It was early in the morning when Jubilee Blossom came into Daniel and Crystal's new room to wake them up, at around 6:30am or so.

"Daniel, Crystal, it's time to wake up my Dears." She said in a loving but serious tone. The two Humans grumbled a bit as they got up. Jubilee just smiled as she said, "There is breakfast that Night Hunter has made, and we still have it if you want some."

"Yeah, I do want some." Daniel said while yawning a bit.

"Me too." Crystal agreed somewhat sleepily."

Both of them then stood up form the bed, with Daniel stretching a bit before the two of them went off to the kitchen along with Jubilee Blossom.

In the kitchen, Night Hunter was setting up the last of the meal on the table. As he did so, Jubilee, Daniel and Crystal entered into the kitchen. Daniel and Crystal were surprised at what was on the table. There were eggs, hashbrowns, pancakes, and even some strips of bacon, along with some of the peanut butter cookies that Cyan made the day before! The two of them were indeed surprised at all of the food that he had made from them to eat.

"Come on," Night Hunter said smiling, " Try it. I need to know if it's any good." He passed out two forks using his hooves to Daniel and Crystal.

The two Humans took a seat right next to each other. It was a tight fit due to the fact that the chairs were significantly smaller than what they were used to back home. Despite being couched down near the table though, they both picked up their forks, and slowly took a bite of the hash browns. Just like the chicken from yesterday, the hash browns tasted wonderful. Crystal then began to eat quickly, followed quickly by Daniel.

"Wow, you two sure are hungry today." Night Hunter chuckled a bit as she saw both Daniel and Crystal quickly eating breakfast.

After five minutes, Daniel and Crystal had finished eating, Crystal looked up at him. "Thanks Night Hunter. Daniel and I really enjoyed the breakfast. It really beats the stuff at school cafeteria any day!"

Night Hunter was happy that they liked his cooking since he tried so hard. "Thank you. I'm glad that both of you enjoyed it so much."

Then Jubilee then got up from the table. "Ok, so Daniel, Crystal, Night Hunter and I have to go to the train station so that the two of us can go and wish Angel Light and Cyan Streaks off, so if you want, there is the bathroom upstairs, plus there's one in the hallway for you to use to get ready. So which one do you want?"

The two Humans looked at each other for a second, then turned back to her.

"I'll take the upstairs one," Daniel replied.

"And I'll take the one in the hallway." Crystal just shrugged.

"Oh, well ok then. Both of you go get the new clothes that Rarity made for you yesterday, and Daniel, once you get your clothes, then you can come with me and I will show you were the bathrooms is at. Crystal if you need help finding where it's at, then I will help you too."

"Thanks, Jubilee, but I think that I can find it by myself." She said as she went to get her clothes.

Jubilee just blinked, and then she turned to Daniel, "Well Daniel, go get the clothes that Rarity made yesterday, and I will show you to the bathroom." Daniel nodded, and went to gather his clothes.

Once Daniel had gathered his things, Jubilee showed him to the upstairs bathroom. The upstairs consisted of Night Hunter and Jubilee Blossom's room at the start of the hallway, with the bathroom at the center, and another room at the end of the hallway. Daniel took a mental note to ask Jubilee what that other room was for when he got the chance later on.

Jubilee walked over to the where the bathroom was at, and waved to Daniel to come over. "Ok, so this is the upstairs bathroom. If you need anything, just shout out my name, 'kay?"

Daniel just nodded, and then entered the bathroom before locking the door. Jubilee then walked down to the kitchen to check on Night Hunter and Crystal.

Daniel first took a good look at the bathroom. The bathroom was kinda small, and the walls were painted blue. There was of course a toilet (which of sadly a bit small but still be could worked with), and the same was also true for the bathroom vanity, which also had a bathroom vanity mirror, and there was also a bathtub that also had a showerhead, which was good for Daniel. He started the water, and took off his shirt while waiting for the water to warm up.

Meanwhile downstairs, Crystal had found the downstairs bathroom, and entered it. The walls were an ivory-cream color instead of blue, and it had the same bathroom vanity with the vanity mirror and bathtub with the showerhead that the upstairs bathroom had. She then started the water, and waited for the water to be hot.

About 15 minutes later, Daniel came down. He seemed to be in the good mood, and he had the bag in his hands filled with his old clothes. He could see that Jubilee Blossom was waiting next to the front door, while Night Hunter was sitting on a chair in the kitchen waiting for him and Crystal to finish up. He had a look of surprise on his face, and this made Jubilee Blossom curious. "Hey Daniel, what's got you so happy today?"

"Oh, because it's Saturday. Even though I'm in a completely different world, I always get in a good mood when it comes to Saturday. I would always love to hang out with my friends Jubilee, So that's why I'm feeling so good right now.

"Oh, that's good Daniel. It's nice that you have something to be happy about." Night Hunter said as he turned in the direction of the first-floor bathroom. "Where's Crystal? If we don't leave soon, then we're going to be late and won't be able to wish them off." He wondered as he got up from his chair. Then, a moment later, Crystal came out of the bathroom. Like Daniel, she also had her old clothes in the bag that Rarity had put their new ones in.

"So, are we going to the train station now?" She asked Jubilee.

"Oh yes, now we can go to the train station Crystal." Jubilee then opened the front door, and the 4 of them then walked outside, and off towards the train station.

The walk to the Ponyville train station was alright. Like yesterday, the Ponies were trying their best not to talk with the Humans. Most just whispered among themselves, while some just ignored them. Daniel and Crystal just rolled their eyes. They knew that these Ponies thought that they were something bad, however, they could definitely tell that this was going to get old, and old fast.

Before they knew it, all four of them had arrived at the Ponyville train station. Daniel and Crystal were surprised at what they saw. The station was very long, about 250 or so feet. The platform was made of stone and was flat, with the stone being a light grayish color that contrasted against the rest of the station. There was also a building that was square at the back of the station in the middle of the platform. The building was an older looking building that was in great condition, and was made of red brick with a black, partial canopy roof. There were some benches that were under the partial canopy roof with some Ponies that were sitting on the benches. It appeared to be family members saying their final goodbyes to their sons, daughters, brothers, sisters, grandkids, nieces, and nephews for what all they knew was probably the last time that they would ever see them alive.

There were also other Ponies that were at the platform part of the station. Some where saying their goodbyes to their loved ones, while others were standing alone waiting to board their train. The Ponies at the station seemed to be too busy to pay Daniel and Crystal any mind; either that, or more likely they just didn't care about acknowledging them at that time. Then Angel Light and Cyan Streaks came up to them. They had with them the things that they could bring with them, and the two Humans could tell that Angel and Cyan were very sad to say goodbye to Jubilee Blossom and Night Hunter.

"Jubilee, Hunter. I wish that Cyan and I didn't have to go, and that we can stay here with you. However, this has to be done, and besides, we have a chance to come back, and I know that we will return back to Ponyville; I promise." Then he and Cyan Streaks enveloped Jubilee Blossom and Night Hunter into a tight hug. It lasted for a few seconds, and then two released them from their hug. They then turned to Daniel and Crystal, and were surprised when Daniel squatted down to their height and hugged them.

"Thank you for actually being nice to me and Crystal yesterday."

"You're welcome Daniel, I'm glad that I got the chance to meet you as well." Cyan Streaks said as Daniel released them from the hug. Crystal then did the same thing, and once they were released from her hug, they went to go retrieve their things. Daniel and Crystal then turned to see what steam locomotive was pulling their train.

They were shocked that it was a steam locomotive that they were looking at. The steam engine was a black 2-8-2 steam engine that was coupled up to ten passenger cars that were painted a reddish color with yellow lettering that read "Equestrian Railway" on their sides. However, the one thing that made them surprised was the number that was on the engine's tender. The number was painted in yellow spelling out the number 4501.

"No way! That can't be!" Crystal said in shock.

Jubilee turned to her with a raised eyebrow, "Um Crystal, is everything ok?"

