Princess Twilight Sparkle gets a personal student of her own!
Princess Twilight Sparkle gets the opportunity to select her own student, as a gesture from Princess Celestia. Whom shall she choose? Is it someone from Ponyville? Canterlot? From Celestia's school? This is most certainly going to be interesting.
[/hr] Third-Person story featuring, surprise, surprise, Princess Twilight.
It was late at night, and Twilight was just gearing down for bed when Spike came jogging upstairs carrying a scroll.
"Letter from the Princess Twi'!" He called.
Twilight, though always excited to get a letter from the Princess, couldn't help but get a bit annoyed. This letter was coming just before bed, and it had been a long day, longer than usual, and Twilight was, as Applejack would say, "plumb tuckered out."
She turned around away from her bed and sat on her haunches. She then let loose a small sigh of frustration and replied, "What is it?"
The small dragon unrolled the paper, cleared his throat, and began to read out loud:
"My Dearest Twilight,
I am certain that you are feeling a bit in...over-your-head towards many of your new-found responsibilities as Princess."
Ya think?
Twilight winced at her harsh thoughts towards the Princess; she was really feeling quite irritable today...
"And I apologize for that, but I am sure that your load will become more bearable with time, as did mine. For now, I have a bit of news for you."
Twilight's purple, fuzzy ears perked at those words. News? Was it good or bad?
"Twilight, for a very long time, you were my personal student. You still are, though, as I said on the night of your transformation, not in the same way as before. You are a very smart mare, and I believe in you to the fullest extent."
Twilight puffed up her chest a bit at that.
"This means that I, Princess Celestia, do inform you that you have earned the privilege to choose your own Personal Student, as I did you so many years ago."
Twilight froze. Did she hear that correctly?
"I will require you to come to Canterlot the following morning for more information. I would rather talk to you face-to-face about this subject if you wish to learn about it further. From: Your Princess Celestia."
Okay, so she had heard that correctly.
Spike rolled up the letter and said, "Wow, that sounds pretty cool Twi', who're you gonna choose?"
"I...I don't know Spike. This is all a bit of out of the blue...I don't even know anypony whom I could teach..."
Spike just yawned, shrugged, and asked, "You going to write a response, or can I go to bed?"
"You...can go to bed. I should too; it's been a long day. I think I'll write a response in the morning."
Spike went over and set the recently-read scroll on Twilight's desk. "Night Twilight," he said, and waddled up the stairs to his basket, where he promptly slid under the covers, nuzzled his head into the pillow, and began to snore.
Twilight sat for a moment, thinking, then slowly followed Spike up the stairs.
The desire for sleep was gone. All that Twilight could do was lay under her covers, listen to Spike snore, and ponder Celestia's most recent letter.
Me? A teacher? Like Celestia?
Twilight had never really thought about it. She knew that she was quite a knowledgeable mare, as did all of her friends and family, but she had never entertained the thought of becoming a teacher.
Could she do it? Would she be a good teacher? Would she be too strict, too harsh? Or perhaps the opposite? To let-loose? She would certainly not be too lazy, that much was obvious, but still...
Eventually, though, she fell asleep with these thoughts and similar ones buzzing around inside of her mind. It was quite late when she finally drifted off, ready to shut out the world.
[/hr]
Despite her falling asleep so late that night, Twilight awoke early, earlier than her alarm clock would have awoken her, an entire half hour. That means that it exactly was five-thirty in the morning. That's early, even for Twilight. Her stomach was overflowing with anxiety. She was both quite excited and intimidated. She wasn't really the most social of ponies, not anywhere as shy as on Fluttershy's level, of course, but also nowhere as high as Rarity's.
Twilight decided that she could probably handle it, and hoped that the Princess might give her some time to do some research on being a teacher. She did have a few books on the subject, but she hadn't gotten around to reading them yet.
She had planned to read them eventually, as she did all of the books in her library, but her new duties and responsibilities as Princess had forced her to rearrange her entire schedule. That had taken quite a while, for she had had to push back everything, and she means everything.
Parties, books, assignments, along with everything else needed to be found room for. Twilight was actually still working on the massive rescheduling. It had died down a bit, but she still needed to work on it every now and then.
Twilight decided to wait a bit longer before waking Spike up - he would be useless if he was asleep the entire trip - and decided to eat breakfast early. She decided that maybe she should make Spike breakfast as well. His being her assistant naturally meant that he did most of the cooking and cleaning, but today Twilight was feeling generous. Besides, maybe cooking would help set the bad side of her nerves at ease.
She was surprisingly calm, much more so then she would have been had this happened a couple of weeks earlier. Since then, Princess Cadence had taught Twilight how to calm herself during moments of distress, and she had matured slightly, so she could handle things that would have sparked paranoia inside of her during and earlier time.
It's natural to worry every now and then, and Twilight did, but she managed to keep everything under control, and keep a mainly positive mindset about the whole situation.
How hard could it be? She did know quite a bit about a lot of thing, a little bit of everything, some ponies would say, and she was a quick thinker. She could probably handle anything that might come up. Yes, she could do it.
