Among the relative peace of the Equestrian countryside, a train was heading towards the station. It was still miles away from it's destination, approaching at what seemed to be a snail's pace. The tracks were nearly frozen solid and the conductors hadn't even wanted to run the train that cold winter's day. It had taken some negotiating, but the school teacher Cheerilee had been very persuading. Now her class was heading to Canterlot to take a tour of the famous Royal Castle and see the princess herself. The train carts were packed full with tired, grumbling foals, exhausted from waking up so early for their yearly field trip. In one specific train cart, The Cutie Mark Crusaders were laughing and yawning to a good book, along with their impromptu cart-mates.
Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo and Apple Bloom were laughing beside Pipsqueak and Featherweight, who were beginning to drift off to sleep again. Being woken at three o'clock in the morning is bad, but having to haul your luggage to a train, getting into your cart and eating a ton of warm, fluffy pancakes is just asking for a very drowsy filly. Sweetie Belle was leaning against the wall, a small rivulet of drool hanging off her bottom lip as she drifted off again. Scootaloo was up in the luggage stow, using the shelf like a cot. Apple Bloom was taking up the seat across from Pip and Featherweight, snoring loudly.
The colts were losing consciousness to persistent yawns and heavy eyelids, sitting next to each other since all other spots were taken. Neither wanted to fall asleep, but it wasn't much of a choice at that point. Pip was already drifting off, swaying from side to side and muttering nonsensical things to himself. Featherweight was almost as tired, managing to stay attentive but still struggling to keep his eyes open.
"So..." Pip muttered in his Cockney accent. "Where do you come from, ye' scallywag?!"
Scootaloo chuckled from her position up in her makeshift cot. Pip always head dreams about him being a pirate, and he seemed to be dreaming with his eyes open. Mostly open, anyways. His eyelids were battling him, half-shut and slowly descending.
"Argh! I'll rend ye.... hoof to head... applesauce."
He collapsed onto Featherweight's shoulder, snoring loudly. The other colt looked at Pip and smiled. It was nice to see his friend so peaceful, his red bandanna around his neck and the mid-morning sun trying to keep him awake. Although it was a bit uncomfortable, he decided it wasn't worth fighting, so he leaned over and rested his head on his friend, quickly falling asleep with the soft rhythm of Pip's heart.
"Aww..." Sweetie Belle sighed. "That's so cute."
It was beyond cute. It was flat-out adorable. Scootaloo rolled over and looked at them, smiling.
"Okay, I've got to admit that's pretty cute." The usually anti-affectionate filly confessed.
"Why can't we sleep like that?" Sweetie asked.
"Because we fight enough as it is and I'd roll all over you."
"Please?"
"No, Bells. Even if we did Apple Bloom would wake up and be mad at us."
"Well why? It's not like we'd be doing anything wrong?"
"Where have you been? Apple Bloom would yell at us for a week straight."
"Why, though?"
Scootaloo groaned. "Do I really have to show you? Remember the time that one worker on her farm turned out to have a huge crush on her brother and she set his house on fire?"
"I think I'd remember that, Scoots."
"Ugh... fine, watch this."
Scootaloo leaned over and poked Apple Bloom, waking her from her slumber. The junior farmhand blinked and looked around, groggy.
"Are we there yet?"
"No." Scootaloo replied. "But look at that, don't you think that's cute?"
The filly blinked once, then twice, her teeth grating. "What do you think?! That is disgusting! Really, I can't even think of why you would think that's cute! A gross abomination of nature! If my big Sis' was here she'd kick both their flanks for sleeping like that!"
Scootaloo leaned over to Sweetie. "That's why."
"A disgustin' excuse for a colt! Both of you wake up now! I can't even look at it anymore!"
Both of them jerked awake, groaning. Featherweight was having the most pleasant dream he'd been been in an ice cream parlor with his best buddy, Pip. The colt of his dreams was rolling over, waving a hoof for Apple Bloom to leave him alone. The filly jumped up on the seat and yelled in his ear, her eyes full of anger.
"Get the hay up! We're almost there!"
The colt jumped up, throwing the junior farmhand across the train cart. "Wha?! Huh? We're almost there?"
Sweetie Belle giggled, Apple Bloom was up in the cot with Scootaloo, crushed between two suitcases. Just when the commotion had died down, the train came to a grating halt, throwing Scootaloo and Apple Bloom along with all the luggage down on the heads of the foals. It took a few minutes for everypony to gather their wits and things up off the floor of the cabin. Snips burst into the cart, excited. "
"We're here!" He called, grabbing his things and leaping off the train.
"Ugh..." Pip groaned, his fourteen pound suitcase had hit him right in the head, almost knocking him out. "What happened?"
