2 - Flashback
Silverstream was the first to arrive from her home at the Ponyville train station, two cases of luggage on each side of her. While she waited for her friends to touch down as well, she absorbed the sights and sounds of a clear, sunny, and overall beautiful Ponyville day.
Convincing her parents to let her go on this journey was not easy. They first doubted her responsibility at a time where there were no adults around, and then they were unsure if she would be able to handle being away for so long. She explained that she had been away from home for a while already, during her first year at school, and that if she was responsible enough to do that, she could easily do it on a trip with her friends.
At last, her parents agreed, and she embraced her family for a few long minutes before departing on the incoming train. It was sad and unusual for her to leave her family during summer vacation, but an opportunity like this didn’t come up often. She looked forward to spending many more of her summers with them.
But for now, it was time to spend it with her friends.
Silverstream waited patiently for the next train, and even though she knew it was going to take a while longer, she was really enjoying nature popping up around her. So much so, that when Sandbar stepped onto the platform, she didn’t even notice at first.
“Uh… Silverstream?” Sandbar said, sitting next to her on the bench and trying to get her attention. Finally, the hippogriff snapped out of it, and she smiled as she looked to her right.
“Oh! Hi, Sandbar. Was it hard to convince your parents too?” Silversteam asked. Sandbar shook his head, placing his luggage down on the ground.
“Actually, not really… you did?” He replied with a question. Silverstream shrugged, surprised that he had more luck with it. She sighed.
“Yeah… but just a little bit. It only took about 20 minutes.” She replied. Sandbar chuckled.
“That’s a pretty long time.”
They both giggled for a bit, but then there was an awkward silence. For a few moments, they both enjoyed the sounds of nature. Finally, Silverstream felt the urge to get something off her chest.
“...why were you so upset yesterday?” She asked, facing her friend. Sandbar faced her as well, a look of bewilderment as his expression.
“What? No. I wasn’t at all upset yesterday.” But his response only made Silverstream even more unconvinced and unsatisfied. She frowned.
“Sandbar, don’t lie to your friends… we can help you. Surely you trust me enough to assist?” She asked, placing a claw on her earth pony friend’s shoulder. Sandbar closed his eyes, lowered his head a little, and sighed sadly, as if preparing to tell a story.
“...Silverstream, you know me pretty well. You know how much I appreciate this school. So, I really don’t want to leave, and I didn’t want to leave you guys,” He said, opening his eyes again, but still looking towards the wooden ground of the platform. Silverstream kept her claw planted on his shoulder, a concerned look on her face. “I’m going to be honest with you, and you’re, like, one of the only people I can trust about this…
“But my home life isn’t all that great. I’m an only child, and the only way I can hang out with ponies my age is when I’m with you guys. I… really don’t have any friends in town, except for Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo, I guess.”
Silverstream was shocked. She and Sandbar hadn’t really been alone much, so it was unusual for either of them to pour so much information into each other. They were more used to being a group, but obviously it was a bit new for them to be spilling their personal lives to each other.
When Silverstream thought about it more, she realized that she didn’t really know much about her friends’ lives away from school, besides where they lived.
“I had no idea you felt so bad about something only temporary, Sandbar.” Silverstream answered with a smile, trying her best to cheer up her friend. “I know we’ll be separated again after the trip, but that only serves as a reminder to enjoy it while it lasts! We shouldn’t move around after it’s over, so instead we should cherish and remember the memories we experienced from the trip.”
“But there’ll still be time left in summer, and I’ll be alone again…” The earth pony cut in quietly, but Silverstream wasn’t finished. She flared her wings.
“So we’ll have some other kind of get-together then!” She exclaimed, feeling quite happy when she noticed a small smile starting to form on Sandbar’s face. “You won’t be lonely. As long as we all stay in touch, it won’t be a problem at all.”
Sandbar breathed out a sigh of relief (presumably) and patted his hippogriff friend on the back, smiling. “Thanks, Silverstream. You really seem to care about us.” Silverstream giggled and rubbed the back of her head with a slight blush.
“If you guys are happy, I’m happy.”
The previous night...
Twilight Sparkle sat at her desk, finishing off final report cards that would be sent to the homes of her students during the summer. She was mostly pleased with the results, as many of the students had very good grades.
She took a brief break to stretch her limbs after several hours of sitting. As the princess walked towards one of the windows in her office, she stretched her stiff wings, yawning.