See? It worked.
Twilight smiled at her ability to suppress her nervousness. She was getting pretty good at that.
She traveled down the stairs and into the kitchen where she started the stove. She ignited her horn's aura and a similar color enveloped several of the surrounding cupboard doors. They all opened and several different items necessary for fixing the morning meal drifted outside.
A couple pots and pans, some flour, milk, and other things. She had decided to make waffles. Waffles sounded pretty good today. Of course, waffles always sound good.
As she expected, soon Spike cam bumbling down the stairs, through the library, and into the kitchen. He had, Twilight correctly assumed, been awoken by the sounds of her activity.
"Oh no! I overslept! I'm so sorry Twilight! Here, let me..."
Twilight laughed and lifted the pan away from Spike's grip.
"Don't worry Spike, I'm going to make breakfast today."
Spike got down from his tippy-toes and raised his eyebrow.
"Really?"
Twilight giggled and bit and answered, "Yep."
"Oh...well okay then."
Spike walked over to the table, murmuring about how he never really thought this would happen. Eventually, though, Spike accepted it and waited patiently for his meal. He didn't have to wait long. Twilight used quite a bit of her magic in the process and, soon, there was a pile of hot waffles, doused in syrup and butter. Spike immediately licked his lips and began to rather messily devour the stack.
Twilight only had two on her plate. Her appetite was no where near her assistant's, and it still amazed her every time she watched him eat. He was such a small creature, much more so than she, but he always somehow managed to eat quite a bit.
"You know, have you ever considered slowing down and savoring the taste instead of just wolfing it down?"
Between chomps and bites Spike answered something along the lines of, "No way. Too good."
Twilight just rolled her eyes and continued chewing her breakfast. It was quite delicious, and she congratulated herself for creating such a satisfactory meal to begin her day with. As she continued eating, however, she couldn't stop her thoughts from wandering back to her future concerning her student.
Twilight watched the early morning activity of the townsponies out the window. Then her eyes drifted to the horizon, where they rested, watching the sun rise. She lapsed into a day dream.
This would be interesting. Rather interesting indeed.
After they finished their satisfactory breakfast, Spike and Twilight left the table, carrying their plates and utensils. They then dropped them in the sink where they both washed their dishes. Spike had to go grab a stool to do this, and Twilight was actually pondering when he was actually going to grow a bit.
Dragons did grow on their own, without greed. Greed just sped it up, somehow. Dragons were really quite dangerous, and mostly kept to themselves, so ponies really didn't know all that much about them.
When they were finished with everything, it was six-twenty-two. The activity outside was beginning to grow, as was the sun, as it flew higher and higher into the brisk morning sky.
Eventually, though, she had to face her day, and what it contained. Princess Celestia had not specified whether she would choose her student on this day. Twilight highly doubted that the Princess would force her to choose one so soon, but you never know...
Twilight had to calm herself down once more.
"Okay Spike, are you ready?"
"Sure,"
Twilight smiled, "Let's go then."
The two of them spent the next half-hour preparing for their trip. Spike thought that that was way to long, but you know how Twilight is.
They left the tree and began to trot towards the train station. Twilight got many compliments from morning-going ponies as well as some bows. She was glad that they weren't very deep, otherwise she would've melted from the rushing in her cheeks.
Spike, though usually a tired little one, was quite unusually upbeat this morning. Probably had something to do with her waffles. Twilight gave in inward hoof-pump.
They made it to the train station, Twilight almost literally burning up, and Spike really amused by all of it. When they got inside and selected a seat, Spike asked, "Why are you so embarrassed by all of these compliments and stuff Twi'?"
"I don't know...I guess I'm just not used to all of it..."
Spike smiled and said," You know, I bet Princess Celestia had to deal with this. Same with Luna and Cadence."
"I suppose so.."
"Maybe you could ask one of them for advice or something."
Twilight thought about it a bit and answered, "I guess that makes sense."
The rest of the train ride was spent in comfortable silence. Both Spike and Twilight were staring out of the windows, watching the scenery. Spike was pondering how much more awesome Twilight's waffles would have been if they had had gems in them, but Twilight had more pressing matters on her mind, such as who she was going to choose.
Could she choose somepony whom she already knew? Would she need to? Would they have to be a filly? Or maybe just a teen? Maybe she could take a poll in which she would survey the area in who would want to be her student. Maybe Princess Celestia had already chosen a group of a dozen or so whom she would get to choose from herself.
Then something odd came to mind. Would it have to be a pony? Maybe she could choose a Gryphon, or maybe a Zebra. That would be kind of cool, she thought.
All of these questions took up her mind so that the time from Ponyville to Canterlot sped up quite a bit, and soon the train pulled to a slow halt in the Canterlot train station.
"Twi'...Twi'...we're here."
Twilight snapped from her trance, "Oh! Um, okay."
Spike only shook his head and smiled at Twilight's antics.
"Well snap out of it, today's the day."
"We don't actually know that Spike. We just came here for more information, not to choose my student right now."
