The next day came, Twilight & Spike approached the train station and met with the other elements sans Rainbow Dash, as well as the Cutie Mark Crusaders, everyone had bags packed for their stay.
"Hello everyone, ready for Canterlot?" Twilight asked.
Rarity spoke first, "Yes, I always enjoy the fine culture of that city"
Applejack spoke next, "Fine culture? I still think the ponies in that city are off their rockers a bit, um no offence to you or your family Twi"
Twilight waved her hand dismissively, "None taken"
Spike looked around, "Where's Rainbow Dash? She's gonna be late"
"I'm sure she'll be here soon, Applejack you have the desserts ready to be loaded?"
Applejack nodded, "Yup, Big Macintosh is here to help pack everything", she turned to her brother, "You got everything ok Big Mac?"
Big Macintosh patted the cargo, "Eeyup!"
"Pinkie you have all the desserts?" Twilight asked.
Pinkie nodded in her hyperactive way, "Yupper Roonie! The Cakes did a GREAT job on it too!"
"Ok, I think this trip will go well, all we need to do is wait for-"
"I'm here!" Rainbow came in.
"Rainbow Dash"
"Sorry I'm late, I went to Thunderlane's house to remind him, he just needs to find Flitter and Cloudchaser, so they and Rumble should be here shortly"
"Well the train's gonna be here soon, so hopefully he hurries up" Twilight pointed out.
"Don't worry, he's super excited to come, he won't miss this"
"Well we're excited to have him, right girls?" Twilight asked.
Rarity nodded, "Of course, having a nice charming stallion like him to keep us company is most delightful"
Spike grumbled at the 'Charming Stallion' part.
"I'm excited too! He's a new friend for us to hang out with and do things with!" Pinkie said ecstatically.
"Um...I'm happy too", Fluttershy said in her usual shyness.
Apple Bloom spoke up, "Ah can't wait to try new crusading ideas with Rumble!"
Scootaloo spoke next, "Maybe we can also try old ideas, he'll be our good luck charm!"
Sweetie Belle didn't really say anything about the subject.
"What do you think Sweetie? Good luck charm?" Scootaloo asked.
"Uh huh, sure, whatever", Sweetie Belle said barely looking at Scootaloo.
Apple Bloom lightly groaned at Sweetie Belle's attitude.
Soon Thunderlane arrived with Rumble, Flitter & Cloudchaser, carrying their baggage.
"Sorry we're late, the girls needed to finish their manes"
"Yeah, don't wanna look bad for a trip to Canterlot, I can't believe we're actually going!" Flitter stated while flying for joy.
"Yeah, and with The Wonderbolts no less, this is gonna be so cool", Cloudchaser stated while doing a little 'oh yeah' motion.
"Well we're glad you all could make it", Twilight said.
"Sure...I'm stoked as well", Applejack, then approached Thunderlane hoof out, "Put it there partner"
Thunderlane shook Applejack's hoof, "You too Applejack"
Rainbow approached Thunderlane, "You ready to wow the Wonderbolts?"
"Yeah, little nervous though"
"Don't be, I got some cool moves for us to do that will guarantee all of us access into The Wonderbolts"
"That would be a dream come true", Cloudchaser said.
"Being in The Wonderbolts wasn't really in my career goal but performing for them still seems very prestigious", Flitter stated.
Scootaloo approached Rumble, "I envy you so much Rumble, you get to fly with Rainbow Dash"
Rumble put his hoof on her shoulder, "You'll fly soon too Scootaloo, then we can be flight buddies"
"Yeah, all 6 of us will be the premiere fliers of this town", Rainbow boasted.
Twilight grabbed some passes, "Here, before I forget, take these passes, it's your ticket into Canterlot and all the backstage stuff"
She gave passes to each of them as the train arrived.
"Here's the train, hop on everyone", Twilight said as everyone boarded the train.
"All aboard to Canterlot!" The Conductor said as the train started it's route to Canterlot.
