Twilight hated to leave the Crystal Empire. It was one of the rare times she ever had any private time with her brother and sister-in-law. She wanted to stay a little longer, but she realized she had to go back to Ponyville eventually. The night before Twilight departed Cadence and Shining had the castle chefs prepare a spectacular meal for her and Spike. Later they sang songs and reminisced about childhood hopes and dreams. Sadly, the next morning, it was time for Twilight to return home.
There were a few passengers on the car they occupied. Twilight and Spike chose a booth close to the exit. She helped him place their briefcases and personal belongings on the shelf on top of them. She reached for his yellow saddlebag, but Spike stopped her.
“What’s wrong?” she asked.
“Nothing, I’m just keeping this with me.” He placed his saddle on a seat in front of him, unzipped it, and he gently scrambled a pile of comic books inside.
“Where did you get those from?”
“Me and Shining went to this really cool antique shop here. It had everything - comic books, trading cards, games, books, toys,” he said with delight. He grabbed several comics from the bag and held them for Twilight to see. “They even got the entire twelve issue series of Journey to the Badlands! You can’t get these anywhere else! Then he took me to this delicious donut shop.”
“Sounds like you and Shining had a pretty good time,” Twilight said.
“Yeah. I never knew how cool he is. You know he’s a Captain Amazing fanatic? He has all sorts of memorabilia in a secret room in the castle. Well, it’s not a secret anymore now that he showed me.”
“Of course I know, he’s my brother after all,” Twilight said lightheartedly. “When we were young he never stopped talking about him.”
“And the best part was that all the crystal ponies were super nice to me for some reason. The donut shop owner gave me free boxes of chocolate glazed donuts with diamonds!” Spike grabbed one of the comics and zipped it closed. The smile on his face disappeared when he looked out the window. “It was fun while it lasted,” he sighed.
“We’ll visit them again, someday.”
Another group of ponies entered the car and took their seats. Twilight turned her head to the window and watched the sunlight reflect off the structure of the crystal castle. It was a grand piece of architecture that stood in the center of the city. She imagined herself a bird flying over the castle, looking down. The city must look great from the sky. Twilight was grateful she and Spike had spent time with Shining and Cadence. Likewise, she was amazed to see that the empire was prospering after their victory over King Sombra. Her brain was like a camera, capturing the bright smiles of the crystal ponies young and old. The torments Sombra tossed at them was worth it just for seeing the Crystal Empire thriving under Celestia’s sun.
The train whistled, the conductor made his called, and they began to move. The castle slowly moved out of sight, though a smile crossed Twilight’s lips. She turned to Spike, who had his attention to his comic book.
“Spike?”
“What’s up?”
“I’m glad we got to spend time together.”
“Me too. I can’t remember a time when it was just the two of us, you know, besides being your roommate at the School for Gifted Unicorns.”
Twilight sighed. “I know we never have days where we can relax and not have to worry about anything. This summer turned our whole world upside-down, and I was under a lot of stress, but I promise things will be different when we get back to Ponyville.”
“Which reminds me, have you heard from the others?”
Twilight shook her head. “I hope they’re doing okay, especially Fluttershy.”
“Didn’t Applejack stay with her?”
Twilight nodded. “She’s a good friend,” she said with a gentle smile. Then Twilight lowered her head, and said in a small voice, “Why didn’t I do anything?”
“Applejack won’t let anything happen to her,” Spike said. “I’m sure she has gotten through to Fluttershy. Applejack’s the kind of pony who will never give up, and she wouldn’t give up on Fluttershy. Not by a long shot.”
He smiled at Twilight to ease her troubling spirit. She lightly returned the favor, but the thought of Fluttershy falling victim to her own misery was a thought she couldn’t shrug off. The train passed through a bridge that was build over a river twenty feet below. It was going to be a long ride. Her mind won’t be at ease until the train stopped at Ponyville, and see that no harm had come to Fluttershy, even if she still chose to stay in her bed all that time.
“Spike… Spike, wake up,” Twilight whispered. She tapped Spike on his arms and shoulders, then gently shook his body until he opened his eyes and raised his head. “Spike, we’re almost home.”
He yawned. “Already?” He stretched his arms and legs, suddenly realizing that his hands were empty. On the floor by his feet was the one of the issues of Journey Into the Badlands. Spike must have dropped it when he was sleeping. He inspected the comic to make sure there weren't any bruises or rips, or drool stains, then placed it nicely inside his saddlebag. As the train was minutes away from its destination Twilight gathered their luggage from the top shelf of their booth, double-checking occasionally to be sure that they have everything. Familiar hills and trees pass through their window, along with a windmill that stood on the edge of town where the road stops. “Home sweet home,” Spike said.
