The train ride to Ponyville was a long one but in no way was it boring, he found the landscape speeding by the passenger trains windows fascinating in every sense of the word. As he tried to observe it in every way possible from focusing on one object as it flew by or focusing on nothing and seeing the colors blend together.
"Having fun there?" she said with her usual charm effortlessly making her voice cheerful.
"Actually I am, it looks so different from all the times I've spent walking. He said still focusing and unfocusing his eyes at the rapidly moving scenery. He realized he was so close that hi breath was leaving condensation on the window and decided to give his viewing pleasure a rest.
"you really should try flying sometime, if you find that view extraordinary you would just die for seeing it spread out below you." he turned to look at her but she was already back to reading the books that had occupied most of her time on the train up until now
He knew she was right but he also knew he had a fear of flying whether it was completely safe or not. It was not having something solid beneath his hooves that he imagined would be his end. He took comfort having solid earth under him, even here on the train he could bound in whatever way he needed at a moment's notice.
A short while later he felt the train start to slow and the conductor's voice blared out of the p.a. System "WE WILL BE ARRIVING IN PONYVILLE IN JUST A FEW MINUTES, PLEASE GO TO THE REAR OF THE TRAIN ONCE OFF TO CLAIM YOUR LUGGAGE."
After the general confusion of everypony on the train trying to exit the train and grab their bags had subsided the blue alicorn and the khaki unicorn were the only two ponies left on the platform. All the other passengers had been greeted and taken by friends and family who had waited.
"Hmmm somehow I had expected a group of fans and admirers to greet us... oh well I think I like it this way, not too much noise or confusion" he said with a happy tone and an even happier expression on his face.
Meanwhile she just shrugged his comment off and grinned from ear to ear without showing any of her teeth, "look at how quaint and lovely it is! I can't wait till we get to see what house will be ours" she stated while staring off toward the town.
As they slowly made there to the town he couldn't shake the feeling they were being watched.
"Your majesty I need you to stop on three", not waiting for a response he began, "one... Two... Three". Simultaneously Luna and her guard stopped walking and he heard exactly what he thought he would. He turned to warn whoever had followed them what the consequences would be if they persisted but to his shock there was no one.
"I was sure I had" he said turning back around only to find that a bright pink pony had a mini cannon pointed directly at him and his charge. He immediately threw himself in front of the princess.
"surprise!" the pink pony yelled seemingly over joyed with herself as she pulled the firing mechanism that let loose a dazzling borage of sparkly glitter and a multitude of confetti of different colors. He felt her hove on his flank and heard her soft voice
"Relax, she an old friend" she said as nicely as possible, she then began" Why if it isn't Pinkamena Diane Pie, how have you been, and can I ask why you've followed us from the train station?"
"Princess Luna it's so good to see you again! Oh and everything has just been great! I've had toooooons of parties lately and made a lot of new friends that I've thrown new friend parties for, speaking of that i'l need to throw you a welcome back party and..."
"Pinkie just slow down we will have plenty of time for parties now, were moving to Ponyville for a while now" Luna said with a smile
"Really?! That's great! And by were you mean you to?" she gave a slight pause. "WAIT! Are you to together together? Is that why you're moving here?!"
"No were not together like that pinkie, he is my most faithful guard" the princess said with a slight blush.
"oh I see now, well it's very nice to meet you Mr. Luna's guard, I'm sure will be great friends and i'l get to throw you a friendship party and everything, won't that be fun?!"
"Oh yes just the most fun I've ever had" he said sarcastically while rolling his eyes. The pink pony noticed neither the eyes nor the sarcasm as she was literally bouncing up and down out of sheer joy, he was amazed she could keep talking and bouncing like that without losing her breath.
"Come pinkie let's go into town and see where our home is, our bags will arrive in a day or so" the princess said while giving him a playfully scolding look for his sarcasm.
So they walked the rest of the way into Ponyville the blue alicorn with her regal gait, the khaki stallion with his ears twitching this way and that, and the bright pink pony bouncing along until they reached a beautiful two story home near the center of town.
It was almost an identical copy of the houses it was next to and the princess was infatuated with it, he however could only miss his clean small home on the castle grounds.
After talking nonstop from the moment they began their walk the pink pony stopped bouncing and said, "Well i'l let you two explore this place, I have a lot of festivities to go and plan take care princess and guard guy!"
"Take care pinke I'm sure i'l see you soon!" the princess said to the pony that was already bouncing off.
"I never thought that talking and bouncing like that was simultaneously possible your majesty" the light brown pony said with a wry smile while opening the door to the blue alicorn.