After Big Mactintosh set the desserts down he attempted to leave the train, before he saw that it was moving, "Oh no"
Twilight approached him, "You can stay if you'd like, I had an extra pass for you just in case you decided to come"
Big Macintosh took the pass and sighed, "Oh well"
Applejack approached as well, "Relax, it's no big deal if no farm work is done the next few days, we have plenty on the market, just stick around and enjoy yourself bro"
Big Macintosh simply went to sit somewhere, Twilight grabbed a book from her packed bag and gave it to Big Macintosh, "This should help you pass the time"
Big Macintosh nodded and took the book.
"Thanks for that Twi", Applejack said.
"No problem, the more the merrier", Twilight said and walked back to the group with Applejack.
Pinkie Pie sat next to Thunderlane, "Isn't this exciting? You're going on a BIG adventure with us!"
Rarity spoke up, "It's not that big Pinkie, we're not engaging in a battle with the fate of Equestria on the line"
Rainbow Dash chuckled, "Yeah I'd doubt he'd wanna join us in fighting villains like Queen Chrysalis or King Sombra"
"Yeah, sounds dangerous, what were they like?" Thunderlane asked.
"Pretty evil, but nothing we couldn't handle", Rainbow Dash boasted.
"You're all pretty brave, I don't think I can handle fighting evil queens and shadow kings"
Applejack approached him, "So if there's a major crisis sometime soon, would you stick with us or just leave us?"
Rainbow looked confused and annoyed, "AJ what are you doing?"
"Relax Rainbow, I'm just asking an honest question, so Thunder, what would you do?"
"Um...well I wouldn't want to abandon you, so I would do what I could to help..."
"And how exactly?" Applejack got closer and had a stern look on her face.
"Well..."
Twilight interrupted, "He would do what he can do, but I personally would not let him do anything that would endanger him, remember Applejack, he's not an element nor does he have access to any kind of magic"
Rainbow got in Applejack's face, "Yeah seriously, don't bother him about this"
"I'm just askin', I just wanna be sure what he'd do if something happened, this way we can make a proper battle plan"
"Believe me Applejack, I would never ditch you in a major battle, none of you"
"That's nice to hear, just stay true to your word", Applejack then got in Thunderlane's face, "Ah don't like dishonesty", Applejack said that with the darkest tone that freaked Thunderlane out a little.
"Applejack, step back", Twilight said.
Applejack sat down away from Thunderlane but continued to eye him.
Rainbow Dash sat next to Thunderlane with her arm around his neck & shoulder, "Relax Thunder, all you have to do to prove yourself to us is be a true friend, you don't need to endanger yourself to do so, and if there IS danger, we got your back, you and your friends"
"Don't forget Rumble", Apple Bloom chimed in.
"Yeah, Rumble too, we're all best buds, now hoof bump me", Rainbow said while holding her hoof out.
Thunderlane obliged with the hoof bump.
"That's so sweet", Twilight s said.
"...It's not 'sweet', it's awesome", Rainbow stated.
Scootaloo yawned a bit, "I'm bored, come on crusaders, lets explore the train"
"Sis can we go explorin'?" Apple Bloom asked.
"Sure, just be careful", Applejack replied.
"Wait, um Fluttershy would you mind watching them?"
Fluttershy nodded, "Ok"
Flitter stood up, "I'll go too, 4 foals seems like a lot for one mare, besides I'll feel better if I can see if Rumble's safe"
"Thanks for that Flitter", Thunderlane said.
The crusaders moved to another cart, followed by Flitter & Fluttershy.
"Funny that those two have similar names", Spike stated.
Everyone eyed Spike a bit.
"What?" Spike shrugged, "What!?"
"Was that really necessary?", Applejack asked deadpanned.
"I thought it was a pretty cool fun fact", Thunderlane stated.
Applejack glared at Thunderlane, "Oh did you now? What was the fun part?" Applejack asked while putting on a seemingly innocent face.
"Um...the names?"
Applejack simply took her hat off to dust it and then put it back on her head, "That's nice"
Everyone in the room looked a little uncomfortable.
