The distant wail of the train fills you with anticipation. While Equestria doesn't have the variety of locomotives that Earth does, it doesn't really matter. You've been a fan of steam trains ever since you were little and you saw your first one at a special event. That's why any chance you get, you stop by Ponyville station to watch the train arrive and depart.
The engine whistles again and glancing down the end of the platform, you see it coming into view chugging along the tracks. A few minutes pass and the passenger liner comes into full view. You rise from your seat on one of the benches as it puffs along the tracks and begins to slow. Before you know it, the train is pulling in and its breaks screech it to a gradual halt.
The engine stops at the station and releases a massive puff of steam from its boiler. The engineer blows the whistle a few times, before the conductor steps out from one of the cars. "The stop is Ponyville, I repeat, Ponyville! Everypony who's disembarking, please exit in a calm and orderly manner. Thank you!" He walks to each of the other cars and repeats his message.
While you aren't normally too interested in those that come and go from the train, you still watch them with due fascination. For they have just taken a very wondrous way to travel or are about to head out to any one of the incredible sights of Equestria and even to points beyond.
Standing there, you kick your shoe on the wooden planks of the platform. The sad thing is it takes a good twenty minutes of more for the train to deal with unloading and loading passengers and cargo, not to mention mail. And it can take even longer if the train needs to re-supply with water and timber or possibly coal. You aren't entirely sure if they ever use coal in their trains. As far as you can tell, with the advent of magic, Equestria doesn't seem to be overly big on using near the abundance of fossil fuels as humans do on Earth.
Regardless, you sit back down on the bench. Another wave of passengers is disembarking and more are getting on. So, for now, you'll have to wait a little longer before the train departs. Not that time is an issue today. You're off work and just killing time till Starlight Glimmer will be free to hang out. Of course it would be nice if the rest of your friends weren't all out of town. But autumn vacation time is here again and the others wanted to visit popular destinations without the massive summer crowds.
Looking up as you cease your spacing out, you notice several ponies still roaming the small but roomy platform. There doesn't seem to be anything too over the top about them. Then, you notice one turn your way, a rather lovely unicorn in fact. She has an orange coat with off white splotches on her fore and hind legs, almost like stockings or boots. What's more is she appears to be walking over to you.
You slowly stand up, not entirely sure if she's heading your way or for the stairs at the end of the platform.
"You there." She speaks, pointing a hoof at you.
Looking around, you are curious what she wants with you. "Me?" You ask pointing a finger at yourself.
She nods and briefly fluffs her reddish mane. "Yes. I don't recognize anypony here and I've heard you humans tend to be rather helpful. You are a human, aren't you? Is that correct?" She places a hoof to her chin and looks you over with her chartreuse eyes.
Blinking for a moment you aren't sure what to think, but since the train isn't going anywhere, there seems to be no harm in answering a few questions.
"Yeah. I'm a human. And while I can't speak for all of us, I really do enjoy helping others." You give her a closer look. "You're not from around here, are you?"
She shakes her head. "No. I come from the northwest. A town called Sire's Hollow." Her eyes widen. "Oh, I've been terribly rude. My name is Stellar Flare. And you would be?"
"Oh, right. My name is…" You speak your name to her and smile. "It's nice to meet you, Stellar Flare. Are you trying to find your way around?"
She speaks your name. "It's a pleasure I'm sure. And yes, I am trying to get my bearings. I haven't been to Ponyville in quite some time."
"Where are you heading?"
Stellar Flare holds up a hoof. "I'm here to see my son, Sunburst. He said he was spending a lot of time here with his friend Starlight Glimmer."
"Oh, Sunburst. Of course, I know your son." You give her a reassuring look.
"You do?" She looks at you and grins. "Can you take me to him?"
"Of course. He's staying at the castle, so is Starlight. They are both friends of…"
"I know, the princess. I'm eager to meet her as well." There's a very jubilant tone in her voice.
"Well, what are we waiting here for? I'll escort you. Follow me." You start for the steps and wait for her to follow.
"Gladly. And is it me or do you seem like someone that has a plan?" She places a hoof to her chin, before she follows after you.
