Perhaps This Calling Is the Channel of Invention
I reject your reality, and substitute my own.
For your reality would drive us all to insanities unknown;
I would much rather be subjected to lose my mind on my own terms.
"Are we there yet are we there yet?" Pinkie asked as she bounced around the cramped train car.
"We've been on this trip before Pinkie, you know how long it takes." Rainbow said as Scootaloo stirred in her sleep beneath her wing, "And please keep it down, can't you see she's trying to sleep?"
"Yes dear, if you wouldn't mind would you? Sweetie's quite worn from her day's endeavors." Rarity chimed as her sister nearly woke as well, but she was not cuddled against her sister, but taking a couch for herself, not that they were running short on them.
Pinkie had forgotten about them, "Oh my gosh I'm so sorry!" She whispered, "It's just that they haven't gone with us on a trip in sososo long!" Then her mood changed from erratic to spent too as she curled on the seat, apparently too tired to move to the beds put there just for that.
"I-it's fine Pinkie," Applebloom yawned from her bed, AJ having tucked her in long ago, "we never knew spelunkin' was such a bother in the first place."
"Ah hush now little sis, you gave it your best and that's what really matters." Applejack soothed as she wobbled over to her, "Now just get back to sleep, I'll wake you up when we get there."
"Oh...kay." She drifted as she went back to sleep.
"I'm getting tired too, we should have been there by now though. Maybe I should go ask if all is well?" Twilight tried for consciousness as she nearly drifted off again.
"Ok then, I'm going to...catch a few Z's before we get there." Rainbow said as she went out like a light.
"Alright then, don't go anywhere." Twi joked to the emptiness as she nearly stumbled through the door. She went through the cabins and noticed how every other pony in the cabin was fast asleep. Deep asleep she saw after she tripped over a stallion's suitcase, causing it to explode with a crash as all of its contents were expelled. She hastily magicked it all back to how it was and looked around to see if anypony else had noticed, Wow, it's not even that late. She kept pushing through the cluttered aisles, cases and items were spread across the floor as if their owners hadn't the time to properly place them, like they fell asleep too fast.
The same situation was present in each other cart she passed through, except for one. In the second to last two foals were crying, "Shh Shh Pound, Pumpkin. Sleep now please," She fret as she looked to their parents, "Mr. Cake? Mrs. Cake?" She called for them, they were asleep on the floor, in very uncomfortable positions, their legs were splayed and their manes were frayed like they had fallen and hadn't gotten up. She ran over to their sides in her disoriented state and tried to wake them, but they slept like the dead.
They had frozen expressions of either recognition, or fear. She wasn't sure which she wanted it to be though. Twilight tried every awareness spell, noisemaker, and even resurrection ability she had learned and did nothing but increase her already impossibly weary state, yes she was scared and worried beyond measure, but she was far too tired than she'd ever felt before. Even her stretches and bouts of insomnia she filled with informative literature seemed so insignificant when compared to now, it was ridiculously difficult to even maintain a steady stream of thoughts.
She forgot why she even came over to them, they were sleeping and it would be rude to wake them up. As Twi pushed through the clutter she managed to notice that she didn't hear any more crying, But, but who was crying? Are they hurt? She worried as her ears attempted to locate anypony crying, but there wasn't, they must have gone to sleep.
As Twilight continued her trek through the worn rooms she felt things, things watching her, things touching her. Sometimes she thought she could see a figure in a corner just too dark to see, but she felt an instinct to look away, to never ever see what lurks just out of sight. The air grew cold and the floor crackled, she looked down and saw the thinnest film of frost layering the intricately set bricks plush carpets. For just a moment she thought she had been there before,
Walking down these hallways,
Scouring these carts, For days;
Looking for survivors, going insane;
Dazed and confused;
Taking notes on what rooms she'd been in and, What? No, no. I'm- I'm on a train. Right? She looked to the walls, flickering in the torch light, the windows, they never shine, no, dark and metallic, rounded and with literally crystal clear windows, it was dark outside and only a single dead tree passed to let her now they were still moving. The secrete to life is to have the right key, the one you are looking for just happens to be in the tree.