"So..." Rarity attempted to think of something to break the awkwardness, "Thunderlane, how long have you known Rainbow Dash?"
"Well she's the captain on our weather team, and one thing we had in common is our athleticism and our desire to be a Wonderbolt, hence why we went to the Academy together"
"Ah yes, you saved me when we fell out of that balloon, I really appreciate that by the way", Rarity said, then walked over to nuzzle Thunderlane a bit.
"It was nothing, I did what any other pesusai would do"
Rainbow spoke up, "Ok, ok, enough with the mushy stuff"
Pinkie turned to Cloudchaser, "You saved Fluttershy that day as well"
"Yeah, well sorta, she's a Pegasus too so it seemed weird to save her"
"Weird?" Applejack asked.
Rarity shot a glare at Applejack, ending the talk right there.
"I don't fully blame her, sometimes it's hard to catch yourself when flying, so perhaps I did some good".
Rarity clapped her hoof a little, "That's all good, so how long have you been friends with Thunderlane?"
"For years, one of the reasons me and Flitter foalsit his brother, he's a sweet boy"
"He seems sweet"
"Yeah, very shy, except with people he knows, like me, Flitter & obviously Thunder, but I think Fluttershy can relate to him, being shy herself, hell maybe they can have a shy off, I give a point to Rumble for being cuter, though Fluttershy would win for longevity".
Applejack glared at Cloudchaser, "You tryin' to say something about Fluttershy?"
Cloudchaser looked confused, "What are you talking about Applejack?"
"You making fun of Fluttershy's shyness?"
"No, I'm just saying Rumble may outgrow it, Fluttershy hasn't yet, not that it's a bad thing, some ponies are just naturally shy"
"Fluttershy has more guts than you're giving credit"
Cloudchaser was getting annoyed, "I'm sure she's got guts, I saw her during tornado day, I know she helped save Equestria, I'm just saying she seems naturally shy, some ponies are like that, my sister is sorta like that so..."
Applejack put her elbow on her knee and looked to the side, "I doubt your sister saved Equestria, ah wouldn't compare them"
That shocked everyone and struck a nerve in Cloudchaser, who proceeded to get in Applejack's face.
"Listen you! You think that just because Thunderlane won't say anything to you doesn't mean I won't! I get the feeling you don't want us here, I'm here to tell you I don't care what you think, I'm here whether you like it or not, me, Flitter, Thunderlane and Rumble will be hanging out with YOUR friends whether you like it or not, if you don't get your act together-"
"You threatening me!" Applejack shouted, getting in Cloudchaser's face.
Twilight used her magic to separate them, "That's enough! You need to stop fighting!"
"Hmph, she started it", Cloudchaser said.
"Screw this, I'm leaving", Applejack put her hoof up to Twilight who wanted to protest, "Don't! I'm not staying, I'm leaving, I don't feel like discussing this any further", Applejack stormed off.
Cloudchaser huffed a little, "Why the hell is she acting like this? I thought she put this bullshit behind her!"
Twilight turned to Cloudchaser, "She's just a bit moody"
"I don't like how she's treating me, my sister and Thunderlane, and I swear if she does ANYTHING to Rumble-"
"She won't, I won't let her, no one will", Twilight said.
Thunderlane approached Cloudchaser, "Relax CC, let her cool off, maybe she needs a little time to adjust"
"She 'adjusted' last time and she's still like this, I don't trust her"
"Maybe you should go cool off too, go find The Crusaders and see if you can assist Flitter & Fluttershy"
Cloudchaser huffed and stormed off, Twilight approached Thunderlane.
"Sorry you're still going through this"
"Well maybe I'm just an acquired taste, takes a while for people to like me but when they do, they can't get enough of me", Thunderlane said with a confident smile.
"Don't get too big of a head Thunderlane", Rainbow Dash teased.
Meanwhile Cloudchaser found Flitter & Fluttershy as they watched the Crusaders.
Flitter notices Cloudchaser, "Hi Sis, what's up?"
"Nothing", Flitter could sense Cloudchaser's anger, "You ok sis?"
