Silver Under Midnight

II: Haunting Recollections

I stirred out of sleep as the train's wheels screeched along the iron tracks, jittering and gently jostling me around in my seat. I fidgeted to get comfortable again, tugging my sweatshirt closer to my body: eventually turning my head towards the window, watching the terrain & countryside whizz by at an impressive speed. I allowed my mind to wander, curious as to what awaited me in this two week holiday in Canterlot. Admittedly, two weeks might seem like a bit much for a holiday, I had to say that it's well needed.

Glancing around the train, I saw some familiar faces: a grey mare with a musical note for a cutie mark; I think her name is Octavia or something. A stallion and mare sitting together laughed at each other's jokes, while a strange looking pony across from me lay curled up, body tucked up in a cute little hoodie.

She was an odd looking pony, her wings looked leathery and not like pegasi's. A slender ash grey body complimented her pitch black mane and tail which, from my time in Equestria, wasn't all that common. I was caught off guard when she yawned, exposing her rather white teeth,  complimented by a rather large pair of fangs. Curious, I looked her over for a bit longer as she squirmed to get comfortable, tucking her long tail around her body. This mare was definitely interesting, and I had to say my curiosity was starting to get the better of me, I recomposed myself against the wall of my seat, trying to get comfortable myself. My mind wandered off again, suddenly remembering that I had brought my guitar with me, along with some other effects and enough clothes to last me a month.

I tend to overpack a lot, I mused silently to myself, laying my head back and smiling. I wondered what awaits me in Canterlot for the next two weeks. Princess Luna has told me that there are many things to do and see, as cliché as it sounds. I was curious to see what Canterlot was like on a typical day, and not a special occasion or holiday. Sitting back in my seat further, I put my feet up, listening to the train run along the tracks was hypnotic if I must say.

Wanting to add on to my relaxation; I dug in my jacket's pocket for my trusty, MP3 player. It's music brought a sense of comfort to me on my nighttime walks or when I wished to tune the world out. I've had it for the longest time, and weirdly, when I made the journey to Equestria, it was one of the only items from Earth that made it with me. I have to admit, I was a little bummed that a lot of stuff that I wanted to bring didn't make it: but it hardly mattered in comparison to the opportunity. I glanced out the window listening more closely to the music that streamed into my ears, thinking back at my time in this land. In many ways, it was similar to Earth, however in other's it was league's ahead of my old home. I could say with 100% confidence that I enjoy Equestria more than Earth. There's so much to do here than back home.

A change in the train's path of travel and angle of ascent alerted me that we were starting to climb the mountains, which in turn meant we were getting close to Canterlot. I was eager and excited to get to see Luna again; it had been months since my operation since we've had time to really sit down or hang out. As weird as it may sound, being personal friends with one of Equestria's rulers wasn't really that big of a feat; we sort of just clicked.

A subconscious thought change my train of thought once again bringing me back to the mare I once loved: Colgate. We'd been together for nearly a year and a half, and in the course of two short weeks, something snapped. I still remember what she said that final time:

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Bucking hell, Jackson! Why do you have to be so dense!? Coltdamn it, and I even thought you were the One. But I thought wrong. Dear Celestia, I can't believe I spent a year and bucking half with you.

Baby, why are you saying this?! Just yesterday, you were saying that we'd be together forever and all those cliché things. What changed? Do you still care for me? Fuckin' hell babe, you even waited for me at my surgery, EVEN CRYING at my bedside when you thought I wasn't gonna make it. What happened to you...

Oh, you wanna know what changed? YOU WANNA KNOW?!? YOU changed. You're too cold, too rational, too logical... Not to mention absolutely appalling in the bedroom!! Dear Celestia, Jackson, you know a mare has essentials. It's almost like you're afraid to love me... Are you? If that's the case than this is goodbye...

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I shook my head, bringing myself back to reality. I shuttered as those cold words floated away. I didn't want to think about it, I didn't want to talk about it, I just wanted to forget. But I knew I couldn't. Her words stung. After that, she basically disappeared from the radar. Nopony knows where she went, even her business was shut down after a while. Of course, being the friends that Twilight and her gang were; they did their best to support me and cheer me up. For the most part, they understood how much of a gut punch it was, especially on that topic. The one who I could tell didn't understand how to react was Rainbow. I always knew her as the full-of-attitude, loyal 'till the bitter end tomboy mare that she claimed to be. For only a moment, I saw what she hid underneath the day I was at Twilight's. She was really a soft, caring mare who afraid of getting hurt; so she put up that ice cold facade to avoid the pain. I don't blame her, it's basically what I've done now.

Turning my neck from side to side, it snapped, cracked and popped, relieving a crick that had been bothering me since this morning then returning my gaze out the window. Chuckling, I realized the monochrome mare and I were more in common than I first thought, making a smile creep across my lips.

Oh well, I thought to myself, closing my eyes and leaning my head against the glass of the window. Out of the corner, I saw the grey mare shift slightly, her right ear twitching as she squirmed to get comfortable. My interest slowly faded as the scenery outside changed once again, this time a lush valley on both sides of the elevated train track was visible, with the royal city getting closer every minute.

I blinked twice. Has it been that long already? From my notes, Canterlot was roughly a few hours train ride away. I didn't think that I'd been asleep for that long. Peering out the window, I glanced quickly in the direction of the sun, guessing it to be roughly 2 in the afternoon. Given the fact that the train left early in the morning, I suppose it would make sense that the trip was almost over.