The words my student were quite strange on Twilight's tongue.
The pair made their way from the train, defended against some more bows and compliments, and made their way to the palace, where Celestia was waiting patiently.
When they found each other, Celestia called out to them.
"Twilight Sparkle! So good to see you! Are you anxious?"
Twilight smiled sheepishly and answered, "Yeah, a bit."
Celestia chuckled a bit and said, "Worry not. Unless it is your wish, you do not have to make your selection today."
Twilight breathed and inward sigh of relief. It was most certainly not her wish to choose today.
"Um, Princess?"
"Yes Twilight?"
"I was wondering how we are going to go about this. Am I just going to choose a random pony who seems to have potential, or are we going to go through lists and interviews and things like that?"
"Well, Twilight, when I chose you, you did show potential, but it was not completely random. I knew that that would be a wise decision. And, as it turned out, it was."
Twilight smiled up at her mentor, who continued.
"However, I am going to let you do whatever you want."
Twilight perked up.
"Oh, thank you Princess!"
"Walk with me, Twilight."
[/hr]
The next hour or so was spent simply strolling around castle grounds, discussing the topic. Twilight wanted to do something organized. She was going to advertise that she was looking for a student of her own, and run some interviews. At first, though, she was concerned at the thought of there being to many ponies.
"Well, Twilight, make some rules, narrow it down a bit. Of course, only unicorns can apply, and maybe that have to have a specific grade average?"
Twilight nodded and began to write down on the paper pad that she had wisely brought with her. Eventually, she was sent home, to organize what she was going to do.
"Okay, unicorns only....show potential...teens can apply, as well as foals older than ten...."
Ecetera, ecetera.
Soon, after a while, she had all of the rules.
Okay, so, now what? That was the question. Now what? How should she go advertising this?
Twilight had an idea and hurriedly wrote a letter asking the Princess if she would be willing to announce it. Now, she just sat back and waited for her response.
Princess Celestia had agreed to advertise the fact that her own student, Princess Twilight Sparkle, was looking for a student of her own. Word spread quickly, and that word reached all of her friends. All of them had approved in their own way. Pinkie Pie, of course, had thrown a party.
Later on, though, Twilight had scrapped the idea of interviewing her potential students. Though it was more organized, she had decided that it would be far easier and faster to choose based on what she noticed about ponies that she met. The purpose of the advertising was solely to let everypony know, and, perhaps, have them on their best behavior.
Princess Celestia had decided to help too, and did some searching of her own, rooting out all of the potentials and sending them to Twilight. The purple mare had rejected the few that Celestia had already sent her. None of them had seemed fit enough for the position, Twilight had thought.
Three days later, after all of this, Twilight was still student-less. She had actually considered trying Trixie, but nopony knew where she could be found. None of the school fillies were old enough either, which unfortunately meant excluding Sweetie Belle. Twilight would have liked to take her.
So, here we find Twilight, in her library, still searching for a potential student. It was dark out, the crickets were chirping and the lightning bugs were flying about, little specks of light in the dim light of Luna's moon.
"Ugh..." Twilight rested her chin on her desk in defeat. Her eyes found their way up out of the window and at the moon and stars.
Spike looked up from a paper he was writing.
"Twi'? You alright?"
The purple alicorn just sighed and said, "Yes, I'm fine. Just a bit overwhelmed. I had no idea that finding a personal student would be this hard..."
Spike scratched a scale on his head while he thought for a moment. Suddenly, his eyes widened and one would not have found it very difficult to imagine a lightbulb appearing over the top of his head.
"Twilight!"
Twilight looked back towards the sound of her assistant's voice and then back to the wall.
"What is it?"
"I have an idea! Did the Princess limit you on where you could look?"
Twilight's brow furrowed in thought, then she lifted her head from the wooden surface of her desk and turned to Spike.
"What are you suggesting, Spike?"
"What I'm suggesting Twilight, is that you look somewhere not in Equestria!"
Twilight clicked. That...was not a bad idea at all. The purple mare smiled down at her assistant.
"Say, Spike, that's a pretty good idea!"
Then she sulked a bit again.
"But that just means a lot more ponies the sift through..."
A necessary workload. She needed to find a student soon.
"Oh, okay, well then there's Caneighda, Glascow, Ibex..."
"Meh..."
"Oh, and Stalliongrad!"
Twilight perked up. Stalliongrad huh...? A smile grew across her face. She hopped from her chair and beamed.
"Uh, Twi'? What're you doing?"
"Pack your bags, Spike, we're going to Stalliongrad!"
[/hr]
[/hr]
Dear Princess Celestia:
I am writing to inform you that Spike and I will be searching for a student elsewhere. Stalliongrad, to be exact. If there is some reason that you do not want me to go there, write now, for I am already packing.
-Twilight Sparkle
[/hr]
Dear Princess Twilight First off, from now on I suggest you sign your letters as "Princess Twilight Sparkle." It is a tradition and you need to get into the habit.