Crystal then turned to Jubilee Blossom, and pointed towards the steam locomotive. "Hey Jubilee, that steam locomotive. What is it used for?"

Jubilee just blinked for a second before replying, "What? Equestrian Railway No. 4501? That engine takes passengers and freight trains from Appaloosa to Dodge City, and then to Ponyville, and then finally to Canterlot. However, it's being used by the Royal Guard currently for recruitment trains, and some delivery trains by them." Jubilee then raised an eyebrow. "Why do you ask Crystal?"

"That engine... it can't be. How on Earth is it here in this world?"

"Ok Crystal, what is wrong? What do you mean by 'how is it here?' What do you mean by that?" Jubilee asked in a bit of a worrisome tone.

"That steam locomotive looks exactly like one of the steam locomotives from our world!"

Jubilee's eyes widened as she heard. "What do you mean? How is that... are you completely sure?" She asked Crystal.

"I'm positive. It's at a railway museum in Tennessee, I think, and it's been on static display for a few years. I think that they're going to restore him in a few years maybe."

"Well... I think that we should ask Twilight whenever we get the opportunity to, agreed?"

Crystal nodded her head in agreement as Angel Light and Cyan Streaks returned back with their things.

They then boarded the train without saying a word, and took a set in the second passenger coach on the side that they could see them as they departed. And sure enough, only three minutes later the 4501 blew its whistle, and slowly departed from the station. After a few moments, the Ponies began to disperse. Some of them gave Daniel and Crystal a worried look, while others gave them the same look that most Ponies gave them.

After a moment or so Daniel, Crystal, Jubilee Blossom, and Night Hunter departed from the station, and made their way back home.

The walk back was quiet for a while. The Ponies tried keeping their distance from Daniel and Crystal, while some were still whispering about what they truly were.

Then Crystal spoke up. "Hey Daniel, did you find it weird about that engine's number?"

Daniel paused for a bit before replying with, "Yeah, kinda, I guess. But remember Crystal, we don't know anything about this world, so there has to be a reason why. Plus it isn't like engines from our world don't always have the same numbering. Remember UP 844 when she was renumbered to 8444 for a while?"

Crystal nodded, but then Night Hunter spoke up. "Hey Daniel, can I ask you something? How do you and Crystal know so much about trains?"

"Oh that's easy. I've been a railfan almost my whole life. I loved reading and watching old videos of steam locomotives working and seeing how they work internally." Daniel explained as he recalled his numerous connections with his friend. "I got Crystal into the whole railway stuff about 5 years ago, and it's something that we talk about constantly. Which is nice, since there's so much about trains to talk about."

"Yeah, but that makes me start to wonder how much similar Equestria and your world might be." Night Hunter pondered.

Daniel was about to reply, but then a mare was heard yelling, "THEY'RE REAL!!!"

The whole group then turned around to see a Pony running straight towards them.

"What the-?!" Was all that Daniel could say before the Pony collided with him. The Pony was Hugging him, saying over and over that they were real. Then another Pony, who was a light brown-coated Earth-Pony stallion with a blonde mane and a guitar Cutie-Mark. He looked at the mare with a worried look.

"Lyra, get off of him!" He said to the mare on top of Daniel (presumably Lyra,) who was a mint green-coated Unicorn mare with a green mane with a thin white strip, and a lyre Cutie-Mark. She then quickly got off Daniel, and Crystal helped him up.

"I'm so sorry for what my wife has done Mr. Human." The brown stallion said, his ears a bit folded back.

"It's ok.... Wait what? How do you know that we're Humans?" Daniel asked in surprise as he crossed his arms. How did this stallion know what they were?

"Yes I do. Oh shoot, I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Meadow Song, and this here is my lovely wife, Lyra Heartstrings." Meadow lifted a hoof to the mint green Unicorn.

Daniel then walked over to the two Ponies, got down to their level, and extended his hand. "Name's Daniel, and this over here is Crystal." Meadow was a bit confused at first, but he soon realized what Daniel was trying to do and shook his hand with his hoof.

"So um... can either of you explain how you know about us?" Crystal asked with a bit of a raised eyebrow.

"I can!" Lyra broke in. "I believed that Humans have existed since I was a little filly. My mom, Stone Tale, who's a Unicorn historian who studied legends from long ago, would tell me stories of Humans as simple bedtime stories. However, there was this part of me that just knew that Humans were real. Ponies thought that it was just a phase that I was going through, so most of them have never heard of you guys, but I never stopped believing that they were real, and out their somewhere. When I began to date Meadow, I didn't tell him about my love of Humans because I thought that he was going to dump me, or think that I was crazy if I told him. However, when our relationship became serious, I decided that it was time to tell him. Surprisingly, he wasn't freaked out or anything like that. He didn't fully understand it, but he ended up accepting me for who I was. And when I saw you guys were right here in Ponyville, I got so excited to finally meet a Human after all these years!" Lyra then sighed. "Yes, I know that what I did was wrong, and I'm sorry for what I did. I hope that you can forgive me for pouncing on you like that."

"Well, I think one day I will. That day will be someday, but not today Lyra," Daniel sighed for a second. "Anyway, it was nice meeting both of you. I'll be glad to see you again." Daniel smiled as he walked back to Crystal, Jubilee, and Hunter.

"Well it was nice to meet you Daniel, and you too Crystal. I can't wait to see you two again." Meadow Song smiled happily. He waved goodbye to them with his hoof, and then he and Lyra walked away to another part of Ponyville.

Soon the group of four continued on their way back to Night Hunter and Jubilee Blossom's house. Although as they made their way back, Daniel and Crystal began to wonder just how many other Ponies also believed in Humans.

It was around 10 in the morning when there was knock at the front door. Night Hunter trotted over to the door, opening it to reveal Twilight. She had a look that said that she was happy, but at the same time also seemed to have a worried expression.

"Hey Night Hunter, where are Daniel and Crystal? There is something that I need to tell them, along with you and Jubilee", Twilight said calmly. Night Hunter blinked for a second. Whatever it was, it seemed to be pretty important. He then let Twilight into his house.

Inside the living room, Jubilee Blossom was reading one of her favorite books on the living room couch, while Daniel was on the couch deep in thought. When Twilight entered into the house they were surprised that she was here. "Hello Jubilee Blossom, hello Daniel. Where's Crystal?" Twilight asked.

"She is in our room taking a nap. She said that there wasn't anything to do. Why do you ask?" Daniel wondered.

"Oh, there is something important that I need to tell you both, along with Jubilee and Hunter." She replied to Daniel, her expression turning into a warm one.

"Ok, I can get her for you if that is what you want." Daniel offered up.

Twilight smiled saying, "That would be great Daniel."

Daniel then got up, and went over to the extra bedroom where Crystal was sleeping at. While he was waking Crystal up, Twilight took a seat on the couch next to Jubilee. A minute later, Daniel came out with Crystal, who was a little bit confused at why Daniel had woken her up. When she looked at Twilight, she then could tell that whatever the reason that he woke her up was had something to do with her being there.

"Good morning Crystal. I hope that you're having a great day?" She asked Crystal, giving her a slight grin.

"It's fine Twilight. Though why are you here? Is something wrong?" Crystal raised an eyebrow.

Twilight sighed. "The reason why I'm here is to tell you something. Last night after I came home, I decided to write a letter to Princess Celestia telling her about you guys, and what happened last night. This morning, I got her response to my letter." She then made a scroll appear in her hooves with her Magic, and then brought the scroll to Crystal.

"Ok, let's see here." Crystal then unraveled it, and began to read the contents of the scroll out loud.

Dear Princess Twilight Sparkle,

I have read the contents of your last letter, and I must say that I'm very interested in these Daniel and Crystal people. I would be more than happy to meets these "Humans" for myself. I will make room for these two tomorrow at 1:00 pm. I will be very interested in meeting them when that time comes.

- Princess Celestia

Crystal then looked back to Twilight, the piece of paper falling to them. "Who's Princess Celestia, Twilight?" she asked.

