Twilight's Red Velvet

4

Twilight Sparkle tapped her hooves against the cold, wood bench that allowed her a seat. She wouldn’t be waiting long, but she had come prepared with an assortment of items to entertain her throughout the day. Tucked safely in an easily accessible compartment of her bag, Twilight stashed a tiny, blank notepad. Hidden further into the bag, she’d find a book on Canterlot Royal Tradition, something she’d been reading as of late, as well as her aforementioned book on business. Her satchel was lightly packed, as clothing wasn’t too much of an issue; she wouldn't be gone longer than a weekend. No more than a few quills, papers, a toothbrush, a hairpin, a couple red ribbons in case she lost or forgot another one, and at least thirty bits in coin, just in case the road called for it. And of course, she had her ticket, a token of her commitment to the whole ordeal. It was a small price to pay, but she understood the costs and paid them willingly. Twilight checked the ticket, then turned to the clock to compare the time. It would be another fifteen minutes before the train even arrived at the station. It wasn’t a connecting route either; this train came from Ponyville. Twilight spotted a stallion across from her pulling a pocket watch from his own satchel; he seemed just as aggravated as she was.

“No worries,” she thought, pulling out the first book on tradition from her bag, “I’m sure there’s a ton of good information in here. Plenty to pass the time.”

Twilight flipped through the pages, finding her place in a few seconds time. She began reading. Then, she began lowering the book to stare at the tracks. Eventually, she dropped the book entirely and packed it away in her bags. There was too much to think about, she concluded, pulling out a quill and pad from her bag.

“Let’s try to go over the plan,” she wrote down the day’s schedule carefully, “We’ll meet at the restaurant, eat dinner, catch up. . . then, tomorrow, we’ll probably go shopping; I have a good a mount of bits set aside for that,” Twilight patted the left saddlebag, “After that, it’s more likely we’ll go to the house, but if things go wrong during either the dinner or the house, I discovered there’s a hotel down the road from the restaurant to stay until my ticket out of there. Lucky me, the diner Rarity recommended is a mere ten minutes from the station. It should be no problem. If things do go well, I’ll probably stay at my parents’ house for the remainder of the trip, perhaps go see some old places I haven’t in a while, then go home. It’s easy.”

The train arrived on time with a vast number of ponies waiting for their spot on board. There wasn’t much pushing or shoving, a good thing to account for, though there was still a little trouble getting on board. As Twilight entered her coach, a mare and her filly dropped a piece of luggage, scattering its contents all over the floor of the train. Ponies groaned as they attempted to step over the young foal and their belongings.

“Here, need some help?” Twilight approached the two, lifting the bag and the majority of the contents, packing it neatly.

“Oh, thank you so much!” The mother bowed her head, taking her seat by a nearby window.

“No need to thank me! I know how crowded these trains can get.”

“Say, would you like to sit with us?” The mare offered, scooting her son closer to make room.

“I don’t want to be too much trouble, miss.”

“Oh, no trouble at all! It’s the least we could do.”

“Thank you so much!” Twilight took her seat across from the mare, leaving her son enough room to stretch his hooves.

Once everypony had gathered their things, packing them neatly in the compartments above the seats, the journey began. The sun was resting upon the horizon, lighting the horizon ablaze; a wonderful sight to behold.

“What takes you to Canterlot?” The mare watched as the princess pushed her bag underneath her seat.

“Hmm?” Twilight hadn’t noticed the mother’s gaze until just then, “Oh! Sorry, I thought you were talking to somepony else.”

“No, no,” she laughed, “are you going to that Ball? I imagine a fine young mare such as yourself gets asked on dates all the time.”

“What?!” Twilight gasped, taken aback the by the notion. To be honest, Twilight hadn’t been asked on a date since her second year of Magic School, and even then, it didn’t even go through, “Sorry, no, I haven’t been asked in a long time.”

“Oh? Is that so?” The passenger took another look at the princess. Spotting a faint blush, she refrained from asking any other bold questions. Twilight stared out to the horizon, trying to clear her mind from the sudden assertion. For now, she’d have to get used to such questions, especially now that she was a princess.

“So, where are you from?” Twilight broke gaze from the window, making eye contact with the mare, “I don’t think I’ve seen you around Ponyville.”

“We’re from Vanhoover,” the young mother brushed a hoof through her boy’s mane, “I’m here on account of business. My name’s Fairsworth, Cherry Fairsworth.”

