The White Duchess

I cringed as the door to the train car slammed shut with a reverberating thud.

Twilight Velvet sat nearby on one of the car’s sofas. A personal bag embroidered with her cutie mark sat beside her, and in her telekinetic grasp she held a beautiful crimson-gold quill and a notepad. She gave me a worried glance as I entered the carriage. “Is everything alright, dear?”

My armor clinked softly with each step. After a brief pause, I shook my head. “No, not really.”

“Nervous?”

A slow nod. “The train car will be leaving soon,” I mentioned in an attempt to steer the conversation elsewhere. My eyes traced around the train car. “I hope the private car is to your tastes?”

“It’s more than accommodating!” Night Light pipped from beside a whirring coffee maker. He poked at the device as it brewed. “I didn’t even know they sold these commercially.”

“They don’t,” I said as my inspection of the car continued. “That’s a prototype the Joe family’s been sending out to select customers for field-testing. The Crown’s one of them.”

Night Light gave an intrigued murmur as he continued to poke at the coffee machine.

From the outside, the train car looked very much like the other passenger cars, but it was nothing like them on the inside. Contrary to the bunk bed quarters reserved for the soldiers and workers, the car held a modest dining room and two private bedrooms, complete with princess-sized beds. The dining room’s carpet was dyed a lovely velvet that blended well with the patterned green walls. Small gold trims accented the otherwise dull brown wood that formed the car’s interior shape. Had the car not been provided as government property, I was sure the decent comforts would cost a hefty bit to purchase. Hay, the expedition budget was already inflated enough, what was the harm in adding a few more of these cars for the troops? After my assumption of command, you’d figure they needed it.

The sound of the newly awakened coffee machine and Night Light’s frantic fiddling brought me out from my thoughts. Velvet took the opportunity of my regained retention.

“What does our schedule look like, captain?”

“Lieu—” I bit my tongue. “Sorry. Please… just call me Cross in private, Miss Velvet.” I took a deep breath to regain control of my thoughts after the brief interruption. “We’ll be arriving at Flaxhoof by tomorrow at midnight, but we’ll be stopping outside the town to wait for morning.”

Her expected question popped into her mouth. “And why will we be waiting beyond the town limits?”

“The earth ponies don’t take kindly to disturbances in their sleep.”

“I see.” She scribbled a note down on her notepad. I held back my laugh... like the professional I was.

“Coffee, anypony?” Velvet and I politely declined Night Light’s offer. He gave a shrug and went to work preparing himself a cup.

“I’m more of a tea pony myself,” Velvet explained as I trotted over to her.

Smiling, I took off my helmet and set it down on one of the plush couches. “A mare after my own heart, I see.”

Giggling softly, the Duchess lifted up a stack of papers from her bag with a graceful swish of lavender magic. “Speaking of hearts, have you seen what our PR Pony drummed up to sway the earth ponies to our cause?”

“No, I haven’t.” I took the papers from her gratefully and looked them over quickly. There weren’t any fancy military parades lined up, nor were there any over-the-top ceremonies, but the proposal written out before me was quite…

“Eccentric, isn’t it?”

I sat down beside the mare and scratched my neck. “Well… er…”

Velvet smiled deviously and leant forward in her seat. “I don’t suppose you’ve done this before, have you?”

“Everypony has to when they come of age.” I looked to her and frowned. “But I left Halihoof before I came of age for…” I threw a hoof over the page. “...this.”

“All aboard!” called the conductor from just outside the car.

Immediately, three ponies tumbled in through the door. One of them was a guard that excused himself upon entering the wrong car, but Golden Forms and an accompanying white unicorn, dressed in a sharp suit, stayed their ground. I opened my mouth to ask about their sudden entry, but before I could, the train began moving. Night Light’s magic flickered around the coffee pot with a surprised grunt, but he managed to hold the container in place as the train ground to a halt again.

Barks of confusion and anger ran amuck outside, but I simply stood and focused on the two ponies that had entered.

Velvet smiled warmly despite the strange incident. “Hello, Miss Forms.” She looked to the unnamed unicorn. “And hello to you too, Mister… Alabaster, was it?”

The stallion bowed his neck and spoke gruffly, “Alabaster Coronation, Duchess Velvet.”

“Velvet is fine, dear. And please don’t bow.”

He gave an affirmative grunt as he straightened out, then turned to address me. “Captain Cross.”

I gave a curt nod. “Sir. You must be our PR pony, then?”

“That is what I am here for, yes.” As the stallion strode across the car to shake my hoof, I couldn’t help but take notice of the way he held himself. As if he were a mind reader, he picked up on my look and thoughts. Following our hoofshake, he explained himself. “Born to earth ponies, captain.”

