6: Calm Before the Storm
I opened my eyes to the sound of squealing train brakes.
Morning already?
It feels like I’d barely fallen asleep but now the sun was rising over the train platform.
I smiled as the rays of the early morning hit my face.
Finally, I was back in Ponyville.
It had been a long, three month tour of all Equestria.
Every small town, to every big city. From Appleloosa to Manehattan, I’d done the same routine. Speech, crying, and clapping.
I had been run ragged with speeches, consultations, petty politics, and polling.
But it was over, and I was on my way back to Canterlot at long last.
First though, I was making a little stop. I promised I would.
With an impressive amount of begging, cajoling, and nearing the point of bribery, I’d managed to convince both Luna and, more importantly, Quill, to make stop for a day in Ponyville again.
With Luna, I had impressed upon her the need to make a second appearance to see how ponies were accepting her, and to see the finished monument
Quill though, I had to persuade that a day of vacation after three months of work was acceptable.
It had been a concerted effort, but I had eventually managed it.
The secretary in question stretches out in my lap and yawns loudly.
She had got in the habit of falling asleep on me when we were traveling between cities and towns.
And I certainly didn't mind it.
As she opens her eyes and looks up at me, a smile graces her face. ”Good morning, sir. Ready for your vacation?”
It's clearly too early for her to muster any sarcasm, and I wasn’t about to poke fun at her for it. Not so early I’m at least.
So instead, I chose to just rub the back of her neck gently.
She lets out a noise that makes you wonder if she's part cat, and stretches out once more.
Finally, she hopped off the bench and made her way forward to the dining car.
Looking out the window once more, I realized that the train had merely been slowing for a curve in the track and we were nowhere near Ponyville.
Damn.
Might as well join Quill and Luna for breakfast.
I stretched out my legs and stood, making my way to the next car.
When I clambered inside the undersized door, I found Quill and Luna chatting amicably
All three of you had become less formal with each other over the course of the trip.
The nature of living in such close quarters for so long, you suppose.
Fortunately, we all got along well together, no fights besides petty arguments.
Doubly fortunate was that the more open we were, the more ideas seemed to come up almost from thin air.
Luna's total refusal to attend a dinner that Quill hadn't been invited to in order to show solidarity between the royalty and common people resulted in the three of you avoiding a massive blowout as one of the city councilors had been arrested, resulting in quite a messy chase around the dining hall.
No injuries, fortunately, but a great deal of embarrassment for all involved.
It was little things like this that had kept our spirits high over the course of the damned tour.
And all three of our morales had soared to greater heights as the lengthy trip was at a well deserved end.
As I approached, I could catch snippets of their conversation, but they hushed up when I joined them at the table.
Mare talk, I assumed.
“Alright ladies, what are they trying to poison us with today?”
Luna and Quill giggle at the memory of the day you'd spent in the lavatory after eating some bad eggs.
They hadn't quite stopped teasing you about that either.
Quill pipes up with an answer for me.
”They're making waffles for us, and using that syrup we picked up in Mountpelier!”
An easy grin touches my face at the mention. “Excellent, a good start to the last day out of Canterlot hm?”
Quill nods as the sous chef and his cooks come through the door with three platters. They lay them on the table and make a hasty retreat.
I could imagine the staff are feeling the length of the trip as well as the rest of us, probably more so. After all, they were the ones driving this train, feeding us, and coordinating routes.
None of us had anyone waiting for us in Canterlot besides government officials, unlike many ponies on the staff.
I resolved to give the crew that had accompanied you on this tour a bonus for their efforts. They deserved it.
Small incidents aside, like the poisoning egg, they had all done excellent jobs.
The three of us dug in eagerly to breakfast, filling our mouths too fast to hold conversation.
Before long, we’ve all finished and are stacking our plates for the staff to clean. Perks of being a ruler, I could say.
I paused and looked out the window, seeing the farms bordering Ponyville passing by. Excitement builds in my gut, I would actually get a chance to just relax for the first time in nearly five years.
