where thick purple smoke billowed out. At the back of the train, on the roof, two purple flags flailed in the wind.
The carriages were crystal too, in the same style, but in various colours. As the train came to a stop, everypony halted the various tasks they were undertaking and stared at the sleek machine, glistening in the sun.
Pinky Pie drew in an impossible amount of air in a gasp. “Oh. My. God. Look at that cloud!”
Twilight traced Pinky’s hoof to the cloud in question. “It looks like some cupcakes.”
“Exactly. I hope Rainbow Dash doesn’t see it.”
“Why not?”
“She……………………..doesn’t like cupcakes…………..” Pinky Pie began profusely sweating, almost comically.
“Oh, I never knew that.”
“Yeah…….she uh…doesn’t like to mention it.”
The doors the crystal train opened and ponies streamed out. After a few seconds, the flow stopped, and ponies began walking into the train.
“Looks like it’s out time to get on.” Twilight said, rather matter of factly. The two friends made their way onto the train, entering into a first class carriage. First class on the Crystal train was a luxurious as a castle’s throne room-the carpet was red velvet, and the train was divided into large private cubicles. They chose one, and walked inside. The cubical was decked out with 2 beds, a minibar, dimmable lights, tintable windows, and a plethora of modern luxury.
They walked over and sat down on their beds, opposite each other. From sitting on the beds you could still get an excellent view out of the window. A voice, quiet, almost too quiet to hear, sounded off. “All aboard!” The room’s soundproofing did quite a good job muffling it.
Slowly, the train began to move, gradually picking up speed with each passing second. The two sat in silence, relaxing into their room which would be theirs for the next few hours.
The ticket checker nocked on their door before letting himself in. He bowed as soon as he saw Twilight. “Tickets, please, princess.”
Twilight’s horn began to glow and she levitated her ticket over to the stallion. He punched a hole in it before using his own magic to return it to her. He turned to leave, avoiding all eye-contact with Pinky Pie. Twilight didn’t dare to think what Pinky Pie had done to get unlimited free tickets.
The train had now picked up considerable speed, and as it sped through the countryside, the beautiful natural scenery shot by. Rolling plains of grass, then beautiful snow-capped mountains, before finally flattening out into plains.
The train passed by Neighagra Falls, a gargantuan display of water. The river from the crystal mountains dropping down hundreds of feet into a pool, before dropping down again, into a small lake- a double waterfall. Above the small lake was a cool mist, created from the waterfall. Part of the mist blew onto the train, making tiny droplets form on the crystals and giving off a spectacular display of light.
“We should all go to the falls sometime. It looks stunning.” Twilight never failed to be amazed by the natural beauty of Equestria. It had its downsides, like the Everfree Forest, but the rest of it was surprisingly uncorrupted.
“Yes! We could have a party! A double waterfall party! What does it mean?!” Pinky was just as ecstatic as she always was when she was planning a party.
The two happily exchanged banter for the next hour, Pinky constantly obsessing over her party she had planned and Twilight sitting back and simply enjoying the ‘ride’. Their anticipation grew as they began to near their destination. The Crystal Empire came into view, the giant towering spike which was the castle, being the main attraction to the eye. It shot into the sky, shining brightly in the sun, until tapering to a sharp tip, piercing the sky.
The train neared the station, beginning to slow down, the breaks not squeaking, unlike the standard trains. The end of platform came into view through the window, and the train slowed to a halt.
Pinkie and Twilight got up from their beds, legs stiff from not walking in a while, and made their way out of the cubicle. They waited a moment for the surge of ponies to clear before making their way down the corridor and out onto the platform. As predicted, the Empire’s train station was very different from Ponyville’s. It was made of a dark purple crystal and featured a two-story tower.
They both immediately noticed the cold, as a chilling breeze blew through the station. There wasn’t any snow, and the sky was clear with the sun out, but it still felt like it was four below zero. Twilight was glad Spike had remembered her scarf. Pinkie, on the other hand, was not as fortunate.
Twilight was concerned. “You all right, Pinky?”
“Hold on….” She began to scrunch her face, and she held her breath.
“What is it?”
“Just a sec….” She could barely speak. She grunted, before all of a sudden, a pink moustache in the same style as her mane appeared on the tip of her snout. She relaxed from the pressure she was in and looked to Twilight.
“Well, whaddaya think?!”
Twilight wasn’t even surprised, she was used to it. “Does that even keep you warm?”
Pinky Pie almost looked insulted. “Of course it does! Nothing beats a moustache for warmth!”
Twilight rolled her eyes, and they started on their walk from the train station to the city.
A large portion of the ponies there were crystal ponies. Their coats were glossy, and sparkled in the cold sun, they were even slightly translucent. Many of them sported various items of jewelry.
The track to the city was dirt, with the occasional cobble stone. The city’s layout was based off a six-pointed star, with the castle at the center, and the houses radiating out from there. The two ponies came to the entrance to the city. Two small towers of cerise crystals protruded from the ground, seemingly holding 3 crystal diamonds between their peaks. The two on the outside were a bright purple, and the slightly larger one in the center was a dark turquoise. Above and below all 3 diamonds, were small white rods, floating next to them.
They continued onwards, and soon they were in the town. They made for the crystal library. As Twilight walked, she took in the slowly enlarging tower, and the various buildings in the city. Each building was far larger than that of Ponyville, and like almost everything else in the city, was made out of crystals. They had a somewhat chaotic feel to them, with the walls and roof being uneven and jagged, but they were superbly finished. The city was a spectacle even after being to it multiple times.
It was at this point that Twilight noticed the lack of a certain pink pony next to her.