Next, I have no objections to you taking a trip to Stalliongrad. In fact, I am pleased that you are willing to broaden your horizons. There are just a few things about the nation you must know before heading out. Stalliongrad is quite different than Equestria. They are militaristic and can come across as gruff and rude, Do not let that foal you, for the Stalliongradi are actually quite a hospitable group of ponies and are always willing to help there "comrades". I have sent a letter to the Prime Minister to let him prepare for your arrival.
You must also know that Stalliongrad has been at war with the Nazi State of Germaney, No this war isn't in any of your books and i never taught you about it because it has not come to effect our country, Equestria has and will remain neutral so don't let the Prime Minister talk to you about the war. Crime at Stalliongrad is also significantly higher than in Equestria due to a majority of the police and guards being out on the front, so as a precaution I have also dispatched a pair of my own personal guards to keep you safe.
Always remember Twilight that the Stalliongradi ponies are quite hospitable, nice, and most can be trusted. They are all very patriotic as well. But beware, they are much more war-like. And be wary of thieves.
Best of Luck and with love,
-Princess Celestia.
Twilight rolled up her scroll in thought. That was interesting. And she was excited to meet her bodyguards.
"Twilight, do we have to go now?"
"Yes, Spike, I need to find a new student as soon as possible."
The purple-green dragon only moaned in response.
"Don't worry, you can take a nap on the train."
The baby dragon perked up and began to pack.
Soon, as expected, there was a heavy knock at Twilight's door. She went over and opened the heavy oak piece with her magic. Two guards looked at her and smiled. One was noticeably bigger, but not by much. He was obviously older and more experience as well. The other, smaller and a younger face.
The large one spoke, "Greetings, your majesty, I am Captain Ironhoof, and this is Private Golden Justice. We are to be your bodyguards for the following trip to Stalliongrad," His voice was low, and quite majestic-sounding, actually.
They both bowed and Twilight invited them in to wait for Spike to finish packing. It did not take long and soon they were all on the night train, on their way to the great Motherland of Stalliongrad.
It was night time by the time the Princess, Spike and her Guard had left Equestrian borders. Spike was asleep and snored heavily, a thin stream of green smoke drifting from his nostrils. Princess Twilight Sparkle was currently engaged in a conversation with Captain Ironhoof with Private Golden Justice.
Twilight told a joke and the two guards erupted into laughter, disturbing Spike a bit in his sleep, causing him to turn over. Nopony else was in the car with them, so they didn't have to worry about suppressing any of their noise .
Twilight, crying a bit and having trouble breathing from how hard she laughed, asked the guards, "...hehe...I always thought that the Royal Guard was a sort of no-nonsense type deal..."
The guards, smiling, exchanged a look and Ironhoof answered, "Well, in public, we are, we're trained to be. Buuut not in private. You should see the kind of shenanigans that happen with the Night and Day guard when Celestia and Luna get involved. Those two have been locked into a prank war ever since they came into power and the guard was created to do the brunt of the fighting. Neither side has gained any leverage since Luna's come back."
Twilight found the thought very amusing and broke out into another fit of giggles and laughter.
Golden Justice then began to tell a story involving Luna's dream-creeping and a massive amount of eggs, which ended in Ironhoof's blushing and much more laughter around the car.
Soon, it was dawn and the coffee-fueled ponies ended their conversation in favor of a little rest and silence. Twilight watched the scenery flit by. The train had gone through the Frozen North in order to stop by at the Crystal Empire and re-stock the trains supplies, including coffee - and it was now coming into an area that had less snow and ice, and a lot of brown and gray rocks. Not much scenery.
Suddenly, the gray landscape began to flit by slower, and it eventually hauled over to a stop.
"We are coming up to a small border town near the entrance of Stalliongrad. Here we will hitch off and take another train to Marescow." Ironhoof explained.
Twilight attempted to wake Spike by shaking him, but eventually ended up having to use magic and a bucket of water. The quartet then filed off of the train and the two guards went back into their no nonsense mode.
The station was similarly-built to the ones that she had seen before in her life only a lot...darker. The station in Ponyville was bright and colorful, whereas, here, it was only dark, aged wood. There was the large, main platform, and two buildings. One was simply a small kiosk in which travelers purchased their tickets, and the other was what seemed to be a tavern. The building was sagging, but the chimney was billowing smoke. A bright, yellow light was bursting forth from the windows, and hearty - though somewhat drunk and slurred - voices could be heard from within.
Twilight approached the kiosk, her guards and a sleepy Spike following. She reached the small window and peered inside.
There were two unicorn ponies, both male, and both sporting dirty shades. One was a dim gray while the other was an equally dim brown. They both wore worn uniforms and beat-up helmets. The brown pony was closest, though passed out, and drooling rather revoltingly on the desk in front of him. A dead cigarette hung from his mouth.
The other pony sat on a stool, his elbows propped back against his own desk. In his hooves he gripped an ancient issue of Playcolt. His face was obstructed by the raunchy literature.
"Um...excuse me?" Twilight asked.
