The Train Ride

Fifteen Years later…

The train jolted over the switches and shook all the passenger cars, awaking a sleeping Starlight Glimmer. While most of the other passengers in the car didn’t notice, Starlight grumbled slightly at the disruption. She knew it wasn’t the train’s fault, as this happened most of the time; however she had been on the train most of the morning and spent most of the night before packing. Simply put, she wanted to get some rest before she made it to her final destination.

While she had only managed to get a few moments rest, it still wasn’t enough and now she wasn’t in a good mood. Shifting in her seat she looked out at the world flying by. The green pastures she had once called home now looked like a blur as the train sped along the track. It was such a peaceful and idyllic life that was now going to be behind her as she began her new life as a mage. Well it wasn’t going to be a new life; she had been born with her magical powers. But she was able to put it to use only briefly back home, now she was going to get a chance to put them to real use. Only problem was it was going to take a day to get that chance.

Celestia’s School for the Gifted Magic, located in Canterlot right along the French Alps, was the most prestigious school for magic in the entire world. Only the top one percent of magic users was accepted there, especially considering that only twenty percent of the global population actually uses magic. So for Starlight, this was important enough to leave the only life she had ever known. Yet she was not unemotional to the past, and the green pastures reminded her of that. As they flew by, she promised herself that one day she would come back and make those green pastures proud.

Shifting in her seat, Starlight attempted to get comfortable again. But the conductor came over the train’s PA system.

“Attention passengers we’re now approaching Knappford Station, transfers are available to the Ffarquhar, Skarloey, Ballahoo, and Mainland trains. Reminder all these trains are guarantee connections and if missed your ticket will be fully refunded courtesy of the North Western Railway.” He told the passengers.

This is my stop, Starlight sighed and got up. She grabbed her backpack from under the seat and her two cases of luggage from the overhang and headed to the door just as train was pulling into Knappford.

As the train came to a stop and the doors opened, Starlight stepped out into a crowded station. It was during the height of rush hour so Starlight wasn’t that surprised as she made her way past passengers either departing the train or boarding it. She looked across the tracks and saw her second train, a high speed steamer, waiting on Platform Five. And she was on Platform Three. Making her way to a stairway that lead to a skyway that connected all the platforms, Starlight hoped that she had more than enough time to get to the platform before the train departed. She didn’t want to race, what with all the passengers and all, but she wanted to make it there in time.

Thankfully, she had more time than she realized. When she finally got onto the platform she handed her ticket to the conductor and boarded the train. Despite the exterior being a mixture of pink and white, the car’s interior was made up with very luxurious mahogany wood walls, white ceilings with gold outlining, and a dark emerald green carpet. It had all the trimmings of a luxury liner on rails. Starlight soon found a cabin booth completely empty of passengers, near the back of the train. It had two couches that matched the carpet color as well as two beige colored racks overhead that would hold the luggage. She placed her luggage onto the overhead and sat down on the seats. To her enjoyment they were very comfortable, and they should be as the cabin was going to be her cabin for the next twelve hours.

Flopping onto one the couches that faced the front of the train, Starlight got comfortable and began to once again get some sleep. However, as she felt the train slowly begin to move, she began to wonder about everything leading up to this point. It seemed like only yesterday that she had just found her magical talent. She had only been a small girl back then, living on her family’s farm near the coast of the Irish Sea, and when she discovered her powers she learned the consequences that came with them. Simply put Starlight Glimmer had the magical abilities of Time and Reality Manipulation, or Tempus Magic. Tempus Magic, and the Templars that control it, ranks second only to Runic Magic as the strongest and difficult form of magic there was. Which was why she didn’t take her magical ability lightly, and was why she had yet to commit herself to a codex.

That wasn’t rare for most first year students at Celestia’s Magical School, or CMS, but it was for Templars. Most Templars had already declared their preferred codex, or spell book, by the time they had begun training in magic, due to its unpredictability and dangers, and most found themselves gravitating towards the Aerugo Codex. However, Starlight’s personality didn’t fit well with Aerugo; in fact she wasn’t even sure what codex would fit her personality at all. She hoped she’d get the option to find out at CMS. And that was a long train ride away.

Starlight slept for a while, but by the time they had reached London, the train was now alive with commotion. Passengers were moving past one another as they were making her way towards the exits: all signs typical of arriving at a busy station.

Starlight sighed, “Bloody rush ‘our.”

