Give My Regards to Bridleway

M anehatten's Pen Station put Ponyville's station to sheer shame. The train pulled to a stop in the midst of luxury and a capacious design. It's vast storage of space bustled with strings of ponies from every clop of life. There was little wiggle room while Pinkie Pie tested how fast she could manage through the crowd, but she managed to do her fair share of wiggling throughout. By the train, Rarity praised Spike's superb luggage-handling skills.

"We're off the train now. You may put them down anywhere you like, Spikey."

Spike subsisted so much on pet names bestowed by Rarity that he did not notice Applejack's approach. He just stood in place while Applejack bucked a trolley into place and loaded the luggage herself.

"Looks like we're here, Rar'dee. All in one piece too," Applejack stated proudly.

"Ha! I remember being that hopeful," a random voice piped from the bypassing hive of hooves. It spoke, and the speaker was gone on their way. "You mooks oughtta just go back home now, nobody'll wancha here."

"Oooookaaaaaay?" Applejack peered around for the pony with no luck.

"It's always a pleasure to hit the big city. And this time..." Rarity sighed. "Just think! I could be in a real, live Bridleway hit, and very, very soon!"

"Uh, I thought it was an Off-Bridleway play?" Twilight raised a brow.

"Tut, tut, Twilight. Eyes on the prize. Eyes on the prize, darling." Rarity put her hoove firm on the tiles. "Failure is not an option, everypony."

Her friends cheered her on -- save for Pinkie, who had found a shawarma cart -- with enthusiasm. Spike leaned on the luggage trolley and tried to look cool. It failed in the most miserable fashion.

"You got it in the bag, Rar- Woa!" Spike pushed the cart, on accident, and he landed on the ground. The cart itself bumped into the flank of a nearby fellow arrival.

"Yes? Oh." A navvy blue pony turned around to see the cart.

"Oh my goodness! I am so, soo sorry!" Fluttershy apologized wholeheartedly for something she was not responsible for. She struggled to pull back the loaded trolley, but needed help from Rainbow Dash to make it budge. "Are you, okay, sir?"

"I take it you're not local." The stranger turned around and chuckled. "It's fine. I've spent enough time in this city to give up on personal space being a priority. Wow, actually, that sounded really depressing. I think I'm actually more worried about you. Breathe. In. Out." He demonstrated, speaking to Fluttershy.

Fluttershy took the prompt and took deep breaths. Spike stepped in, twiddling his claws.

"Well, I mean, that was my fault, so I should probably apologize. Not Fluttershy."

"No, really, I'm okay." The stranger shook his head of long, black hair. "You know what? Sebaleon." He offered his hoof towards Spike. "I'm Sebaleon, and you all?" He seemed to figure the ponies patting Fluttershy on the back were together. Spike took the hoof for a mutual shake. Sebaleon grinned, and Spike lightened up.

"Hey. I'm Spike."

"I'm Rainbow Dash." Rainbow took to her wings with a brash tone in her voice. "This is bundle of nerves is Fluttershy, this is Applejack, Twilight, and Rarity." She indicated each while hovering over them. "Hey! Where's Pink- Oof!" Rainbow crashed down on Rarity when a muffled, robotic voice caught her off guard. "What was that?!"

"That would be the PA system. Public Address. It's notoriously hard to understand, but I catch it. Just noting, but, the memo was: No flying in the station, please." He grinned, helping Rainbow off of Rarity and helping them both to their hooves. "I'm sure it was directed out generally," he said with humor, almost with sarcasm.

Meanwhile, Pinkie Pie was enjoying a carrot-filled shawarma in a distant sector of the station.

"Everyone has to have one of these!" Pinkie bubbled over with eagerness fueled by wares from a shiny metal cart. "Hang on, I'm going to go get my friends. Be right back, don't move!" Pinkie dashed off, leaving a happy Saddle Arabian immigrant behind.

At the same time, Rarity was at a loss for words. She just gawked at Sebaleon and stammered.

"You, y-you're thuh... thuh... thuhhhhhh..." Her jaw hung open in awe while her eyes sparkled.

"Sebaleon!" a familiar voice cried out from the crowd. Coco Pommel pushed her way towards the group, gasping for air by the time she reached them. "Oh! And it's wonderful to see you too! Hi." She noticed the group from Ponyville and nodded. "I take it you got my letter. Good to see you all."

"Na waida apple pickin' minute!" Applejack stepped in. "Good ta see you too, Coco, buh why's Rar'dee dun gone all loopy?"

"Because he's Sebaleon!" Rarity regained her senses, but still bubbled over with thespian verve. "Oh, well, you must be coming straight from Canterlot, is that right? I've heard so much about you. He performs regularly for the Royal family and the highest nobility of Canterlot. With a Bridleway history beside that, he's one of the premier thespian ponies in all of Equestria."