The Stalliongradi guard jumped a bit, but remained in his position. An audible sigh was heard and he began to grumble.
"дерьмо...not a single traveler all month and now some stupid bitch decides to show up while I'm-"
At this point the magazine was closed and the guard saw who it was that he was insulting. His sunken eyes widened and his jaw dropped, a big, fat cigar falling out onto the wooden floor.
He scrambled off of his stool and began to straighten himself up. He brushed of some ash and dust, extinguished his cigar, and adjusted his helmet.
He stood rigid and at attention. It was silent for a few moments while his slumbering partner snored. The gray guard reached over under his table and grabbed...something. Twilight wasn't sure what it was, but the gray-colored guard used the narrow end of it to violently prod the dozing stallion in the ribs.
"Gah! Что за хрень!? What the hay was that fo-"
Gray pony cuffed Brown over the head, knocking his helmet off balance.
"Look!" Gray hissed.
The brown pony eyed Twilight, then, "дерьмо!"
Another cuff.
"Language!"
Eventually, both ponies stood at attention, slightly cleaned up. Both of them gripped their own device. Twilight examined them for a bit. They quite frankly looked like sticks with bits of metal melded into them.
Gray cleared his throat and said, "Greetings, your majesty. How may I help you?"
Twilight, instead of being angry at the insults and the Stalliongradi ponies un-preparedness, was quite amused, and giggled.
Both of the Stalliongradi stallions blushed heavily.
Ironhoof spoke up, "We are here to get a train into Marescow. I have a letter from Princess Celestia with the details."
Ironhoof's magic grabbed the paper from somewhere underneath his armor and hovered it up to the window where Gray pony's magic snatched it and brought it closer to him. While he read, Brown pony looked over Gray's shoulder, trying to get a glimpse at the letter. This merited a rather violent elbow from Gray, and more profane mumbling from Brown. Eventually, there was a grunt and Gray said, "Appears Legitimate. I am Sergeant Resnov, and this is Private Chernov. We welcome you to the first checkpoint into Stalliongrad. As for now, we regret to say that the only other place to wait for the train that isn't in the tit nipping cold is the tavern. Not particularly fit for a Princess such as yourself, but it will have to do. We will be your guides during your stay in Stalliongrad."
Chernov's eyes widened, "But-"
Another violent elbow to the gut and Chernov was mumbling curses once again.
"Chernov! Go fetch Dimitri and Yosef! They will be replacing us."
"Uh-yes sir!"
He slung his device over his should and was off. Resnov turned and said, "Now, any questions, complaints or suggestions?"
Twilight answered, "Well, to tell you the truth, I was wondering what those devices are. I've never seen anything like them before." Twilight gestured to the device that Resnov held.
Resnov looked confused for a moment, but his eyes widened in remembrance.
"Ah, that is right. Princess Celestia does not like such weapons of war in her peaceful land."
"What?"
Resnov looked back and answered, "This here is a Mosin Neighgant. It's a gun."
"...gun...?"
Resnov smirked, "Care for a demonstration? Well, as long as these two don't mind," he said, referring to Ironhoof and Justice. Ironhoof nodded Resnov gestured to follow. He went out of the back and around to the other side of the kiosk. Twilight, Spike, and the guards followed.
Resnov's aura lit up and the gun lifted from his grasp and into his magic.
It drifted into his shoulder, where he took aim.
"You may want to cover your ears."
Twilight and Spike did so, but the Guards did not move.
Even after covering her ears, the following crack made her jump.
A split-second of flame and smoke flew from the end of the gun and there was a rather annoying high pitched zooming noise as a small rock several meters away exploded .
"Whoa," Spike muttered.
Resnov looked back and asked, "See how that works?"
Twilight nodded. She was a smart filly, and had already been able to figure out what the weapon did. Based on the small, empty container that had been ejected into a patch of snow, the smoke, crack, flames...it really was not that hard.
Twilight heard hoofsteps and turned around to see Chernov return with two other ponies. The new pair were Earth Ponies, and were both a dirty white. They were dressed in uniforms similar Resnov's and Chernov's, but, instead of helmets, they wore giant, fuzzy caps.
"Resnov! I apologize! Dmitri was ready to go, but Yosef was drunk. So, instead, I got Mendeleev. Is that alright sir?"
"Bah! That is fine. Get them into the kiosk!"
Chernov did as he was ordered and Twilight noticed something: her guards were missing. Spike noticed it too.
"Hey...where are Iron and Golden?"
Twilight eventually found them cowering and shivering under the elevated platform; they had been frightened by the gunshot.
There was much laughter and blushing, and the next train the Marescow rolled in.
The train to Marescow was nothing compared to that of the Canterlot Express.
The inside was...crowded, to say the least. Even in the ridiculously early morning, the entire train was filled with every single type mare, stallion and colt that one could possibly think of. And they were all dim colored. All of them. It was strange, if you came from Equestria, where ponies are pink and purple and cyan and a much larger range of bright colors, but Stalliongradi ponies...they were not bright at all.