"She is the co-ruler of our land." She stated. "She, along with her younger sister, Princess Luna, keep harmony and peace in Equestria. They also raise the sun and moon each and every day." As Twilight finished she saw that Daniel and Crystal were in shock at what she said. "Um, is something wrong you two?" She asked, a bit worried.

"How can they raise the sun and moon? That is impossible!" Daniel replied.

"Raising the sun and moon?" She asked confused.

"Yes, that!" He exclaimed, "How on Earth do they do that?!" Daniel asked, surprised at just how calmly Twilight said that.

"Well, I'll tell it to you later, alright Daniel? Our train will be arriving in about 25 minutes. I have to go get my friends right now, and I have told them what is going on. Anyway, I’ll see you guys at the train station." Twilight then got up from the couch, opened the front door with her Magic, and then quickly trotted out of the house to find her friends.

The 2 Humans and 2 Ponies just blinked for a second. Jubilee then spoke up, "Well, I guess that we're going Canterlot."

"Um, Jubilee, Night? What on Earth is Canterlot?" Crystal asked with a confused expression on her face.

"Canterlot is the capital of Equestria. It's where two of the Princesses, Celestia and Luna, reside at. See, unlike most other Ponies who are either Unicorns, Pegasi, or Earth-Ponies like me and Night, they're both Alicorns. They're like Princess Twilight since they have a pair of wings and a horn. They're all extremely powerful, and that's why they are Princesses." She paused for a bit. "Does that answer your question Crystal?"

"Well... I guess it kinda does. I'm really not in the mood for all those Ponies staring at us like we're some sort of monster. I mean, if the Ponies here have some problems with us that we don't know about, I can only imagine what those Princesses are going to think. Honestly, it's not exactly a good thing!" Crystal looked down when she finished.

She then felt the hand of Daniel on her shoulder. "Crystal, I know that this isn't easy. I feel the same way too, but we're going to be fine. We're not alone in this world. We have Jubilee, Night, Twilight, and Rarity, and we also have the Ponies that actually want to talk with us, like that Meadow Song and Lyra. And let's not forget Angel Light and Cyan Streaks too. We're not alone here, so we're going to be ok Crystal." He then pulled her into a hug. They stayed like that for a few seconds until the two released each other from the hug. The two of them then turned to see Jubilee Blossom and Night Hunter, who had a look of happiness.

"What is it?" Daniel asks them, a bit confused at what they were smiling at. "

"Oh, nothing." Night said as he and Jubilee got up from the couch. "I think we should get to the train station. Don't you two agree?"

"Yeah, I guess it's time to go." They then followed Jubilee and Hunter out of the house, and after Jubilee closed the door, they then went off towards the train station.

The walk to the train station was an uneventful one. Though like before, there were a few Ponies that gave them uneasy looks, and a few that whispered among each other about what they really were. The two Humans just tried to ignore them as best they could. Soon enough they arrived at the train station with 16 minutes to spare. There wasn't a train in the station yet, but they knew that it would arrive shortly. They decided to just sit down on the benches and wait for the train, as well as for Twilight, Rarity, and their other friends to arrive.

About 10 minutes later, the train, which turned out to be the PRR K4 2-6-4 3750, rolled on into the station with its five-passenger coaches. As the Ponies got out of the coaches, they looked at Daniel and Crystal with a variety of different expectations. Some looked at them with disgust, some with horror, and some didn't really care. But the most surprising reaction was from a colt and filly that actually wanted to talk with them before their mother got a hold of them, and took them away from the two Humans. One

Soon after the crowd began to die down, Daniel and Crystal could see Twilight and Rarity, and what appeared to be their friends. The six mares and what appeared to be a Dragon riding Twilight came up towards them. The first of the four was an orange colored Earth-Pony mare with a blonde mane and tail, as well as thick orange fetlocks, and three apples as a cutie mark. "So yer Daniel and Crystal. It's a nice pleasure meetin' Y'all!"

The next one was also an Earth-Pony, however she had a pink coat with a curly pink mane and tail, and had a Cutie-Mark of three balloons. "OMG, I'm excited to meet you!"

The third one was blue coated Pegasus mare with a rainbow mane and tail, and a Cutie-Mark of a rainbow lightning bolt coming down from a cloud. "So you're Daniel and Crystal, eh?"

The final one was a yellow colored Pegasus mare with small yellow fetlocks, a long pink mane and tail, and three pink butterflies as her Cutie-Mark. "Um.... hi."

Then the Dragon, who appeared to be a teenager, and had purple and green scales spoke up. "Hello. It's so nice to meet you both."

"Hey there guys. Daniel, Crystal these are my friends. You already know Rarity, and this is my assistant Spike. He lives with me at that castle. And the rest of these girls are my other friends. This is Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy." Twilight raised a hoof up towards her friends.

"Ok hi, it's nice to meet of you." Daniel said in a slight grin.

"Nah, it's nothin' partner. 'Sides, it'll be nice to see the Princess again." Applejack put out a hoof to shake Daniel's hand..

Then Pinkie popped up, "Hi I'm Pinkie Pie! I can't wait to be besties!" She cheered as bounced in place.

Crystal turned to Twilight, who just had a calm and normal expression. "That's Pinkie for you, anyway me and Spike will go get the train tickets." Twilight said as she got in line to get train tickets for the group.

"So... um Crystal, can I ask you some questions?" Fluttershy asked Crystal in a soft voice.

Crystal looked towards the shy Pony. "Ok, what do want to ask Fluttershy?" Crystal and Fluttershy then went over to one of the few unoccupied benches so that Crystal could answer Fluttershy's many questions.

Meanwhile, Twilight was almost at the front of the line. There were maybe three other Ponies in front of her, and there were also 20 or so Ponies that were behind her, all waiting for their chance to get their ticket. There were more Ponies that were accumulating into the line, with other Ponies that were in the coaches from the other stops from the line waiting for the new passengers to board the train so that they could get to Canterlot. Next thing Twilight knew she was at the front of the line facing the ticket mare.

"Hi um... 11 tickets for Canterlot please?" Twilight asked the ticket mare.

The mare was shocked at how may train tickets the Princess of Friendship had asked for. "Oh uh... that will be 44 bits Princess." Spike then lifted up a red coin bag that was filled to the brim with coins towards Twilight, and she then levitated the coin bag towards the ticket mare. The ticket mare then counted the bits with her Magic, and after she was done, she gave back the coin bag back to Twilight and Spike, as well as giving them their train tickets. "Have a nice ride." She said as Twilight and Spike left to give the others their tickets.

Twilight called the others to her, and she handed out the train tickets to each of them. "So we're all in the second passenger car."

"That's fine. It's close to the engine, and that's always a positive in my book." Daniel said as they all went aboard the train.

After boarding the train, they made their way to the second passenger car. Daniel and Crystal were surprised to see the interior of the Equestrian passenger car. The car was half filled with Ponies from other parts of the line. The thing that got Daniel and Crystal's attention the most though was the seats. The seats were similar, but at the same time different from passenger car seats from Earth. The seats were of a white pearlish color with a wooden bottom and back. The seats also didn't have any armrests, which made some sense, as after all these Ponies didn't sit like Humans at all. The seats were facing each other like some passenger cars back in the USA though.

The 11 of them took their seats towards the back of the train so as to avoid the other passengers, though they did have to deal with the same worried, surprised, and untrusting look like the other Ponies gave them on the way back there. Daniel took his seat with Twilight and Spike, while Crystal took her seat with Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie. A couple of minutes later the train's blew its whistle, and a moment later the 3750 departed from the Ponyville Station bound for Canterlot.

Once the train was moving, Daniel looked towards the purple Dragon. "So Spike, it's nice to meet you."

Spike looked at him. "Yeah, it's nice to meet you as well. I gotta say, it's awesome to meet an actual Human!" Spike said in amazement.

"Thanks. It's nice to meet you as well Spike," Daniel said as he shook his claw. "So you knew about Humans, and actually thought that we were real like Meadow Song and Lyra did?" He asked him, a bit surprised.

