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Kristal'naya imperiya

The sound of steel grinding against steel filled the air as the train Starlight had been riding came to a swift halt at the main station platform. The sound of rushing steam could be faintly heard coming from the locomotive ahead of them as ponies amassed by the doors. She shuffled with the crowd that was exiting the train, and hurriedly stepped off onto the massive concrete platform below her. Starlight looked around in wonderment, soon finding herself surrounded by beauty. The terminal was lit up in this late hour, like a hearth's warming tree. The enormous crystal walls which were supported by steel support beams towered over the platforms and railroad tracks. The massive building that now encompassed Starlight glistened idly as the light from the ceiling mounted fixtures shown down onto everything below. Starlight's eyes were flooded by the amazing sights and lights of the station, she had never seen this building before, and she figured it must have been built recently.

However she was cut off from this sightseeing. The sounds of crowded talking and hoof clops filled the air as passengers from other carriages disembarked on either side of her. Before she knew it, she was being forced to walk in a massive sea of crystal, and equestrian ponies. Starlight quickly felt completely overwhelmed, not only because of the size of the building, but because she was now drowning in ponies.

“Uh excuse me! Could I just move out of the way please?!” Starlight pleaded as she was shoved and bumped as they moved along the station platform. She tried to push her way out of it, to no avail. “Could I have some room please?!” She asked loudly again. Her cries went unanswered by the crowd.

This continued on for a few yards before Starlight became frustrated and fresh out of patience. She used her magic… and levitated herself up and over the jumbled mess of ponies, receiving some shocked looks from the ones that were right next to her in the crowd. She took a few deep breaths now free of the suffocation before letting out an exhausted groan. Starlight then lowered herself down, now free of the pony prison her eyes glaring at them as she watched them scurry along down the platform. Landing back on the concrete, she dusted herself down and straightened out her wool hickory colored heavy winter jacket, and caramel colored dress as her outfit had become quite ruffled from being in the mass of equines. Letting out one final huff of contemptment, she looked around again at the building, taking in the sights.

While the crowd directed themselves up a steel staircase, and headed up onto another level, Starlight slowly trotted along, her head in the sky as she watched the crystals dance and shine against one another. Though she never saw this building before, Starlight could tell that the place was a testament to Flurry Heart's love for crystalized beauty. She knew that Flurry Heart was the one that had this place built, or if it wasn’t her then it was Princess Cadance who had it built in her honor. It didn’t matter to Starlight at the moment, she was just happy the place was here. She was marvelling at it so much that she didn’t notice where she was going. Instead of heading towards the stairs like everypony else, she was headed towards the front of the train, towards the end of the platform.

Fortunately for her, she didn’t walk off the edge and land face down in the deep winter snow of the frozen north. Instead her attention was shattered when a massive blast of steam rocketed out of one of the steam engines valves as it sounded it’s whistle twice. The massive driving wheels of the locomotive suddenly jolted as the train lurched forward, the massive pistons wheezed and clanked loudly as the engine puffed. The train slowly pulled out of the station, gaining speed quickly as it did so. Starlight, not aware of her surroundings, was completely swallowed by steam, leaving her confused and blind for a moment. It didn’t burn or anything, but it was disorientating. She found herself quite turned around in the cloud, and by the time the engine had left, and the carriages behind it departed the platform, she was the other way around looking back into the station proper. Only this time, a new pony was standing in front of her.

Starlight shook her head and rubbed a hoof against her temple, she blinked a few times while regaining her bearings. Starlight then noticed a pair of pink legs in front of her, and she sensed a pair of eyes looking down at her. She looked up and found herself face to face with the mare she had come here to visit. Princess Flurry Heart smiled down at her, her long purple, pink, and sky blue hair banked to the side as her head tilted innocently.

“Getting turned around are we, Miss Glimmer?” Flurry Heart said in a joking manner. Starlights eyes and face lit up with glee. With an excited gasp, she immediately brought the princess into a hug, which she eagerly returned in full.

“Flurry Heart! It’s so great to see you again, it’s been forever!” Starlight squeed happily. This tone and attitude was mirrored by that of Flurry.

“I know right?! I feel like we haven’t seen each other since Twilight had you take over the school of friendship! Oh my gosh it’s so awesome to see you again!” She exclaimed with utter joy in her voice at having her close friend with her again.

“I know, I know! I thought I’d never have time to come up here again!” Starlight said as she pulled herself out of the hug, holding eye contact with her friend to really hammer home the fact that she was with her again. “Thank Celestia for fate, am I right?” Starlight laughed, and Flurry joined her.

“Yeah! Thank Celestia for fate, even if fate has a funny way of doing things. I wish we could have met under better circumstances.” Flurry said with vexation in her voice. Starlight patted her on the shoulder reassuringly.

