Truth of the Heart

by Rose Quill

Strangers on a Train

Chapter 2

Strangers on a Train

Twilight sat by the window, waving goodbye to her friends as the train pulled out of Canterlot station. Spike, who sat across the row from her, did the same thing. Sunset, seated next to Twilight, waved too, but not so enthusiastically. She liked Twilight's friends well enough, but they were Twilight's friends, and she didn't want to be seen to try and hog the spotlight.

"Have a great time!" Pinkie called. "But not so great you don't want to come back! Have a terrible time! No, wait..."

"I'll be back soon," Twilight called as the train picked up steam, roaring out of the station and leaving Twilight's friends behind. Twilight kept on waving until Ponyville had shrunk to the size of a model village, and it was impossible to make out any pony at that distance.

"I'm sure they'll manage without you for a few days," Sunset said with a smile.

Twilight looked at her, a similar smile upon her own face. "I know. It's just..."

"What?" Sunset asked.

Twilight shrugged. "I don't know, it's stupid."

Sunset shifted on the bench. "All the more reason for you to tell me then."

"Well," Twilight said. "Every time I go somewhere without them, I get a little nervous, you know? Like, something is going to happen and I won't be able to handle it on my own. I may be the princess, but they've always been beside me, every step of the way."

"Come on, Twilight," Spike said dismissively. "You're going to a lakeside resort to spend some time with your parents. What could possibly happen?"

"The moment Cacus turns up I'm going to remind you that you had just to open your mouth," Sunset said, though their was amusement in her tone. She reached out and put one leg around Twilight's shoulders. "But, as much as it was bad luck of him to say so, Spike's probably right. This is supposed to be a break, not a time to worry about whether you're going to have to take on any world-saving at short notice." Sunset smirked. "Besides, if anypony or any other creature starts any trouble, I've got your back."

"You?"

"Don't say it like that, what am I, chopped apple?" Sunset asked. "Just because you had to save me from the furies doesn't mean I can't be pretty handy in a tight spot. Not that I'll be able to prove it to you or anything, but-"

"You don't have to," Twilight said. She paused for a moment. "You know that, right? You don't still think you have to prove anything to me, do you?"

"No," Sunset said. "Your parents and your brother on the other hoof..."

"It'll be fine," Twilight said. "They won't make a fuss."

"Not that you actually have any idea," Spike said. "After all, it's not like you've ever showed them any marefriend of yours before. Not that you've actually had a marefriend for them to meet before."

"Thanks, Spike, your being a big help," Twilight said in a deadpan voice.

"You're welcome," Spike said, taking out a comic book and starting to read it.

"Ignore him," Twilight said, shooting him a look which he missed because instead of his face all that could be seen was the cover of Power Ponies #303. "Shining Armour will be cool, if only because Cadance is, and my parents aren't the type to get all tough and demanding. I don't think they are, anyway."

"I'm certainly glad to hear that," Sunset said. "Didn't you tell me your dad was in the Royal Guard. He retired with an injury, right?"

Twilight nodded. "That's right."

"Hmm," Sunset murmured. Me and Twilight are about the same age, so it's possible... "So, he would have been serving around twenty years ago?"

"Yeah, I think so," Twilight said. "Why?"

"Oh, nothing," Sunset said. Celestia's fortune, I really hope he doesn't connect the dots or this will be difficult. She could feel the ring in her saddle bag, seeming to grow heavier by the moment. If Twilight's father worked out who her father really was...well, she could kiss the parental blessing goodbye. Perhaps I should have come clean with Twilight. No, that would have been the worst thing she could have done. Sunset's crimes were great enough without putting her father's onto Sunset's back as well, there would have been no chance of getting their relationship off the ground.

Besides, I'm not my father, I shouldn't have to answer for the choices he made. It isn't as though I don't have bad choices enough of my own to answer for.

"Are you okay?" Twilight asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Sunset said. "I just really want to make a good impression."

"It doesn't matter, really, you know," Twilight said. "I'm the one going out with you, not them."

Sunset gave Twilight a level look. "Look me in the eye and tell me that it wouldn't upset you if your parents didn't approve of me. Tell me that you wouldn't rather they thought me worthy of you."

Twilight looked away. "I'm afraid I can't do that."

"I know," Sunset said. "Because that's who you are; and I love who you are. I wouldn't want you to change for my sake. I'll just have to impress your folks, that's all."

"You will," Twilight said confidently.

"How do you know?" Sunset asked.

"Because I love you," Twilight said. "And that means there must be something in you to love. And if I can see, other ponies will too."

Sunset blinked. "Thank you," she whispered.

They leaned in to kiss.

"Ugh," Spike said.

