Chapter 02: Times of Arrival May Vary
When Twilight Sparkle’s molecules stabilized in a solid physical form within Princess Celestia’s study, the seven-foot tall alicorn mare paid her student’s magical entrance no attention whatsoever, seeing as she was too busy dragging a cyan pegasus into the room through an open window.
“Oh. Good afternoon, Twilight. Here, help me carry her.” the Princess requested, not even looking at the unicorn she addressed, before she continued to pull on Rainbow Dash’s limp arms, “Don’t worry, I didn’t do anything bad. She just showed up and fainted. I’d use my magic to pull her in but I need the exercise.”
“Does this have anything to do with your secret project, or is this a double crisis kinda day?” Twilight asked, stepping over to her superior before grabbing Dash by the waist and hoisting her lower body over the window frame, “Huh. For a pegasus, she’s pretty heavy.”
“I know, right? And for your first question...eh, kinda. Though, considering the fact that I scheduled for everyone to get here at around the same time, it’s probably gonna be a multi-crisis kinda day.” Celestia replied, pulling Dash’s body out of Twilight’s grasp with surprising strength, before she flung the pegasus mare onto a sofa, “There. And now, we wait.”
“I- I have several questions, but I know you won’t answer any of them.” Twilight remarked with a sigh. Leaning against a bookshelf, she waited.
“Man, this place is...all kinds of messed up.” Applejack whispered under her breath, taking a good, long look at Canterlot through the wide railway station windows. The entire city was built into the Canterhorn Mountain, advancing upwards like a huge layered cake and covered in endless rows of winding streets and cramped-looking buildings. Manehattan was a big city, and every part of it was big, but AJ knew that Canterlot was a different beast entirely: It’s undoubtedly huge, yet each individual section of it was filled with countless details that most ponies don’t have the time to notice. There were no towering skyscrapers or block-sized supermarkets, for in their places were deep, narrow alleyways and busy shops hidden far within them. As AJ contemplated how she could tackle this relatively exotic environment and, in her own words, make it her bitch, the yellow pegasus companion she met on the train slowly and carefully approached her from behind, pulling her hood tightly around her pink-maned head.
“Excuse me, miss, uh...Applejack, was it?” Fluttershy asked in a whisper, prompting AJ to slowly turn around and look in her direction, which made the pegasus mare shrink further into her own clothes.
“Yeah?” Applejack asked in return, tilting her head and squatting a little to better meet Fluttershy’s eyes, “What, you finally need help now?”
“Yes, actually. I was told to get to the, um...the royal palace?” Fluttershy replied, sounding as though she barely believed in her own words, “It’s a long walk, so I just want someone to keep me company, is all. If that’s fine with you, I mean. Just walk beside me, you don’t even have to do anything more.”
“Sure, why not? I’m heading for the royal palace myself, believe it or not. I’ll probably be the token urban kid they do a scripted interview with for a government commercial about taxes or something.” AJ theorized, standing up and grabbing Fluttershy by the hand, prompting a quiet yelp from the pegasus.
“Come on then, let’s go.”
Rarity was having the time of her life. A big, glamourous city full of rich history around every corner? Yes please. Although, there wasn’t a carriage assigned to give her a ride to the palace, which Rarity found quite odd, seeing as she’s a special guest invited by the Princess Herself, but the long walk meant more opportunities for absorbing all that culture. The pink mare she had met back in Ponyville had long since vanished into the crowd, rambling cryptically about lo mein and ranch dressing as she marched in a completely random direction nowhere close to Castle Canterlot. Rarity didn’t stop her, however. If the Princess also personally invited that mare, then she must be skilled enough to find her own way to the palace, and Rarity would rather not patronize someone by offering unneeded help. That was a lesson she had to learn the hard way quite a few times in the past.
Proceeding on her own, Rarity stepped into the busy street with a deep breath, and headed for what felt like her destiny.
Meanwhile, in the Bit-Biter Bazaar, the biggest shopping center in Canterlot, a lone, hooded figure wandered through the food court. Things have changed quite a bit since it was last walking amongst the living in the real world, but ponies were still as vulnerable to emotions as they always were and always will be. Things like pretty colors and a cheery pop song can easily bring them unrequited joy, whereas an agonized scream or a darkened sky can just as easily bring them to fear and sadness. Even the Princesses were no better in the end, and this time around, it’s going to make sure that it would get them both.
Walking past a tired-looking janitor, the hooded stranger gently taps her on the shoulder, and before she could turn around to ask what she was needed for, her eyes widened and went blank. The symbol of a lone black star appeared in the nape of her neck, and in that moment, Dusty Debris was no more. Instead, Fornax of the Discarded joined the Nightmare Force.
Next Chapter: Expositing While The World Burns