Pearl's Travels 2: Canterlot

Forsythia, Hammer Hoof, and myself made our way through the busy Canterlot streets and I realised just how much it was like any crowded city back home on Earth.

Ponies were just going back and forth with their own goals in mind, going into stores or coming out of them without much regard for the ponies already passing by.

The masses were faceless to one another, all of them far more involved with their own lives than that of others.

The show had emphasized knowing everypony, making friends with them, and a general sense of belonging to a larger whole.

If not for your own sense of being a part of pony society, than at least to keep the Windigos at bay. That was what Hearth's Warming Eve was all about after all.

Considering the way ponies were pushing past others on the streets, largely ignoring one another, I realised us Changelings had a much stronger sense of belonging to the greater family spread throughout Equestria.

We were somewhat forced to rely on one another while here behind enemy lines, so to speak. If we recognized one another it was up to each of us to keep from revealing that knowledge to the ponies around us.

If any of us were seen for what we were inside, the ponies would instantly respond with fear and violence.

The ponies did not have this latent fear in them while walking through their own cities.

The main difference between Canterlot and my local big city was that there were no cars. No motorcycles. The sounds of the city were far calmer as a result.

Forsythia led us into a back alley, taking us out of the crowded streets and into the alleyways behind the stores of the merchant quarter.

I tried to recall the night we moved from Camellia's house to the cart storage.

"Hammer, do you remember what path we took the other night?" I wondered.

"Vaguely," he replied. "I know we did pass by here. Was it further up to the right?"

"I think a left first, then a right," I corrected him. "We went by the back of that bar we were in earlier."

"What bar?" Forsythia asked, not having been part of our group.

"It looked like it had not been opened for a long while; dust on the ground and bar," I recalled. "The chairs were set up on the tables, but it was still well-stocked. We drank some water there since we were parched."

I frowned at remembering that. "Oh, I do need to know what the name of the place was anyway, because I need to send them some money to pay for the waters we drank."

"Why?" Hammer Hoof asked. "Why draw attention to yourself like that?"

"It's the right thing to do. Look, I was sent here for supposedly breaking the law, okay? I feel like I need to do right this time: Follow the rules, so far as that's possible," I explained. "Not like it's been made easy, given what all happened..."

"I feel like I'm missing something," Forsythia realised.

"Well, I told you I was from a different world. I was arrested there for sharing copyrighted material with others. Basically sharing copies of things others had made, which they wanted to be paid money for," I explained briefly.

"I'm sure the arrest was genuine; I did do that," I considered. "However small my crime might have been on the grand scale of things, I was facing jailtime for it. But our siblings on my world interfered with the process and sent me here to become part of the family instead."

"Let's keep our voices down on that," Hammer Hoof grumbled.

"I think I'm starting to see why you're so driven, Pearl," Forsythia spoke softly. "There's something about you that feels different from the rest of us. From the other Hatchlings, in so far I encountered them. You've got an energy, a force, behind your reasoning. I just didn't know what it was until now. It makes more sense to me now you told me what you experienced."

"Right, well... I can't really do much else but try to live my life here and do better than I did back home. Paying for those drinks is only a small part of that," I reiterated.

"I think I know what bar you're talking about," Forsythia chuckled. "It's The Stumble Inn. They have been closed since last season."

"Closed?" I repeated. "Do you know what happened?"

"I didn't look into it, honestly. If I find Aly again, I'll see if I can find out more about it, alright? I'll clear your tab with the place if they open again, Pearl. Just live your life and bring back to the family what you can and consider it taken care of," Forsythia decided.

"I can't accept that," I sighed. "Everyone in the family seems to suddenly be indebted to me and I don't know what I did to deserve that."

"Not everyone, don't worry about that," Forsythia pointed out. "Just consider that all of us who were down in there when you came to break us out will remember that for a while. Now, since your debt with the bar is taken care of, where do we go to find my cart?"

"I think it's past the bar, then through to a large building which was as big as four homes placed together. There were a large of carts in there. Applejack had us enter through a side door," I remembered. "Should not be too far away from the bar?"

"A left, a right, and then straight on? That would be just three blocks away from the market then," she considered, turning to lead the way again. "I never store my cart here. Aly always waits for me back home, so I made sure to run home again the same day."

I hurried after her.

"I'm sure you'll find Aly safe and sound again, Forsythia," I told her. "You said it yourself; she would have turned this city upside-down if she knew where you were. Maybe she doesn't know. Maybe she's just at home waiting for you."

"Somehow that makes me feel even worse; she must be worried sick," Forsythia sighed out sadly.

"Not as worried as you are sounding, I'm sure," Hammer Hoof grumbled from behind us. "They keep telling me I'm a worrywart, but you're something else right now."

"Like you have anything to say on that; you kept saying you needed to return to Celery," I threw back at him. "You both care deeply for your respective mares. That's what true love is, as far as I'm concerned. You both worry about your significant other and want to get back to them as soon as possible."

"I guess," Hammer Hoof returned. "Celery Stalk wouldn't burn Canterlot down if I'm a few days late on returning. I just want her to not worry about where I might have disappeared off to."

"Sweet Alyssum would only do it if she thought something had happened to me," Forsythia cast back, a strange smile on her lips. "She's overly protective of me."