As the train pulled into the station, Quill and Luna have got back to conversing quietly.
When I asked what it's all about, they waved me off and told me 'filly stuff' dismissively.
It obviously was something else, but I wasn’t going to pry. Not worth it, I reasoned.
Besides, I have bigger things on my mind. As I exit the train, I’m greeted by a number of ponies.
Most of them immediately crowd around Luna and, by default, Quill.
But five of them immediately make a beeline for me.
It's the five Elements, of course, and they crowded around me with smiles on their face. For half the day, they dragged me around town to various places.
Pinky makes me try a new kind of sweet she invented, and by its taste it had probably given me diabetes
Applejack and Rainbow Dash treated me to some cider. It was far less strong than what I had drank back before you'd come to Equestria, and even weaker than most drinks at a Canterlot dinner party. But it was enough for the two who were treating me to become friendly with a few stallions.
Rarity dragged me into her dress shop for an hour and takes my measurements to ensure they were still the same as when she'd first tailored for me, thankfully. After that, she showed me a design for a new suit more fitting to your role in the political sphere. A white jacket with gold coloured cuffs, trim, and sash across my chest with a matching pair of pants similar to old riding pants. The jacket was emblazoned with a large icon of the sun on the right breast, a pair of knee high black boots completed the look, and made for an all around imposing look, at least on paper.
Rarity explained that she desired it to invoke the image of Celestia, in order to remind ponies of who it was who was their ruler, but also that I was her current successor. I liked the design, and when I gave her the okay and she immediately kicked me out of the shop and gets to work.
Finally, Fluttershy took me with her to her place. I spent hours with her, feeding the various animals she took care of, helping her treat their injuries, and then cleaning up their enclosures. It's not easy, but I enjoy both the work, and simply spending time with Fluttershy. I haven’t talked with her in years.
Finally, we both finished the work she had for the day, and are able to simply sit inside relaxing and catching up with her over tea.
Eventually, our conversation lapses into silence, and she joins me on her little loveseat, resting her chin on your lap as I stroked her mane
I and Fluttershy both jolted awake suddenly, as a sharp knock sounds from the door. Fluttershy jumps at the sudden sound, huddling against me immediately as a shout comes from the other side of the door.
”Open up this door immediately, we have an emergency telegram for Anonymous.”
I calmly pulled away from Fluttershy and walked to the door, though the shy pony huddles up against my legs as you do. Opening the door, I saw a grey stallion in a mail carrier uniform huffing for breath.
“What's the emergency?”
Without speaking, he hands you a sealed envelope and sits on the doorstep, trying to catch his breath.
As I opened and read the telegram, Fluttershy stands on her hind legs, trying to get a view.
”W-what's the emergency, Anon? Did somepony get hurt? Oh dear, I hope that your friends are alright!”
As I reread the lines of ink, my hands begun to shake and my eyes had widened in shock.
I read it several times over, just to be sure that I wasn’t hallucinating this whole thing.
“When did this come in?”
The stallion puffs out his chest and takes a deep breath. “About ten minutes ago, sir. As soon as I found where you were, I rushed right over!”
I looked down at him and nodded grimly “Good work, run back and tell them I'll be there shortly. Make sure the train is prepared for immediate departure.”
The mail worker nodded and galloped off towards town as I clenched the letter tightly.
Fluttershy tugs on my pant leg, speaking up with worry in her voice. ”What's the matter? Why do you have to go so suddenly?”
I knelt down and placed a hand on her mane.“An emergency meeting of the ministers was called today. Apparently we've received an ultimatum from the gryphons. I need to get there as soon as I can.”
Fluttershy looked at the floor, her eyes misting over. ”B-but you were finally back, a-at least for a little while. And you already have to go? Can't they handle it without you?”
I couldn’t bear to meet her eyes, so I just ended up looking at the floor as well. “I wish I could, but for this I need to be there to take control of things. I'm sorry.”
