The train shivered in steady thumps as it rolled down the track. They were headed east, a long ways to the east. So far they'd splash into the ocean if they went any further. She knew that much, but that was the limit of her geography. Baltimare just wasn't a city she had ever visited before. But she'd fix that! "Ayup."

She failed to resist the light chuckle from escaping. Once she'd been there and looked around, gotten a good look at things, she could just jump back without another train trip. But first she had to get there. Twilight had mentioned that. She couldn't hop long distances at all, so it came all the more naturally that she had hopped on a train in all her princess-ness.

As she had promised, ponies were not falling over themselves with a princess being there. "Unless you're Celestia or Luna, they probably won't notice you very much," Twilight had counseled. "If you don't give them a reason to pay you mind, they just won't. This is, ultimately, a blessing. We princesses aren't pop stars. Few of us want to be hounded whenever we leave our house."

There was no way, Orchard Blossom figured, that had just happened on its own. Hm. Maybe Celestia encouraged it, hoping it would make her travel easier. It hadn't worked very well for her. Ponies still noticed her and got excited easily. But the other princesses could... Oh.

Blossom saw a placard at the back of the seat/bench in front of her, faded with age. It showed a princess seated with a normal pony on either side. In hard to read, old, lettering it said, "They need to go places too." Blossom smiled at it. It seemed even more likely Celestia had tried, with mixed success, to sway the minds of her little ponies. Poor Celestia...

But it was to her benefit! The ponies were just going about their business, ignoring her entirely. Something poked her right rump. She looked over to see a small foal, barely a yearling or two, looking up at her with a big smile on his little face. "'scuse me!" How polite for a child. "Are you unicob or pegasues?" The little colt was neither of the things he pronounced wrong, gazing at Orchard Blossom with curiosity shining.

His mother was grabbing him up, blushing intensely. "Sorry, ma'am. Foals, right?"

"Right." Blossom lowered her head closer to the little colts. "He ain't botherin' me... I'm an 'alicorn'"

"Alicob? What's an alicob?" The colt clapped his hooves with obvious excitement. "Can I be an alicob?"

Orchard opened her mouth, ready to say something encouraging, but she realized that was a little colt. His odds of becoming a princess were small. Then again, she was a colt when she was young, and there she was! "Could happen, but only if you're a good pony. So listen to yer mom."

The mother laughed tensely, drawing the colt away. "Now stop bothering the other riders."

Things became mostly quiet, save for the chug chug of the train against the tracks. They approached the city properly as the view out the window shifted from wilderness to suburban sights, then to proper city scapes. "Oh..." Orchard was still impressed with the way cities flowed. She was born a farmer! They were so different from rural life.

The streets became busier as they pressed, becoming a dense network of carts and ponies. Even Canterlot felt.... empty compared to it. This was a city, a metropolis! "Wow..." And she was poked gently. "Hm?" There was that little colt. "Hey." She waved gently at the little one even as their mother was looking mortified. "Did you want a better look?" She was hogging up the window, she figured.

"Tanks! I live here." A pause. "You don't." Another pause. "New?"

"Very new." Orchard crouched down towards the colt. "You live in a very special city."

"Uh huh!" He was beaming with pride at his home. "Where from?" He pointed off into the distance. "Different city, or way on a farm?"

His mother looked like she was trying to compete with Orchard's red shade. Orchard Blossom, on the other hoof, looked only pleased at the foal's attention. "How did you know?"

His eyes widened a moment. "A farm?! I never saw farm... What's it like?"

"Hm. Lots of trees. We care for the trees." Orchard pointed at herself. "That's how ah got mah name!"

"What's your name?" He pointed at himself. "I'm Castaway!"

"A right nice name." Even if she was wondering at the meaning of it. "Orchard Blossom. An orchard is where they grow lots of trees."

"And a blossom issa flower. Tree flower!" Castaway looked awful proud of figuring that out. "Nice to meetcha!"

"And a right pleasure to meet you too." Orchard sat up properly, nodding at the mother. "Ya got a real nice son."

"He can test my patience." She drew him into a hug. "But I love him... Thank you for being patient with him."

"Ain't no problem... He's jus' curious. What foal ain't?" She offered a hoof, clopping gently against the mother's. "Looks like we're almost there."

The train chugged along a track that carried it right through the streets on its own path, pulling in on a thriving station with countless other ponies milling about or hurrying to other trains that were arriving just like theirs.

The doors of the train were thrown open by ponies that were shouting it out, "Baltimare! Everypony off." It was the end of the line. There was no reason for any pony to remain on the train.

Orchard stepped off with the crowd, looking around the terminal curiously. It was loud. Canterlot was louder than Ponyville, by quite a few steps, but Baltimare, just the station, felt like she had arrived at the same level higher all over again. She fled as best she could, weaving around ponies in her attempt to get to the exit.

Only to discover it was even louder outside. She had arrived at the city. A real city... She pinned her ears down, but walked forward. She had to get a good look at the place if she was to return to it. Maybe night would be quieter?