"I have to ask, but did she become like that since... you know?" I asked, motioning my head in the direction of her back.

My sister's facial expression fell, and she gave a somber nod.

"Yeah. She was there. She had to step in," she spoke without revealing too much about what exactly had happened.

"I can see why she would be worried, then," I just stated, giving her the option of leaving it at that. "A shared trauma like that is something which can leave a lasting mark on any relationship."

Forsythia turned us into the next alleyway on our road to the cart storage building.

"I was young and dumb, harvesting flowers in the Everfree Forest. I should have noticed the signs of the Timberwolves encroaching upon me, but I was too focused on my task," Forsythia sighed, lost in a sudden flashback. "They had me pinned down before I realised what happened."

We turned another corner while Forsythia seemed to need to let this story out. I just made sure to keep my ears perked up and stay beside her, listening to her.

"Aly came in blasting magic, spitting resin, and with her hooves flying in all directions to punch the beasts," she continued with some admiration to her mare's fighting prowess. "I managed to get back on my own four legs in the chaos and we managed to hold our own until they retreated."

"Did you have a relationship before that?" I wondered.

"No more than the relationship I have with you, or Hammer Hoof back there. We knew of one another, we lived in the same town, but that was about it. It's not like we were from the same batch or anything," she answered with a snort. "No, it wasn't until after that that we got into some deeper conversations and spent more time together."

We made another turn and I spotted the large warehouse in the distance.

"Oh, that's the building up ahead," I pointed out.

Forsythia smiled weakly at that. "I really just want to confirm the cart is in there and then take the next train to Ponyville. I'm so lost as to where Aly might be right now."

"I get you," I spoke empathically. "Once we're done here, we're taking the first train to Hoofton ourselves."

"For what it's worth, I hope your Celery Stalk is doing fine as well, Hammer Hoof," my sister suggested.

"Thanks," Hammer Hoof responded.

"We came in through this side door here," I offered up, taking the lead into the building.

Now Celestia's sun was shining brightly overhead, I had half expected the place to be full of merchants taking their carts out, placing new ones in storage, but it was as empty as it had been the night before.

"What does your cart look like, Forsythia?" I wondered as we all filed in.

"It's a deep pullcart with a tarp over it," my sister answered. "There's a bouquet of flowers painted on each side."

"Let's spread out," Hammer Hoof opted. "We can find it easier if we each go a different way."

"Sounds good," I agreed.

We all went in a different direction, going from cart to cart in an effort to find the one Forsythia had pointed out.

The light of the sun shone down through the small windows placed high on the walls, making it easier for me to find my way through the large space than when we were looking for the Apple family's cart during the long night before.

I once again looked upon the many different carts in wonder. There were push and pull carts. Carts with two wheels or four. Carts which were flat bottomed or those deep enough for me to hide in if I needed to again.

Some had been in storage for longer than the others; dust buildup on them showing they had not seen use for years.

There was a movement in my peripheral vision and I spun around, but there was nothing but dust drifting through the beams of light coming in through the windows.

"Hammer? Did you follow me?" I called out.

Oval's masculine voice called out from further down the hall. "No? I don't even know where you are right now."

"Forsythia?" I tried.

"No, you sound far away," she called back.

Movement again, this time right in front of me. A Changeling peering around one of the larger carts with four wheels.

"Did you just say... Forsythia?" she asked carefully.

I gave a careful glance around to make sure there weren't any ponies around.

"You're among friends, sister," I spoke in a soft voice. "What's your name? How long have you been hiding here?"

"Sister?" the Changeling repeated, her head fin rising slowly.

"Sister??" she spat as if the word gave her a bad taste.

She was clearly getting riled up, and was now drawing away from her hiding spot and started to approach me.

I remembered my training in the Hive; she was setting up for an attack.

Not knowing what else to do, I dropped my guise.

The other froze on the spot and her head fin dropped down instantly.

"Oh, shit, I'm so sorry," she quickly apologised, now realising she was not facing off against a pony. "I'm so on edge... the city has gone mad, I swear."

"I had noticed," I answered her dryly, closing the distance between us so we didn't have to speak too loud to hear one another.

"My name is Pearl," I introduced myself. "I've only been here in Equestria for a few months now, as you can probably tell from my lack of holes."

"Hah, yeah," my sister answered with a careful chuckle. "I'm Sweet Alyssum. What's the state of the world out there?"

I slapped my right forehoof to my face, and winced from the pain.

"Forsythia!" I called out loudly, startling my sister. "Aly's here."

"What?" Forsythia called out from further in the space.

"Aly. Is. Here," I enunciated.

"You've got to be kidding me!" Forsythia shouted back, and I could hear fast hooffalls coming our way.

Aly looked absolutely shocked. "No way..."

"Yeah, she's been looking for you all around town ever since we escaped," I revealed, even as Forsythia skidded into view.

"Aly!" she decried, dropping her guise.

Sweet Alyssum's bug eyes filled with moisture and she ran up to the larger Changeling while shouting "Tia!"

The pair of them embraced one another and locked lips, unhindered by the fangs we all sported.

They briefly became one in their deep embrace; their love for one another radiating from them both.

It did not feed me the way that the love from the ponies did, but it touched upon my heart nonetheless.

I idly wiped away the moisture welling up in my own eyes watching the pair.