When she was in high school, she had managed to make a living working on the railroads because it was the major employment zone growing up. That conditioned her to very regimental in the way she carried herself out. But the one thing that always bugged her beyond belief was rush hour: the hectic, uncontrolled atmosphere of passengers filing, running, or moving slowly through the stations to get to their trains angered her to know end. Especially on a railway that thrived on being Responsible, Reliable, and Really Useful. And that perfectionist atmosphere carried over into her scholastic life, where she even made class president three years in a row. Students often called her “The Great Dictator,” as while she wasn’t overly harsh on the body, she did demand a strict atmosphere.

Thankfully, those who knew her outside of the uniform could claim a different story. And it was that story that kept rebellions from propping up. Regardless however, Starlight felt a little peeved as she saw passengers race past her cabin in an unorganized manner. Her gaze shifted from inside the train and back to the outside window. The skyline of London dominated her view as the train pulled into the city at a considerably reduced speed than what it had been going at previously. It was a rather beautiful sight for such a sprawling city, though it certainly wasn’t the most impressive skyline Starlight had ever seen.

She had remembered seeing the skyscrapers of Manhattan in her distant childhood, and while those buildings made London look very short, New York just such a foreign place that she felt totally uncomfortable there. Her gaze then shifted to the skyline above. The last she saw of her home, grey skies loomed over head and unfortunately London was no different. Grey skies always brought a frown on Starlight Glimmer’s face, as they often were followed with rain and stormy showers. She hoped, as the train ducked under a bridge, that this wouldn’t be a forebear of bad tidings.

Starlight took one last glimpse at the sky above before the train ducked into a subway tunnel. This would be the last time she would see the England sky, as when the train would exit the tunnel two hours later she would be in France. Thankfully she had managed to already get her passport approved for travel back before she left for Knappford, so she wouldn’t have to deal with a conductor knocking and disturbing her. However, as the train pulled into the station, Starlight suddenly felt lonely. She had spent most of her day alone on the train, a great difference from the night before she spent surrounded by family. Earlier, she had wanted to be alone. Now, she actually wanted some company.

The train came to a complete stop and the conductor spoke over the train’s PA, “Once again Passengers welcome to St. Pancras International station. This will be our only stop in London so all passengers hoping to exit for an English train had best be getting off here. We will be having a crew and engine change at this station which we expect will be a short twenty five minutes. Passengers are free to walk around the platform at this time though you must be back onboard by the time the engineer calls for all aboard. Thank you for traveling and we hope you have a wonderful day.”

Starlight sighed and returned to resting. She was lonely. Her childhood friend, whom had been there when she first discovered her magic and made her first mistake with that magic, had already been accepted to CMS. He had been one of the only real people to get to know Starlight outside of school, as most only knew her in passing. Yet he was much smarter than Starlight, and his high aptitude allowed him early entrance into CMS and now he was probably her senior by at least a year.

Starlight wondered if she’ll see him again, she wondered if she’d make friends in her grade level. She wondered if she’d take the rest of this impossibly long journey alone. Deciding it was best to stretch her legs; Starlight got up and walked along the train car. Most of the cabins were now already full, except for hers. If there were any more passengers who were getting on, they probably already found a seat. After getting out any creaks or stiffness in her body developed by the already long train ride, Starlight returned to the cabin just in time to hear the conductor shout all aboard. Figuring she wasn’t likely to get a riding partner on the way down, Starlight returned to her cabin for the rest of the journey.

She sat down just as she felt the doors of the train close and the breaks slowly are released. But just before the train began to move, she heard a knock at her door. At first, Starlight figured it was the conductor doing a check for tickets, which slightly annoyed Starlight as she thought that problem was already taken care of. But upon looking at seeing who it was, Starlight was rather surprised. Standing in the door was a young woman, probably Starlight’s age, dressed in a heavy, black, baggy sweater and loose fitting grey jeans. She wore a large pair of square shaped glasses that were heavily taped up in the middle. The girl’s hair was also interesting. Unlike Starlight’s, which was mostly purple save for one stripe of aquamarine that ran through the middle of her hair, this girl’s hair was a myriad of colors. Most of it was a dark maroon but it was intermixed with hues of purple near the center. The girl’s eyes however, was what made Starlight shift; they were a deep, beautiful, and enticing shade of purple. Those eyes alone, made Starlight feel a level of attraction towards this girl.

“Excuse me,” She said with a thick American accent, “Is this booth taken? All the others are full.”

Starlight wasn’t sure what region of America this girl was from, but her accent sounded like she was from the Dakota regions. Much like the rest of the girl’s appearance, it had the tone of someone who was reserved and unsure of things.