"But which tree?" She yelled to the silence, she jumped under the nearest seat out of a habit she couldn't quite recall, It, how, what was that?
She went through another set of doors and arrived in the locomotive, but all was dark, there was no fire, there was no engineer, Oh wait, there he is, and he was sleeping, his back end hanging out of the furnace, n-no, that's wrong. She barely recalled. She went as fast as she could over to him and he was fine, quietly sleeping. She yawned again, "Sl-sleep sounds, really really good right now. And she fell asleep as she attempted to curl into a ball, missing the screech of breaks as she did so.
All aboard!
"Alright everypony I'm sorry to report but...we seem to have a missing set of tracks." The conductor called as he came into the car, "We aren't sure what did it but we sent somepony to go get help, until then we're going to have to stop for the night. Sorry for any inconveniences."
"Oh my," Fluttershy said, "I hope they're okay."
"Who? The tracks?" Sweetie asked as she climbed out of bed.
"No no, them." She said while she pointed to a small family of three who were sitting on a round and large planter just out from being underneath a street lamp, their bags packed, cart broken, and looking cold.
"Wow, I wonder what's wrong wi-" Sweetie started.
Scootaloo and Applebloom had ran in laughing with a tired looking Rarity following behind, "Don't you just love foals? They're so lively and fun." The slightly disgruntled seamstress said as she sat as carefully as she could on one of the empty seats.
Sweetie joined in although she didn't entirely know what her friends were doing, but she jumped and giggled all the same, "So what were you guys doing out there?"
Applebloom stopped abruptly causing Scootaloo to bump into her as their ring disbanded, "Well, me and Scoots were ju-"
"What happened?" Twilight asked as she turned in her bed, pushing off the covers, "We, you all, just over there?"
"Alright now calm down Twilight, you were just having a dream is all." Applejack called from the closet area, "We're going to be here a while anyway though, tracks are out."
"What! How could the tracks be out?" Twilight asked.
"Well the conductor said they were, well that they were missing, clean out too, not crushed or jagged, right on the seam like it was a professional job."
"But that's just crazy! You can't just pick up and move a set of tracks!" Twilight reasoned.
"Oh yes you can! When I'm trying to hide I pick up my tracks all the time see!" Pinkie intruded as she pulled a small box from under her seat and opened it up to reveal a compilation of various hoofprints, muddy prints, dusty prints, sandy prints, printed prints.
"And you, you just, take them everywhere with you?" Applejack asked as she began to take their own bags from the spacious closet.
"Uh-huh, and without me!" She answered happily.
Applejack (and company) learned to scrape over these...things that she do and turned to Twilight, "Could you uh, lend me a hoof?" She asked as she carefully held up their luggage that had nearly fallen out, "Grabbed one from the bottom."
After the mares had fixed their luggage, one small travel case each with only the necessities, because come on...they don't have any clothes, besides Rarity who decided to pack light this time, as it was only a weekend trip, and brought a generous total of four wardrobe cases complete with entire lines of ensembles, accessories, and excesseries. They waited in the makeshift assembly line that had formed as the passengers prepared to leave, everypony was ready, except for Rainbow Dash, "Could somepony please wake her up?" Sweetie asked from under her little bag.
Twilight's ears perked, "What'd you say Sweetie?"
She looked at her curiously and hesitantly answered, "Wake her up?" Unsure if she had somehow said another hush word they'd explain when she was older.
"Nonono, before that."
"Darling please, is this really necessary?" Rarity asked after regaining herself, but none noticed.
"Could somepony please?"
Twilight was unsure why, but she was immensely relieved with this bit of clarification, "Oh, ok then good. I thought you said something else, sorry." She finished with a sigh followed by Sweeties, she didn't want to get into trouble already.
The line moved on as lines often do, single file and slow, which was just what Applejack wanted. She went to Twilight and called her over and off it the side, "Just what was that all about? Did you see how worked up you got her?" Twilight opened her mouth but they didn't have time for another episode, "Now never mind, I don't want to hear what 'paradoxes' or 'lives' you were trying to avoid or save this time. We need to get to our room and find Fluttershy. And remember, hear anything, stay hidden, hear anything, lights out, hear anything, stay quiet." The work mare barraged what was left of her friends.