It was almost dusk. The Sun was barely visible over the surrounding mountains, yet it’s golden light still crept in around Ponyville. This was Twilight’s favorite view of her town, especially around this time, which bore her name as well: twilight. She chuckled to herself when she heard the thought in her mind.
Suddenly, when she thought she was alone, she heard a knock at the door. Her ears instantly perked up as she looked towards the sound, curious yet cautious of what was behind it.
“Hello? Who’s there?” She questioned, closing her wings, awaiting an answer. The answer came almost instantly after she spoke.
“Headmare Twilight? It’s me, Silverstream!”
The door opened. Sure enough, the energetic hippogriff poked her head through the crack between both doors, waving a claw in the air. Still, Twilight was confused.
“Silverstream? What are you still doing here? Everyone else is gone, you know that, right?” She asked, standing next to her desk. Silverstream nodded as if she understood, and then took a seat in front of the desk. A book was tucked under one arm.
“Well, I kinda forgot something in my room, and then I remembered that I needed to check out a book for the summer, so I went to your office and you weren’t there! You must’ve been out for dinner or something. Anyways, I just waited in the library for a little bit, looking to see if I wanted another book, but I didn’t, and then I went here.” She explained with intricate claw gestures, shrugging at the end.
“Oh! I’m sorry I kept you waiting, Silverstream, but all the students left at least few hours ago. I didn’t know you were still here…” Twilight apologized, sitting down in her chair again. The waning sunlight was now creeping through the windows and casting a golden color on the floor of the dim room.
“Eh. It’s ok. It was worth a look at all the books one last time, I guess,” Silverstream replied with a nod. Then, she peeked over at the desk and noticed the piles of report cards strewn over it. “What are you doing that makes you so disorganized at this time, Headmare Twilight?”
Twilight sighed tiredly and looked down at the papers, rubbing her temples. She chuckled. “Report cards. Hundreds of them, not just from the students here, but from some other students who were studying abroad,” she answered. “I might be here all night, if it comes to that.”
“You still have to close up the school too, right?”
“Yes. But I can do that tomorrow.”
Silverstream nodded and the two were silent for a few seconds. Twilight was unsure of why she was here until she remembered that she had a book to check out.
“So you’re checking out a book for the summer? What is it?” She asked, reaching her hooves out. Silverstream placed the book in her hooves, and she took it in.
“Supernatural Sensations: Legendary Artifacts of the Land. Sounds cool, right?” Silverstream replied, leaning back in her chair and crossing her arms. Twilight raised an eyebrow.
“Yeah and, believe it or not, I’ve never read it before.” She revealed, gazing at the book and turning it over in her hooves.
Sure, it sounded interesting to someone like Silverstream, but Twilight knew it was nothing more than chance at this point. Hell, she doubted that any of the ‘artifacts’ listed in the book existed at all, even more so than the fact that the ones that did happen to be true actually exist today. So, in all honesty, she didn’t really think much of it. But still, she couldn’t steer a student away from their interests.
“What’s it for?” Twilight asked. Silverstream sat up in her chair and looked at the book again.
“Well, I need a book to read this summer, and my friends and I are trying to find something to do together, so—“
Twilight cut her off. “Wait. You’re thinking of looking for one of these things?” Silverstream winced a little bit, seemingly expecting a lecture, which the headmare was considering giving.
“Uh, yeah, I guess so,” she replied, but as soon as Twilight opened her mouth, she spoke again. “The Prosperity Platter. It’s in southern Equestria. I know it’s strange, but…”
“It’s not danger I’m worried about, Silverstream,” Twilight said softly, sighing and putting the book down on her desk. “But don’t you think it would be kind of silly if you looked all summer long and came up with nothing? Do you think that would be fair to your parents and family, who probably want to spend time with you?”
Silverstream said nothing, just looking at the book with a blank expression. Twilight stood up from her chair, prolonging the silence by walking to one of the windows. The Sun was still gleaming through, but it was almost set all the way. “Southern Equestria is… a bit hazardous, I should say.”
“Yeah? Why do you say that?” The hippogriff questioned from behind her, not exactly in an angry tone, but definitely curious.
“...When my friends and I faced off against the Storm King, we had to go through southern Equestria just to get to Mount Eris, your home,” Twilight turned to face Silverstream, who was clearly intrigued by what she had to say. “We found this ragtag town called Klugetown. We had a good reason for being there; we needed a place to rest and replenish ourselves. But we had no idea what was really here.”