Cloudchaser waved it off, "I don't wanna talk about it right now"
Flitter shrugged and decided to leave it for now, meanwhile the crusaders were deciding what to do.
"I know, lets parasailing on my scooter down one of the long ramps", Scootaloo said.
"That's gonna hurt us", Rumble pointed out.
"Well we could offer to shoe shine the Canterlot Royalty", Apple Boom stated.
"Not many ponies wear shoes, besides I doubt they'd let kids like us do something like that anyway", Rumble stated.
Sweetie Belle looked annoyed, "Gee, maybe we could just stand guard and do nothing like the Canterlot guards"
"I don't think we'd be allowed to do that"
Sweetie Belle growled, "Well what ideas do YOU have then!?"
Rumble was taken back a little by her attitude but still pondered and thought up, "How about volunteer at the ticket booth? Just sell tickets"
Sweetie Belle looked like 'what?', "That's boring, selling tickets isn't special, any moron can do that"
"You never know", Rumble pointed out, "Besides it's safer and not doing anything that's misbehaving"
"Ugh, you're so boring!"
Apple Bloom whacked Sweetie Belle's side, "Be nice!"
"Yeah, he's new, give him time to adjust"
Sweetie Belle huffed, "Well do you girls want to sell tickets?"
Apple Bloom thought a moment, "We can put that in the 'idea' pile, keep brainstorming"
Sweetie Belle reluctantly decided to deal with it and kept brainstorming, though her attitude did not go unnoticed by Cloudchaser, "She's acting no differently than Applejack! What is she a brat?"
"Oh no, Sweetie Belle is usually very sweet, she's probably a little moody", Fluttershy said.
"Rumble told me that she hasn't been too friendly with him, though he probably wants to believe he can be friends with her, she better not do anything to hurt him though or she's gonna have to deal with me"
Flitter calmed Cloudchaser, "Relax, don't make a big deal, maybe Flutters is right, she's just a little moody, maybe this is how she deals with change"
"So dealing with change means acting bratty?"
"Depends on the individual"
Cloudchaser sighed, "Fine whatever, but I'll be watching her"
Back with Applejack, she's pacing around trying to wrap her head around things, she doesn't wanna be selfish but she doesn't like this little situation. Her brother was there simply watching his sister pace.
"This is ridiculous, Cloudchaser has some damn nerve telling me off like that, I mean I'm just trying to make sure this is a good crowd and I'm the bad one? Do you think I'm being a lousy friend Big Mac?"
Big Macintosh simply stated, "That ain't up to me, that's up to your friends"
"But my friends are being thick headed"
"Somepony's being thick-headed, not sure if it's your friends though"
Applejack glared, "What's that supposed to-" she head the door open and saw Rarity come in, "Hello Applejack, mind if I come?"
Applejack nodded, "Sure, of course"
Rarity approached Applejack, "Look darling, I get that you have some reserves about this sudden injection but I think you're being a bit harsh, why is this a big deal? Keep in mind all six of us barely knew each other when we first met yet it instantly hit off"
"But the difference is we got to know each other a little beforehand, Rainbow was already best friends with Fluttershy and we all knew Pinkie Pie, however Rainbow Dash only really knows Thunderlane, and even they barely hung out, she only hung out with him because she was getting bored of us"
"She wasn't bored of us, just what we do, keep in mind Thunderlane and his friends are Pegusai like her and they love flying like she does"
"What about Twilight & Fluttershy? They can fly"
"Well Twilight may have wings but she's a unicorn first and she's not much into flying for fun, Fluttershy isn't competitive and she prefers the ground more than flying, so Rainbow found some friends that has something in common with her, nothing wrong with that"
Applejack rubbed her temple, "Maybe you have a point there, but ah still think she's tryin' to replace us, and ah don't like Cloudchaser's attitude"
"Can you blame her? You were hardly being fair to Thunderlane, plus what you said about her sister, you and I know how much of a sour spot that can be, if the situation were reversed, would you have acted any differently?"
Rarity got Applejack there.