"What, what did you say Jack?" Twilight asked looking around with figures fading from her vision.
"I said we need to get back in line." She answered with suspicion, "And why'd ya just call me 'Jack'? I ain't never heard ya call me Jack before."
Twilight just noticed something else, or was her mind playing tricks on her again? But she better not bring it up now, Applejack was right, they needed to regroup find out where they wandered off to, "Did I? I don't think I did, but if I did I'm sorry."
"Probably just misheard ya, it's alr-" The orange but apple growing mare began hesitantly, still worried for her friend.
"But you do have a very good point, where could those ponies have wandered off to? I had estimated the trip to have taken at least twenty more minutes. Well let's go." She quickly finished with embarrassment, obvious concealment...
...and something else, but I just don't know what. She thought as she began to follow after her befuddled friend. They went all throughout the train finding not a box nor crumb left behind, it was cleaned out. They entered the coach and found nothing as with the rest and left out the opened door. They came out into a refreshingly cool atmosphere with little humidity, just enough to feel, but not uncomfortable at all. They looked up and down the split of well lit paved roads, a relatively new form of pavement, concrete was taking over the cobblestone roads and dirt tracks in favor of both carts and hooves.
But enough of the roads, now of what was on the roads, they saw three elegantly crafted structures down each road, with dazzling neon displays, well lit roadways, and obviously meticulously maintained features, "Spared no expense huh Twilight?" AJ joked, not even in Canterlot had she seen such pristine maintenance.
She had nothing to say but, "Uh...uh yeah. It's, quite...pretty." She still didn't know why she felt such a terrible sense of dread just because of some buildings.
"Are you, is everything alright Twilight? If ya don't wanna stay in these we can always stay in the train." She said with a directive point towards the recently evicted vehicle.
"NO!" She shouted beyond any clear reason, she was wound like a spring, ready to pounce or defend as if they were surrounded and under attack, her mane frazzled with tension and her eyes dazzled with expectation, "I- I mean no, no. I would eh," she looked with a grimace to the array before her, "much rather stay in the open, I mean hotel! Lots more space, because I like my uh, walking space." She seemed to ask rather than inform.
Applejack was unnerved to say the least, "Alright then, whatever you say. Let's, let's just go find the rest now."
Twilight didn't know what was wrong with her, she was acting so...feral. She thought there was something important to do when she woke up, but she didn't know. And ever since the thought had been fading, just as dreams do. She let out a sigh of relief, "Oh thank Jeevan, it must've just been a dream. It had to." She said to herself, thankfully Applejack had started towards the planter where luggage cases were scattered on and around, the forlorn family still sitting beneath the light. When she noticed this she trotted to catch up with her.
Applejack took in the sight and decided it was always nice to make friends, "Howdy partners, how are you bunch doing this fine night?" They didn't answer, or even move, maybe they didn't hear her, "How're things goin' around these parts?" Again no answer, but Apples are sweet, so she decided to let them be rather than continue trying to get their attention.
But Twilight was a sparkle, and sparkles are ostentatious, "It has got to be a little chilly for the tiny filly," she then picked up the foal's, or what she thought to be the foals, blanket and rested it on her shoulder, dropped it...a little bit earlier than she meant to, but it was still on her, but none of them moved, not the smallest bit. She just looked at the trio, their eyes were closed, breathing regulated, almost symmetrical, looking towards the floor, and signals foreign, Wait foreign? And something, something big, almost came back to her, that is until,
"Come on Twilight hurry up, I found the girls!" Applejack called from around the corner of the center placed hotel.
She was again almost disdainfully drawn from her thoughts to them, "What are you doing over there?" She asked her.
"Fluttershy thought she saw a bird she didn't know and wanted to get a closer look, but it flew away!" Rainbow Dash laughed, "I guess she isn't queen of the beasts after all!"
Fluttershy looked only a little sad, if not just confused, "They aren't 'beasts' Rainbow, and we probably just scared it with all of us chasing after it." She corrected, but noticed the fillies had run off to somewhere not there, "I'll be right back girls." Twilight started to feel uneasy, but it passed.