Sunset looked at him. "Thank you, Spike, for killing the mood so quickly and with a single word."

"You're welcome," Spike said happily.

The countryside flew past, and Canterlot drew near in the window, the great snow-topped mountain looming over them as they raced towards it upon the iron rails. Twilight had, of course, brought a book along to help pass the time, a book on physics and engineering.

"I'd have preferred a novel," Sunset said.

"Oh, that reminds me," Twilight replied. "Don't mention to my mom that you've read her books."

"But I did," Sunset said. "They were pretty good, although I usually prefer stuff that takes itself a little more seriously."

"Maybe, but don't bring it up," Twilight said. "She'll think that you're just trying to suck up, so save your thoughts until she's already gotten to like you."

That seemed reasonable enough, so Sunset nodded. "Okay. So, why did you bring the textbook?"

"Just an idea I've been mulling over of getting the trains to run on magnets," Twilight said. "If we could get it to work, we wouldn't have to burn so much coal."

"That won't be good for the poor ponies with mining cutie marks," Sunset said. "Besides, if it could be done the humans would have done it already."

"They don't have magic to use to iron out the kinks," Twilight said.

Sunset considered that for a moment. "Good point. So have you tested your little theory yet or is it still just in your head?"

Twilight spread the book out on the bench between the two of them. "I wanted to see what you thought first, before I tried to build anything practical out of it. You might be able to spot something that I've missed."

Sunset looked at the pages spread out below her. "You know you could probably build an EMP device from what's in here."

"What is this, our high school science fair? Why would we want to do that?"

Sunset shrugged. "It might come in handy at some point, you never know."

"Anyway," Twilight said. "Getting back to a productive purpose."

As they were talking, the train pulled in to Canterlot station, the first stop on the way to Tall Lake.

As the train came to a halt, ponies got up from their seats and began to shuffle in a huddled mass towards the exit, looking like nothing so much as a horde of very polite zombies as they stood waiting for that one guy with a huge suitcase to get it out of the luggage rack so that they could all get off. Ponies in suits, ponies in casuals, ponies wearing nothing at all like Twilight and Sunset, all standing in a great horde eager for the door, but none quite touching one another, even if they had to lean sideways or rock on their hooves, all trying to avoid intrusions into personal space that were, frankly, unavoidable.

The doors opened and there was a great rush towards the exit. Sunset could hear the conductor from outside the train.

"This stop is Canterlot. If you are leaving this service here please remember to take all of your belongings with you when you leave the train. Please take care when alighting on the platform. This is the service for Vanhoover calling at Saddale, Hoofington, Unicorn Range West, Buckingham, Tall Lake and Vanhoover where this service will terminate."

The rush of ponies trying to get off the train and onto the crowded platform was followed by the flood of ponies trying to get on. Sunset didn't bother to watch them but bent back to Twilight's book, only vaguely conscious of the stream of equinity flowing past her into the various seats.

"Excuse me, is this seat taken?"

Sunset looked up to see a butter yellow pegasus hovering a few inches above the floor of the railway car, a bundle of black bin bags held precariously in her forehooves and her face poking out from behind them.

Sunset glanced at Twilight, who said, "No, please, help yourself."

"Oh, thank you so much," the pegasus said, flapping her wings to carry herself up towards the luggage rack. She leaned backwards to be able to put her bin bags up there, but as she did so the weight caused her to overbalance, tipping backwards with a cry of alarm. "Whoa!"

Twilight and Sunset both leapt to their feet, their horns flaring with magical aura as Twilight stopped the mare's fall and Sunset grabbed hold of the bin bags before they fall to the floor and spill all over the place.

"Here, let me take care of that," Sunset murmured, levitating the bags up into the rack above her head. It took a bit of work to get the big bags in there, but Sunset's telekinesis was sufficiently deft to rearrange the shape of the black bags without splitting them open.

"Thank you," the mare said, as Twilight set her down upon the ground. "It's not an ideal way to pack up everything you own in the world, but I didn't really have a lot of other options. I'm Summer, by the way."

Summer's eyes were a light blue, like a pool under sunlight, and her mane was cream, with pink highlights, cut short but in an artfully messed up way. Her cutie mark was a black arrow, pointing up her side towards her face.

"Are you an archer?" Sunset asked.

Summer chuckled. "No, I wish. Then maybe I could make a living. No, my cutie mark is...well, it's complicated. It doesn't matter."

"Suit yourself," Sunset said, holding up one hoof. She wasn't going to make the other mare talk about it if she didn't want to. "Anyway, I'm Sunset Shimmer, this is Spike, and I'm sure you already know who this is."

Summer's face was blank. "No, I don't. Should I?"

"Seriously?" Spike asked.

