Internal Changeling Affairs

Chapter Five:

Everypony On The Bus!

“hello operator” Twilight said after levitating the phone to her face.  “put me through to the Canterlot Cab Depot”  the other line then began to ring.

“thank you for calling Canterlot Cab and Bus Company, this is Swifty Movin speaking, how can I help you?” a not so swift and very monotone voice answered.

“yes I was wondering if I could have a coach sent to the Star Swirl Memorial Hospital” Twilight said, trying her best to avoid snickering at the contradiction she was speaking with.

“ok, how many passengers need to be picked up?”

“ten including myself” Twilight answered.

“ok, I can send a full sized extra seated coach.  It will be there in fifteen minutes”

“oh and one more thing.”  Twilight said.  “Could you send Steel Piston to drive it?”

“sure, he’s available”  the monotone pony answered.

“thanks a lot”  click!

After finishing with her phone call, Twilight rejoined the group who were all standing just a few yards away.

“I’ve arranged for us all to be picked up” Twilight said.  “I just talked with Ben Stein on the phone and we will be on our way back in fifteen”

“who in the hay is Ben Stein?” Applejack asked.

“never mind that” Twilight chuckled now sporting a more optimistic attitude.  “we’ll just have to wait till the coach gets here and start making our plans when we arrive at the palace”

The group then stood waiting in awkward silence without anypony uttering another word.  The only sound that could be heard was that of Rarity using her magic to reach for a cigarette and strike a match to light it.  Otherwise, one may say that a pin dropping could be heard.

“Rarity!” the usually meek Fluttershy exclaimed.  “since when?”

“why since Sweetiebelle moved in with me of course” Rarity answered.  “how else would I be able to keep my sanity?  I know it’s a dirty habit and I’m sorry to dissapoi-”

“you’re the element of generosity” Fluttershy interrupted.  “what disappoints me is that you didn’t offer me one”

“I…I didn't know you smoked, Fluttershy”  Rarity said.  “judging by the sudden change in your demeanor, I’d say it’s been a while since **you’ve** been able to.”

As fluttershy lit her cigarette, Princess Luna interrupted the conversation.

“pardon me, girls” she said sounding concerned.  “but if we could all wait just a bit longer to smoke, I would really appreciate it.  My sister is starting to have her old cravings”

“forty years” Princess Celestia said, staring at the two lit cigarettes as if she would die without one.  “it’s been forty years since I’ve had one of those.  It smells so good.  I wonder if I-oh my gosh!  are those Manehatten lites?  Oooohhh those were my fav-”

“the bus is here!” Twilight said trying to snap Celestia out of her day dream.

Pulling up to the sidewalk in front of the hospital the group was waiting on was a large yet short for what it was yellow transit coach with a black and white checkered stripe going down the side.  It was a bulky flat-faced coach approximately 20 feet in length and the tiny little wheels on the front and rear axles placed so close together on each side caused Pinkie Pie to bust out in laughter at the very sight of it.  The vehicle finally came to a stop and the two-pieced door opened to Twilight’s new friend sitting in the driver’s seat.

“Miss Sparkle!”  Steel Piston said happy to see Twilight and anxious to hear about how her hospital visit went.  “I didn’t expect to be transporting royalty.  I’m glad I brought the newest, most comfortable coach we have”

“Twilight” Rarity began to blush.  “you know this stud?”

“yeah, he drove me here earlier.”  Twilight replied giving Rarity a disapproving look for her awkward comment.

One by one, everypony entered the coach and took a seat with Twilight in line behind Rarity.

“Oh my goodness!” Rarity said with her eyes lighting up as she was standing in front of Steel Piston.  “you have got to tell me where you get your mane done!  I just love love loooove the do! And those glasses!  Do tell where you got those frames!”

Twilight nudged Rarity from behind.

“the longer you’re standing here, the longer it will take for us to get going, Rarity” Twilight said.

Rarity took a seat in the fourth row.  As soon as her backside hit the seat, spike rushed in and seated himself next to her.

The only seat left was the one just behind Steel Piston which Twilight had no problem taking.

“I take it that our destination is the Palace?” Steel asked.

“you got it” Twilight answered.