The only colors that Twilight saw, besides those on herself, were several different shades of black, brow, white, gray, and, on rare occasions, red and/or gold. Combinations of all of those were there as well, but that was it.
Of course, Twilight being a Princess and all, flanked by two sets of bodyguards, created some room for her. Stalliongradi ponies may be dirty and poor, but they are humble.
Eventually, after picking up some other stallions from the tavern, the train began to roll out of the station with a few clanking and squeaking noises.
After about fix or six minutes, Twilight brought up the question, "So...how long until Marescow?"
Chernov answered, saying, "Meh. Probably...two, maybe three hours, at most."
Twilight sighed. She had been on longer train rides before, the one on the way up here was longer then that, but she really would've rather waited, well, not at all. And she couldn't fall asleep; it was too loud, what with all of the ponies in the car. It would've also been quite un-princess-like, asleep and drooling in a Stalliongradi train.
After a while, they started to converse, Spike having no qualms about snoring and drooling, did just that. Twilight and her Equestrian guards engaged in a conversation with the Stalliongradi troops, mostly talking about one another's cultures. Twilight learned a great deal about Stalliongradi ways - mostly lots of vodka and factories - whereas the Stalliongradi stallions learned about Equestria. They were surprised that the Princesses weren't very controlling. It was kind of sad, Stalliongrad was not a country of trust, unlike Equestria.
After an hour so of such banter, Resnov, halted the conversation and gestured out of the window.
"Look, there. There is Marescow."
Twilight's eyes widened. It was quite a sight. The city itself was not quite visible yet, it was the smoke. Several hundred smoke-stacks belched black smoke into the sky, and all of it conversed into a giant, billowing pillar of pollution.
It was disgusting, buy also quite enchanting.
"Wow. It's very...unique..."
She came back to see Resnov smirking, "Beautiful, no?"
"In it's own way..."
Resnov only smiled more. They all remained silent for a few moments, when Twilight decided to ask about the war.
"So... Sergeant?"
"Da?"
"What exactly is this war between you guys and Germaney about?"
Resnov's smile fell. Then, after a second, it came back, wider then ever. Then it fell again. It was a rather interesting display of emotions.
"Well, Princess, it all began twenty years ago when Germaney began to give ups the silent treatment. It was all rather sudden, they stopped all immigration, and any and all trading was halted. For three years, it was like that, not a word on what was going on over there. Then, after all of that, Germane troops swarmed our borders."
Twilight was a bit confused. Why did they do that?
"We were surprised, to say the least; they had signed a no-aggression act with us. Goddamn traitors!" he spat. Twilight winced at the profane language.
"They swept through the countryside, burning villages. Turns out, something had happened, a new leader. His name was Adolf Bitler. I guess that he believed that Earth ponies were a useless race, completely inferior, and that they were trying to take over slowly, by 'spreading their filth.'"
Twilight was horrified. Then she thought of Applejack and Pinkie Pie. Filth? Absolutely not.
Resnov grinned an evil grin.
"But we got those bastards back. They made it far, but we pushed back, tenfold!. The mighty Motherland will never fall!"
He chuckled. There was a fire in his eyes.
"I got the chance to slaughter them back. We invaded Germaney after pushing them back, and I was privileged to participate in the invasion of Seelow. The Germanes...they were pathetic. As soon as they saw our ranks, they began to scatter, and literally piss their pants. Many blew their own brains out just at the sight of us. Very few stood and fought, and those who did burned. I gladly tore many lives from those sick, traitorous F**ker-"
"Sergeant!"
Resnov stopped. He looked down at his lap, shame on his face.
"Please excuse me," he uttered and was off.
After a couple of minutes, Chernov said, "You'll...have to pardon the Sgt. He has had war hammered into his skull since he was born, as I have. He may seem violent, but do not worry; he is only violent towards those who threaten his way of life."
Chernov offered a smile and Twilight returned the favor.
Captain Broadhoof cleared his throat and spoke, "I have never fought before. These hooves have never taken a life. I am only a Captain because of my academy advancements. I should hope to keep it that way."
[/hr]
Soon, the black city of Marescow came into view, a looming, industrial behemoth. The train dragged to a halt, and Chernov went to find Resnov, succeeded in bringing him back, and they all left the train.
Many of the passengers left, but many more boarded, and some simply stayed where they were.
The great walls of the city loomed, topped with barbed wire, the smokestacks still belching black smoke into the air.
There were many Stalliongradi citizens and guards there, but not a single one gave Twilight or her guards so much as a second glance. Twilight was secretly grateful for that.
With Resnov's clearance, they all made it inside the walls. The air there was both foul and sweet. Twilight smelled things like trash and ash, but, simultaneously, she scented fresh bread and flowers. It was a strange combination.
Finally, there was the welcoming party. After the front fate creaked open and Twilight's entourage entered, they immediately part of a large crowd. Not the welcoming party yet, just city-going ponies.
The ground was all worn cobblestone, and, on either side, stood many shops and buildings. They were crammed very close together, so close that the alleyways were only a foot or so across. The buildings were falling into disrepair, but they were also very well built. There were several floors, and, despite the buildings's ramshackle-ness, they were all keeping together quite nicely.