The train whistled and the conductor announced they’ve arrived in Ponyville. Twilight and Spike let few of the other passengers exit the car before them. They stepped out of the train into the platform. Twilight looked around to see if they was anypony they know who might have been waiting for them, but there were only faces of strangers. There was no use standing around waiting for something to happen. Twilight and Spike exited the train station and on to the road that led to Ponyville. The town was exactly as they left it. Twilight called back to the day when Rarity told her that Ponyville was going to be silent without them for a while. From the look of things it seemed as though no catastrophe have happened while she and her friends were gone. Even if anything happened, she was sure the Royal Sisters would handle it.
Walking along the road several ponies waved to them, and Twilight smiled, waved back. Most of them were surprised that she was gone for so long, others hardly noticed at all, and that was okay with her. Twilight was never one who wanted to make a fuss out of everything she does, most of the time.
Looking up she saw Derpy Hooves flying with caution. She was probably making her usual delivery runs, Twilight thought. There was one thing about Derpy that had always caught Twilight’s attention, and it was her eyes. She wondered how they became the way they were. Some time ago, when she took time to know the townsponies, Rainbow Dash mentioned that, from what Derpy had told her, she had a birth defect that made her cross-eyed, however she doesn’t like to go into detail about her condition. From the things Rainbow spoke about Derpy, she seem like a very nice pony and a good friend. Twilight wanted to talk to her, but she looked busy, so she waited another time. That is, until Derpy saw them from the sky and descended in front of them.
“Twilight?” she said. “Where have you been all this time?” she asked after looking at the baggages she and Spike were carrying.
“Oh, well, Spike and I decided to take a little vacation. We thought we could use a little break after everything that’s happened.”
Derpy sadly nodded. “Um, do you want me to help you with those? I’m on my lunch break right now.”
“I think she’s got it covered,” Spike said, referring to her magic, although Twilight gave him a quick nudge on his arm along with a look.
“Thanks for the offer, but I’m fine,” Twilight said politely. “However, if you don’t mind, I would like to have lunch with you. How much time do you have?”
“Thirty minutes. I was going to get a hayburger, if that’s your thing.”
“A hayburger’s fine with us,” Spike said excitedly. He almost forgot that he hadn’t eaten since breakfast at the crystal castle early that morning, nor did ate anything during the train ride, and taking that long nap during the return trip to Ponyville left an empty feeling in his stomach. Twilight agreed to a hayburger, then they arrived at Big Jim’s Eat-In Diner where Derpy was headed. After ordering their food they chose a table with a large window so they can see the view of town.
“How are things been with you, Derpy?” asked Twilight.
“Well, not much has happened after… you know,” she said somberly. “I’m still trying not to mess up with any deliveries, and so far I’ve been doing okay, for the most part.”
“How about your friend, Professor Hoovsian?”
“He’s doing fine, but sometimes he like to lock himself in his basement whenever he’s working on some kind of new invention, or some other science-related stuff like experiments. Sometimes he stays for a few days, weeks even.”
“Sounds like somepony we know,” Spike muttered, but he audible enough for Twilight to nudge him again. “I wasn’t talking about Fluttershy.” Spike shrinked on his seat when she squinted her eyes, then Twilight shook her head, wanting to continue the conversation.
“You know, I have a fascination with the things he does. In some ways I’m sort of a scientist myself. I mean, I like to call myself a scientist. If it’s not too much trouble, I’d like to meet him whenever he decides to come out of his basement.”
Derpy nodded while taking a bite out of her hayburger. “How long were you guys gone?” Derpy asked.
“About a week,” said Twilight. “We went to the Crystal Empire to stay with my brother and my sister-in-law.”
“They live in the Crystal Empire?” Derpy asked. “That’s amazing! What do they do there?”
Twilight was hesitant to answer, mostly at of Derpy’s reaction. “Nothing important.”
“What do you mean ‘nothing important’,” said Spike. “Her brother is none other than Shining Armor, captain of the royal guard back in Canterlot!” he said with enthusiasm. He didn’t see Twilight silently alerting him to stop by making facial and hoof gestures. “And his wife is an alicorn princess who watches over the empire! And guess what? That same princess used to be Twilight’s foalsitter when she was little!”