“Uh, aye this one’s open, come on in.” Starlight answered, shifting in her seat.

The girl sighed and walked in, lugging three cases of luggage with her. Much like Starlight she had one backpack and two rolling suitcases, however these were a mixture of light purple and emerald green to Starlight’s black. At first, Starlight shifted to help the girl raise her rollers up to the rack above. But much to Starlight’s shock, she lifted them effortlessly up. Once the girl had them situated, she took her seat opposite of Starlight, keeping her legs together and hands over her knees clamped together. She also lowered her head and seemed to be taking deep breaths, as clearly she was not comfortable.

Starlight swallowed softly as she tucked her legs back up onto the seat, her eyes not leaving her new riding mate. She wasn’t sure why, but there was something interesting about this girl. She certainly didn’t look anything special, but then again Starlight could barely tell of the girl’s features anyway. Her clothes were so baggy that it was hard to make out what her figure was. But going off of facial features alone, this girl may be slightly nerdy but she was stunning. Right up Starlight’s alley. While she never had time, or even determination, to have a special someone back in high school or middle school Starlight knew one thing: she was gay. Oh sure many guys in High School tried to hit on her, some for power reasons others because Starlight did look beautiful, but all except one were turned away. The only one she actually dated was because they were good friends and wanted to see what happened if they took their relationship to a new level. Even though it did fail, despite them both claiming each other’s virginity, he and Starlight broke it off mutually as they just didn’t feel the spark of love.

Now women on the other hand, Starlight always felt the spark of love with. She wasn’t sure when it started, or if she was born gay, but she figured it was during her first summer camp when she changed in front of other girls for the first time. Since then, women have always been Starlight’s preference. And the one sitting next to her was very enticing.

As the train slid away from the station, an awkward silence took between the two of them. Starlight sifted in her seat, the awkward silence making her feel uncomfortable. So she decided to break the ice, “ye, uh, ye come in thru Heathrow?”

The girl nodded but didn’t answer.

“Ah,” Starlight said awkwardly, “Long flight?”

“Not too painful,” the other answered softly.

Starlight nodded, “Aye, plane’s can be a bit untrustworthy at times.”

The other nodded but again, she didn’t answer.

Starlight looked out the window, “Probably just abut to leave London Proper, hopefully tis train’ll arrive on time eh?”

Again, the girl didn’t respond.

Clearly small talk was getting her nowhere so Starlight reevaluated the situation. Her eyes glanced all around looking for some clue to draw out a conversation, maybe something just to lighten the awkwardness they both were in. If nothing else it might calm her companion down, as she was starting to shake slightly. Finally Starlight spotted something, a small keychain tucked in right near the girl’s luggage. She quickly recognized the emblem, a diamond shaped shield with the image of the sun and moon on it. Better yet, the colors of the emblem were sun yellow, ice white, and lunar blue; the colors of CMS.

“Are ye bound for Canterlot?” Starlight asked.

The girl nodded, still keeping her head down, “Yes.”

Starlight sighed with a smile, “Ah what a beautiful coincidence, so am I.”

The girl lifted up her head, stop shaking, and look at Starlight with a surprised look of interest, “Oh really! Are you going to Celestia’s Magic school too?”

Starlight nodded.

The girl’s expression brightened and she actually smiled, “Wow…so you must be a mage too huh?”

Starlight nodded, “Aye I am, are ye?”

The girl nodded, her expression improving, “Yes I am, um, are you a returning student?”

Starlight shook her head no, “Nah, I be a first year student haven’t actually seen the place yet.”

“Oh, what a coincidence this is my first year as well. I’m Moondancer,” the girl introduced.

“Starlight Glimmer,” Starlight responded, “Nice to meet ya. So would you mind telling me what kinda mage ye might be?”

Moondancer smiled as she leaned back in her seat, “Well I um…it’s kinda freaky.”

Starlight shook her head, “I don’t really mind, I’m curious.”

Moondancer shifted in her seat, but composed herself well, “Alright, well I’m a Lamia.”

Starlight’s eyes widened, So that’s why her eyes were so alluring. At first, Moondancer seemed to slink back, almost terrified that Starlight would take things horribly. So Starlight removed that fear by smiling, “Wait so does that mean you’re a vampire?"

Moondancer calmed down, “Yeah, I am actually.” And with that she brandished her fangs. Much like the vampires of legend, they were needle sharp eye teeth on her upper and lower jaw.