Then, over there, at the end of the entrance street, stood the stoutest pony that Twilight had ever seen.
He was not tall, but he was muscular, and thickly built. He had twinkling brown eyes, and a massive, poofy mustache. He was flanked by two sets of guards who wore strange masks. Not a single part of their face was showing.
It was Josef Stallion, Dictator of the Glorious Soviet country of Stalliongrad.
The rest of the evening was surprisingly uneventful. She met the almighty dictator of Stalliongrad, had dinner with him, and that was it. Seriously. Oh well, no one could never really know the future, but Twilight had at least expected something to happen. For Celestia's sake, there wasn't even a library in Josef's palace! So, at the request of Josef, Twilight and her guards stayed the night at his palace.
"Is it just me, or was that food a bit... iffy?" Twilight said as she rolled onto her bed and onto her back, looking at her guards upside-down while her mane flew over the edge of the bed and sprawled in a cascade of lavender and purple.
"Welcome to Stalliongrad," Resnov grumbled.
"And what's that supposed to mean?" Twilight asked, confused.
"Bah. Nothing in particular." Resnov looked side to side and leaned over from his seat and whispered into Twilight's ear, "Is not safe to speak of here. I will tell you later. Good night, Princess."
Resnov stirred Chernov awake and the two left the room to their own quarters. Ironhoof and his companion were stationed outside of the door, in their respective positions. Magic and full stomachs would allow them to stay up all the night. Twilight suddenly felt quite lonely.
She examined the ornate room; the paintings, the plant vases, the Victorian decorations, and shrugged. She pulled herself into the appropriate position and slipped under the covers, where she fell fast asleep, while Spike did the same.
[/hr]
She awoke the next day to a knocking at her door, a bit of muffled grumbling, and a thud.
Twilight forced herself out of her deep slumber and mumbled.
"Mmf. What is that?" Twilight yawned and call out louder, "Broadhoof? Justice? What's going on?"
There was a muffled call through the door.
"Uh... Just a bit of precautions..."
Twilight's face went blank ("-_-") and she called back out.
"Let him in!"
"It's a sh-"
"Then let her in!"
There was a bit more muffled speaking, and the doors hastily opened and shut in quite a comical fashion while in scrambled an attractive young maid, a mare, who was blushing quite heavily. The color of her coat and mane were reminiscent of Twilight's favorite cellist back in Equestria: Octavia Melody.
She scowled back towards the doors and hastily straightened up her uniform, the velvet in her muzzle fading away.
"I apologize for the, uh, delay, Princess Twilight, but I have been sent here to awaken you and provide you with your breakfast."
"Oh. Well thank you, miss?"
The maid's eyes widened a bit and Twilight heard a small gasp.
Twilight frowned and and asked, "Miss? What's the matter?"
"I'm sorry, it's just... No one's ever asked me my name before."
"Really?"
"Yes..." She cleared her throat, "Well, I apologize. My name is Alexandra Galerkin; at your service."
"Well once again thank you."
"You are indeed welcome."
Alexandra hurried over and gave Twilight her food, courtseyed, and left.
When she pushed open the doors, she glared at Captain Broadhoof, who, in response, startled and jumped back, Golden Justice chuckling behind him.
Twilight was amused by the entire display and chuckled, giving the breakfast her attention. It was dull.
As she finished, Twilight wondered what to do with her dishes. After a bit of thought, she simply opted to place them on top of the ornate dresser to the side of her bed, and got out of bed.
After a quick visit to the bathroom, she was ready for the day and left the room, where Ironhoof and Justice waited.
"So... what was that all about?"
The elder guard huffed and answered, "Don't ask."
Justice only chuckled.
Twilight smiled herself and turned to the left of the hallway.
"So, my plans for today-"
She was suddenly interrupted by an impossibly loud crashing and shattering that came from seemingly everywhere at once.
The force threw Twilight off of her hooves and onto the floor, her armored companions following suit.
A nearby door viciously swung open and a pair of tired-looking Stalliongradis poured out.
They hurried over and helped the trio up.
Chernov was mumbled nervously under his breath and Resnov looked at Twilight.
"They finally made it here."
"Who?"
Before Resnov could answer, another explosions rocked the floor, but this time everyone managed to keep their balance.
"Come on, go, go, go!"
"Where?"
"Follow us!" Ironhoof commanded and he and the other soldiers fell into formations.
"Chernov, you actually remembered your bullets this time, yes?"
"Da!"
"Your gun is equally importan-"
"Ahh, I know!"
"Good, because last skir-"
"Shut up!"
The banter between the two would have been amusing if Twilight wasn't so frightened and confused.
Eventually, they ran into a Commissar standing on top of a small table at the end of the hall who was directing a flow of soldiers that seemed to appear out of nowhere.
When he spotted the group, he eyed Chernov and Resnov.
"You two! Accompany second Batallion!"
Resnov turned around and said, "This is where we say goodbye, Princess."