Spike nodded. "A bit. I mean, with Twilight being such a huge bookworm, the odd book or two of having an old legend was going to pop up eventually. Old tales and legends about Humans were mentioned a few times, so I guess there was some chance that Humans existed." Spike said as he recalled the old tales.

"Ok, so I'm surprised too that you're a real Dragon," Daniel said amazed that this was an actual Dragon talking and sitting next to him. "So are there any other Dragons in Equestria?" He asked, very curious if there were more of his kind in this magical world.

"Well, there are other Dragons in this world, however, I am the only one in Equestria," Spike explained to Daniel. "See, I was found as an egg by Princess Celestia, and she gave me to Twilight after I was hatched by her when she was a student back in Canterlot. I was adopted and raised by Twilight, along with her parents Night Light and Twilight Velvet, and her older brother Shining Armor. They raised me like one of their own, so I never knew who my real mom and dad were. But it's ok. Anyway, there is the Dragon Lands. That's where the other Dragons are at, but they don't interact with the Ponies much and aren't very friendly. However, a few of them are nice, and do have some interactions with the Ponies."

"Thanks for telling me Spike, and I'm glad that you were adopted." Daniel told him.

Spike then smiled. "Thank you. You know, I'm glad you're nice Daniel."

Daniel chuckled a bit, "Same to you, Spike."

As Daniel and Spike continued to talk among each other, Crystal turned to Jubilee, who was sitting directly across from her. "Hey Jubilee, what is that mark on your flank?" She asked bluntly. "I mean, I have seen you, Night, and those other Ponies in Ponyville have those marks, but what are they?"

Jubilee paused for a moment, thinking of what to say. "Well Crystal, this is a Cutie-Mark. All Ponies have them, but we don't get them at birth; all Ponies have to earn them. We usually earn them around 8 to 13 years old, and our Cutie-Marks are earned when we discover our special talent or purpose in life. For example, since my Cutie-Mark is a pink flower with two raindrops, my special talent is with plants and nature. While say... Night Hunter's Cutie-Mark is of two silver swords, it could mean more than one thing. While swords, spears, and shield cutie marks are common among the Royal Guard, it could also mean that he could be keen on protecting those he cares about."

"Oh, ok. But why is Night's Cutie-Mark scarred?" She asked.

Jubilee Blossom's ears folded back a bit as she thought of something to say. Though before she could, Night Hunter suddenly spoke up. "Well Crystal, I was in the Everfree Forest," He began to explain, though he could see in her face that she didn't know what the Everfree Forest was. "It's that forest next to where you met Jubilee. Anyway, I was deep into the forest, trying to find something of value, and unfortunately, I ran into a Timberwolf. I was able to get away thankfully, however........" He looked down at his scar that went across his flank. "The bastard attacked me, and as you can see, it got me. But thankfully this was all that the thing was able to do to me. Once I got away from the Timberwolf, I came across this Zebra named Zecora. She saw me, and quickly brought into her little home to patch me up the best that she could, and thankfully she was able to fix me up with her herbs and her knowledge of healing. She was able to help, and the only thing that was left was this scar. I returned home while Zecora came with me so that she could explain to my wife what happened. Needless to say that Jubilee was really upset with the scar, but was happy that I was still alive." He then sighed as he finished explaining his scared cutie mark.

Crystal was looking at Night Hunter with wide eyes. Until that moment, she had no idea just how close he'd come to death the day he got that scar. "That's.......that's incredible Night Hunter. I'm glad that you got away from those things. However, what are Timberwolves?" She wondered.

Night Hunter sighed. "Well, Timberwolves do bear a resemblance to real wolves, however, their bodies are comprised entirely of enchanted twigs, sticks, logs, branches, and leaves. As for why they exist, who knows? The Everfree Forest is a place filled with many mysteries, and unfortunately, it ain't telling nopony of its secrets anytime soon."

Just then the conductor, In Time, came up to them. He had a pale coat with a black mane and tail, a black mustache that connected to his sideburns, and had a pocket watch Cutie-Mark. From the blue uniform that he was wearing, Crystal could tell he was the conductor of the train. The stallion was surprised at seeing Daniel and her, but unlike most other Ponies, he kept his composure, and kept calm as he said, "Tickets please everypony", Hiding his surprise pretty well. One by one, the 11 of them gave the conductor their train tickets. He didn't say a word when punching Daniel and Crystal's ticket, and after he punched all 11 of their tickets, he went of to punch the rest of the passenger's tickets.

After In Time left, Daniel turned to Twilight. "Well anyway, what's Canterlot like Twilight?" He asked. "I mean, Spike did say that you're originally from there. So can you please tell me more about it?"

"Sure thing! Let's see, Canterlot, as you already know is the capital of Equestria. It's were I originally lived at for most my life before moving to Ponyville about 2 years ago. Canterlot is about 75% Unicorns, 20% Pegasai, and 5% Earth-Ponies. Anyway, the city is built on the side of a tall mountain that overlooks Ponyville. In fact, it's visible from the outskirts of the town." Twilight explained. Daniel was surprised at hearing that as Twilight continued to explain about Canterlot. "The city features numerous ivory colored towers and buildings, along with many different places to see and visit. There's the Opera House, Cloud Stadium, the Canterlot Theater... Oh! There's Cinnamon Chai's Tea and Cake Shop, which I always went to with my family. And of course there's Canterlot Castle. That's where Princess Celestia and Luna live and rule from. It's a large castle that is quite beautiful. It's the most important place in the city, and that's not even all of the city!" Twilight finished.

Daniel was impressed. "Ok, and Spike said that unlike the others, the both of you are from Canterlot. What was it like growing up in the capital?"

Twilight thought for a second. "Well Daniel, I did like it there ever since I was born. I lived with my mother and father, Twilight Velvet and Night Light, along with my older brother Shining Armor. I attended Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns for many years, which I did excel in with my Magic. I quickly became Celestia's pupil, and was somepony who was obsessed with studying Magic. Throughout this time, I wasn't really interested in, or cared making friends. Until I went to Ponyville for the Summer Sun Celebration anyway."

Daniel raised an eyebrow. "And why did you have to go to Ponyville?".

"Because Celestia sent me there in order to look over the preparations for the Summer Sun Celebration." Twilight replied. "However, it was during this trip that I also met my best friends for the first time. Unfortunately though, when the Summer Summer Celebration happened, what I was so worried of the most came true."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, before I was sent to check on the preparations, I told Celestia that I was worried that on that day, Nightmare Moon would come back."

"And who's that?" Daniel asked, confused.

Twilight thought for a moment. "Princess Luna originally ruled Equestria with Celestia. However, as time went on, she started to grow bitter at the Ponies who were 'shunning' her night. Eventually, she turned into Nightmare Moon, and she vowed to bring on eternal night. When this happened, Celestia had no choice but to use the Elements of Harmony to banish Nightmare Moon to the moon, and she was there for 1000 years." Explained Twilight.

Daniel looked at her surprised at what she said. "What the- How old are you guys?!"

Twilight chuckled a bit a that. "I'm not immoral Daniel, or anything like that. I just turned 21 as of last month. And I'm not going to be living that long either. Alicorns have an average lifespan of roughly 340-365 years give or take. In fact, the longest living Alicorn died about 20 years ago at the age of 402."

Daniel was surprised that Alicorns could live that long. However, that didn't answer one question. "Then why has Celestia been alive for over 1000 years?"

Twilight sighed a bit as she began to explain that. "After Luna's.......or rather Nightmare Moon's banishment, she felt like she failed, and needed to correct her mistake so that the Ponies of the future wouldn't have to. This was done by using a very powerful age-slowing spell; one that only she and one other knew about, and would be broken when Luna returned. Only she and Luna knew the spell, and Celestia destroyed it after using it on herself, so whatever was on that spell has long since been lost forever to Time."

"Ok, thanks for the explanation... I guess." As Daniel said this he turned to the window, he spotted something outside. There was a large building that had tracks leading towards it. Twilight could tell that Daniel was interested in whatever that building was.