“Wow, it’s nice to meet you . . . Miss Fairsworth?”

She looked down at her child for a moment before answering.

“Yes, it’s Miss Fairsworth. Have you been to Vanhoover?”

“No, I can’t say I have,” Twilight directed her full attention to the pair of ponies. She’d been just about everywhere in Equestria, save for a few spots on the map. From what she’d read, Vanhoover was a great city off the western coast of Equestria; a nice place to live and with buildings as tall as the sky. Unfortunately, crime was an issue. As she remembered, Celestia had offered her services, but the city insisted on governing itself, making the district almost independent from the rest of the land. It was a scary thought to live in Vanhoover, but the idea of being immersed in an entirely new culture fascinated the princess.

“What’s it like?” She beamed, “In Vanhoover, that is.”

It had been so long since she’d read any material on Equestria’s “Private City”, if it weren’t on the map, she would’ve forgotten about it. Regardless, she was deeply intrigued. Miss Fairsworth, however, seemed less than enthusiastic to entertain the thought.

“It’s . . . alright,” she sighed, “but it’s home, you know? I’ve lived there my whole life.”

Twilight didn’t back down; unsatisfied with the answer, she kept up her stare.

“Well, it’s a big city, but the ponies are nice. Not nice like they are here, but they’re nice every once in a while. Businesses are really good, you could say, but there’s been a lot of trouble with city management lately.”

The pony shuffled her hooves, keeping an eye out the window rather than keeping contact, “Vanhoover’s like a competition. Unlike here, everypony fights to be noticed; it’s all about attention. Here, ponies mind their own business and work to live happily. In Vanhoover, ponies work to excel, no matter the cost . . .” She trailed off.

Twilight thought about it for a moment; it was an interesting philosophy that she’d never heard of before. What she was saying was true: the ponies here, in fact, did work to live happily. There wasn’t a need to be the center of attention; ponies had each other and that was enough.

“You mentioned management problems, what’s up with that?” Twilight scratched her mane, utterly confused with how a city could fall into such a shape; it seemed to abandon everything she’d learnt to that point.

“Oh, I don’t keep up with that. For what I know, the ponies of that kin are debating if they should go with a mayor or a king. It’s insane what they’re doing over there. That’s why I’m glad to be over here. It’s nice to see humble ponies for a change. Even Manehattan isn’t that rambunctious. It’s a race to own the world, I tell you.”

Twilight kept her thoughts to herself at that point. Though she swore to visit the town to see what was happening and to find a solution, she wanted to prevent herself from burning through the second notepad in a week. Canterlot was arriving quickly and the train’s company would be at their destination in a short while; she thought it’d be best to keep further questions to herself. However, she couldn’t help wondering what the mare’s story was and why she’d come to Canterlot. She could always just ask her, but she felt she’d asked enough questions for the evening. If she was lucky, perhaps she’d see them on the way back to Ponyville. An unlikely sequence of events, but it was still possible. Twilight leaned back in her booth, happy to have been able to take her mother off her mind for a good hour. But for the remainder of the journey to Canterlot, she couldn’t help but wonder what they’d talk about over dinner. The lack of royal duties meant she had little to show in terms of being a princess and to ask about the extended absence of her mother brought Twilight to cold hooves. She glanced toward Miss Fairsworth and her foal, setting an appointment to see one’s daughter was a strange phenomenon. Family simply showed up, regardless of occasion. Whether it be an inconvenience or not was up to the host, but usually seeing family was a pleasant surprise. As the thought struck her, Twilight grew curious on whether or not she should present a gift. Twilight checked her bag, neatly placed beside her, for anything she could give her mother as some kind of peace offering.

“Maybe I’m reading a little too much ‘Canterlot Royal Tradition’" Twilight shook her head, "I’m sure she’ll be fine without something for the road.”

When the train finally touched the platform, the race had officially begun. The alicorn checked the time: 7:34PM. If Twilight wished to make it on time, she'd have no choice other than to use her wings.

“Excuse me! Important appointment to go to!” Twilight announced, shoving her way past the crowd of ponies all simultaneously trying to make their way out of the tiny coach doors.

“Wait your turn!” A pony called from behind. Luckily, Twilight had already snuck her way past the line and had begun running down the platform. As she sprinted through the station, she pulled the red ribbon from her saddlebag and hastily tied a knot around her flowing mane. It’d form a nice bow if done correctly; Twilight gritted her teeth as the first touch of moonlight accompanied an evening gust.