"And yet you haven't denied your regal title oh great 'Queen of the Beasts', please forgive me for my outburst." Pinkie barely managed to hold her flat tone for her bit until she burst into a fit of giggles.
Rarity only tittered, but that was stopped soon when they joined Twilight, "Oh! Where are my travel bags?" Everypony just stared at her, "What?"
"Travel, bags?" Scootaloo asked upon her approach as the three were rounded up again by Fluttershy.
"Oh pish posh. Bags, cases, they are all the same."
"They're right over there." Applejack pointed over to a forest of wardrobes compared to the rest of the smaller, legitimate, bags that served as metaphorical bushes for the metaphorical forest.
"Ah, so I do see. Yes, well thank you." She finished as she went to go check on her 'just necessities'.
"Yeah well we better go get our things too." Applejack yawned, "lt's getting late now and I don't want to be stuck," she remembered the family, "out," it was getting cloudy and a wind was building, "here." But what was wrong with them? Nah, it's none of my business, they've got a stallion to look out for them, and I haven't really *heard** them complain.* She thought with a brief look in their direction.
"Come on JackleApp! We're going to check out that one in the middle!" Pinkie excitedly called as she chased after them.
Any thoughts she had before were forgotten now, when Twilight came into the building she was actually speechless, everypony was. The marble floors were so finely polished and the mirror ceiling was just perfect, the pillars leading down to a sweeping staircase that went to the wall behind it so it branched off to the left and right directions, had soft green felt on the stairs with elegantly carved oak rails with a small, posing ponnequin built on the ends of the handrail, seeming to dance with one another; banners of mahogany colored regalia were posted around the room: a 'K' within a circle and an extra line at its middle, and with lines diverging on its tips, looking almost like nails.
There was a red carpet with gold trimming leading to the stairs, portraits of various contents adorned the wall that the staircase was against and it was finished with a breathtaking crystal chandelier. But the desk clerk still never got tired of seeing awe in the faces of his customers, from little foals to the most prestigious of the upper crust, "Hello there, and welcome to Strider's! Would you like to purchase a room? Or maybe you're just looking for now? Call for Bower when you're ready!" The taupe coated stallion with emerald green mane notified cheerfully before he went wherever ponies go behind their desks.
"Alright thank you so much Bower." Rarity said so only her friends could hear her, but no.
"Yes Ms. Rarity? You called for me?" Bower asked as he brought a cart out for their bags, his ivory white jacket waving with his extensive coat tails waving languidly behind him, it's form covering his barrel and cutie mark.
"No dear," She began, surprised, "I was just thanking you."
It took a moments pause of just his smiling gaze before he could answer, "Yes Ms. Rarity, of course, my sincerest apologies." He bowed as he took the cart back behind his quarters.
"Well that was odd!" Sweetie Belle nearly shouted.
"Oh please speak up, I'm a bit deaf in this ear." Rainbow asked of her.
The little girl moved to Dash's other side, "WELL TH-"
"Sweetie!" Rarity grabbed her with a nervous foreleg over her mouth, "Please no, just stop." She gave her a meaningful look, "I mean just look at what you've done to Rainbow Dash." She pointed to the frozen pegasus on the floor, they could almost here her ears ringing.
"But she said her ear was dead!" Sweetie pleaded, "Somepony help her!" She struggled to wriggle free of her sister's grasp, which she did, only to be caught in her magical bubble, "Look at her! The dead is spreading!"
"Don't worry Sweetie, it stopped at her head a while ago." Twilight said as she went over to check on the mare in question, "Dash. Rainbow Da~ash." She called for her which did nothing but elicit a few incoherent groans she felt sure weren't relevant to her advances, "But maybe she is deaf, now."
"WHAT?" Three distressed fillies shouted, all the while the clerk stood idly behind the counter. The sudden noise catching Rarity unawares, causing her to release Sweetie as the three ran to Rainbow,
"Oh my gosh are you dead Rainbpw Dash?"
"Please don't be dead!"
"Yeah, what she said, please don't be dead!"
"I'm, I'm uh, um I'ma, yeah what he said, I'm awesomely fine." She answered as she stood up, still shaking off the 'incident'.
"Who's 'he'?" Applejack asked, not ready for another disoriented friend.