“Oh believe me I know but, let’s not let that ruin the night right? I mean while this may be a business trip, that doesn’t mean we can’t catch up on old times!” Starlight beamed, and Flurry followed suit.

Flurry and Starlight, after exchanging pleasantries, made their way from the edge of the platform towards the staircase that led to the second story of the terminal. As they did this, they both talked about what they had been up to these past two decades. The last time they met and spent time with each other was the years after Twilight's accession to the Equestrian Throne, and before Starlight became the official head mistress of the school of friendship. By that time, Flurry Heart had grown up to be an early teenager, and Starlight was in her early thirties. Now both of them, twenty years older and no longer separated by work and being groomed for the crystal throne, had so much catching up to do. And so that was exactly what they planned on doing. As the two of them slowly walked through Grand Crystal Station, drawing eyes and attention from passersbys they would continue to talk, unabated as they laughed out loud at each other's stories.

The pair would soon be joined by Flurry Hearts personal guard ponies, who were standing up on the second platform above the tracks, waiting for them to come up there. The ponies in question were two massive muscle bound grey stallions with arctic colored manes, and piercing magenta colored eyes. They were decked out in currently issued empire guard armor that clanked with every step they took. The two massive stallions, who were much taller than Starlight, but still smaller than their princess, kept the common pony folk away from their leader, in a respectful but hurried manner.

Their uniforms were a sturdy set of silvery knight-like steel plated body armor, with the crest of the Crystal Empire on their chest. The whole armor set, including a helmet that matched the armor aesthetically, practically glowed in the light of the terminal, Starlight could see herself in the reflection off one of the stallion's shoulder pauldrons. They looked magnificent to Starlight, she marveled at their new age uniforms and their impressive stature, she felt safe just being near them. Starlight would have commented on the professionalism of the empire's guards, assuming they were all this intense, but Flurry was talking a mile a minute and she kept on filling her ears with her endless words. So she decided to let the alicorn ramble on as much as she liked, seeing how much she enjoyed being in her company.

Starlight was overjoyed to be with her long time friend again, even if their relationship was a bit strange to outsiders. When they first met, she was naught but a foal still having her diaper be changed by her mother, and when Twilight took the throne neither of them had gotten that much older. But in between the time of Twilight's ascension and when Starlight took over as assistant headmistress of the school of friendship with Sunburst, and Flurry was crowned the ruler of the Crystal Empire, they had gotten to know one another quite well. Starlight even tortured her and helped Princess Cadance and Shining Armor raise her when she spent a couple years up in the Empire, right before her own ascension to the Crystal Throne. Starlight missed those days, she looked back on them fondly. But now, as she walked alongside her much taller and much more mature friend, she realized how far she had come. Everything about her had changed so much, physically and personality wise. But even with that Alicorn blood in her, and her time as princess, she was still that same little filly she took care of all those many years ago. She didn’t see Flurry Heart as the youngest ruler in Equestria, she still saw her as a student of her tutorings during those beautiful spring, and cold fall months. Even if Flurry now towered over her.

“My gosh Flurry how you’ve grown up…” Starlight said when she saw Flurry Heart take a break from her exposition. Flurry’s attention was brought away from storytelling and down to Earth again. She blushed a hot pink as she giggled. She brought a hoof up and adjusted her crown before talking again.

“Yeah yeah I know, I mean look at me! Mom says I still have a few inches still left in me but I think if I grow any taller, I’m gonna need the doors of the castle elongated! I mean look at this horn!” Flurry Heart said excitedly, quickly swinging her head down to Starlight, who recoiled away slightly and into the side of one of the stallions. Though her bump felt forceful to her, the guard barely moved, if at all. Of course Starlight paid no mind to this, as she now stared up at what was admittedly a very long and impressive horn. It was definitely bigger than the last time she saw her.

“O-Oh! Wow yeah that, heh, that sure is bigger, you could do some serious damage with something like that Flurry.” Starlight said nervously, as she remembered the things Flurry Heart was capable of when she was a newborn. In almost stress disorder-like fashion, she shook the memories from her mind and smiled as she watched Flurry pick her head up.

“Don’t worry, I have my magic well under control now. No more accidental mishaps, we can’t afford them. Eh-hem, I mean wouldn’t normally let them happen of course, I’m just saying. Money is a hot topic right now as construction with the new school of friendship has come to a grinding halt. Thus, that’s why you are here.” Starlight nodded.

“Yes… I suppose we should start talking about that hmm? I mean, I really do enjoy your stories, honestly I do, but we can continue them later once this mess has been taken care of, alright?” Starlight suggested to her young Alicorn friend, of which she agreed. And so as the two of them exited out onto street level and into the cold winter air, boarding a carriage bound for the castle, they discussed what to do about the school.

And by the time they had reached the castle about a half an hour later, Starlight had a pretty good idea on what to do. She was still confident in her ability to fix the issues they had been presented with.