Book of Sparkle

by Homeshine

4: Good Princess Luna looked out

"Is anypony going to believe we're stallions just because we have mustaches?" Rainbow Dash prodded her own cyan blue fluff with one forehoof. "I look like I'm going to tie someone to the railroad tracks."

"You'd need a bowler hat for that, silly" Pinkie's horn glowed pink as she cast the mustache spell on Rarity, "Maybe you can make up some sort of Villain Fashion."

"Heaven forbid." Rarity smiled. "Well, how do I look?" a hand mirror levitated out of Rarity's bags and presented itself in front of her. "Not completely off. I believe we could pass for stallions if we pass through quickly, and wear loose-fitting clothing- which, I have."

"We should leave them on all the way to the castle." Twilight's said, while absentmindedly twirling her own mustache. "There's no telling who sabotaged the train, and they might do even worse if they find out who we are."

"They did put a lot of ponies in danger. Seems rather drastic. For anypony," Rarity replied.

"Well, when I get my hooves on them-" Dash started, but was quickly interrupted by Pinkie "Just so everyone knows, I'm not going to be able to any magic for a while. My head's kinda … empty?"

Dash snorted with a quickly-muffled laugh.

"That happens," Twilight nodded. "You'll gain more magic over time. Although I don't know how you being me will affect it. I should do an experiment to find out..."

"Someone need a cab?" A pegasus stagecoach was pulling up to the curb, pulled by a smiling greenish mare wearing the matching checkered cap of a cab-pony on both her head and as a cutie-mark.

"We do," Applejack started ."We need someone to take six stallions and a dragon to the castle. Including us six. Who are definitely all stallions."

Dash rolled her eyes. Pinkie snickered. Twilight did her best not to facehoof.

"Well, hop in." The smile on the cabdriver's face never faltered for an instant. If she'd noticed something odd about that exchange, she didn't show it. Whether professionalism or a simple example of 'I've seen worse; this could have been even more weird, let me tell you' that all cabdrivers experience; the transaction proceeded just as any other. "The castle, eh? Well, that's a fairly short flight. Good choice on a flying pegasus cab, avoiding the crowded streets. I'll get you there in no time."

Once safely packing them all inside the cab, Fluttershy whispered, wide-eyed "Do you think she recognized us?" She looked even more frightened than before, if that were somehow possible, frantically looking back and forth, and around, like a scared bird;. trying to catch whoever... or whatever had sabotaged the train, and before it got to her first.

"Nah, don't worry" Rainbow put a calming hoof around Fluttershy. "Nopony would sabotage a train they're on, and we're disguised, remember? So they couldn't have seen us get off."

"Still, I'm scared," Fluttershy peeked out the window at Celestia's setting sun as the city streets streaked below them.

"Hoo-we, we're making time," Applejack called, as they then bumped through some windy turbulence, "Giddy-up"

"And Applejack, dear, if I may offer a helping hoof; the next time you need to lie about something, look to me and I'll help you out. I can be more … discrete on that front."

Applejack just nodded, and pulled her hat brim down a bit ," Sorry about that. Jes' took me by surprise is all. I can think up a better story if I have some time."

"Don't worry about it darling, you did fine on the short notice" Rarity patted Applejack's shoulder. "All's well, that ends well."

Twilight was looking at her reflection in the cab window … or rather Pinkie's reflection, lost in thought.

Fluttershy squinted out her own window, and suddenly gasped as the cab shook from side to side.

"What the hay?" Applejack tumpled out of her seat onto the floor in the latest jarring bump.

"Luna?" Twilight asked quizzically, sticking her neck out the window and looking straight up into a matching pair of eyes.

"Hello, Princess Twilight Sparkle!" After landing on top of the cab with another full-contact THUD, Luna's face appeared upside-downedly in Fluttershy's window on the opposite side. "We heard what happened to your train, and we thought we'd come and get you before any further brigandry had occurred."

"Well, there goes what's left of our cover …" Applejack sighed.

Despite Luna's best efforts, there was simply no way they were all going to fit in the cab. Twilight instinctively realized this instantly, but was still busy figuring the math almost subconsciously, as if somehow the numbers might add up differently the next time they were counted. "Even discounting Luna's larger form, there simply won't be room for seven ponies. I mean, look at poor Spike all squished up, already."

"I'm good" Spike stretched out one arm in a 'thumbs-up' motion. It was all that was visible of him, as the rest was evidently squeezed in between Applejack and Pinkie.