"Who's he, three's me, and we all can just be free." She tranced out, "I mean...what?"
Nope nopedy no, not doing this again, "Nevermind, come on let's see the other two."' AJ decided.
"Aww, but this one's so pretty!"
"Yeah, it's really cool!"
"Just listen to her girls, she knows what she's talking about."
"Thanks Applebloom," she hugged her sister to her side, "but it's ok girls, just to see what the others have that this one doesn't. Ok?"
"Ok." The utterance of these was the dynamic of royalties voice.
And he's still just standing there. Twilight's thought was however admonished when he decided just then to look away and walk who knew where, Whoa, dude that's creepy. She echoed her assistant, Spike had to stay back this trip however on orders of Celestial proportions, he was starting his first year at Bale University and Twilight would have never ever let him pass up the opportunity. He seemed so torn, he had been faithful, a hooffull, family, and a neighborhood small town hero, growing bigger and stronger everyday. Now he was nearly five, eight, and so-so wide, not slim but overly robust. Fitting.
He had moved on pass Rarity, not that he wouldn't sweep her off her hooves if give the chance, but he had just...given up so far as she knew that piece of life, Only temporary, she would tell herself, but how many dragons this millennium had gone to a school? Let alone Bale University of all places! "Twilight guess what! He called in his deeper, more masculine voice, his clothes swaying in the wind from her open window. A simple set of black pants and a white shirt, he had taken to clothes early on to try and spend more time with Rarity, but he learned to stop walking into walls, he wasn't getting anywhere, even if a brick or two were loose.
Now though he wore them out of habit, comfort, and style. His bipedal stature seemed to complement the use of clothing immensely, far more than on a pony, he was always a target of compliments and admiration when he went out, and Rarities designs were something to marvel at.
"What Spike?" She asked a little harshly, the week had not been fun, it was the thirty-second again and things were on the fritz, magic failing, weather changing, beasties were raiding, and chocolate was raining.
But this did not damper his attitude, nearly nothing had since his scales developed their inherent magical resistance, Twilight couldn't pick him up anymore, but in fact he seemed to become even happier, "I got in." He said calmly but full of that poisonous, knowing-full smugness.
"Got in, where?" She pushed on, over exerting herself yet again over a skippable assignment, why does she need extra credit?
"Bale."
"No thanks I'm not hung-" She stopped with a quiet gasp, "Bale? As in, Bale University? Bale University as in, the second hardest school to be accepted by only trumped by Celestial Foundations? And Celestial Fou-" She would have kept breaking it down to that present day too if it weren't for Spike.
"Yes, that Bale." He said with a shining smile revealing his impressive dental setup that gleamed like a mirror, his green spines being the only thing on him that could reflect as much, until he was asked to stop flashing, now they were polished with unreflective cleanser, but they still squeaked.
Twilight 'squeed' louder than when Chancellor Hyperion himself admitted her into Foundations and couldn't help but squeeze Spike with enough pressure to destroy a lesser being. It had to have been the second happiest day of her life, after hatching him in the first place.
But she was broken from her fondest of memories by the chill of the wind, she didn't even notice herself walking with the group, "So um, which one do you want to go to next?" She asked as they stood beneath the hotel's door lights.
"Let's go to that one!" Pinkie pointed to the further one, to their left, and ran over to it before any of the others could register her request, much less deny her.
They followed tiredly after her and not a noise was made besides the soft clicking of their hoofs on the ground, and that family was still just sitting there, the foal's blanket had blown off while they were inside, but this time, their heads were looking at were they were standing, at Strider's doorstep. But before they could notice, Sweetie fell, her bag becoming too much when coupled with her exhaustion, "Wait up! Please help me!" She squeaked from beneath her bag.
Rarity immediately turned around and picked both her bag up with her magic and rested Sweetie on her back, "Oh you poor thing, it is rather late now." She looked to the rest, "Could we please find a place to stay sometime soon? The others don't look like they can stand much longer and I'm getting a tad fatigued as well."
"Yeah, I'm ready to drop!" Rainbow exaggerated.
"It has gotten late." Fluttershy added.