Sebaleon shook his head with humility. He stepped forward and bowed with the cordiality of a Gentlecolt. He only spoke when he returned to full stature.

"You are right. I am found out, Coco. Alert the press: Royal Theatre performer Sebaleon returns to Bridleway."He laughed. "Please, please don't do that. I'd like a little breathing time before the fans and toadies make their appearances. No offense. I love having a following, and appreciate the recall, but try to keep it to a dull roar until I can find at least a dozen possible quick exits. When they hunt in packs, they're relentless. And they often give me more credit than I'm worth," he heaved the emphasis towards Rarity.

"Note made, your majesty." Coco rolled her eyes and laughed along with Sebaleon. "Your chariot awaits, by the way. Miss Dracon is expecting you."

"Dragon?!" Fluttershy shouted, shaking the foundation of the station.

"She gets that a lot," Coco patted Fluttershy on the back. "She's not really a dragon."

"Depends on who you speak to, really." Sebaleon winked coyly. "I love working with her, but not everyone catches on right away with her rather, shall we say? aggressive style of bringing out a character."

"Thank goodness she isn't a dragon. Oh. No offense, Spike."

"None taken."

"I just tend to get riled up around adult dragons."

"You're in luck. She's a Griffon," Coco nodded.

Fluttershy meeped and curled up into the fetal position.

"Yeahhhhh, she doesn't really have a good history with Griffons either." Rainbow Dash looked to the side, away from everyone, and rubbed the back of her neck nervously.

"I'm positive no one could be as mean-spirited as she was." Fluttershy tried to reassure herself. "I just... I just don't know how to deal with bullies very well... At times."

"Ha! Welcome to Manehatten!" It was that same voice that called out from earlier, and Applejack had had enough. It came, invisible, from within the crowd, but she was keeping her eyes on it from the first instance.

"Okay, na, that's it!" She leaped into the crowd. "I can only take so dern much of a crab apple!"

"Sooooo, Sebaleon, do tell, are you going to be in the show I think you're going to be in?" Rarity piped in.

"Uhhhh, which show does she think I'm going to be in?" Sebaleon asked Coco.

"My Fair Pony," Coco complied.

"Oh! Well, that's classified informa-"

"She'll be auditioning as well. I invited them," Coco compiled.

"In that case, I am at liberty to say: Yes, and ponies have really got to tell me these things ahead of time before I look like a moron."

"Too late," Coco punctuated.

Sebaleon's ears tilted back, and his lips pursed in admittance he'd clopped right into that one.

"Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey! HEYYY! GUESS WHAT!?" Pinkie screeched, skidding to a halt by the group.

"Found 'im!" Applejack hollered unseen from within the throes of ponies. Her shout was promptly followed by the loud crack of a country-fried smack before she trotted back.

"Everypony has to try this thing called shawamamalamma!" Pinkie squeed.

"I want to think you mean shawarma, but in this city, I really don't know." Sebaleon raised a brow.

"If I know Pinkie, then that's exactly what she means." Twilight rolled her eyes and looked Pinkie dead in the eyes. "Pinkie. Where did you find this shawarma? I have never sampled that Saddle Arabian cuisine, and we must science this at once!"

"Not now, please, I'm imploring. We need to get over to the theatre for the auditions!" Rarity intervened."Another time, and, perhaps, another place, but we're deathly close to the deadline."

"Good point. Shawarma Science can wait. Whatever that is." Pinkie shrugged.

"Yes, Rarity's right. Another time, another place." Twilight concurred. "Where are we heading? I'll still have to make sure we're set up with the right accommodations, so it would be good to know where the theatre is."

"I can take you all there now," Coco smiled.

"Did Eliza already show up?" Sebaleon asked.

Something in Rarity snapped all at once. She went from volume 11 to 4 in nothing flat. She twitched and tried to maintain a calm smile.

"By Eliza, I'm sure you mean a pony named, Eliza, yes? And not the character?"

Sebaleon looked from side to side, cautiously. It was apparent he'd deduced her intentions.

"The leads were pre-cast at a prior audition. This is the open audition for the play." He grimaced.

"Didn't it mention on the letter I sent you?" Coco looked concerned and ashamed.

"Not anywh-" Rarity pulled the letter out of her saddlebag with her teeth, but so that the back side flapped up into her face. She froze in place when she read what was on the back. It was hand-written, rather from the neat, typed font on the front. It had escaped her notice completely. "Wha?"

"I feel I've made a terrible mistake. I'm sorry, Rarity, if you were under a different impression," Coco apologized. "Eliza Littlepony and Professor Hitchins have already been cast."