"But still, what about the fact that he was shoved in with us with barely any consent?"
Rarity approached Applejack, "We represent the Elements of Harmony, as Generosity I generously offer my friendship, if you can't honor your element of friendship, you're being dishonest with yourself"
Applejack sighed, "Damn Rarity, yah know me as well as my Big Brother over there"
"Because I care for you, and I hate to see you unhappy"
Applejack gave Rarity a hug, "Thanks Rarity, guess I should get back and apologize to Thunderlane"
Rarity nodded and took Applejack back, "You can come too Big Mac, the food will be fine"
Big Mac nodded and followed.
As Applejack approached the others, she went to Thunderlane, "Sorry, I'm still getting used to yah being here, nothing personal, it's not you, its more me and Rainbow Dash"
Thunderlane nodded, "It's fine, I just hope the awkwardness goes away soon so we can all be buddies"
Applejack nodded, "Where's Cloudchaser?"
"She went to cool off, she'll be back soon"
As the train approached the station, that's when Cloudchaser arrived with everyone else, so Applejack took the opportunity to speak with her.
"Hey Cloudchaser, sorry I was out of line before, didn't mean to upset yah, we cool?"
Cloudchaser huffed a little, "Can you assure me you won't relapse this time?"
"I'm still getting used to yah, but I'll do mah best"
Cloudchaser sighed, "Fine, just please don't let it happen again", Cloudchaser then walked off, leaving Applejack somewhat unhappy.
"So long as you do your part", Applejack simply stated.
Big Mac helped some of the Canterlot assistants load the food and desserts into the castle while the ponies approach Celestia's castle.
"Wow, this place is so cool", Thunderlane said.
"It's awe inspiring for sure, oh look, there's the Wonderbolts!" Twilight pointed to the sky.
It was the whole group led by Spitfire, Soarin & Fleetfoot, they landed behind the castle away from the group.
"Lets go meet them!" Rainbow shouted and attempted to rush off but Twilight used her magic to pull Rainbow back, "Not yet Rainbow, be patient"
Rainbow huffed and flew back to the group.
"Lets go see who else is here", Twilight said and they went in to see who else would be participating.
"This is so cool, it's like a huge party! I wonder if they'll let me plan help it!" Pinkie shouted.
"I think they have this under control", Twilight pointed out.
"Aw, well it's fine, this place is packed though, I see a lot of ponies here, I see Vinyl Scratch, I see Octavia..." Pinkie froze, "I don't believe it..." Pinkie's perkiness faded a little.
Twilight grew concerned, "What's wrong?" Twilight asked.
"It's...it's...him..."
Twilight grew curious, "Him who?"
Pinkie's smile grew wide and suddenly shouted.
"CHEESE SANDWICH!"
Her shouting caught the attention of the pony she was gawking at.
"Pinkie Pie?"
Pinkie smiled and nodded feverishly.
It was Cheese's turn to smile big, "PINKIE PIE!"
They ran at each other and hugged hard.
"I missed you!" Pinkie said.
"I missed you too!" Cheese said.
"I missed you a lot!"
"I missed you a super lot"
"I missed you a super DUPER lot!"
"I missed you a super duper mega lot!"
"I missed-"
"We get it!" Rainbow shouted, "You missed each other! Enough with the sappy reunion!"
They let each other go, "Sorry Dashie, I just missed him a lot"
"Me too, I had a feeling you'd be here though, my Cheesie sense told me so"
Thunderlane nudged Rainbow Dash, "I take it they have history?"
"Yeah, he planed my Birthiversary, that's my birthday and anniversary of when I moved to Ponyville, and she rivaled and befriended him there, he's a cool dude, likes Polka Music"
Twilight went to Cheese and shook his hoof, "Well it's nice to see you Cheese, wonder who else is here?"
Soon some smoke came into the area, causing everypony to cough, when it dissipated, a familiar unicorn stood there.
"Trixie?" Twilight stated.
"Hello Twilight, miss me?"
"Wow, so you're here too?"