“Time to fly!” She gasped, stretching her wingspan with all her might, trying to gain air, “I hope my things don’t fall mid-flight”

The weather was nice for a change. After the night of rain and the murky day after that, it was nice to have a cool, dry night to succeed it. Twilight gasped as she lost her balance, taking a dip and nearly landing in someone’s backyard fountain. She apologized, but nopony was there to hear the good word. Twilight’s head swung around as she flew, desperately looking for the location she mentioned. She only knew the general area of the restaurant; she had hoped it would’ve been easy to spot.

“Oh, Rarity, help me out here,” Twilight outstretched her hooves, hoping it would help gain balance as she flew. Rather, it exhausted her.

“Come on, where are you?”

Though she herself didn’t have a watch, a sinking feeling was enough to tell her she’d be late in a few seconds.

“Come on, come on. Royal Robin, where are you?” Twilight scanned the city, looking for any kind of signs that might point to the place. It was amazing exactly how many ponies still wandered the streets at night; most appeared to be fancy partygoers and even wore suits.

“That’s Canterlot for you,” Twilight stumbled as she lowered herself to the ground, “I’m in District Mane, now where are-”

“AHA!” She shouted from the heavens, taking a nose dive at one particular business establishment. It was a two-story facility with a fancy pillared entryway. Along the sides of the building was a similarly crafted balcony having several bunches of vines down the sides. Engraved along the front of the establishment were the words, “The Royal Robin”. Twilight shut her eyes as the wind blew in resistance; she didn’t care if she’d have to crash through the roof if it meant avoiding the guilt of showing up late. She already had enough on her plate as it were.

“Nnngh!” Twilight shrieked as she declined in altitude, finally opening her wings like a parachute at the last minute. Her hooves left skid marks across the concrete as the ear-piercing cries of “hoof-on-stone-at-100-miles-per-hour” resonated throughout the district. Twilight panted as she let herself into the restaurant, at last announcing.

“I’M HERE!”

Rarity happened to be right; the diner was a fancy place to eat. The floor was clothed with a fine red carpet. Tables donned clean white tablecloths and even waiters dressed with elegance. The service mares all wore a distinct dress with a shiny red color and the stallions wore black suits to match the theme. As such, guests were expected to wear the same kind of attire: gentlecolts were requested they wear suits and mares wore a high-time dress. Twilight’s eyes widened as she noticed that little detail; she wasn’t dressed for the part, a small miscalculation that she deemed could have serious consequence. Worst part about it all, everypony was now staring directly at her, taking note of her appearance and scoffing at the idea. Of course, it was hard to hide an alicorn, but the attention wasn’t requested at the moment.

“I-I . . .” Twilight gagged on her words as they came through. She tried to check her hair as the ponies of Canterlot looked her top to bottom. Each one of the guests wore a look of disgust to contrast their well-groomed outfits. The golden light that shone down from the marble ceiling only seemed to make the princess sweat more; it was like a big stage, but she was the one performing naked.

“There you are, Twilight. I was worried you wouldn’t make it.”

“Huh?”

Everything around her melted in an instant; for a moment, there were only two ponies that existed in that room. She approached wearing a flowing white top that draped like a toga. Her ears were decorated with beads of an open lake blue, matching her shimmering aqua eyes. Her gait was orderly, and complimented her dress. The mane she had was strangely familiar, but had been groomed to the point of reflection. Her tail was braided especially for the occasion, a rare practice to impress the rarest of hearts.

“Are you talking to me?” The violet mare took a step back, suddenly feeling more bare than before. Though she was naturally older, this mare looked as though she was no more than a week older than Twilight. Her skin was perfectly rounded; her shape undeniably flawless. The way the light fell upon her shaded her figure with a soft, glamour-like glow; and just like that, everything in the room managed to flee as she stepped forth.

“Hmhm, I think I know my own daughter.”

Her voice was smooth, her smile smoother. She sounded mature, deep and lustrous; but hidden beneath a thousand layers of charm, was the act of innermost mischief. She had the presence of desire and Twilight could feel it.

“I’m so happy to finally see you again, Twilight,” She spoke softly, pulling close to her daughter, “how long has it been?”

She was warm and every touch only burned hotter as the two were together.

“T-Too long, Mom,” Twilight stammered, her hoof held rather passionately. Save for the wings, the two looked like twins; a picture-perfect couple.

“Oh, nonsense,” the powdered mare nodded to the reservations desk, “I saw you at the coronation!”