"That's the Canterlot Roundhouse. It's about a mile away from the Canterlot train station." As soon as she said that, the train's whistle blew as it started puffing into the station, "Ah, we're here guys!" Twilight said with the excitement clear in her voice.

Daniel opened the train car's window to see what the train station looked like. Only one word came through his mind; big. The station was a huge area, and it had 22 tracks that went into it, along with 18 platforms. There were steam engines of different types and wheel configurations coming and going from the big station's many platforms. Unsurprisingly, this had lots of different Ponies bustling throughout the large place. Daniel then closed the window back up, and joined the other passengers to get off the train.

After getting off the train, Daniel, Crystal, and the others made their way out of the train station. Of course, there were unfortunately many Ponies looking at them as if they were something dark and evil, even though they were not.

"You know Daniel and Crystal, even though I've been here so many times since I was a little filly, I always get excited being here. Do you ever feel something like that?" She asked them in an attempt to know a bit more about them.

"Well, if I had to say yes, then it would be the Arialville fields, especially during sunset," Daniel said as he recalled the many different times he went to see the sunsets there.

"Yeah I agree, that was always fun to visit."

As Crystal said that Daniel thought about the Roundhouse. "Yeah um... Twilight, can I ask you something? Is it possible that you can take me and Crystal over to see the Roundhouse? I mean, there aren't any railroads where we're from. I always wanted to see what one looks like in person, so can we please?"

Twilight looked up towards the large clock that was sitting proudly above the station. It read 11:30am. "Sure, I don't see why not, as long as we come with you, and as long as you don't do something stupid then we should be ok. There's a trail that leads straight there, so if we follow it then we should get there with no problems."

Daniel smiled at that. "Thanks a lot Twilight. I'm really excited to see what steam locomotives are there for us to see." With that, the group of 11 made their way towards the Canterlot Roundhouse.

The inside of the Canterlot Train Station was huge, was painted a creamy white, and was beautiful in its architecture with the Equestrian Flag hanging proudly in the main area. The group had left the terminal, and were making their way towards the station exit. Along the way, many Ponies did a double-take at the two Humans. Most were shocked, some tried to walk away quickly, and a handful of them actually looked at them with curiosity. There were also others that just didn't pay them any mind.

After a bit, the group made it out of the train station, and were soon standing on the streets of Canterlot. Imagine Daniel and Crystal's surprise when they were out in the open, and seeing the capital for the first time. It looked exactly like Twilight said it would, however, seeing it up close and in person, their eyes widened. The buildings were an ivory color with gold lining, and the city was filled with many different Ponies. Some even walked around in clothing, something that was very different from the scenes of Ponyville. After they took in the sights, Twilight showed them the way towards where the trail was; a dirt road that was surrounded by a wooded area with vibrant colors of green grass. As they got closer to the roundhouse, the wooded area became thinner and thinner. Eventually, the woods gave way to their destination. The small group had reached the Canterlot Roundhouse.

Canterlot Roundhouse was a large place. The building itself was large in size, red brick in color with a black roof, and of course there was a turntable and a set of tracks that led out of the roundhouse.

"Ok you two, here it is, the Canterlot Roundhouse!” Twilight waved a hoof to the easily impressed Humans. “Now remember, stay near me and the others, and don't do something stupid, alright? Do that and we should be fine." With that, the group of 11 made their way down to the roundhouse.

Daniel and Crystal were in awe at the massive steam locomotives that were there. There were locomotives that the two of them could only dream about seeing back on Earth; from an SP-GS-4, to an American Type 4-4-0, and all those in between, they probably had it. Twilight could tell that Daniel and Crystal were enjoying seeing all these engines. However, there was one locomotive that caught their attention. The engine was outside on a siding near the roundhouse. It was a large, black 4-8-8-4 steam engine, with the number 4014 painted in white on the sides of its cab. Daniel and Crystal both knew exactly what kind of engine this one was.

"I can't believe it! You guys have an actual working Big Boy locomotive!" Daniel exclaimed loudly.

Suddenly, Daniel could see a Pony walking towards him. He was a large and muscular Pegasus stallion with a gray coat, thin gray fetlocks, a jet-black mane and tail, deep blue eyes, and a Cutie-Mark of two crossed wrenches. However, the thing that got their attention was the red maroon scar across his left eye that honestly looked liked it had stopped bleeding moments ago. This intimidatingly large stallion then approached them.

"Hello, mind if I asked what exactly you are?" He said in a deep, yet youthful voice, being that this stallion appeared to be around in his early or mid-twenties.

"Um... my name is Daniel, Sir." Daniel then pointed to where Crystal was standing at. "And that's Crystal. We're both Humans if that's what you’re wondering what we actually are." He said, sighing a bit at that last part.

"Huh. Well then Daniel, the name’s Ash." He then looked over at Crystal. “And hello to you as well, Miss Crystal.”

Daniel and Crystal were somewhat taken aback at how Ash was reacting to that fact compared to most other Ponies. "How come you’re not acting like we're some sort monsters?" Daniel asked.

Ash's eyes widened and his eyebrow arched when he heard that. "Why would I think that? You both seem nice, and hardly dangerous." Ash then pointed towards the other six mares. "Plus, you're with them. So it doesn't take much of a genius to know that if you were not friendly, then you wouldn't be standing here right now!“

“Okay… Anyway, as I said, my name is Daniel, and this is my childhood friend, Crystal.“

“Ah, it’s nice to meet both of you. I always enjoy seeing anypony who’s interested in the railroad. It’s been a passion of mine since I was a young colt, and I love to talk about it to those that’ll lend an ear.”

Daniel then looked back at 4014. “Do you know this Big Boy right here? 4014?”

Ash nodded. “Yep, I do indeed! I know her better than most. I do get to drive her five or six days a week after all!”

“Wait, you’re the engineer?”

Ash smiled proudly. “I am indeed! I’m her engineer, and my good buddies Smut and Kits are her firepony and brakepony respectively. And I would invite you to meet them, however, today’s their day off, as well as mine.”

Crystal then gave Ash a curious look. “Well, then why are you here if it’s your day off?”

“Oh, I’m just here making sure the maintenance of 4014 goes smoothly. The 4014 is my baby after all, and I want to make sure she keeps on going on for as long as she possibly can.”

“That's good Ash. unfortunately, our 4014 hasn’t moved in a few decades. I think it’s in a railroad museum in California now.“

Ash looked at Daniel, confused at that. “And why is that?“

“Because 4014 and the other Big Boys are no longer needed. In our world, steam is no longer used like this anymore. They stopped using mainline steam since our grandparents were around our age, way back in the late 1950's-early 1960's."

Ash's eyes widened as he heard that. "Well damn... that’s definitely a shock for me to hear that. But I'm glad that at least you got to see a working one today."

Crystal then wanted to ask him about his scar, but she wasn’t sure if it would be appropriate or not. However, in the end, it didn’t even matter as Ash noticed her staring at him.

“You curious about my scar, Miss Crystal?” He asked her suddenly. Crystal recoiled ever so much, fearing that she’d offended him. Instead, Ash merely smiled and laughed a bit. “Heh. It’s ok. Everypony I run into always stares at my scar! It’s put quite a few Ponies off, and frankly, I can’t really blame them for it. I keep getting asked constantly if I was in the Royal Guard, or the Navy, but no, this came from a railroad accident.”

“A railroad accident?”

Ash nodded, before touching his scar gently. “Yeah, and a real nasty one too. It happened in my first year as an engineer on the railroad. I’d started as a brakepony, and then worked my way up to firepony before finally reached my dream job of being an engineer. My engine at the time was a Friendship Express-Class 4-4-0 locomotive, number.......107 to be precise.”

Now Daniel was again interested in the story. “Friendship Express-Class 4-4-0 locomotives? I don’t think we’ve seen one of those yet.”

“And you won’t. They were all retired after my accident, and if you ask me, those pieces of shit never should have been built in the first place! There were only twenty of them; nineteen for regular service, and one a prototype. 100 was the prototype, and 101-120 were for regular service. But those things were so poorly designed, and their troubles could be summed up with boiler issues, faulty gauges, and pipes bursting without warning - really scary stuff, but I digress. Sorry, I tend to ramble a bit when I talk about this.”