“Oh saint’s above! Those are sick!” Starlight beamed.

Moondancer laughed at the complement, “Thanks, that’s not something I hear a lot when I tell people about my vampiric blood.”

“Well tis not every day I meet me a vampire!” Starlight gleamed, “Were ye born a bludsucker or did ye inherit it?”

“Comes in the family,” Moondancer admitted, “the region of North Dakota I’m from generally has a lot of vampires.”

Starlight chuckled, “I kinda guessed ye’re from the America’s.”

Moondancer nodded, “And what about you, if I were to guess I’d say you were from Ireland?”

“Sodor actually,” Starlight answered, “But me family’s from Ireland.”

“Oh wow, so you’ve been on this train from the start eh?” Moondancer asked to which Starlight nodded. Moondancer sighed, “Wow I feel sorry for you.”

“Ah don’t be, been around trains all me life.” Starlight asked, “Kinda used to ‘em.”

Moondancer nodded as she felt the train shift slightly, “So can I ask what you are?”

“Alright I’ll give ya the courtesy,” Starlight answered, letting her feet slide to the floor, “I’m a Tempus mage.” Now it was Moondancer’s eyes to go wide. But unlike Starlight’s reaction, which was more of joyful shock, Moondancer’s reaction was that of pure shock. And Starlight knew exactly why, which got the girl to laugh slightly, “Aye I’m not definitely not something ye see every day.”

“You’re…you’re a Templar?” Moondancer stammered.

Starlight nodded with a smile.

“OH MY GOSH THAT IS SO AWESOME!” Moondancer screamed at the top of her lungs. She shot forward, her face beaming with such light and illumination with similar intensity of the sun. A massive, ecstatic gin was plastered on her face as she spoke to Starlight, “So you can….actually control time?”

Starlight chuckled, “’ell it’s not that clear cut. I actually am a Templar Dragoon, which means I have the ability to see multiple outcomes of any situation. Like in this situation, I could slip out of the timescape and see multiple realities where we never met, have met previously, are having sex, you’re trying to kill me, or never actually talk. Then I choose which one becomes the dominate choice or event that happens, mostly based on what I believe to be the logical outcome. It’s not a-hundred percent accurate but I make it work ya know, aside from the beam spells and shield spells most mages have.”

“Wow,” Moondancer awed with genuine enthusiasm, “That’s amazing. I mean I know time magic is the most difficult magic any mage could even think of being skilled in. Plus, I mean, to actually be able to pick which reality you wish to inhabit! It must take a lot of magical control! There’s been only forty Templar Dragoon’s in the history of Magedom! And I can’t believe I’m sitting next to one!”

“Easy lassie,” Starlight giggled, “Ye’ll talk ya self to death.”

Moondancer caught her breath and blushed, “Oh sorry.” She then pushed the brim of her glasses back up her nose, “I get that way sometimes. I’ve been studying magic for years and never thought I’d ever meet a Templar.”

“Well to be fair, I’ve been studying for years too and never thought I’d meet a vampire.” Starlight giggled, “What ya’d get bitten by a sucker when ye was little?”

Moondancer shifted, “No actually I’m a full blood Vampire Lady.”

Starlight Glimmer nodded, “Ah, so ya mum and pop are also…?”

“Vampires yeah, weren’t that bad of a childhood though I always had to come up with an excuse as to why I could never have playdates at my house.” Moondancer bemused.

“Aye, I can imagine,” Starlight chuckled, “So being a full blood that makes ya immune to the sun?”

Moondancer nodded, “I may get itchy if I stay out in the sun to long, but I think that’s more down to me just never having a need to be out in the sun at all. I also don’t need to ingest just blood, I can have regular human food but I do need to have at least three servings of blood.”

“Got a favorite type?” Starlight snickered.

“AB positive actually,” Moondancer giggled, “It reminds me of a thick merlot.”

Starlight giggled, “Really, then again wine’s not really my drink of choice. So what’s your bag of magic tricks?”

Moondancer sighed, “Well, what do you think most vampires do?”

“Besides sucking blood and transforming into bats for easier transportation,” Starlight shot back.

Moondancer snorted, “Alright I can suck blood, but I don’t transform into one bat more like a full flock. I also can drain the mana out of anyone within five feet of me, raise corpses up for a short time, and become invisible.”

“Wow,” Starlight answered impressed, “That’s bloody mental.”