The two of you descend the stairs and walk into the bustling streets of Ponyville. Sadly, the train will have to wait for another day, but this might prove to be far more interesting.
"Well, plans don't always go off without a hitch, but I like to have one whenever I have something important to do." You smile. "Like leading the parent of a friend through town."
Stellar Flare chuckles. "Then I'd say you're more prepared than most."
"Come on, the castle isn't far now." You look to your right, but can't find her. Then you feel a slight start when you turn to see her trotting on your left.
"Did I startle you a little?" She smiles.
"Just a little. I thought you were to my right." You grin briefly.
"So, I take it you know your way around town pretty well then?" She looks your way and almost seems like she's testing you.
You nod confidently. "You bet I do. I've been living here for over three years now. I love Ponyville. Of course, it might be nice to get out some day and see the rest of Equestria." For some dumb reason you can't resist the urge to flirt with her a little. "Hmm, you know, I even have a plan in the works."
"Oh, you do?" She leans her head your way. "Well, there's nothing I love more than a good plan."
You smile contently, that look she gave you, perfect. She actually flirted back. Taking a calming breath you lead her down the next street. "If you'll look ahead, Stellar Flare."
"Please, Stellar will be fine." She grins at you.
"Okay, Stellar. If you'll look ahead, there it is." You hold up a hand in a presenting fashion.
"Oh my." Stellar takes in the sight of Princess Twilight's castle. It's presiding majestically at the end of the street. The castle's crystalline features are shimmering in the morning sunlight as it stands a glorious icon overlooking Ponyville. "I've heard other ponies talk about it and seen it in pictures in the paper, but…you really do have to experience it."
"Yeah, pictures don't do it justice." You nod. "If you'll follow me, I'll lead us inside."
You lead Stellar Flare inside Twilight's Castle and are just heading down the main hall. She walks a little closer to you, while she continues to look around and seems a bit puzzled.
"Something wrong, Stellar?"
"Well." She takes one more glance. "Where are the guards, this castle doesn't seem overly defended and why is it so empty?" Stellar looks your way, a demanding tone in her voice.
"From what I know, Twilight never saw much of a need for guards. Besides, part of this castle does double as a library for the entire town." You sigh and shake your head. "It's such a shame what happened to the old one. I hear the Golden Oak Library was amazing." You lift up your head and smile. "But, for better or for worse, we have this massive castle now. And at least there are far more books to choose from. Oh, and as for why it's so empty. I don't really know, every time I'm here the hallways are just like this, aside from the library."
She nods and places an intrigued hoof to her chin. "Mm-hmm. You certainly know your stuff. Oh, where will I find Sunburst?"
"He should be up ahead. This castle has a very unique throne room." You lead Stellar Flare right up to the double doors. Opening them, you hold out your hand. "Here were are. Right this way."
Stellar follows you inside and much to your delight, you see Twilight Sparkle, Starlight Glimmer and Sunburst are all at the map table. You cock your head to the side. The trio seems to be immersed in something.
"Sunburst! There you are!" Stellar Flare calls as she gallops over to her son.
Sunburst's eyes widen. "Mom?! What are you doing here?"
She gives him that motherly look. "Well come now. I told you I was going to stop by for a visit. Especially since you said you have been staying here instead of at the Crystal Empire."
He places a hoof behind his head. "Yeah. I did say that. But aren't you coming next Tuesday?"
She chuckles and holds up her calendar book. "Sweetie, this is next Tuesday."
Sunburst adjusts his glasses and turns to the others. "Right. Uh, mom, you remember Starlight…oh and here's somepony I know you've wanted to meet. Say hello to Princess Twilight Sparkle."
Stellar Flare walks over to them. A big smile forms on her face as she greets the princess. "Your highness, this is such a pleasure." She bows respectfully.
Twilight smiles back and nods. "Oh, please, the pleasure is mine. So you're Sunburst's mother?"
"Yes. I'm Stellar Flare. Sunburst has told me so much about you…well, when he bothers to write or visit." She gives her son that same motherly look again only this time it's more on the disappointed side.