Speaking of that, she was tired, very tired. The trains ran a lot less often during the night. She had to throw off her entire schedule to get there. She was tired, and possible would be tired when she woke up? She wasn't exactly sure how daily rhythms worked when one had two of the things. Either way, she was in Baltimare! She smiled a little as she wandered down the street. It was a little exciting, even if it was all kind of alien.

A diner! It only had maybe six ponies in it, and the door was closed. She pressed into it and when it closed behind her, the noise lowered mercifully. She let out a slow sigh of relief. "New in town?" A shaggy pony was watching her from behind the counter. "Don't stress it none. Ponies new to th' city just kinda stand out." The earth pony filled a glass with water and set it on the bar. "Come on up. What kin ah get for ya?"

Orchard hopped onto the stool in front of the offered cup. "Thank you... Right kind. I am a touch new..."

"Figured." He nudged the glass towards her. "Drink up, you'll feel better." He grabbed a menu in his teeth and flipped it towards Orchard. "That's the menu. Find somethin' that looks tasty, let me know."

Orchard's eyes danced across the many dishes. Only apple on there was apple pie. "What do ya recommend?"

"Y'ain't just tryin' to imitate me, are ya?" He could see Orchard's confusion. "Sorry. Once in a while, get somepony on through thinks they can just do mah accent proper, an' usually mess it right up."

"Sorry t'hear. This is just the way I talk." She lifted the glass for a slow slurp of cold water that did seem to chase some of the funk away. "Mmm..." Water, it was good in the city or the country. "Still, what do ya recommend?"

"Got any fancy diets?"

Orchard tilted her head at that. "None that I know of any. Don't usually do fish, but... new place, maybe new thin's, ya know?"

"Sure sure." He slapped down the menu out of her hand, hoof down on a dish. "Real comfort food. Ain't met a country pony yet that ain't enjoyed it. Cook it like mom used to." He chuckled in a gravely tone, though he had a warm enough smile. "Want me to get on that?" When she nodded, he snatched the menu away. "On it. You jus' relax now."

Orchard Blossom worked her hooves together, a smile slowly forming. She was in Baltimare! And the ponies there didn't seem to be aliens. At least one came across as nice enough. "Chili and Mac an' Cheese?"

"Two great thin's that go even greater together." He was busy making the dish. "Once you try it, you'll be back for second! If that ain't true, won't charge ya, but ya gotta be honest. Ain't met a pony that could honestly deny it, 'specially from the country."

Orchard chuckled at the thought. "I'm already ready fer it! You'll get an honest appraisal, promise."

Orchard relaxed in her seat. Maybe Baltimare wasn't nearly as scary at the first impression had suggested. "Hey, since ah gotcha here... crime."

"What about it?" He stirred at his creation with a soft humming. "Ain't gonna find much of it in here, don't allow it."

"Good to hear." Orchard leaned forward on her stool, watching the concoction slowly come to life. "But it happens, yeah?"

"'Course." He tapped his ladel against the side of his pot. "It's a city. Gonna have crime in it."

Orchard relaxed in a way she just noticed. "So if you had somepony to help with it, that'd be good... right?"

"Hm?" He got to serving up a bowl of the tasty smelling stuff. "Ain't that why we have cops?" He set the bowl in front of Ochard. "Here ya are! Enjoy."

"Thanks kindly." Her horn began to glow as she took a fork and quickly shoveled a bit into, eee! It was hot, just coming out of the pot. She breathed heavily until she could chew it properly. "Mmm." As promised, it was tasty! Even if she had a mildly burned tongue through no fault but her own. "Now, 'course ya do... but if somepony wanted to help them?"

"Well, good for 'em." He put his hooves together and rested his chin on that meeting point. "So, like it?"

"Reckon ah do." Orchard went for a new forkful, blowing it off first that time. "Yer a fine chef. So... name's Orchard Blossom. When ah hear a pony in trouble, ah like to help. Can't say ah'll always be there, but if I hear it, I'm a comin'."

"Right nice of you. Ah take care of mahself." He nodded, returning to cleaning the bartop instead of watching her. "Still, plenty of other ponies, softer ponies. They'll be right happy. Don't run over the cops though."

"Run over?" She hadn't heard that phrased used that way. "Whattaya mean?"

"They take care of things mostly alright. Don't make their life harder tryin' to show off, even if ya got good intentions an' all." He slapped up the wash cloth. "They got enough on their plates, have to worry 'bout some new pony makin' trouble without meanin' it."

"Hm..." She curled a hoof to her chin, chomping a new bit of that delightful food. "Hm..." Maybe talking with the police would be a good idea, to avoid tripping over their hooves? Ponyville had basically no policing force. Canterlot had a smaller one, at least compared to Baltimare. She didn't want to cause no trouble! Asking before she did seemed like the wise choice.

Author's Note

And suddenly a break from Big Mac and Twilight. Blossom's trying to expand her reach by visiting new places! And trying their local recipes.

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