A Rude Awakening

A cool, gentle breeze was blowing over the silent, dew filled hills as the moon was slowly setting in the early morning sky. The sun was marking its arrival with a faint purple light painting the horizon on the east, with its light steadily growing brighter on the peacefully silent countryside.

In the distance, the faint sounds of an inbound train's engine was disturbing the otherwise serene setting, much to the chagrin of the small animals that were in a peaceful slumber.

The same couldn't be said for the ponies on the train. For most of them, the steady sound of the train riding the tracks and the steady rhythm of the wind was more than enough to lull them to a very peaceful sleep. All except for one pony.

Solstice was sitting quietly reading a book in the train cabin, with Sunrise Storm and Wintermoon soundly asleep only a few feet away on their beds. With the curtains cracked open, a sliver of moonlight dimly illuminated a small portion of the cabin, but much to Solstice's dismay, the setting moon had shifted the light further away from him as he would have liked, thus robbing him of the light he needed to read his book.

With a sigh, he reached in his left inner coat pocket and produced a small pebble that had runes etched into it, and placed it on the edge of the window sill. He then pulled out his astrolabe, and turned the rete and rule until a few of the runes on it were aligned, giving off a dim glow as they were set; then he ran his index finger along the runes of the pebble until it was emitting a soft-glowing light. It was bright enough for him to read and illuminate part of the cabin, but dim enough to not disturb his two pupils.

Satisfied with the light, he continued to read his book, The Biography of Starswirl the Bearded. Though they practiced different disciplines of magic, Solstice drew great inspiration from the historical figure. It wasn't just his discovery of the hundreds of magic spells, but rather the way he was able to effectively teach and pass down the knowledge he acquired through his intense studies. To think that all these centuries later, ponies still learn much from his ways, and use him as an example to strive for academic and intellectual excellence, and also see him as a patron for magical instruction.

Though he's been teaching Sunrise Storm and Wintermoon the ways and history of the Weavers for the past few years, there was always a shred of doubt that lingered in the back of his mind about his teaching ability. There were always worries about his lessons being too boring, or too on the nose for their liking, and that he may not have explained enough of his material for them to truly grasp their concept as he hoped they would. No matter how many books he read on effective methods for teaching, he always felt like he was out of his element when he tried to employ those methods. Reading is one thing, but actually doing it is another as he's come to find out. He just hoped he would find his niche soon, so that he could be more effective in at area.

As important as the academic aspect was, it wasn't the only part of teaching that worried him so. He was also worried about how he would teach them lessons of life. As Storm told him before they boarded the train earlier, he was only a few years his elder, even if he was their legal guardian.

Solstice shook his head to rid himself of such unnecessary thoughts. He was here now, with them under his care. He would do what he had to do, and that's all there was to it. Worrying about all of his responsibilities, as numerous as they were, would do nothing but add unnecessary stress on him. He didn't have the luxury to question or doubt his current situation. He would just have to deal with it as best as he could.

Solstice looked at the two ponies before him, each of them sleeping without a care in the world. A soft smile tugged at the corner of his lips as he gazed upon their peaceful faces, a small sense of joy and pride welling within his heart. He couldn't fathom it nor explain it for the life of him, but that feeling strengthened his resolve to educate and prepare them for the world, and their heritage. But above all else, he wanted to ensure their happiness as well. For now, he had a rare opportunity for some leisure reading, and he wouldn't pass it up.

"Mares and gentlecolts, we will be arriving in Ponyville shortly. Please gather all of your luggage and thank you for choosing Canterlot Express!" the conductor announced over the intercom.

Wintermoon yawned and stretched her stiff muscles when she heard the announcement. She rubbed her eyes, "Hey, Solstice." she greeted.

"Ah, Wintermoon. Did you sleep well?" Solstice asked with a warm smile.

She nodded, "I had a nice dream. There were waffles. Lots and lots of waffles. And haybacon too. Some scrambled eggs may or may not have been in there as well, along with a big glass of apple cider."

Solstice chuckled, "I can take a hint, young lady. We'll all get some breakfast once we register at a hotel."

"You know, we could get breakfast before we register. I'm a growing filly, and I need to be nourished in a timely manner." she said with a wry smile.

"True, but then would you really want to carry around all of your luggage throughout town? Wouldn't you think that would be counterproductive?"

"I...guess you have a point." Wintermoon conceded, "I, myself, pack light, but Storm on the other hand..." she looks behind her to see several large, heavy-looking suitcases that were unceremoniously stuffed in a corner, "...packs about as much luggage as a stereotypical diva with the same level cleanliness as your typical stallion."

Solstice grinned and rolled his eyes, "Be a good filly and wash up, and make sure your brother does the same."

Wintermoon had a bemused expression on her face, "Do I have to?" Solstice gave her a stern look, "I mean waking Storm up."

"Yes, because I said so. I have to check on something and I won't be here in time to wake him up," Solstice answered as he slung his duffel bag over his shoulder, "Meet me at the front of the station, the both of you."

"Yes, sir. We will." she answered.

Satisfied with the answer, Solstice took a step out of the cabin, with Wintermoon stepping in the bathroom to wash her face. As she suspected, her brother remained sprawled on his bed, snoring away as he slept. A mischievous grin spread across her face as she leaned to her brother's ear, "Storm. It's time to get up." she whispered so quietly that no one could possibly hear her, not even from that distance. She then placed her hand on his shoulder to shake him, but it still didn't rouse him from his slumber.

Her mischievous smirk turned to an evil grin as she pulled out her paintbrush, with runes etched alongside it glowing a pale blue, and proceeded to Weave a rune. Once finished, the ambient energy crackled then popped, releasing a small bolt of lightning.

"AAHH!" the unfortunate, unsuspecting stallion screamed as the bolt of lightning struck him on the rump. As if the bolt itself wasn't enough, his pajama pants started smoking, causing him to enter a panicked frenzy to rid himself of his burning pants. He clumsily slid his thumbs underneath his waistband and slid out of them, but in his haste, he attempted to kick them off too soon, and tripped outside of their cabin.

Unfortunately for Sunrise Storm, all he was left with was his heart patterned boxers and a big burn hole on his right flank, surrounded by female onlookers. Judging from their faces, they didn't know of they should laugh or help the poor stallion.

They settled on the former, with Wintermoon clutching her belly and rolling over in laughter.

Author's Note

Alright! I know this chapter is really short, but I wanted to at least post a little something as an apology for the long wait. Anywho, expect a longer chapter next time! Thanks for reading!