"Ok fine, but first we need to go get Pinkie." Twilight huffed as she carried the extra bag for Rarity, she was preoccupied with her bags.
When they came into the hotel Pinkie left to survey where they were, and again they were met with a surprising set of displays and decor. The entire room looked like it was made entirely of ivory with pearl figurines and smoky white quartz to accent the whole thing. There was a tight, spiral stair case in all seven corners of the room, the railings had designs of what appeared to be a sort of serpentine creature carved into the sides, the base and end of them had either a pearl orb, or a crystal statue on them, which curved upwards and around to form an arch over the first and second step. But there was a group of four boxes in the middle that went all the way to the ceiling they couldn't properly describe, "Those will be the elevators now." A cobalt blue mare with a shining, soft golden mane informed as she came around the long desk that covered the entire right side, gates spaced throughout, "We are the first public facility to use them openly."
The group was so surprised by her sudden appearance pulling them from their observations that they didn't know what to say, and they've never heard of an 'elevator' before, "It is, well to put it simply, you go in a box that is on a pulley that goes between floors much faster than these," she gestured to the stair sets, her simple tan cover moving with her, "they're only really here for decorations and sentimental purposes." They were starting to move again, they were now looking at the set of doors in it and back and forth between them and the ceiling it went to, "Don't worry, they're completely safe, it will get you up and down quickly, proven." She finished with...meaning.
"It's ingenious," Twilight's scholarly side surfaced, "so simple yet sophisticated!"
"Cool down Twi, stop being such an egghead." Rainbow heckled.
"Oh it is quite alright Rainbow Dash, I was just as surprised when it was installed." The bellhop implemented with Twilight.
Rainbow was subdued by this, quite easily, "Ok, sorry Twilight."
She however didn't let such petty insults get to her, if she had, well that's another story, "It's fine Dash," she turned to the other mare, "thank you, it's very nice," she gave her a small smile, "we just need some time to discuss some things, do you have a pamphlet on this little square?"
"Why yes Ms. Sparkle, I do." She answered as she went back to her station, she came back with a small rectangular sheet of paper, "Here it is Ms. Belle." She finished after handing it to Sweetie.
She hadn't expected this to happen, "But I didn't ask for it." Sweetie reminded her.
It took the mare a few moments to respond, "Of course, I must have misheard you, my apologies." She then bowed and went back behind the counter to watch over the near empty, ballroom-like room.
"It's fine," Twilight began, "thank you again." She said while she looked at the sheet, The Taurus? What an interesting name, but she was interrupted by some strange behavior, she'll look at it later.
"Now that was strange." Scootaloo said, nudging Rainbow in the side.
"Take it back" She whispered.
"Wh- what was that?" Scootaloo asked.
"Huh? Oh, yeah that was strange." She shook herself back to reality.
"Are you feeling well?" Fluttershy asked.
Rainbow sat right up at this, "Of course I am! I'm feeling awesome!" She said while doing a few exemplary stunts in the air, "I always feel amazing!" She finished as she landed and puffed her chest out, only to cut it short, "But maybe just a bit tired." She yawned sheepishly.
"Alright then that's good to know, but let's go see the last one now, then we can decide." Twilight said.
They began to pick up their cases when the same mare said, "Oh you can just leave those there, I'll watch them. It's been a slow night anyway." They were generally fine with this, Rarity was only just a little hesitant since so much of her things would be left unprotected.
Eventually they settled them down into a corner and began to leave, "Thank you again!" Pinkie called through the closing door after returning from one of the stairwells.
"Hey, did any of you get her name?" Twilight asked. She was met with only a chorus of 'no's', "It's fine, doesn't really matter. Now let's go over to the last one." They went straight ahead to the last gigantic, yet smallest, establishment, and still the three sat still, yet this time they were staring at the Taurus's front doors, still unmoving, resolute.
When they drew up to their final indecisive visit for the night they were already enchanted by the doors and lights, the solid slab of polished monzonite shone dully in the white light, its tan surfaced speckled with black and flecked with green reflected their staring forms, "Well, it's pretty." Applebloom said to break the silence.
It worked, "Yeah it is, Maud would've loved it." Twilight noted as she went through the door, "Come on girls, let's go check it out."