“Right,” Moondancer agreed. Then she paused, took a deep breath, looked down, and took off her glasses. Instantly her once purple eyes turned red and she looked back at Starlight, “I also have the power to entice anyone and everyone to my will should I so choose.”

At that instant, Starlight felt a sudden rush of desire within her. Her gaze became lost within the redness of Moondancer’s eyes as the world around her seemed to melt away dramatically. But before she could do anything, or follow any command Moondancer gave, the vampire blinked and her power vanished. Instantly Starlight regained control of her senses, “Bloody hell. That was something Miss Moondancer.”

“It’s not as strong as my parents or as strong as a well-trained vampire lord or lady but I am getting there. And don’t worry you’re back under your full control, my power is temporary.” Moondancer answered putting her glasses back on.

“Are you sure?” Starlight asked shaking her head for a bit.

“I’m not a fan of brainwashing people against their will.” Moondancer answered.

“Well,” Starlight said, “That’s good to know.” She leaned back in her seat and looked out the window as she felt the train begin to descend deeper into the tunnel. Her ears slowly began to pop as the train slid into the Channel tunnel. She took a deep breath and relaxed, “Seems like we’ve entered the channel.”

Moondancer nodded, “Would seem so.” She then rubbed her ears in clear discomfort, “So, Miss Glimmer…”

“Starlight please dearie,” Starlight answered, “Miss Glimmer’s me mum.”

Moondancer blushed, “Alright sorry, Starlight, I was wondering what you’re codex was. I mean I’m sure it’s obvious because you’re a Templar most Templar’s take Aerugo but I just wanted to make sure without assuming you know.”

Starlight bit her lower lip and looked away, doing her best to hide her embarrassment. She coughed softly, “Ah well, um, Aye don’t actually have a codex yet.”

Moondancer nodded, “Well I mean yeah but you know which one you’re going to take?”

Starlight shook her head no, her heart starting to race at the situation. She completely expected Moondancer to explode or something. A mage with no codex choice at this stage of their life rarely achieved anything within their lives. Moondancer however, was once again frozen with shock. For a demon of the night that most men and women feared, Moondancer was very easily shocked. She defiantly had had her conceptions about the world well ingrained into her, at least from what Starlight could tell.

After a moment of silence, Moondancer snapped back to reality. “You…you don’t have a codex choice yet?”

Starlight grimaced, “Aye,”

“So you’re not sure what route you wanna take?” Moondancer asked again.

“Aye,”

“Don’t most Templars…?”

“…Take Aerugo yes they do. But I’ve never really gotten behind Aerugo; I’ve always found it to be too…malice for other people.”

Moondancer closed her mouth with an audible gasp, “So….do you have a choice for what codex you’re going to take?”

Starlight grimaced, “Not really. I’ve given it a lot of thought, but it’s not been an easy decision.”

“Well…” Moondancer said, “Um…wow that’s…gonna be a fun experience for you.”

“Why do ye say that?” Starlight asked.

“Seven Codex’s, seven starter classes you’re going to have to take, a chance to learn all there is about the starter magic for all of them?” Moondancer gushed, her emotions swinging wildly from shocked to ecstatic, “Oh I could only dream about how much you’d have to learn.”

Starlight giggled, “So I take it you’re Cupido?”

“Gulam actually,” Moondancer answered proudly, “I’ve always loved being a know-it-all.”

“Cupido would do that for ye just as well,” Starlight commented.

“True, but Cupido was always about putting yourself into a situation to make everyone want you. My magic is geared more towards me wanting everyone and or everything to follow. Call me a glutton really.” Moondancer answered.

Starlight nodded, “Aye, so I take you knows you’re class schedule yet?”

“No not really, I don’t think most students know theirs until their first full week.” Moondancer answered.

“Makes sense,” Starlight answered, “Ever seen CMS?”

“Once, when I was a little girl,” Moondancer answered, “And it was from very far away so I never got a chance to go inside the college itself.”

Starlight nodded, “Well let’s hope this college lives up to everything we hope it to be.” Before Moondancer could answer, Starlight felt the train begin to rise out of the tunnel. In no time at all, she began to feel the express slow. “Either we’re in France right now or just arriving at the Chunnel.”

Moondancer sighed, “Well regardless I’m gonna take a nap, can you wake me when we get out of the tunnel?”

Starlight nodded, “Aye, though I wouldn’t bank on it.”

“Why’s that?”

“Cuz I might catch a wink myself.” Starlight laughed.

The two girls laughed for a moment as the train once again pulled into a station. But in to time at all, they were asleep too.