“Y-You did?” Twilight blushed as the mare showed her to their table. As they walked, Twilight caught scent of her perfume. It was rosy and strong, something that could sweep a pony off her hooves. Twilight’s heart raced as she followed close behind.

“Of course! I wouldn’t miss that for the world,” She spoke a few words before waving off a waiter, insisting she spend time with her daughter, “I’m surprised you didn’t see me.”

The two were seated at a small table, fitted with a clean white tablecloth. In the middle was an unlit candle and at her ready was a thirsting wine glass, one per pony. Twilight rubbed the back of her head, trying to suppress the guilt by looking even guiltier, “Sorry about that; i-it was a long week.”

Twilight tried to pass the subject; she had already made several noteworthy miscalculations since entering the restaurant. A waiter filled each glass with a ruby ale.

“So how’s Dad?” Twilight picked up her glass, taking note to the empty seat beside the shining mare. Her face fell down at the thought, she could tell, but she answered regardless.

“Your father hasn’t been around in a while; I suppose it’s complicated.”

“I-Is that why you wanted to see me?”

“What? Oh, no. Deary me, no. I wanted to see you for you. It’s been such a long time; I thought it’d be . . . healthy,” She chuckled, hiding behind a raised glass of her own, “Do you remember much of me?”

Twilight shook her head, a surprise to her guest.

“Oh, that’s a shame. I’m sorry to hear that,” She took a long pause to recover, “Now, how have you been? You’re still living in Ponyville, right?”

A second waiter came before Twilight could answer the question; the two agreed it’d be best to place their orders, otherwise they’d be waiting all night for a meal.

“I am; same place for quite a few years now,” Twilight neatly placed her glass beside her plate, “It’s nice there; I like it.”

“That’s great, sweetie! I still remember the day you left Canterlot for Ponyville. We were all so proud of you," She took the moment to smile, "Carving your own path, Twilight, that's so like you!"

Twilight blushed at her mother's praise, “What about you, Mom? What have you been up to?"

“Oh, Canterlot’s been about the same; sometimes it’s hard to catch up with how much goes on here,” She giggled to herself as a recollection of all the last year’s mishaps came to mind.

“How are things without Dad? That must be pretty hard for you. When did that happen?”

Twilight’s mother dropped her smirk; her expression melted into a state of longing, “Well, I can’t say it’s been easy, but it’s not too bad. I do miss him, but I’ve found satisfaction in the success of my children. I heard Shining Armor is living up north now; how is that working out? Have you visited him lately?”

“Yeah! I have, actually,” Twilight smiled, calmed by the thought of her brother, “He’s doing great; he’s a king now that he’s married!”

“That’s great!" She took another sip of wine, "I’m glad to hear you two are holding your own. How did the schooling go? I never got to ask.”

Twilight looked toward the ceiling for a moment, as though taking a second to recall, “It was good; I liked it. I’m very fond of studying. I even brought some books for the road. There’s always a time for learning.”

“Oh, you sound just like me when I was at the university.”

“Huh?” Twilight put a hoof on the table.

“Well, you know I made it to ‘Advanced Level’ Magical Academics, didn’t you?”

Twilight shook her head, unsure of what that even meant. For the longest time, Twilight thought university school was all one level, “No, actually, I didn’t. What is that?”

Taken by surprise, Twilight’s mother explained the differences, “Well, ‘Advanced Level’ is more of a scholarly study of magic. While most of the other levels are for basic function and advantage, the higher levels are for more prototype spells and pre-historic studies. It’s very interesting! I think you’d like it!”

Twilight stared into space; her mother laughed, “Well, you probably already knew way beyond what we were learning in the university. I’ve heard stories that Celestia’s School is actually all of that combined into one course. That’s rigorous! It must’ve been tough for you, Twilight, but you got through it like the champ you are!”

“Mom, how do you know so much about me?”

“Huh?”

The food arrived as soon as their silence began. Twilight’s mother ordered a steaming plate of spaghetti topped with basil and cherry tomatoes. Twilight, going for the more humble approach, settled for a bowl of soup. As soon as they touched the plates, the two mares began digging in. The soup was good, for the most part, but very salty. Twilight had never been a soup-expert, but she knew what she liked. Though her motives for learning were broadly applicable, they didn’t apply for foods she wasn’t familiar with. As Twilight downed the tenth spoonful, her mother cleared her throat, retiring her fork.

“So, Twilight, are you seeing anypony?”