"Spike," Twilight said reproachfully. She smiled warmly. "I'm Twilight Sparkle."

"Princess Twilight Sparkle," Spike said.

Summer's face flushed. "Oh my goodness. I am so sorry, princess, I had no idea!"

"It's alright, really," Twilight said. "I don't make a big deal out of it and I don't see why anypony else should either. It's fine, honestly. Contrary to what Sunset said, I don't think most ponies know who I am. And, frankly, I prefer it that way."

"All the same, I feel like an idiot," Summer murmured. "And I should thank you twice as hard for letting me sit in your presence."

Twilight began to blush. "Please, stop it, you'll embarrass me. Like I said, I'm just myself."

Spike looked as if he might protest that, but a swift glance from Twilight was enough to shut him up.

"Anyway, it's really nice to meet you," Summer said. "Where are you three headed?"

"Tall Lake," Twilight said.

"Oh, my gosh, me too!" Summer squealed excitedly. "I'm moving in with my coltfriend there; hence, the bags."

"He couldn't have loaned you a case or two?" Sunset asked.

"I...wasn't given a lot of time to move out," Summer said. "But, you know, it's all cool. I get to live with my coltfriend, and once I get there I know my life is gonna to turn just right around. I'm about to really make a change this time, I can feel it. So, how about you, what's waiting for you in Tall Lake?"

"My family," Twilight replied. "My parents are vacationing up there and we're joining them to celebrate their anniversary."

"Okay, that sounds nice," Summer said, nodding her head. She looked at Sunset. "So, are you like a friend of the family or something."

Sunset leaned in a little closer to Twilight. "Not exactly."

Summer's eyes widened. "Oh, Celestia, I'm such an idiot! Of course! Yes, right, cool. You two are together. It's awesome, isn't it?"

Sunset blinked. "What is, exactly?"

"Being in a relationship," Summer said. She sighed with happiness. "Doesn't it just fill you up and like, complete you."

Sunset smiled. "Yeah, it really does." She glanced at Twilight, who nodded in agreement. Spike, on the other hand, looked a little bit put out by all of this, though Sunset thought that was probably just sour grapes because he hadn't been able to turn his relationship with Rarity into anything solid yet. Wait until your older Spike, I'm sure you'll make it some day.

Spike's expression only got more sour as the train journey continued. Summer kept up an energetic, if inconsequential conversation about various trivial things. Sunset appreciated that she didn't take Twilight's celebrity status as an excuse to ask a lot of personal questions, and reciprocated by not asking Summer any questions about herself like, for instance, why she had been forced to pack up her life in garbage bags and get on a train to suddenly move in with her coltfriend; if she didn't want to share her life story then it wasn't Sunset's place to pry was it. Instead they talked about fluffy, harmless things: fashion (Summer geeked out momentarily when she found out that Twilight knew Rarity, who had apparently made a big splash at the Manehattan fashion show), celebrity gossip, who was in and who was out, upcoming movies that Summer was looking forward to. Spike may not have enjoyed it, but for Sunset it made the journey pass quickly enough until the train pulled into Tall Lake.

"Well, this is where we all get off, isn't it?" Summer said, as Sunset levitated her bags down into her hooves. "Thanks for all your help, and for listening to me, I know I can let my mouth run a little."

"You think?" Spike muttered under his breath, causing Twilight to snort angrily at him.

"Anyway, maybe I'll see you around town while you're here," Summer said. "Or maybe I won't, but I would it be cool. It was nice meeting you." She turned around and fluttered awkwardly off the train, her bags swaying in her tenuous grasp.

"I thought she'd follow us to our hotel," Spike said.

"She wasn't that bad," Sunset said. "She was trying to be nice."

"Weren't you even a little bored?"

"A bit, yes," Sunset said, in fact she couldn't remember much of what the other mare. "But that's my fault, not hers. She made an effort."

"To you, maybe," Spike muttered.

"Come on, Spike, don't be that way," Twilight said. "You probably won't have to see her ever again after this. Now let's go before the train leaves with us still on it."

Author's Note:

The bit about an EMP is a shout-out to the Albinocorn's awesome Long Road to Friendship.

Comments

[Bryan Luna]

The bit about an EMP is a shout-out to the Albinocorn's awesome Long Road to Friendship.

I had figured that's what you were referencing.

[FlavoredMoon]

'This is the service for Vanhoover calling at Saddale, Hoofington, Unicorn Range West, Buckingham, Tall Lake and Vanhoover where this service will terminate.'

Buckingham Elementary is where I went when I was younger.

[brisa_mlp]

The bit about an EMP is a shout-out to the Albinocorn's awesome Long Road to Friendship.

thought I saw that in a book I read