“That’s incredible!” gasped Derpy. “Is all this true?”
Twilight sighed. “Yes, it’s true.”
“Did I mention that Twilight, Rainbow Dash, and the rest were part of their wedding?” Spike said with his mouth full of hayburger. “And we saved Equestria from the changelings!”
“No wonder they came to her funeral,” Derpy said.
“Oh yeah, and we helped saved the Crystal Empire from an evil overlord! Well, it was mostly me, but -”
Twilight placed a hoof over Spike’s mouth. “Yes, all of that true, but I want to add that I don’t think I’m anyone special because of all that. I’m no different than anyone else. Also, Spike forgot to mention that I humble myself quite a lot.”
She removed her hoof from Spike’s mouth, causing his purple scaly cheeks to become the color of cherries. She glanced at Derpy with apologetic eyes. “I’m sorry if we upsetted you. I didn’t mean to make you feel bad. It’s the reason why I normally don’t like to talk about myself.”
“I don’t feel bad,” Derpy said. “Ever since you first moved here, I had a feeling you were somepony very special; you are Princess Celestia’s student, after all.”
“Thanks Derpy, but you see -”
“You saved Equestria many times before, and the stopped the changeling invasion of Canterlot, and now the Crystal Empire.”
“It wasn’t just me. My friends and family were a major part of those events. Without my friends we wouldn’t have saved Equestria from Nightmare Moon or Discord. Also, my brother and Princess Cadence were the ones who saved Canterlot from the changelings, my friends and I were just caught in a little scuffle, that’s all. Regarding the Crystal Empire, we all had an important role to play to save it from King Sombra. Without them, none of the things we did would be possible.”
“Well, I still think it’s neat you get to live such an exciting life,” Derpy said. She took another bite of her hayburger and checked her watch. Nineteen minutes left. That was more than enough time to know Twilight better. “Um, I liked what you said about Rainbow Dash at her funeral. It was really nice. I also liked the part about the sonic rainboom.”
Twilight had stars in her eyes, she sighed longingly. “That sonic rainboom is one of my most cherished memories. Back then I never realized the pony who made it happen would become my best friend.”
“There are two memories I will always cherish,” said Derpy. “The day I got my cutie mark, and the day I met Rainbow Dash.”
“How did you get your cutie mark?”
“When I born, the doctors found that my eyes were… a bit screwy. It was a condition called strabismus, where the eyes don’t look at the same direction. It got worse as I got older. I used to bump into things and I couldn’t fly straight. All the kids would make fun of me and call me terrible names. During that time I wore sunglasses so nopony could see my eyes.”
“I’m sorry that happened to you,” said Twilight.
“Why do kids have to be so cruel?” added Spike.
“One day I came home from school crying my eyes out. Some colts were chasing me with sticks and I tripped and fell into a puddle of mud. I was so humiliated that I wanted to… disappear forever. I asked my mother why I was this way. I asked her why I wasn’t like the normal children. Do you know what she said to me?”
Twilight shook her head. “She told I was normal. She told me not to be ashamed of myself, that I’m just like everypony else. While I was at school she went out and got me a giant bottle of bubbles, then she told me to blow them and I will feel all better. I did what she said. I blew so many bubbles as I could; and the bullies, the name-calling, the mud on the face, all of it didn’t matter anymore. The words of my mother were true - I was just like everypony else. I was having so much fun blowing bubbles that I didn’t realize my cutie mark appeared.” Derpy pointed to her hindquarters, her cutie mark being a mass of bubbles.
Spike took some napkins to dry his eyes. “That was the most beautiful story I ever heard.”
“How did you meet Rainbow Dash?” asked Twilight.
“My niece, Dinky. A couple of years ago, at my previous job as a grocery stocker, I had to work a late-night shift. I couldn’t find a foalsitter to watch Dinky. I only bumped to Rainbow Dash a few times before, and had small-talk here and there, but she offered to watch her while I was at work. She was very nice to her. After that we became friends ever since. Rainbow Dash even came to her birthday party once. I believe everyone should have a best friend like her, and we were lucky enough to have her as one.”
“I couldn’t agree with you more,” Twilight said.
Twilight and Derpy spent the rest of the time talking about anything that came into their minds, with most of the conversation about their memories of Rainbow Dash, although Derpy wanted to learn more about her relationship with her brother and Princess Cadence. Spike turned his head to the window for a second to look at the view, and saw Pinkie Pie wandering through the streets.