"Mom, please, I'm a very busy wizard. And don't worry, I've been working on a plan this time."
The three of them continue to chat, while you stand there and simply observe. Then you hear a familiar voice. "Just hanging around?"
"Starlight." You smile at her. "How's it going?"
"Fine, I guess. What are you doing here?" She looks at you a bit funny.
Her tone makes your face nearly fall as you turn to her. "Well, I was killing time at the train station. Stellar Flare was one of the passengers onboard. She stepped off and asked me to help her find her way. And I know, I'm a little early."
"Yeah. About that." Starlight taps her hoof on the floor. "Sunburst found a very interesting artifact in that barrel of items he bought at the antique shop."
"Okay. Was it anything fun?"
"Well, not anything too amazing…uh, yet. But that's why we're going to be spending most of the day checking magical relic reference books to see if we can find it and figure out how to use it. And once we do, Twilight is confident it won't take too long. Then, we're going to try to activate it."
"Okay, that sounds fun…wait, are you going to be here instead…all day?" You look at her and really fight to keep your face from falling.
"Um…yes." She bites her lip, then sighs. "I know we were hoping to hang out today. But, Sunburst and Twilight said they could really use my help and magical expertise with the artifact."
"Sure, sure." You close your eyes for a moment and nod. "I understand. So, I guess this means." You sigh. "We'll hang out another day?"
"Yeah." Starlight places a supportive hoof on your shoulder. "I'm so sorry about this. Before breakfast, I thought things were going to go as planned. Then Sunburst came rushing in with news."
You hold up a hand. "Don't worry about it. It's fine. I can always find something else to do." Forcing a smile, you hold up your index finger. "Yeah, I can head back to the station and watch the train leave. And if I get bored, maybe I'll just go to work and save my day off. Besides, I can always use the bits."
Starlight bites her lip again. "Are you sure? I really don't like the idea of having you feel left out. That goes against everything Twilight taught me about friendship."
You place a hand on her pale purple shoulder. "It's fine, Starlight." You sway your head. "Yeah, I'm a bit disappointed, but, it happens when you have lots of friends."
She blinks her blue violet eyes at you and pats her hoof on your forearm. "Really? I mean I'm sure you could tag along, but I doubt you'd enjoy all that technical reading and the magic part could be a little dangerous."
You pat her shoulder. "Don't worry. It'll be fine. We'll hang out next time."
"Okay. If you're sure." Starlight doesn't seem completely convinced, but she looks over her shoulder and you see a sense of urgency in her eyes.
"Go on, don't let me keep you. I have a train to go watch."
"All right. I'll see you later." She looks around, then draws you into a friendly hug. "We'll hang out later…I promise."
You return her hug and pat her back reassuringly. "I know we will. Good luck with that relic."
"Thanks." Starlight smiles, before she heads back over to the others.
Standing there for a moment, you see Twilight talking with Stellar Flare and can swear Sunburst is sweating. He keeps wiping his forehead anyway. And now, Starlight has joined them.
Yep, now, more than a fifth wheel, you'd end up being a broken wheel in that group. Casting out a sigh, you are at least grateful you can go watch the train as it departs. Turning around, you make a discrete exit and head back into Ponyville.
Nearly two hours have passed since you left the castle and watched the train leave. You spent the rest of the time talking to the conductor and ticket master about trains and sharing what you know with them. Now, you're just contemplating what you want to do. You really were hoping to hang out with Starlight and really don't want to go into work, but it may be your best option. For now, you're heading back to the castle. You can check on Starlight's progress at least. Maybe things went better than she expected and the two of you can get to hang out after all.
"Nothing ventured, nothing gained." You mutter to yourself.
You approach the castle, only to hear rather loud voices. Glancing over at the main door, you see Sunburst and his mom, Stellar Flare. They seem to be in some kind of heated debate. "Mom, it's really great that you stopped by, but I have important things to do."
"So important that you can't make time for your own mother?" She sneers at him.