"A bit of a malfunction with the luggage." Featherweight mumbled.
"Oh... so where are we going first?"
"The hotel, I think."
They gathered their things and leapt off the train, eager to see the city.
What they got was more than they could have imagined. Towering buildings, richly carved and decorated with swirling patterns, giving the city a mystical, almost unreal aura. The two small colts gawked in awe, they would never have thought they were coming to a place so big! Ponies bustled through the streets, hobos begged for money and received a large chunk of spare change for their holiday season. The rich made up the most of the crowd with their luxurious coats and manes done in style. The workers made up a small amount of the crowd, heading to their busy work shifts, ready to be let off early to be with their families on Hearth's Warming Eve.
Never could they have been more amazed or shocked. They felt so small among the massive buildings and vast crowds of ponies. It was amazing but terrifying, and nothing less than exhilarating. Cheerilee was at the front of the group, trying to herd the students towards a rather large, upscale looking hotel. The CMC and their guests moved with the crowd, heading towards their lodging. In large, quite fancy letters the name of the hotel blazed in Neon. 'Le Hotel De Fluer.'
The foals entered through the front doors; an immaculate facade of gold and marble that towered over them in its proud stonework. The sheer scale of the building was astonishing to say the least. Cheerilee was trying to keep of children together while checking them all in, meanwhile the richer fillies were up by the check-in counter demanding their own, separate rooms. Silver Spoon was willing to pay extra for her and Diamond Tiara to be booked into their own top-floor suite.
Cheerille caved and let them have their suite, all the while keeping the group together. She herded them to the stairs, where she gave them their keys, and let them go. The teacher wandered over to the edge of the lobby and muttered something about needing a drink.
It was pure bedlam; fillies and colts ran from room to room, laying claim to their own when they finally found the matching key. The CMC managed to grab a room for their own, agreeing to share their room equally. Pip and Featherweight were still looking around an hour later, wandering the halls aimlessly. Each door they checked to see if the room key matched the number on the door. Their search took the two colts all the way to the back of the hotel, to the room all the way at the end of the hall. Pip looked from the key to the door, surprised.
"You sure that's the right number?"
"Yeah." Featherweight said. "We got the second suite..."'
They looked at each other with huge, ecstatic grins. Featherweight wasted no time putting the key in the door and turning it, just to stop and gawk at the room they were going to be staying in for the next two nights. Nothing could have prepared them for the sight of two couches, three times their size, a fireplace they could have roasted a cow in and a few dozen cupboards full to the edges with fudge cakes. The two drooled over the room for what seemed like forever, until a feeling of homesickness came over Featherweight. It wasn't that he wanted to go back to Ponyville. He never wanted to leave this place. It was a palace, and he wanted to be the prince forever.
Pip jumped across the room, eagerly exploring the inside of the suite while kicking off his horseshoes. "Come on Feathers! Look at this place! And this carpet..."
The colt rolled around on the carpet for a few minutes, relishing the feeling of the soft fabric on his back. It was rather soft carpet, and the poor English-colt had never felt fabric of such quality. Featherweight jumped onto the couch, sighing. It wasn't fair to him. He was borderline poor, and here he was in this rich suite with all this food and all this luxury and he only had three days to enjoy it. To him it was depressing, to Pip it was a godsend. One of them wanted to enjoy their time here to the absolute fullest, but the other didn't want that at all; he was afraid of being shot down when he went back to his far less extravagant life in Ponyville.
"What's the matter, Feathers?" Pip asked, hopping onto the leather couch. "This is supposed to be fun and you look all down. Why?"
"Ah, it's nothing. Just feeling kinda... I don't know, worthless. Looking at all this stuff here just made me realize how poor I am."
"Aww! Don't worry about that,chap! I'll help you feel better!"
"Nah, you don't have to do anything for me, Pip."
Pip tackled him over playfully. "No, you're feeling down and I ain't gonna let you be all miserable. Now where are you ticklish?" The colt prodded at his friend's stomach, trying to get him to laugh.
"Come on Pip!"
"Nope!"
The two wrestled around until Pip bowled them both off the couch, pinning Featherweight under him. The two were startlingly close, a mere hairsbreadth away from each other. At first they didn't realize what was happening, but after a few seconds of staring into each others eyes a bright, rosy blush leapt to both their cheeks. Pip got off his friend, clearing his throat.
"Um... yeah. Don't let all that get you down, mate." He continued. "Just enjoy it all while ya' can."
"Thanks Pip." Featherweight leaned over and gave Pip a peck on the cheek.
I'm sorry if I made anyone "D'aaaaaawww!" there, but it was so cute I had to do it. I hope it was a good first chapter. Please leave a comment.