“It’s ok,” Daniel told him. “I think that it’s interesting. Do any of these engines still exist?”

Ash sighed. “100, the prototype, 102, 107, 111, 113, and 118 are still around. 100 is on display at a technology museum in Canterlot, 102 is in a transportation museum in Manehattan, 113 works as a yard freight engine, with 111 acting as a spare parts engine for her (but if you ask me, it's most likely been scrapped at this point), and 118 is somewhere in Griffin Country. And lastly 107, the engine that nearly killed me, Celestia only knows where that one went. I don’t really know where that thing ended up. Hopefully melting in Tartarus for all I care.”

“But how did you get your scar?”

Ash rubbed his scar a bit again. “One morning, I was steaming up 107 for a passenger run. Unfortunately, one of the damned main pressure gauges was faulty. It kept fluctuating, and I hit at it with my hoof, trying to get it to stop. However, what I didn't know was that the pressure in the boiler was rising off the charts; that faulty gauge failed to detect it. A series of safety valves kept the backhead from exploding right then and there, but at the cost of rupturing the gauge, and sending it directly into my face at nearly 150lbs of steam pressure! The gauge ripped a good chunk of my face wide open, and then knocked me to the floor of 107’s cab. After this, the backhead did indeed explode, but because I was already on the cab floor, most of the steam missed me. Sure, I was still burned, and I blacked out before rescue crews got to me, but I was still alive. I woke up in the hospital in Canterlot a couple of days later. Of course, I did fully recover aside from the scar, and sure, while it still looks raw, red, and angry, and could possibly still bleed at any moment, it’s actually almost five years old now!”

Daniel and Crystal were shocked. “Wait, it’s almost five years old?!”

Ash nodded. “I know. So in a nutshell, after my recovery, I was selected to train with a Challenger-Class locomotive, before being given control of this Big Boy, though there are many Ponies that call these the Big Colts. Still, I do have to give it to Spitfire that I was able to pull through all of that.” Ash then paused a bit. He seemed to be thinking about something. “Come to think of it, where is she anyway?” Ash began to look around the general area that 4014 was in.

“Who’s Spitfire?” Crystal asked him.

“My amazing wife of four, soon to be five years now. She might be scary to some, but that mare loves me to death, and has always been there for me when I needed her most. But where is she anyway?” Ash then put a hoof up to his mouth. “Spitfire? Spitfire! Where’d you go?”

“Yeah Ashley?” A female voice finally answered from somewhere close by.

“Come on out! I got new friends I’d like ya to meet. They’re visitors from far away!”

“Coming!” Soon, from behind 4014, a Pegasus mare appeared. Once she was next to Ash, Daniel and Crystal saw that she was slightly smaller than Ash, and had yellow fur, golden eyes, a mane that resembled fire with a tail to match, and the Cutie-Mark of an orange flame. Her fiery mane was hanging down to her shoulders, and she leaned against her husband a bit.

“Hey Ashley.” She cooed, nuzzling Ash a bit.

Ash blushed a bit, but he did nuzzle his wife back. “Hey Spitsy. Where did you go?”

She sighed. “I had to go to the bathroom, again. But what kind of friends did you...” She looked up at the two Humans. “Huh. Now there’s something you don’t see every day.” Ash then chuckled a bit while his wife’s face brightened up. “Hello there! Name’s Spitfire!” She then held out her hoof, which both of them shook.

“I’m Daniel, and this here is Crystal. And it’s nice to meet you too, Spitfire.”

“Likewise.” She said as she flew in a circle around them.

Crystal then looked at Spitfire a bit closer, stopping her in mid-flight. “Wait a minute, you’re not Captain Spitfire of the Wonderbolts, are you?”

Spitfire nodded. “Yes, the very same, and proud of it!”

Crystal was surprised. “Wow! I heard so much about you from Rainbow Dash talking about the Wonderbolts on the train ride over here."

Spitfire laughed a bit. “Well, thanks for the recognition. Yeah, I’m the official leader for the team, which, I must say, you’re the first to not show shock or surprise that I’m a married mare to a stallion like Ash. Most others are shocked beyond belief when they find out!”

Crystal cocked her head a bit, but she couldn’t quite seem to get what Spitfire was hinting at. She then began to talk to Spitfire a bit more, while Daniel talked to Ash.

“So how did a guy like you manage to score a hottie like that?” Daniel asked Ash jokingly as they stood beside 4014.

Ash laughed a bit. “That’s the most common question I get aside from my scar. And the truth is, Spitfire and I were already a couple even before she was a Wonderbolt.”

“So what are they again?”

“The Wonderbolts? They’re the most famous aerobatic team in all of Equestria. My wife’s the captain of the team (well, more like a drill sergeant if I’m being honest!), and has been for a few years now. Though like I said before, I was already in love with her even before anypony knew her name outside of Cloudsdale High School. We met during Senior Year, and she was on the school’s gymnastics team. We’d been friends for a while, but at the end of high school, it became more than that. Spitfire told me that she was thinking about trying out for the Wonderbolts, and I encouraged her to go for it. I supported her throughout her endeavor, just as she supported me in my job on the railroad. Long story short, she got onto the team, and slowly rose up through the ranks. Eventually, a few years ago, Captain Storm Slicer, the previous Captain of the Wonderbolts retired, and Spitfire was hoofpicked by him to take his place.”

“So you were already an item even before she was famous?”

Ash nodded. “Yes, that’s the solid truth. You wouldn’t believe how many Ponies accuse me of being some sort of sleaze, or only wanting to be with Spitfire because she’s famous. They couldn’t be more wrong. I loved her dearly long before that! From high school until now, from friends, to best friends, to marefriend and coltfriend, to finances, until I was finally holding her hoof at the altar, to the present day, I’ve always loved Spitfire, and I always will.”

Daniel nodded in approval. He could see that Ash was very serious about what he’d said, and meant every word of it. “Love like that is pretty rare, Ash. I can tell by your face that you really do love Spitfire, and would do anything for her. That’s more than I can say for a lot of other couples I’ve seen while in school, and outside my school!”

Ash laughed a bit, though it was a bit of a nervous laugh. He knew all too well what Daniel was referring to, as he’d seen it all too many times himself. He then began to ask Daniel a bit more about Earth, and Humans in general, and Daniel willingly satisfied his curiosity.

Meanwhile, Crystal was talking to Spitfire on the other side of the engine.

“So how did a high-society celebrity like you wind up with a guy like Ash?” Crystal asked her jokingly.

Spitfire laughed too. “By falling in love with him before anypony outside of Cloudsdale High knew my name! You see, that’s what so many Ponies get wrong about us; Ash and I were already in a committed relationship by the time I was even a Wonderbolt Cadet. He supported me, all while I supported him back with his railroad work. I married that stallion I loved not too long after making Captain of the Wonderbolts, and that’s when all of the controversies began. So few knew that Ash had been by my side every step of the way since my induction into the Wonderbolts, and now that he was in the limelight too. Everypony just assumed that he was only in it for the fame - and my body. And although I can see why they would say that, they couldn’t be more wrong.”

Crystal nodded. “I can imagine. Though Ash gives the impression that he’s trying to stay out of the limelight, and just try to make a living.”

“And you’d be right. Ash hides away from the cameras. I work hard to protect him, and the rest of my family from the Paparazzi.”

“The rest of your family?” Crystal asked.

“Uh-huh. My Mom, and of course our two daughters......Ouph!” Spitfire then reached back a hoof and rubbed her belly a bit. “Not to mention our latest family addition on the way right here!”

For the first time, Crystal realized that Spitfire not only had a family, but was also pregnant! “You’re y… you’re pregnant?”

Spitfire nodded. “Yes, and I’m about three months along now. The kicking isn’t too bad yet, but it does start up sometimes. So far, Ash and I have two daughters, Blazie and Skyler, and just last week Ashley and I learned that we’re having a son! We decided to name him Ice.”