She looked back towards the window and sighed, watching the Sun. “We were almost sold to some creep. I still can’t believe we befriended Capper afterwards.”
Silverstream suddenly buzzed in. “Capper? Who’s that?” She asked curiously. Twilight turned to her again.
“He’s a cat. You know, Abyssinian? Well, he’s the one who tried to sell us.”
“So why didn’t you just, like, NOT befriend him?”
“He was a huge help to us after I was captured. My friends used him to get through Canterlot unharmed and save me from the Storm King.” Twilight answered with a slight smile. “We went our separate ways after the Friendship Festival. Apparently, Rarity stays in touch with him and is actually his personal tailor. Therefore, he is still a friend…”
She could tell that Silverstream was interested in this topic. The hippogriff rubbed her chin as she processed the story, likely noting the things Twilight had to go through in the desert. “So, does he still live in Plugville?”
“Klugetown,” Twilight corrected, grinning, before answering her question. “And, yes. Why?”
Silverstream tapped her class, smiling nervously. “If you can contact him, can you let him know we’re coming so we can stay at his place during our journey?” Twilight facehoofed, walking back to her desk.
“Nothing’s stopping you from this trip, huh, Silverstream?” The princess questioned in a monotone voice. The hippogriff nodded.
“Headmare Twilight, this school has taught us to be brave, responsible, and smart wherever we go in life. I think my friends and I are capable of going out on our own.”
Twilight recollected her thoughts and reconsidered the whole ordeal. Was she looking at this from the wrong angle? Was she actually stopping her students from using aspects they learned at her school?
It didn’t matter anyway. She couldn’t tell her students not to do something over the summer; it wasn’t in her authority. Twilight sighed and closed her eyes, sitting down in her chair across the desk from Silverstream.
“You know, Silverstream, you’re right. You can go if you really want to. Just… be careful, ok?” She answered finally, opening the book to the first page and stamping on the checkout log, signifying ownership over the summer. Silverstream’s face lit up as she grabbed the book and was about to fly out the door when Twilight, at the last second, felt the urge to do something else for her. Her magic stopped the hippogriff in mid-air, and she reached down below her desk. Her hoof submerged with an empty journal, and she levitated the vacant book over to Silverstream.
“Before you go, one last thing.” Twilight said as Silverstream grabbed the new book, and the headmare released her magic. The hippogriff studied the journal carefully before tucking it into her saddlebag.
“What’s that for?” She asked, raising an eyebrow. Twilight clapped her hooves together and levitated an ink container and quill over to Silverstream, who only looked even more confused.
“While you and your friends are away, I want you to document your travels, just like I would do when I was a student of Princess Celestia,” Twilight replied, looking at a picture of a younger version of herself next to the towering yet comforting figure of the supreme leader of Equestria. “Then, when you come back from break, you can share your experiences with the rest of your classmates.”
Silverstream nodded, as if understanding what Twilight was telling her. “Have a good summer, Headmare Twilight!” She called while trotting out the door.
“You too, Silverstream!” Twilight shouted after her, hearing the hippogriffs clawsteps echo throughout the hall as the door closed. Twilight sighed, smiling, and looked out the window. The Sun had dipped completely below the horizon, and a purple color replaced the previous orange sky.
Afterwards, she focused on completing her student’s report cards, and as it turned out, it DID take her all night.
By the time Silverstream finished recounting the previous night’s events with Headmare Twilight, all of her friends had arrived from their homes. They listened in on the end of their friend’s story, and when it was finally complete, it was almost sundown.
“Honestly, this Capper guy sounds kinda cool.” Smolder pointed out, dropping her relatively small bag of luggage onto the wooden platform. Everyone else gave her an odd look, and she shrugged in response. “...besides the part where he tried to sell Headmare Twilight and the other teachers. That wasn’t cool.”
“Yona thinks meeting the cat isn’t a bad idea.” Yona said enthusiastically. Gallus rolled his eyes, basically signifying that he didn’t care what was going to happen, and continued reading his comic book.
“I agree. It would be helpful because the desert down there is unrelentingly hot and dry. We would need a place to stay and recharge. At least, that’s according to King Thorax. He got stuck in the desert after losing the rest of the hive, and that experience essentially forced him to go back north,” Ocellus recounted with a gulp, clearly a little nervous about the story. “It was… not fun.”