“Hmm.” Looking him up and down once, I smiled warmly. “Its a pleasure to have you aboard, Mister Alabaster.” I watched him go over to Velvet and seat himself, then turned to my assistant. “Hello again, Golden.”

She pouted playfully as she trot over. “You don’t sound too happy to see me.”

“That was my intention, yes.”

“Oh, shut up.” Giggling, she sat down next to my helmet and picked it up.

“Watch who you’re talking to,” I warned jokingly.

“Har har har,” Golden teased, “you’re so very funny, Captain.”

Clearing my throat, I sat down beside Golden. Listening in to the ponies nearby, I realized Velvet and Coronation were discussing the latest additions to the Duchess’ introduction to Flaxhoof.

“So,” I turned to Golden, the mare still intent on playing with my helmet, “what was with the train moving?”

The mare set my helmet down between us and sighed. “Our engineer has a bit of a… temper.”

A loud bang disrupted all conversation in the train car. “I SAID TO GET OUT OF THE WAY!” Harsh yells of various emotions rang out from just beyond the car. After a few seconds, however, the train lurched forward as we began to chug out of the station and towards Halihoof.

“It’d be best to keep him on the train once we’ve arrived in Flaxhoof,” Alabaster commented wryly.

“Definitely,” Night Light agreed with a chuckle. “Would you like a coffee, Mister Alabaster?”

Alabaster cleared his throat and nodded firmly. “Black.”

Grinning from ear to ear at the fact the journey was finally at hoof, I slunk back into my seat and stared up at the ceiling. A slow rumble of a laugh rose in my chest. “Oh-ho-ho, this already seems like it’s going to be a runaway-cartride of a trip.”

I felt Golden shift in her seat beside me. “… I have a question about Halihoof, Cross.”

I sat up. “Yes ma’am?”

“Do you…” she tapped her hooves together nervously. “Do you think the earth ponies would appreciate having unicorns and pegasi barging in and claiming the land?” Golden swallowed thickly and looked up at me. “No less about a unicorn coming in and declaring herself as their Duchess?”

I clopped a hoof softly against the side of my skull. “You’re right. I didn’t think about that… and I don’t think that saying Celestia has given Velvet the rights to their homeland would go so well, either…” I bit my lip as worry took over my features.

“That’s what I’m here for, Captain.”

I gave Alabaster a thankful smile.

“And it’s also your job to follow through with what I require of you.”

I held back a retort. “Yessir. Of course.”

“Now, come over here. I need to run this over with you.”

I stood and made my way over.

“This—” he tapped on a new stack of papers he’d brought in, “—is my latest plan for getting the earth ponies to cooperate peacefully.” The stack was much thicker than his previous proposal.

“Peacefully?” Night Light peeped. “I thought you said—”

Twilight Velvet placed a hoof to her coltfriend’s lips. “Hush, dear, this is important.”

Alabaster took a sip of his coffee before continuing. “As I was saying, the earth ponies have proven to be resilient to our treaties in previous encounters. For this reason, her royal majesty has personally asked that you follow through with these instructions as best you can.”

My look turned stoic as instinct kicked in. “Anything for the Princess.”

“That is apart of the Guard’s Mantra, yes,” he humored in a deadpan tone. He offered the papers to me. Golden scooted closer to us and held back her comments as I began to skim the text.

If the previous proposal had been eccentric, then Alabaster’s newest proposal was insane.

“Mister Alabaster…” I flipped through the stack, checked the last paper once over, and reshuffled it together. My eyes locked onto the unicorn’s own. “I… Is this really necessary?”

“You are obligated to follow these instructions to their fullest extent.” The stallion leant forward. “Listen closely, and remember my words, Marked Cross.” A shudder went down my spine as the stallion’s harrowing words sank deep into me with his heavy tone. “We have one final and brief opportunity to establish our grassroots without the need for petty violence. If the situation comes to the point where things do not bode well for the duchess, your regiment will be forced to bring forth martial law. I am a peaceful pony, Mister Cross. You will learn this in time, but for now, know that public relations, more often than naught, requires a strong back to support its growth.” He pulled back, bringing forth a merciful end to his whispering. “Support her royal majesty, and she shall support us.”

Nodding rapidly, I hoofed the papers back to him. I straightened and snapped a quick, clean salute. “Yes, sir.”

The once emotionless stallion cracked a tiny grin, then turned to Velvet to discuss the plans further. Shuddering, I sat back down next to Golden Forms. She grasped me gently by my shoulder, but I said nothing as I thought over the stallion’s words.

“What did he say to you? I couldn’t hear him for some reason… I think it was some kind of 'soundproofing' spell.”

I stared out the window on the other side of the train car, watching the green surroundings carefully. After a long time, I finally turned to Golden and spoke.

“Do you know what a drakeling is, Golden?”