Two Mares and a Carpet Bag

by Icenrose

In Which Starlight Glimmer Suffers a Mild Case of Claustrophobia

Day 3: Manehattan

If Canterlot had glowed beneath the rising sun, Manehattan positively glittered. Row upon row of soaring skyscrapers reflected golden morning sunlight back and forth in a dazzling display, with smaller buildings filling the spaces between within the rigid grid of streets and thoroughfares.

Trixie and Starlight disembarked at a crowded airship dock on the upper west side of the city. To Starlight’s eyes, Manehattan looked even more impressive from the ground; the same buildings that had appeared as foals’ toys from above now towered over her head, some so tall she could scarcely see the windows of the top stories.

In fact, it felt to Starlight as though the massive walls of concrete pressed in upon her, and the crowded streets and constant traffic did little to alleviate a sudden tightness in her chest. She frowned to herself as Trixie, seemingly unperturbed, led the way through the throng of ponies to a fleet of taxis.

They boarded a cab pulled by a gruff, muscular stallion by the name of Lead Hoof, and they were off, bound for the central shopping district. Contrary to his name, the cabbie transported them deeper into the city with alarming alacrity.

As the cab careened along, Starlight stared at the ponies on the sidewalk, so tightly packed that they blurred together. It was as though the city blended the whole of ponykind into one faceless technicolor mass, and it deepened her sense of unease.

Doubt and homesickness tugged at the corners of Starlight’s muzzle. She found her thoughts turning back to Ponyville, to the home she had made within Twilight’s castle. She thought of studying late into the night by the roaring fireplace alongside Twilight, and of the regular card game nights they enjoyed with their friends.

The same friends who had banded together to goad Trixie into this rather absurd wager in the first place. Starlight sighed, then looked over to her currently present friend.

Trixie smiled as she looked about out her side of the cab, oblivious and carefree. Starlight snorted and tried to emulate her, but whenever she looked anywhere else, the city closed in on her once again.

Suddenly the city opened up into a vast, well-kept central park area, and Starlight’s heart leapt at seeing the sky once again. She breathed deep the smell of fresh cut grass and fallen leaves, and felt the tension start to ebb from her neck, even as she wiped away the sweat on her forehead with the back of her hoof.

The park was lined with shops selling all manner of goods. They were easily able to procure a nicely furbished concertina for a song, along with a large tin of honey-roasted peanuts from a confectionery next-door. They also purchased a stout set of galoshes, should the weather turn foul in the travels ahead, and a set of saddlebags for Starlight to help carry it all.

Once finished shopping, they headed further south to the harbor district. Both Trixie and Starlight’s eyes widened as they took in the piers, docks and quays stretching out of sight around the island in either direction, which harbored boats and ships of all shapes and sizes. The smell of the sea permeated everything, and dockhooves shouted at one another as they hauled cargo to and fro.

The clear, sharp whistle of a metal-clad ship, entirely devoid of sail, coming into port arrested their attention. She was painted a gleaming white with a copper lily stamped on her bow, with black smoke belching from a pair of colossal smokestacks. A modest flock of pegasi ran guidelines from the ship to the earth ponies on shore, and with their assistance she glided up to a nearby pier. The whistle sounded again, and the pair could see the plume of steam rise in the cool afternoon air as it sang.

“Oh,” Trixie said softly, “so that’s a steamship.”

Starlight simply nodded, slack-jawed and numb.

Once the mares returned to their senses, a brief inquiry with the harbormaster pointed them towards the Essence of Bergamot, a steamship a few piers down, bound for Trottingham at eight o’clock the next morning. The captain, High Tea, seemed to run a tight ship as he barked orders at his crew, but he was courteous enough when they asked to book passage with him.

As the sun set, Starlight and Trixie wandered back towards the central park, and were surprised to find a theatre troupe setting up for a performance on a newly constructed stage. After some discussion, they decided to stay and enjoy the show. It was a charming period piece, hilarious and heartwarming in equal measure, even if the acting left a little to be desired.

When the troupe took their final bow, Starlight looked about her as she sat within that crowd of cheering ponies: at the happy families with young children, at the elderly mare resting her head on her wife’s shoulder, at the half-dozen young adults laughing and chatting amongst themselves. It felt to Starlight as though she were back home in Ponyville, and that this community, while small, was as tight-knit as any.

The city suddenly felt much more intimate, instead of a looming monstrosity threatening to consume her.

The duo retired to their room at the Manefair Hotel. As Trixie brushed her teeth, Starlight looked out the window over the vast ocean of lights below.

She wondered what the view out of the next window would look like, and smiled.