“Really? And how old are your daughters?"

"Blazie is four, almost about to be five, while Skyler has just turned three years old."

"Ah, so where are your kids right now Spitfire?”

“They’re with their Grandma; my Mom, Stormy Flare. She’s watching them at our house in Cloudsdale while Ash brought me out here to show me 4014 up close. He was only able to do this because 4014 was down for maintenance in the roundhouse, and my Mom agreed to watch the kids.”

“Wow. I’ll bet that your kids are really proud of their Mom, and their Dad!”

Spitfire nodded. “Oh, they are. Skyler seems to be interested in the Wonderbolts like me, while Blazie's interest seems to be with trains like her Dad. Ash and I love them dearly, and they love us back just as much.”

“Well, I’m happy for you.” Crystal then went on to answer some of the questions that Spitfire had about Earth.

About six minutes later though, Twilight called out, "Ok you two! It's time to head to the castle to meet the Princesses!" She said loudly.

Daniel sighed. "Well Ash, unfortunately, it's time for the 11 of us to head off again towards Canterlot Castle."

"Ah, well I'm glad that I had the chance to meet two genuine Humans like yourself and Crystal Daniel, and I would definitely not mind seeing the two of you again. We live up in Cloudsdale of you want to visit us."

Daniel smiled. "Sure, I would love to visit you guys, and I'm definitely sure Crystal would love to as well."

"Thanks, Daniel." Ash then raised his front hoof, and Daniel shook it instantly. Then the two of them then made their way to the other Ponies.

"Aww, looks like me and the others had to leave, but it was nice talking to you Spitfire." Crystal said as she and Spitfire made their way to the others.

"Yeah, you as well Girl. You know I wouldn’t mind if you and Daniel came over to our house. Me, Ash, and our daughters live up in Cloudsdale. You should really come over when you get the chance, as I know for sure that both Blazie and Skyler would love both you and Daniel."

"Mmm. I'll ask him, and see what he will think of it, though I'm pretty sure that he will happy to come up to Cloudsdale with me to see you guys."

Spitfire smiled at that. "That's nice Crystal."

Soon all four of them meet up with the rest of the group. They said their last words to both Ash and Spitfire before the group of eleven were off again to the Canterlot Castle.

"They seem nice," Ash said to his wife as they waved goodbye to the two Humans. "I hope the whole meeting with the Princesses goes well."

"Yeah, I hope so too Babe." Spitfire agreed. "Anyway, what was the thing that you wanted to show me before I had to go to the bathroom?"

"Oh yeah, I almost forgot about it while we were talking to the Humans. It's right over here." Ash led Spitfire back over to the Big Boy.

The two Humans, eight Ponies, and one Dragon were racing quickly towards the Castle. Of course, there were many ponies who looked at them in disgust as the ran by, except for two Unicorns; one male with white fur and a and blue mane and tail, and the female with white fur, and a pink mane and tail who look at them with curiosity as the two Humans dashed by. As far as both Daniel and Crystal could see, the City of Canterlot was beautiful, having many beautiful buildings and homes, although most, if not all were painted in a warm white-cream color. Most of the ponies that Daniel and Crystal saw wore clothing (more than compared to the ponies in Ponyville anyway), as they raced past them.

Soon enough, all of them had arrived at Canterlot Castle. The castle itself could only be described as beautiful and huge. It was a huge white ivory castle with colors of golden yellow and violet purple. It also had four big towers, with one of them appearing to actually be an observatory of some kind. Whatever it was, it seemed to make the castle even more magnificent to the Humans. Then the 11 could see somepony standing at attention in the middle of a drawbridge; a Pony that was a Unicorn stallion. He had an aqua-color coat, with a red mane and tail, and had blue eyes with a small scar near his right one. He also had on shining golden armor. The 11 of them decided to approach him.

"Hello Sir," Twilight said to the guard. The guard then looked at her before giving her the Royal Guard salute.

"Princess Twilight. I was expecting you and the ones known as Daniel and Crystal.”

"That would be us, Sir," Daniel said as he raised his hand, showing who he was.

"My name is Aqua Tail, and I was assigned to escort you and Crystal over to both Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. So if you would, please follow me." He said, his expression remaining unchanged as he guided the group towards the throne room. The two Humans said nothing as they followed along with the others.

The walk there was interesting for the Humans. The insides of the castle were definitely a magnificent sight to look at; a place that would be fitting for a ruler. As they followed Aqua Tail through the castle, the two Humans saw more Guard Ponies. Most of them were stallions, though there were a handful of mares here and there. They all had on the same golden armor with some sort of variants between stallions and mares. Daniel noticed that most of these guards had scars of some kind. It made him think for a moment on just what things these guards had to do to receive those types of scars.

The group followed the Unicorn Guard until they reached a large light purplish colored door. Aqua then turned around to Daniel and Crystal. "Ok you two, behind this door is the throne room. Hope you're ready to meet our Princesses." He said as he opened the doors to the room.

The Throne Room was a grand sight to look at. The thing about it that interested the Humans the most was the glass murals that were incorporated into the walls. The strange thing to them was that Twilight and her friends were in basically all of them. But at the end of the enormous room was what looked to be the Pony version of 2 thrones, there were also somepony that was sitting on said thrones.

The two Ponies were mares. They were both taller than any other Ponies that the Humans had meet beforehand, as they about the size of horses. Both were Alicorns like Twilight, and while one had white fur, a tri-colored mane, and a matching tail, and had what appeared to be the sun for a Cutie-Mark, the other one was was slightly smaller, though also an Alicorn. She had a dark blue coat, with a waving mane and tail that was different colors of blue, but sparkled like the night sky, and her Cutie-Mark was of the crescent moon. The two Alicorn mares had on a look of wonder as their eyes landed on the two Humans.

The white mare spoke first. "I presume that you must be the ‘Daniel’ and ‘Crystal’ that Twilight has spoken of." She then looked towards the guard. "Thank you for escorting them here Aqua Tail. You may return to your post."

The guard saluted her, and trotted off back to his post. After Aqua had left, the mare who had spoken then turned to the two Humans.

"Allow us to properly introduce ourselves. My name is Princess Celestia, and to oversimplify the many titles I have, I'm the ruler and protector of this land."

"And I'm Princess Luna. I'm also the ruler of this golden land, among other things."

"I do hope that your time here so far wasn't too bad I hope?" Celestia asked them warmly, with real genuine concern inside her words.

"Eh, well most Ponies view us like we're evil or something.” Crystal answered. “I mean, I can't really blame them if I'm being honest."

Celestia's smile lessened a bit as she heard this. "Oh my. Well, I'm sorry to hear that. I hope that it wasn't too bad."

"Well,” Daniel said slowly, “I see that they’re worried that we might be some bad guys, and I understand that to a degree. That, and there’s a war going on that I heard about."

"Ah yes.... that." She sighed as she carefully thought of what to say next. "I’m afraid that your timing is not good. About a week before the two of you arrived here, a country known as Mort declared war on us. At first, I and my citizens thought that this was a joke, or maybe something else entirely, however, we were wrong, and soon discovered that this nation, and its queen, Queen Shadow Depth, really did want to wage war on us, and they soon attacked."

"And what did they do?" Crystal asked in dread.

"They boomed a ship of ours by using explosive Magic,” Luna answered sadly, shaking her head. “Without so much as a warning or cause to provoke, they blew up the Equestrian naval ship ENS Storm. Too many stallions and mares lost their lives on that unfortunate day."

The Humans's eyes widened as they heard this. "W-what? That's insane! I mean, war by itself is insane, but an unprovoked attack like that?!" They said unison and shocked.

"I agree, but do not worry my friends,” Luna said in a voice growing in confidence that echoed throughout the room. “We are a strong country that is not easy to knock out and be taken over! Equestria is a strong nation, and we'll die if that means protecting it!"

"Wow, that's intense. But changing the topic, I do have a question. Are there other Alicorns that exist, or is it just you three?" Daniel asked, the question being on his mind since the train ride over here.