As she sniffles and tries to hold back tears, I wrapped my arms around her and embraced her tightly
Her voice is thick with emotion when she speaks again. ”It's not fair, you finally came back after five years and you're leaving already! Why can't you stay for just another few minutes?”
She sobs as I held her tightly, not objecting when I rose and picked her up with me.
I held her in my arms as I walked back to town, back to the train station.
The conductor there was waiting for me, tapping his hoof impatiently. ”We're holding up other trains to get this into Canterlot as soon as we can, sir. And frankly we've already delayed too long.”
Without waiting for an answer, he boarded the train, leaving me alone on the platform with Fluttershy.
She had calmed down some on the walk into town, now just sniffling quietly. It had surprised me, I hadn't believed she thought this much of me. And despite its suddenness, it broke my heart to make her cry.
But my duty to Equestria came first.
I lifted her chin up and gave her the warmest smile you can, even though there's ice in my veins and a pit in my gut. “Don't worry Shy, it's probably just a trade dispute. After I help the ministers settle things down, I'll make time to come back again, okay?”
She nodded and smiles back, her tears finally slowing. ”A-alright. I'll hold you to that, Anon! Y-you'd better be back as soon as you can to help with the animals!”
My smile grew as I stroked her mane gently. “Of course! I know you have such a hard time without me after all.”
Neither of us bothered to say what remains unspoken. We both knew, deep down, it's going to be a long time before I came back. The train whistle blows, and I hopped aboard the train just as it starts to move.
Looking back, I could see Fluttershy waving from the platform, a sad smile on her face. Neither of us had said what both of you felt. And deep down, I knew that those feelings were going to be left unspoken for a long time. No matter what lies you told yourself. With a sigh, I walked into the dining car, only to find Quill and Luna gathered with a messenger around the table.
Steeling myself and straightening my jacket, I took my place and addressed the pegasus courier with a grim tone and a hardened face. “So, what is this ultimatum?”
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Loving this already. I like the realistic view and older anon who isn't some genius but just common sense. Can't wait for more
11474662
Thank you! I promise that I’ll have another chapter out by tomorrow.
Bro bro this
This is that GOOD SHIT
I LOVE IT, I LOVE ALL OF IT!
11474811
Well, thank you for reading it. I’m glad you enjoyed it.
I enjoy this so far. My only real thing to note is that you tend to slip into second person often enough for me to notice. I'm not sure if it's the remnant of the old Green text style but I thought I should mention it.
11475113
Yup, it is. Can’t really help it though, I was a greentext author for 2 years before making a fimfiction account. Just an old habit that won’t die (:
bro im using read aloud and after “So, what is this ultimatum?”
i hear (Join our Subscribestar to remore these adverts)
The mixed first and second person is jarring
Awww...
I'm pretty sure they are.
Well, there goes your holiday.
And here is some footage of how the emergency meeting had been declared:
Good chapter!
I enjoyed reading it.
Hopefully Apple Bloom managed to keep the moon rock safe for Luna.
Suggestion: might be better to use "griffons" instead of "gryphons".
I know both versions are technically okay, but the former one is the version used in the show. One time even in the title of an episode.
11485997
I did notice that, and thankfully I stopped using “gryphon” instead of “griffon” in later chapters. I do intend to go back and fix those later.
11485999
Wow, that was probably the fastest I ever got a reply...
By the way, right at the beginning of the next chapter you are already using "griffons". That means I had chosen the worst time to point that out.
this was all a ruse to get Anon and Quill closer together
11475138
Standard marketing technique.
So what would have happened if that dumbass conductor left Anon behind? The problem with showing ponies being assholes to Anon is you havent done anything with it. Random jackasses would be fine if Anon was a nobody, but he is literally in charge right now.
So far we have the insubordinate Guards, a small town Mayor Mare threatening the head of the nation (not sure if thats treason), and this train conductor who nearly threw his own job away because who would be stupid enough to ever re employ the guy who purposefully abandoned the head of the nation during a national crisis.
Putting those scenes aside the rest of the story is wonderful and i love it.