"Maybe … she can … follow along behind?" Pinkie slowly asked as the phrase started out as a statement but ended with a question mark.

Luna took it as a statement, anyway. "Yes! Guide us yonder, and we will follow close behind." And Luna fell into step, flying right behind the pegasus cab. The cabdriver simply shrugged and picket up the pace, in response.

As Twilight looked around the airspace of the cab, strangely enough, none of the other pegasi seemed to have noticed the event. She remarked to Applejack, "Somehow, though some miracle, our cover isn't blown after all."

Applejack smiled at that. "Life's jes' stubborn like that sometimes. Doesn't want to move an inch." The coach jostled again as Luna accidentally bumped it. "Unlike this cab, which moves all the time. I'll sure be happier on the ground."

"How about on the castle walls,"Rarity pointed with one hoof at an obvious large red "X" that had been laid out on the very top top of one castle tower for them to land, anticipating Luna's return at least, if not the pegusus cab. The cabdriver made good use of it, much to the surprise of two Pegasus guards who were adamant, with much shouting, that the cab was Not Going To Fit, You Can't Land Here, Are You Crazy? Finally proving them wrong with a soft smile.

Princess Luna spoke first. "Off to bed with thee. We have much to discuss in the morning."

* * *

They were all of them in a common bedroom, trying their best to unpack their things onto their respective beds. (Except Spike, who'd gotten a basket at his request.)

Warming her hooves in front of the roaring fire in the castle fireplace, Fluttershy suggested,"Well, we probably shouldn't leave the castle for a few days, until we're sure the coast is clear."

"Oh, hang that; we should get a few good licks in before they get wise" Applejack said. Dash agreed with Applejack

"Sometimes, however, discretion is the better part of valor," Rarity said. "Maybe Fluttershy is right."

Pinkie, meanwhile, was softly giggling in the corner over a headline in The Evening News, she read aloud: "Six stallions escorted to castle by Princess Luna. What could be the cause?"

Spike piped up first, "Wait, that actually worked? After all that? I'm impressed."

"Well,"Pinkie Pie smiled, "It's like Twilight's book said. Never give up until it's over. It just might work by accident."

"Well," Twilight smiled, "if we can have more of those kinds of accidents, and fewer of the ones like we had on the train, this should go rather well."

Everyone agreed with that, and gradually, ever softly, drifted off to sleep.

Comments

[Zaid ValRoa]

Oh, great!
This story is alive.

[WanderingPony]

-^----^-^-^-^-^ ...we've got a heartbeat!

[FanOfMostEverything]

This is tremendously entertaining. Definitely looking forward to more.

[ferret]

"Six stallions escorted to castle by Princess Luna. What could be the cause?"

derpicdn.net/img/2015/1/15/806767/large.png

[Twilight978]

Please continue this I read the sequel lived it by the way and can't wait to see how this one goes!

[Bones_]

rip in hiatus

[Homeshine]

It's returning soon, dunnae worry ;)

[RandomGuy101]

"Is anypony going to believe we're stallions just because we have mustaches?" Rainbow Dash prodded her own cyan blue fluff with one forehoof. "I look like I'm going to tie someone to the railroad tracks."

images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/3c1d1fa4-ecf6-4726-ac0e-35640ae8d865/d6tubmq-839fc3a7-d57a-43a3-afaf-12633b6e15ae.png/v1/fill/w_1024,h_576,q_80,strp/behold_the_great_moustache__typography__by_imladdi_d6tubmq-fullview.jpg?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOiIsImlzcyI6InVybjphcHA6Iiwib2JqIjpbW3siaGVpZ2h0IjoiPD01NzYiLCJwYXRoIjoiXC9mXC8zYzFkMWZhNC1lY2Y2LTQ3MjYtYWMwZS0zNTY0MGFlOGQ4NjVcL2Q2dHVibXEtODM5ZmMzYTctZDU3YS00M2EzLWFmYWYtMTI2MzNiNmUxNWFlLnBuZyIsIndpZHRoIjoiPD0xMDI0In1dXSwiYXVkIjpbInVybjpzZXJ2aWNlOmltYWdlLm9wZXJhdGlvbnMiXX0.j9vI4kaV-Sai5iGKShiVqGGiVnzMkU7JzJU9zTL8krM

[RandomGuy101]

"Maybe … she can … follow along behind?" Pinkie slowly asked as the phrase started out as a statement but ended with a question mark.

Why is it so hard to think of her in Twilight's voice in Twilight's body every time I see the name Pinkie (and vice versa)?