"What do you mean? We've spent almost two hours chatting. You finally got to meet with Princess Twilight and I told you how my plan is progressing. I mean…" He adjusts his glasses. "What more do you want?"
Stellar Flare shakes her head. "Never mind. I thought after you came back home and you and Starlight solved your friendship problem that I'd get to see you more often." She lowers her head and sighs. "I can see I was wrong." You can hear her voice start to break.
Sunburst sighs and facehoofs. "Mom, I love you, it's just you have to understand I've got a lot to do. If I'm ever to become somepony to make you proud, I've got to do a better job mastering magic. Otherwise…it'll be like magic school all over again." He snorts and turns toward the doorway. "Now if you'll excuse me…mother. I have to go." Sunburst heads in the doorway and slams it behind him.
Stellar stands there with a hoof held up. "But…I'm already proud of you." She hangs her head and sighs. "Why, why did I think this trip was a good idea? Maybe my plan was wrong, somehow."
From her reaction and exchange with her son, you figure there's no point in heading inside to see Starlight. A similar, but less heated, altercation would no doubt go down between the two of you as well. Casting out a sigh you turn and head for the nearby arched bridge. Standing along its parapet you lean and look over at the water. As the creek ripples, you notice another reflection join yours.
"So, we meet again."
You turn and see Stellar Flare standing next to you. "Oh. Hi, Stellar. How are you?"
She sighs. "Well, that's a far warmer greeting than I got from my son. Can I be honest with you?" Stellar Flare looks your way. Her eyes are more than a little troubled.
You offer her a smile. "Sure, what's on your mind?"
"Well, so far, my meeting you has been the most pleasant part of my arrival in Ponyville. That…" She places a hoof to her chin. "And I did enjoy meeting the princess, but Sunburst managed to ruin that."
"I take it things didn't go so well with him?" You turn her way and offer a sympathetic look.
"No. In fact we ended up having yet another fight."
"I heard. I'm sorry." You turn your eyes back to the water.
"It's not your fault. I guess it was naive of me to think he'd change overnight." Stellar joins you in looking at the water.
For a moment, you think about your parents on Earth. Shaking your head, you look up and turn her way. "He should appreciate you, but not all parents and their children get along so well. It's sad."
"Tell me about it." Stellar looks over at you. "And what about you? Why are you so downtrodden?"
"Well, you're having your woes with Sunburst and mine are with Starlight. We were suppose to hang out today, but thanks to that relic or whatever old piece of crap your son found, I suddenly have a free day. So, now I'm just wondering what I want to do."
The unicorn lets out a wry chuckle. "It seems neither one of us is having a very good day then."
"Nope." You shake your head and look out at a group of ducks swimming through the stream.
"And it was such a long train ride. But I suppose I could catch the next train home anyway." Stellar sighs and rejoins you looking at the trickling water.
"Yeah. One thing's for sure. I don't feel like going into work. I mean I could save my day off then…but."
"Ugh." Stellar grimaces. "Why would you go into work on a day off…and one you most likely earned?"
"Yeah, when you put it that way."
Stellar turns her head and ponders something. "Hmm. I have a thought."
"Yeah?" You glance her way, a slight spark of enthusiasm in your eyes.
"You said you know your way around Ponyville, correct?" She gives you a rather welcoming look.
"Of course I do. But why?"
"Well, I haven't been here in some time. Would you be interested in showing me around? It would beat having to take another train ride so soon. And, this may sound odd, but I'd enjoy the company."
"Hmm, a tour?" You nod and smile. "Sure, that sounds like fun. And you know, this may sound weird, but I'd enjoy your company too."
She smiles. "What's so weird about that?"
"Nothing, I guess. Is there any place you want to start with?" You smile, while looking her way.
"You're the tour guide, you tell me." She grins.
"Okay, okay. Give me a moment…I'm concocting a plan." You place a hand to your chin.
Stellar Flare's face lights up. "Good, like I told you before, there's nothing I love more than a good plan."
You hold up your index finger. "I have it. Come on. I know where to start our tour."
"Wonderful. Lead on." Stellar smiles as the two of you take off down the street and leave the castle and your unpleasant feelings behind.