“Hey, it’s Pinkie,” he said. He crawled toward the end of the seat and tapped on the glass, trying to call her name. Annoyed, Twilight climbed out of her seat and stepped out of the diner to get Pinkie’s attention. Looking to the direction of where they were sitting, she immediately entered and joined them at the table.
“When did you came back?” Twilight asked.
“Not too long. I was going to Fluttershy’s to check on her, but the I saw Spike at the window and suddenly made a detour here. I was getting kind of hungry, anyway.”
“You were gone? Where did you go?” Derpy asked.
“I went to visit my family back at the farm.”
“You grew up at a rock farm?”
“Yeah. It’s crazy, right?” Pinkie said, letting out a weak laugh.
“That’s why there weren’t any parties all this time. You usually throw one every other day.”
Pinkie sighed. “I did, didn’t I?”
“How is your family?” Twilight asked. “Did you enjoy your time away?”
“I did. Surprisingly, they’ve been doing fine all these years. Well, one of my sisters wasn’t so happy to see me, but we worked things out before I left.”
“Oh goodness,” Derpy said.
Twilight, Pinkie, and Derpy carried on their conversation while Spike finished what was left of his hayburger. Two other ponies entered the diner, a young mare and a filly. Spike didn’t think much of them until the filly began to make her order. Her voice was familiar, so he did a double-take on the pair. The two had skin of porcelain, the older pony had indigo hair and diamonds for cutie marks.
“Rarity’s here,” Spike said. He waved his little arms in an attempt to get her attention. Annoyed, Twilight removed herself from the table to approach her.
“Twilight,” she said, “you’re here. My word, is this the only heyburger restaurant in town?” she asked after glancing at the table that contained Spike and Pinkie, making Twilight chuckle.
“It’s so wonderful to see you, again. If you don’t mind me asking, what are you doing here? Isn’t this place sort of… “
“Darling, you know me. Heyburger’s are not part of my diet, but Sweetie wanted to come here, so here we are. Then I’m going to Fluttershy’s home afterward.” She paid the cashier when Sweetie finished with her order, then carried on with Twilight. “Have you heard a word from her and Applejack?”
“No. I hope they’re doing fine. So, anyway, how was your vacation?”
Sweetie, with a food tray attached to her, abruptly joined their conversation, and told Twilight every detail about their vacation. Sometimes she would exaggerate on certain parts, Rarity having to speak up and recount what actually happened, like when Sweetie said their father bet the deed to their house at the gambling table, when in reality he hardly gambles at all, at least not while on vacation with his family.
Derpy approached Twilight and tapped on her arm. “Excuse me, but I have to get out of here. My lunch break is almost over.”
“I had a wonderful time talking to you.”
“Me too. Thanks for doing this. I haven’t had anyone to talk to in a while. Also, I’ll try to get Professor Hoovsian to come out of his basement so you two can meet one day.”
They shook hooves and smiled, and she exit the diner after saying goodbye to Spike, Pinkie, Rarity and Sweetie Belle. Rarity politely told Sweetie that she wanted to catch up with her friends, so she and Spike went to an empty table behind them so she tell about her vacation to him.
“When did you came back?” asked Twilight to Rarity.
“Early this morning. I wanted to go by Fluttershy’s on the way home, but I was so tired that I took a long nap. When did you return?”
“Spike and I came back this afternoon.”
“Did any of you hear from Fluttershy or Applejack?” Pinkie asked. Twilight and Rarity shook their heads. “I don’t know about you guys, but I’m going over there right now.” She allowed herself out of the table, and before she pass through the exit she looked outside. There were two mares that had just walked past the diner on the other side of the street. They were difficult to make out. Pinkie glued her face to the window, getting a closer look, and she finally realized who they were.
“Oh my gosh,” she said softly.
“What is it?” Twilight asked.
“It’s Fluttershy… and she’s outside. She’s finally outside,” Pinkie said with emotion. She ran out of the diner while the others looked through the window. Sure enough, Fluttershy and Applejack were outside together, the two of them holding a leash to Winona. They watch the scene unfold further when Pinkie rushed toward Fluttershy, giving a tight hug that seemed to make her suffocate. Twilight and Rarity stepped out to embrace her as well. Spike and Sweetie looked on, with him smiling at what he was seeing.
“You see, Twilight?” he said to himself. “I told you she’ll never give up.”