"One may think that we’re all there is,” Celestia explained to him, “However we're far from that. In Equestria, there is also Princess Cadence and her two foals, a filly named Flurry Heart, and her newborn colt, Royal Blade. They are both Alicorns. Plus, contrary to popular belief, there are others that live in different parts of the world. There are even Thestrals if you want to add them into the list now that I think of it. So Daniel, the answer that, while there aren’t many of us around, no, we are not the only Alicorns in this world."

"Ah... ok. Thank you, Princess Celestia."

"It's not any trouble at all Daniel. Although I do have a question for both of you.” Luna then inquired. “Would you please explain about the place that you both come from?"

"Sure, but where do we start?”

“Simple, you begin at the beginning, go on until you get to the end, and then stop.”

“Well… I guess we can start with the beginning." The two Humans then began to tell them as much as they could about their home back on Earth. The explanation when smoothly for the most part, with the occasional question asked by one of the Princesses. Once they were done talking about Earth, they then shifted to talking about their time in Equestria. The two Princesses were surprised, and had a keen interest at what they were told. "...........And then we all came here." Crystal said, finishing her story.

"So it seems like, for the most part, you guys had a good life back in Montana?" Asked Celestia.

"Yes, we did, and even more so now than I think about it. I guess it’s rather depressing now that I think it’s unlikely that we won't ever be able to return home. I wonder if I'll see Dad and my older sister Violet up in Heaven if we’re not on Earth?" Daniel pondered as he thought about it.

Luna looked at him, understanding what he was going through at this moment. "I can empathize a bit of where you're coming from, young Daniel. Our parents, Thunder Slicer and Moon Magnolia, died during my time on the moon. I was destroyed by this when I found out. I wasn't able to spend the last few years of their lives with them because of my selfishness and hatred towards my older sister. While I might not be able to fully understand what you're feeling, remember that you do have someone that you can talk to about this."

"Um, thanks Luna, I guess. However, I do have another question that has been on my mind since the train ride. How are you both over a thousand years old? Twilight said that it was because of some sort of spell. Is that true?"

"Yes, it was,” Celestia answered. “It is the reason why we’re still here today.”

"Ok, but why are there not more creatures that are as old as the both of you?"

Celestia sighed. "After I had used it on myself, I made the choice to destroy the spell, and then asked my guards to discard the ashes out the sea. The reason why is simple; so nopony else can go through what I and Luna had to go through. Most would think that living for over a thousand years would be glamorous and grand, however, the truth is that it isn't. All those that I made friends with have long since passed away. They’re all gone; every single Pony that I considered a friend over those thousand years are now dead. I will not lie in saying that it was easy. There were times that I just didn't want to watch those I cared for to die; another Pony that I built a friendship with. Having Death taking each one of them was really hard to go through every time. However, I reminded myself that I needed to stay strong, because the citizens needed me, and Luna would as well when she returned from the moon."

"Wow... that's impressive. I'm surprised that you both didn't go crazy from something like that. Lord knows how others would act in your situation."

"I can only imagine, my friend," Luna replied. "Oh and if you are wondering, yes I-er... Nightmare Moon cast the spell too, and it thankfully wore off after my return."

"So wait. Princess Celestia, I have a question for you.” Crystal inquired. “The steam engines, how come everysteam engine that I've seen in this world looks exactly like the ones in our world?"

"I have also been kinda curious about that too since this Crystal told me about that." Added Jubilee.

"Yeah, same." Night Hunter also added.

"Well," Celestia pondered, "Back in 1830, a guardspony by the name Iron Ore came into the Throne Room running like a crashing lightning bolt. He showed me blueprints of something that I'd never seen before, and told me that he had found the blueprints when he was on patrol. The blueprints were of something called a 'Tom Thumb', and showed what appeared to be some sort of rectangular machine on 4 wheels with what looked like another kind of device with a chimney situated in the middle of it all. After a few days, I decided to have the machine built to see what exactly it would be capable of, so I had a good friend of mine in Canterlot build the machine, while I also had some blacksmiths to make the tracks for the machine, as well as a few pieces of rolling stock for the engine to pull. Soon, in about a month, a mile long track was laid on the outskirts of Canterlot. On that day, the first steam locomotive in all the world was fired up for the very first time. After that little 'Tom Thumb' proved that steam engines could be successful for the future, we soon started making more engines, track, and rolling stock."

"Wow, that's very impressive." Said the group.

"After about twenty-five years, the Steam Age truly took off when we discovered another one of those blueprints. This time it was for a machine called a 'General 4-4-0 Tender Locomotive'. After popping out many of those engines, we soon began to improve the machine that we named as the steam locomotive. Over many years, they became faster, bigger, and stronger. Soon other places around the globe began to build steam engines as well. Although the first country to build their own locomotives was the Union Empire. In 1840, after one of their imbasters seeing the potential of steam in Equestria, she quickly when back to the Union Empire. Once she had gotten the approval of then Queen Regal. They when to work making their first locomotives being the Coalbrookdale locomotive, completed not long after."

"Now that’s impressive,” The two Humans said in total unison. Daniel then added, “It seems like what you found were blueprint designs that might have actually come from our world!"

"That's definitely a possibility.” Luna nodded in thought. “Even though I and Celestia are over a thousand years old, there are still many strange things of this world that we do not know of."

"Yes, that is true Luna." Celestia then looked up the large clock that laid atop the front doors. "Oh sorry my friends, but I'm afraid that Luna and I have to go to a meeting with Captain Shining Armor about the status of the war. If you need me, then all you need is to send a letter, and I will try to make room in the schedule for the both of you."

"Well thank you Princess Celestia and Luna, and I hope to see you around." Daniel said as he and the other then made their way back to the train station.

The walk back to the bustling train station was uneventful. Both Daniel and Crystal decided to ignore the stares and talking of the Canterlot Ponies. Soon they began to talk about their talk with the Princesses.

"So Daniel, Crystal, what do you think of the Princesses?" Twilight asked them curiously.

"Well, I do think that they seem nice." Daniel replied as he looked up to the afternoon sky. "I'm glad that they like us."

"Of course they would. Princess Celestia and Luna are some of the nicest Ponies around." Said Fluttershy.

"They care about all there citizens, and would care for you too Darlings." Added Rarity.

"They would never throw you guys out to the curb." Proclaimed Rainbow Dash.

"Yeah, that is nice, although I do wonder what Princess Cadence is like." Crystal said as she placed her hands behind her neck.

"Oh she's a mighty kind mare, Y'all know that she's actually married to Twilight's older brother Shining Armor?" Applejack asked.

Daniel and Crystal Immediately looked to Twilight with amazement on their faces.

"Yes, it’s true.” Twilight replied smiling. “They have been together for over eighteen months now, and are still going strong. And as Celestia said, my brother and Cadence have two foals, both natural-born Alicorns named Flurry Heart and Royal Blade."

"We know.” Crystal told her, “Still, good for them. I do wish that we can see them one day."

"Yeah I can understand that, and she is Celestia's adopted niece." Informed Twilight.

"Wait, what? Does Celestia have another sibling?" Crystal asked Twilight puzzled at what she said.

Twilight blinked for a second, confused at her question before realizing what she was asking about. "No no, I think you misunderstood." She explained. "Celestia adopted her as her niece; she has no other siblings than Luna." She clarified.

"Huh. That's definitely an interesting choice to call someone that you've adopted."

"I never really thought at that. But anyway, I definitely know that Shining and Credence will definitely love to see you whenever they get the chance."

"Yeah, that is nice." Said Daniel, "However, as of now, let's hurry back to the train station before we miss our ride back to Ponyville." He said as they all begun to race back towards the Canterlot Train Station.

Author's Note

Ok you guys I do hope that you all enjoyed this chapter. This chapter was co-written by my great friend ScarFox9700. I would also like to thank him for letting me use his oc Ash for this story, and taking his time to proofread this whole story for me.

Thanks again dude for helping me with this story, you been a big help with this.