"She is a very unique mare, you know that no matter how hard you tried you couldn't not smile when she was talking" she stated as she walked through the door to find a well-lit living room already furnished.
"Yes she did have a way to keep things entertaining and happy" he had to agree. Now that he was inside he rather liked his new home.
"Oh and just wait till you try her cupcakes, I think the only thing that rivals them are the treats that come from sweet apple acres" she said while making her way up the stairs.
Once he had explored the downstairs thoroughly he made his way up stairs too. They were four doors the first he passed was a towel closet filled with blankets and an assortment of soft towels. He then came across two doors; the one on the right was a giant bedroom where Luna had already started to unpack her saddlebag. The left was a bathroom with a shower and a luxurious bath. Being the only room left he assumed the last door led to his quarters.
As he came up to the last door he found his assumption to be true as he walked inside he was greeted by a fair sized cot on one side and a writing desk that faced a window overlooking the center of town.
He raised his voice enough for the princess to her him from his room, "I'm rather sleepy and I think I'm going to lie down for a while" he used his magic to levitate his saddle pack onto the floor next to the bed as he climbed in it. The blanket he laid on top of was soft and the pillow even more so.
He heard her say "Okay I'm just going to do a few things around her to get settled in" in her normal voice, she knew she didn't have to raise it because of his hearing. He finally took his ear muffs of and set them on the desk and got two pieces of dense foam out of his pack, with his magic he condensed them and put them in his ears. In complete silence laying on his bed he slowly drifted into sleep.
It was the same dream as always. No it wasn't a dream it was a nightmare. It took him to the one place he never wanted to be and back to a time where he was powerless. No matter how many times he had this memory come to him while he slept if never changed. He was powerless to stop it and he couldn't alter it in any way.
He sat and watched a younger him go throughout the pain that he had grown up in, he felt every bit of it that he saw. It awoke something deep inside of him, a hate for all those that had caused him so much pain and sorrow.
Just before the moment he couldn't take anymore he awoke to the sound of his own heartbeat. It was all he could hear and it was comforting even if it was sped up a little from his dream, it was a slow steady pulse and best of all it showed he was alive. After all he had been through it was still beating.
As he lay there listening to his heart his senses slowly started to come back. He looked around hi new room to find that the sunlight was now streaming in through the window overlooking the center of town. He saw the motes of dust gently and lazily drifting from the ceiling to the floor. He felt the cold wood as his hooves hit the floor. With his horn glowing its distinctive green he removed his ear plugs and quickly replaced them with his earmuffs.
As he opened his door with a fore hoof he heard multiple voices. There was princess Luna with her gentle laugh, there was a pony with a deep southern accent that was fake scolding someone and then... "Oh no" he said under his breath. As much as he loathed admitting it to himself it was indeed her, the pink pony from earlier that would not stop talking. Yet he still found himself walking on to the stairs.
As he finally made his way down stairs the pink pony and Luna noticed him, but the pony with the southern accent was facing away from him. She was an orange color and her mane and tail could only be described as a golden yellow. Her main was tied at the end with a small red bow and she wore an old Stetson hat. "now pinkie dontcha go on eating y'er majesties treats, granny smith and apple bloom made those just fer her when ya told em she was movin her". But the orange mare had lost pinkie's attention.
"Oh hi Mr. scary body-guard pony, I just wanted to stop by and make sure you two had everything you would need for a fun first day, so I told applejack her about you too and her family whipped you and the princess up some treats", she said with a smile so wide she had to close her eyes.
"And there woulda been a hole lot more left if pinke 'ere wouldna gotten into em", she turned as she spoke and he was almost startled by her green eyes almost the exact color as his own. "My names applejack but ma friends all call me aj" she said while puffing her chest out and giving him a smile
"Hello miss apple jack my name is" was all he got to say before his voice was lost under a minting of words coming from pinkie pie.
"So princess Luna when are you going to go say hi to all of your other friends here in Ponyville?!" the pink pony said as she reached for what appeared to be an apple tart, by this time applejack had already turned back around and was about to stop her when Luna stoped her.
"Its okay applejack she can have all she wants, and about that pinkie pie, if Mr. scary body-guard pony is rested well enough after his nap we can leave shortly" she said while giving him the most innocent smile he had ever seen.
"Ready when you are your majesty" was all he got out before pinkie pie started in again. In the back of his mind he wished he was back on their mission to the zebra tribes but he knew Luna liked it here just by how laid back and happy she was. It gave his mind a sense of peace seeing her relaxed and with that he followed his charge, the pink talkative pony and the mare with the Stetson out into a town he would from now on call home.