“Pinky!?”
Nothing.
Danmit, Pinky. At least tell me if you’re going to run off.
Twilight resolved to just continue on with her day, after all, this was Pinky Pie. She’d never find her, and she was probably just buying a cake or something. She approached the library to her left, and trotted up the hard crystal steps into it. On each side of the steps, were crystal statues of gryphons, standing tall, with one paw in the air. Twilight entered through the dark blue double-doors, and was greeted by the vast 3-story expanse of the library, one story being below ground. The library’s blue crystal structure was lit by natural light from the massive clear dome on the roof, giving the whole library a clean cyan aura.
“Greetings, princess.” The librarian gave a bow before continuing. “Can I help you with finding anything?”
Twilight didn’t like it when people bowed to her, she just wanted to be treated like everyone else. But she had learned to get used to it, it was just something that ponies liked to do.
“No, thanks. I know my way around.” She could barely contain her excitement at that amount of books here.
27,463 books. Do you know how many books that is Twilight!? That’s 2.7463*10^4 books. All there for you to read! Oh. My. Celestia. I can’t wait!
But it was not the time to fangirl. She had research to do. She calmed herself before trotting up the white stairs to the ‘Crystal Heart’ section on the top floor. The section was down the back of the library, on the left side, at the farthest section of the isle. It was gloomy, and most of the books were dusty. It appeared nobody ever came down there, despite crystal magic being very important. Twilight tracked it down to all the crystal ponies knowing about it already.
She arrived at the aforementioned section, and alphabetically sifted through all the books. She mumbled to herself as she went. “A…B…………H. Ah, H” She looked through the various books, before coming to the one she had been searching for.
Twilight’s horn lit up in a purple aura in unison with the book as it floated towards her. She held it in the air next to her as the made her way to the study area of the library. Upon arrival, she placed the book down on a table, and used her magic to position a chair under her.
Origin of the Parapsychological and Physical Abilities of the Crystal Heart
Twilight opened up the book, and began reading the introduction. The crystal heart is a magical gem, made out of pure diamond in the shape of a love heart. It has an enchantment that gives it the power to defend the crystal empire from enemies and convert ponies to crystal. All crystal ponies rely upon it to stay happy and motivated. The origin of the gem is unknown, however some ponies believe that-
“Twilight!”
She turned to see who called her name.
“Cadence!” Twilight jumped off her seat to greet the Princess of Love.
"Sun shine, sun shine, ladybugs awake. Clap your hooves and do a little shake!"
The two partook in their special greeting, before getting to the matter at hand.
“What brings you here, Twilight?”
“I was researching the magical abilities of the Crystal Heart.”
“What do you want to find out about it?”
“I wanted to find the origins of it. It’s an extremely powerful gem, yet it is not controlled by any pony in particular. It’s unlike any other artefact in Equestria. I was looking through this book, and it said that nobody is sure where it came from, but some ponies think it may have been created by…”
Twilight levitated the book in front of her face to finish off what she was reading.
“…Starswirl the Bearded.”
“I see. Well, I think I can help you with that. Come, let’s go to the castle, I think we have some more information in our archives!” Cadence was excited at the prospect of spending a day with one of her best friends…
“Yesyesyesyesyesyes!”
…as was Twilight.
She levitated the book into the air and placed it back in its spot, before the two princesses made their way to the door of the library, stepping down the steps that twilight entered a short time ago.
“How have you been getting along with your friends? I haven’t seen you in a while now.”
She was right. Twilight did need to get around to seeing Cadence more. “We’re doing great! Although, Rainbow Dash had a bit of a breakdown after she found out tank needed to hibernate. She, uh, ended up blowing something up…”
“Oh, was she the one who blew up the rainbow factory?! Ugh, I hear terrible things go on there.”
“No, it’s just where they manufacture the rainbows.”
The two ponies continued down the street, and into the market. Being sold were things ranging from crystal horseshoes to hay. Something occurred to Twilight.
“Don’t they have crystal hay?”
“Hahaha, who’d eat that?”
“Well they have crystal everything else.”
“But would you eat something made out of crystals?”
“...No...but they do have crystal berries, don't they-”
Suddenly, a brown stallion, with a darker mane, interrupted them.
“Uh, hello! I’m in a spot of bother, can either of you tell me where I could find a handbrake?”
The two were taken aback by the forwardness of the stallion. Everypony was always very wary of approaching a princess, and would never address them without a bow first. But Twilight and Cadence didn’t mind, it was just unusual.
“Ummm…..…handbrake, handbrake.”
Twilight tried to think of a place to find one, while the stallion looked to Cadence. She simply shook her head, she didn’t know where to find one either.
Twilight suddenly clopped her hooves together, just like how she would snap her fingers when she was a human. In the background, a blue phone box’s door swung open. The brown stallion turned to look at it before turning back to twilight with a face of pure shock.
“Wh…wha………….……where did you say I could find one?”
“I don’t know of anywhere you can get one here, but in Ponyville there is a cartmaker on Mane Street.”
“I uh, thanks!” He turned tail and trotted away from the two princesses.
“Well he certainly was quite a character, don’t you think?”
“Yeah, very.” Was Twilight’s reply.
“We should get going, or we’ll never have enough time to find those books.”
With a nod, Twilight started walking with Cadence. The two walked past where the pone box was earlier, but it wasn’t there.
“Hey, wasn’t there a phone box here earlier?”
Without warning, Pinky Pie fazed out of Twilight’s mane, causing her to jump. Her wings opened to land her softly on the ground.
The pink pony walked up to Twilight, and placed her muzzle in front of her left ear, and said in a loud whisper,