“Well, it certainly does that,” Sandbar said, referring to the benefits that come with staying at Capper’s place. “But remember, Silverstream said it wasn’t even a sure bet that it will happen. Headmare Twilight still has to contact him, and if he agrees, she’ll send Silversteam a letter informing her of it, right?” The earth pony looked towards his hippogriff friend for the last part, and she nodded in return.
“Of course. You’re right. I just wanted to get everyone’s opinion on it, and it seems like you all agree.” Silverstream announced. She smiled. “So, that’s what we’ll do if we get the all-clear.”
The rest of her friends nodded, ensuring that they were all on board with it. She then announced that she was going to get the tickets, but by then they were all absorbed in reading books they brought along or talking to each other, so she went to the ticket booth without any comments or objections.
The pony managing the booth was an older-looking earth pony stallion. He had an orange coat that was faded a bit with age, and some thin black but graying hair sat on his head. Despite his tired and old appearance, he did look like a happy and lively pony. He smiled once Silverstream walked up to the booth, a bag of bits tucked in one of her wings.
“Good evening, young lady!” The old stallion said in a soft tone. “You caught me just in time. I was about to close up for the day. Where to?”
Silverstream placed her bag of bits on the counter in front of her, glancing at the train schedule for a second before looking back towards the ticket pony. She decided that she wanted the one way ticket for each of her friends.
“6 one way tickets to Dodge Junction, please.” She said, reaching into the bag of bits, beginning to count the price. The booth manager announced that all in all the tickets would be 30 bits, so Silverstream started placing the bits on the counter.
“So, what for? Is it a family occasion? Or simply a vacation?” The old booth manager asked kindly, watching the hippogriff place the bits on the counter. Silversteam stopped her counting and thought for a moment, debating whether or not she should tell a complete stranger what she and her friends would be up to. That debate didn’t last long, though.
“Oh, my friends and I are heading down to south to look for something,” she replied, continuing to put down the bits, one by one. “Nothing too special, honestly.”
She heard nothing from the old pony until she was done counting the bits. As soon as she placed down bit number 30, she looked up, and was immediately met by a skeptical look from the booth manager.
“You and your friends by yourself… down there? Haven’t you heard about the conditions down there, Miss?” The old pony said, his tone completely changed. His kind attitude was replaced by a cold and slow voice, everything that could possibly concern Silverstream. “Record heat. Rapidly increasing crime rates. Some parts are in complete chaos after the brief reign of the Storm King wore off…
“Surely your parents talked to you about this.”
“I think my friends and I are capable, sir, but thanks anyway.” Silverstream clapped back, a bit frustrated that a stranger was trying to steer her away from her vacation. “Can I have my tickets now, please?”
The old pony scoffed, reaching below the counter and grabbing a hoofful of tickets. He placed them down on the counter, and Silverstream grabbed them immediately. She was starting to walk away when the old pony called for her again. She turned around after he said this.
“Be careful out there. It really is treacherous, that platter you’re looking for.” The booth manager’s voice had changed even more. Now, it was a sickly and icy threat, his facial expression dead and empty. Then, almost as quickly as it came, and it was replaced by a nice-looking older pony, waving. “Have a good trip!”
Silverstream put on a fake grin and waved back. “Of course… thank you!” She walked away, wondering what just happened, and was soon back to her friends, who had not moved at all since the last time she was with them. She sat down, and no one paid attention to her again. All they had to do was wait for the train to come, which wouldn’t be for another half hour.
But all Silverstream kept thinking about was the old pony. How had this voice changed so dramatically? Why did this old pony feel so evil suddenly? Why had she snapped so quickly?
How did he know what they were looking for?
Or did she imagine that part? She probably would never know.
The train came at the same time it should have, and the crew boarded it just before the Sun touched the surrounding mountains.
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STRANGER DANGER!!!
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9895878
How's progress going on the next chapters?
9904555
They're going swell!
I had to deal with some school stress which caused me to scrap Chapter 3 because I lost interest, but it's progressing better than I thought right now. I'm also working on other projects, but you should probably expect Chapter 3 to be released in the coming weeks. Thanks for asking though! ^^
9907342
Great to hear! Take your time and remember: deep breaths can help with stress.
I really like that That interaction between silverstream and sandbar so sweet Which they should have done that in the real show Having one on one Conversation with each other Or at least the teachers ( main 6 ) But they keep forgetting about it which that kinda annoys me but whatever This is a very interesting story and I can't wait to see how this is gonna work out. Keep up the good work
Hmm Something very suspicious this huh i wonder why the ticket pony was like that 🤔 I guess we well find out