"Of course, I'm a showpony, an entertainer, and what better place to entertain than Canterlot, in front of Princess Celestia herself"
"Well it's nice to see you, good luck"
Trixie scoffed, "The Great and Powerful Trixie does not need luck"
Thunderlane nudged Rainbow again, "Isn't she the one who boasts about her magic ability, and endangered Ponyville on some occasions? Like when she enslaved it?"
"Yeah, according to Twilight, she said she was sorry, then did that lower lip quiver, Twilight forgave her but I still think she's full of crap"
"Trixie heard that Rainbow Dash!"
"Yeah whatever"
Twilight glared, "Be nice Rainbow Dash"
"Yes, don't be uncouth", Rarity stated.
"Miss Rarity?"
Rarity turned around and was face to face with Coco Pommel, "Coco, darling, it's great to see you", Rarity hugged her, "What brings you here?"
"I'm doing a fashion show, I worked really hard and designed everything from scratch, I hope you'll like it"
"I'm sure I...oh no"
They turned to see another fashion pony, Suri Polomare. Coco got nervous and backed away.
"Hmph, Suri Polomare, I take it you're having a fashion show too?"
"Of course darling..."
"I also take it you probably ripped off another idea from somepony else?"
"I don't need to be judged by you, okay, I'll leave that up to the top Fashion designers in Equestria" Suri then walked off.
Thunderlane nudged Rainbow, which annoyed her, "Can you stop nudging me!?"
"Sorry I'm just a little lost, who was that?"
"Suri Polomare, during a trip to Manehatten she ripped off one of Rarity's designs, or rather she made Coco do it, eventually with out help Rarity got new designs out, and Coco got the guts to ditch that tramp Suri and do things honestly, amazing since she seems as shy as Fluttershy, but it turned out well for her, she deserves better"
Applejack huffed, "Wow, ah can't believe they got con artists here, next thing you know we'll be seeing Flim & Flam"
"You mentioned us?" an unwelcome familiar voice behind Applejack said. She turned to see Flim & Flam, "You two are here?"
"Of course, me and my brother have a great idea for the nobles of Canterlot to invest in" Flim stated.
"Now if you don't mind, we're off to see that Suri Polomare girl", Flam stated.
"Yeah, from what I've heard, I like her business style"
The brothers walked off.
Thunderlane was gonna nudge Rainbow but she glared, which reminded him what she said, "Those were the cider guys right? The one that tried to run the Apple Family out of business"
"Yeah, they had some run ins with AJ, couple of crooks honestly"
"Wow this is almost like a reunion of sorts, I wonder who else is here?" Twilight asked.
"I'm not sticking around, last thing we need is another rotten face to deal with", as Rainbow walked off she came face to face with the last pony she wanted to see.
"YOU!"
Thunderlane noticed the pony, he too glared, "I remember you"
Cloudchaser also looked displeased, "You have some nerve showing your face around here"
The pony in question was Rainbow Dash's Wonderbolts academy's roommate, Lightning Dust.
"You're seriously here?"
"Got a problem? Deal with it, I'm here to show the world, including The Wonderbolts who Lightning Dust is, when I'm done, Spitfire will realize her mistake at The Academy and welcome me into The Wonderbolts on a red carpet"
"It was no mistake you deserve what you got"
"Well see about that, when I DO get into The Wonderbolts, I'm gonna fly so well that I become the new captain and I will personally make sure you and your friends NEVER get in!" Lightning Dust said and flew off.
Rainbow Dash growled as Trixie approached her, "I knew one day you'd make an enemy of somepony, looks like I was correct"
Rainbow glared at Trixie, "Shove off! I have a plan to perfect, Thunder, CC, Flitter, Rumble, follow me!" Rainbow said and flew off with her team.
Trixie huffed, "How brash"
Twilight sighed, "This may end up in disaster"
Applejack had some concerns, "They better not screw things up for Rainbow Dash, ah hope she banked on the right ponies".
Soon all the ponies made their way to their rooms to plan for the upcoming event.
Soon things will spice up some more, give feedback on some things if you'd like, see you next chapter.