Tucking my Mp3 player away safely, I sat up, straightening my back which offered a series of "pops", and after that, relief. Laying back in my seat, I scanned the seats in front of me, not taking notice at first where I was sitting. I had chosen the back right corner of the coach for some reason, which I couldn't remember off the top of my head. The passengers were as typical as any train riders would be: some couples here and there, a school of fillies and colts most likely on a field trip, and the occasional pony sitting by themselves. Life seemed to be going on as normally as any other day, nothing was out of the ordinary: no impending dark forces threatening the land, no lord of trolling and chaos to cause havoc, no swarm of changelings to crash any social event.

It was just quiet. Calm and peaceful.

The train's whistle blew as pulled into the Canterlot train station, the brakes screeching to stop the machine. Steam rose from its metal wheels as we finally ground to a halt. Taking a look around, everypony was bustling getting ready to depart the train. To my right however; I spied that same grey mare eyeing me, nonchalantly looking me over. I tried to make it look like I didn't notice, but I failed at that. She flicked her head back, a barely noticeable blush appearing on her cheeks before she trotted down the coach and off the train. I had to admit, she was kind of cute.

Turning my attention back to the scene around me, no one jumped or took immediate notice that I lumbered off the train among a crows of ponies. That's another thing I liked about Equestria. Ponies here were very open, accepting and willing to learn and co-exist with different species. I felt my haunted memories leave me behind as I stepped off onto the concrete platform, breathing in the warm, summer air. Canterlot sure was beautiful this time of year.

A clock at the train station showed 3:07, late afternoon. This meant that I had just enough time to get settled.

"Mr. Jackson Mills, I presume?" a voice said behind my back. Turning, I saw a yellow colored mare with a blue mare and green eyes looking at me, just as curious as I was. She bore a paper and quill as her cutie mark.

"Yes?" I simply replied. The symbol on her clothing suggested that she was related to or working in some way with the royal sisters.

"Ah yes, good to meet you & welcome to Canterlot. I take it your trip was sufficient?" Her tone was flat and professional, almost interviewing me on my experiences thus far, which included a train ride and a few steps.

Chuckling, I turned to face her fully, in turn, she relaxed her stance ever so slightly.

"Yes, it was just fine."

"Fantastic to hear. Anyway, Princess Luna has set aside a room for you in the royal castle. You'll be staying there for the next couple weeks." As she said that, her horn lit up with its magical aura, poofing my bags somewhere.

"Your bags will be waiting there for you. Nice to meet you again and welcome." She gave me a firm nod and levitated a key to my hand, which I grabbed an put in my pocket. Simply nodding my head to her, I turned and began my stroll towards the castle. Canterlot was indeed, quite the sight. The streets were cobblestone, reminiscent of the streets of Paris back home. There were shops and building set up along the street, some large, some smaller with various signs advertising their products. Ponies bustled every which way, occasionally bumping into each other. Quite the change from small town Ponyville.

"Jackson?! Fancy seeing you here!"

Freezing in place, a huge smile burst onto my face, knowing exactly who it was before I even turned around. There stood Twilight, or should I say Princess Twilight, smiling as brightly as the sun. Her wings were spread slightly as she continued to walk towards me.

"Twilight!? Wow, I was gonna say the same thing!" I replied as I leaned in for a hug, followed by a quick nuzzle. A few ponies directed their attention towards us for a split second, then carried about their business. Retreating from the hug, I caught a scent of Twilight's perfume, the name of it escaped me however.

"Soo, I hear you're here on vacation? Imagine that, I'm here on royal business with the Princesses." She motioned for me to walk with her, continuing our approach towards the castle. She was all smile, even having a little bounce in her step. I'm glad that she was always this happy to see me. We continued our walk up the sidewalk towards the castle, talking about current events going on in each other's lives, how Twilight was adjusting to her new royal status, how Rainbow Dash had finally made it into the Wonderbolts Reserve and other basic stuff. I have to admit, it was nice catching up with a friend.

The castle drew nearer and nearer, finally the two of us ascended a flight of steps towards the front doors, passing over the drawbridge and finally entering the rather impressive establishment. Ponies dressed in every imaginable color strode from here to there with the occasional few bowing to Twilight, causing her to blush slightly. I found her blushes and funny quirks adorable. We walked up another flight of stairs which ended in a t-bone, turning left there and walking down a long hallway, doors on either side with various designs. I glanced over at the purple alicorn trotting next to me: I must say that she's quite attractive. She's done well to keep herself in shape, and the new wings only further accent her body. She was, quite beautiful. Shaking my head slightly, I returned my full attention to the hallway, which ended in another t-bone, which we turned right at, ascending another flight of stairs until we came to another hallway, this time with smaller doors labelled for independent use. I followed Twilight until she stopped at the room I was supposed to use for the next two weeks; and waited patiently while I finagled for the key, causing me to blush a bit. Once the door opened, my jaw dropped to the floor. A suite lay before me, complete with full walk in closet, queen size bed along with other accommodations. Twilight pointed out that the bathroom was exactly three doors down on my right, which was convenient.

"Anyway Jackson, it was really nice catching up with you, but I have to get back to Celestia. Apparently I'm needed for some royal affairs. Anything else I can get you sir?" she asked with a playful wink. Taking the hint I chuckled as I sat down on the bed. It was outrageously comfortable.

"That will be all, Your Highness."

"Oh shut up, you," she retorted, ruffling her wings. With a nod of her head, her horn lit up and a second later she was gone, accompanied only by a purple flash of light.

I took one last look around the room fully taking its awesomeness in.

This is gonna be an awesome two weeks, I thought to myself as I drew the shades, letting light flow in, gently warming everything.