Steel pulled a lever closing the door, stepped on the clutch and shifted the giant twinkie with wheels into first gear.  The acceleration was dead slow but the engine began to roar as if the driver had floored it.  Rainbow Dash began to get impatient since she was not a fan of low speeds.  Finally, the vehicle had gotten up to the local speed limit and they were headed in the right direction.

“so, Miss Sparkle” Steel asked unsure if he should continue asking what he was about to ask.

“Twilight” she said.  “Call me Twilight, and I think my brother is going to be ok”

“Oh that’s great news!” he said with a sincere tone with his eyes once again shifting between the mirror and the road.  “I’m glad to hear that.  You seem more chipper than before, yourself.”

“thank you so much for your kind concern, Steel” Twilight said focusing on his bright teal colored eyes in the rearview mirror.  “that’s very sweet of you”

Steel began to blush and unwittingly put less focus on his driving.

“watch the ~squee~damn road!” Fluttershy shouted.  “Oh my goodness, I’m so sorry!  This isn’t like me at all.  I just need a cigarette so bad”

“my apologies, miss” Steel replied to Fluttershy and began to concentrate on his task at hoof.  “you’re right though, I should be paying more attention to getting everypony to the palace safely”

“heh heh.  Sorry about her, Steel”  Twilight said now starting to blush herself.  “she really doesn’t act like that often.  If this coach didn’t have the air conditioning on though, then we would really all be doomed”

“um, I’m sorry I used your name like that, Princess” Fluttershy said to Celestia.

“c’mon, Shy-Dawg” Luna said.  “that’s Tia we’re talking bout.  She’s cool.  She’s hip with it”

Upon hearing Princess Luna of all ponies speaking the way she was, everypony else on the bus, even Celestia burst out in uncontrollable laughter.  Princess Luna, the one who until a few years ago spent 1000 years on the moon had just made her first real and very awkward attempt to use her more modern vocabulary.

At last the coach was making it’s way up the long cobblestone driveway after passing through the palace gate and came to a stop at the loop in front of the entrance.  Steel Piston used his unicorn magic to shift the coach into neutral gear, lift the lever to activate the parking brake and flipped the switch to open the door.

“thank you for choosing Canterlot cab and bus Company, everypony!” Steel said.

“now about the bill, Steel” Twilight said.  “you gave me a free ride earlier and then you drove ten of us on a full sized coach so I won’t take no for an answer”

“well” Steel said.  “if it were up to me I would do it again but for you I will see if my manager would be willing to work out a-”

“this should cover it” Princess Celestia said as she used her magic to drop 50 bits into the glass payment box.  “keep the change”

Steel’s jaw hung wide open at the sight of not only full payment but also the huge tip he had just received.

“no nice deed goes unrewarded” Twilight said with a smile.  “thanks again, Steel.  See you around”

“no, thank YOU” he replied.  “oh, um, before you go…well I, uh…I’ve been meaning to ask you if…”

With himself and Twilight being the only ones still on the bus he began to blush very heavily as he kept trying to get to his point to no avail.

“um, what I’m trying to say is…eh, well do you think maybe you could use some help with your investigation you were telling me about say maybe start making these plans over a cup of coffee sometime or something?”

Steel Piston was now at full blush and his glasses could not have been more fogged.  He was hopeful but he was mentally kicking himself for asking her what he had.

“stupid! Stupid! Stupid!” Steel thought to himself.  “Steel you moron!  She could lose her brother and you asked her out on a coffee date?!”

“get a suit and have it pressed” Twilight replied also beginning to blush.  “by this time tomorrow, we’ll all be working for the CRGD.  Show up at the precinct tomorrow”

“will do”  Steel answered.  “coincidentally, I start my vacation tomorrow”

“great!  I’ll see you there then”

Twilight hopped off the bus and Steel Piston took his leave with it.  She then made her way into the first room in the palace where everypony else was still waiting for her.  While Fluttershy and Rarity were at long last enjoying their cigarettes that they had so impatiently waited for Twilight looked around at the circle of friends standing around her.

“let’s get some rest, girls” she finally spoke up.  “we’ll all be heading over to the Guard Department headquarters first thing in the morning.  We’ve got work to do!”

End Chapter Five