Without another word, the grizzled stallion hurried down the hall. Chernov lingered but ended up simply nodding and following his commander.
"Wait.. Wha-?"
"Never mind them! This way!"
"Where's Josef?"
"Probably long gone in a bunker somewhere, we need to get out of here!"
"Wait! What about Spike!?"
The two guards froze. They had all completely forgotten about the little dragon.
Twilight ran as fast as she could, shouting at herself internally for her mistake, and quickly found her room, immediately kicking the door open.
"Spike!" she called, fear in her voice.
"Over here!" came the answer, "I can't get out!"
Twilight frowned at the obstacle before her, a pile of smoking wood, and promptly levitated a large chunk of the wood out of the mound.
A little dash of green purple dashed from the breach in its trap and ran into Twilight.
"Twilight! I thought you'd left me!"
"Never," Twilight answered, glad beyond words that her companion was safe. "We need to get out of here, now."
"But what's going on?"
"I don't know; I think the Germanes are attacking."
"Where are Chernov and Reznov?"
Twilight's heart went heavy and she said, "They had to go fight."
"Are we going to wait for them?"
"No, Spike, I'm afraid not. We're going home."
Spike's eyes went wide with surprise, but then he nodded, understanding.
"Princess!" the voice of Ironhoof called. He and Golden Justice sped into the room and began to gape at the damage.
"Is everyone alright?" the Princess asked.
"Yes, of course, but we need to leave."
Twilight nodded her agreement and the four again left the room. The hallways had grown far more silent since the beginning of the attack, but sounds of fighting could still be heard in the distance. It didn't take long before they managed to escape the palace and begin toward the train station.
All the while, Twilight was asking herself questions. Why Stalliongrad? Why there of all places? It had just kind of lept out at her. But now they were leaving, without a student or anyone of the sort. Where would they go next? She didn't know.
Most of all, Twilight felt guilt toward her blatant abandonment of one of her best friends and brother figure. Should she bring him next time? It depended on where they went. Should she refuse him passage, Twilight knew that Spike would object. Despite the circumstances, Twilight chuckled to herself.
The train, this time, was empty, which Twilight was grateful for. Much of the ride was spent in silence until Spike broke it, saying, "Well, that was fun."
This pulled a round of chuckles from the ponies on the train, and slowly conversation began to build up. It never grew to the high end that it did on the way to Marescow, but it was no longer a somber silence.
It was nighttime when the train reached the checkpoint where the group first met Chernov and Reznov, and Twilight again chuckled at the memory. Then her gut tightened at her question regarding where they were, if either of them were okay.
The quartet was about to board the next train when Twilight paused.
"Hold on."
"What is it, your majesty?" inquired Ironhoof, slightly alert.
"I . . . I think I may be able to get us home much faster."
Spike frowned. "What do you mean, 'Twi?"
Twilight smirked and stepped of the train's step ladder.
"Everyone hold on to me."
Realization hit the other three, and soon they were all obeying the Princess's command.
Twilight closed her eyes and concentrated, fueling her magic and preparing for the shortened journey ahead of her. She strained and finally, everything went black.
[/hr]
The world slowly came back to Twilight in a tide of consciousness. She bolted up and found herself in her Canterlot room. She was alone. Well, the multi-personnel, long-distance teleportation had, mostly, been success, but it had exerted her far more than she had anticipated. How long had she been out?
Twilight exited her bed and curiously peeked from her room. It seemed to be at most mid-afternoon, but no one was in sight. And then there was Spike.
"Twilight! Oh, you're okay, good!"
Twilight laughed and said, "Yes, Spike, I'm fine. I really didn't think that it would be that difficult . . . how long was I out?"
"Only a few hours. Princess Celestia was a bit cross with you in the beginning, but she's fine now. She heard about what happened in Marescow and was worried. She's glad that you're alright."
Twilight smiled again, but it slowly melted away. Spike noticed this and said, "'Twi? What's wrong."
Twilight shook her head and said, "Nothing Spike, I'm just . . . I'm disappointed at what happened."
"That you couldn't find a student?"
"Yes, that too, but . . . "
"Ah, don't worry about it 'Twi; everyone's alright."
That was true, and soon the Princess was happy again.
"Well, for now, let's go back to Ponyville. I am in serious need of some relaxation."
[/hr]
Twilight got her wish, and was soon sitting in her kitchen, drinking hot cocoa (it had grown slightly colder in Equestria while she had been gone) - and, of course, reading. It was a sad tale about a Stallion who was the only survivor of a worldwide cataclysm, and spoke of how he slowly learned to cope with his circumstances and grew happier, while sacrificing his sanity in turn. It was chilling, but one of Twilight's favorites.
Twilight had sent a long letter to her senior Princesses, giving them details about what exactly happened, and she had yet to receive an answer.
She was not nervous about it, just glad that everyone was alright.
The main question was: was it worth it? To go everywhere and find a student? To put herself and Spike in harm's awy yet again? Should she go somewhere less . . . war-torn next time?
