Even the Strong Need Help

Once again the train car was silent, save for the usual background noise that went along with traveling by railway.

That, and the soft sound of Thunder's own breathing as he slept.

Exactly when he'd fallen asleep during their journey was a question that Twilight simply didn't have the answer to. Although she had caught him in the process of dozing off a few times, only to forcibly snap himself back to consciousness once again before the desire to sleep could fully take hold of him.

But, ever the dutiful guard, he'd stubbornly resisted to the bitter end, until his body simply had nothing left to give to the cause. Leaving him to slump back and slouch against the back of the bench and the train car's wall for support as he slumbered away. With only the gentle rhythmic rising and falling of his chest to indicate he was still alive.

She wouldn't begrudge his falling asleep like he had; obviously he needed his rest if he was that tired. And what better time to rest, than when nothing was going on that needed his attention? There'd be plenty of time for him to be awake and alert once they got to Ponyville and the festivities began.

As for herself, she'd been making use of the ensuing silence in the most constructive manner that she could think of. Which, in this case, involved some much-needed correspondence with ponies who might be better versed in this sort of matter than she was.

In theory she could've done the same while he was still awake, but that might've led to some uncomfortable questions that she hadn't exactly felt up for addressing at the time. Unintentionally giving him the idea that she wasn't really qualified in this matter really wasn't something she wanted to go and do, even if it might turn out to be an accurate assessment of the whole situation.

Once that'd been tended to, there was little more to really do than sit and wait for their trip to conclude. While occasionally glancing over at him to look for any signs of him waking up again on his own accord.

But everything had to end eventually, be it his rest or the train ride. The scenery out the window was looking quite familiar by this point, and indicating that they were about five minutes out from Ponyville. Making it an appropriate time to rouse him.

"Thunder," she spoke up as she reached over to shake his frame. "Come on, Thunder, it's time to wake up."

It took a few attempts at jostling him to cut through the haze of sleep, but her efforts were eventually rewarded with him stirring and slowly opening his eyes again.

"We're less than five minutes out from Ponyville. I figured now would be a good time to get up and around, rather than waiting until we pulled into the station and need to disembark," she explained.

He nodded as he roused himself from his rest, grimacing and yawning in the process as he sat himself up properly again.

"I had the strangest dream," he commented. "There was this overweight earth pony stallion, wearing a gas mask and a green track suit. He didn't really say anything. He just looked at me, and shook his head in a sad sort of manner. Before I could even ask who he was, he just disappeared."

"Oh?" she asked, now finding herself curious. "Is that somepony you might know?"

He shook his head. "Not to my knowledge, although the entire time I had the feeling that I should know him from somewhere. It was... all very strange."

She would agree that it definitely sounded strange to her. But dreams and all that they entailed weren't really her area of expertise. Maybe she'd send a letter to Luna tonight and ask her what she might know.

"I apologize for my lack of professionalism. Falling sleep at my post like that was entirely uncalled for, when I should've been awake and alert the entire time," he continued, seemingly paying her silence no mind as he yawned again.

"Don't be silly," Twilight replied dismissively, "Thunder, you're on vacation. You're not supposed to worry about being at attention."

"I... don't know how to do that."

"It's alright. You'll figure it out as you go," she assured him, "besides, you won't be figuring it out alone. You'll have me and my friends there to help you."

Whether or not there was a flash of a smile on his face was hard to tell. But she liked -and wanted- to believe that it'd been there.

"Come on. We'll be pulling into Ponyville any minute."

Thunder, in turn, responded to the statement by saluting her. "As you command."

That, she concluded, was going to need to be worked on. But all in good time. For now there were bigger and more pressing issues to be addressed first.

Maneuvering around and through the streets of Ponyville with a loaded supply cart factored into the equation was something that simply hadn't come up before. As such, Twilight simply hadn't actually taken the time to work out the calculations of exactly what would need to be done to ensure such a course of action went smoothly.

Although in her defense, places like Canterlot and Manehattan required ponies to acquire and possess a valid license to operate a cart within city limits. And lacking one herself, she wouldn't have that sort of knowledge at the ready.

But that oversight on her part was doing absolutely nothing to slow Thunder down any, as he was demonstrating zero issue with moving about. Although it probably helped that other ponies in town had the good sense to exercise situational awareness and knew to move out of the way when necessary.

"Where exactly does one even begin?"

The question had almost been missed by Twilight. But fortunately she wasn't so distracted by her thoughts that she hadn't heard it being asked.

But now came the hard part; actually giving him an answer.

Living in Ponyville and coming to know it as her home was a far cry from knowing how to introduce it to somepony else for the first time. She'd done it once before, but that had been a very special, very unique sort of case, and Thunder wasn't exactly comparable to that.

She'd come to know Ponyville as well as she knew the title of every book to be found in the Golden Oaks Library. But knowing what she and her friends wanted to do on an given occasion, was a far different matter from knowing how to convey that same concept to an outsider who didn't share the same understanding.

She paused, mentally if not physically, as she tried to figure out what she should say.

"Well..."

She looked back at him as he just stood there, looking to her for answers about how to proceed.

"What say we go back to the library? You can park your wagon there rather than hauling it around with you the whole time," she suggested. "Then, after that, maybe I can show you around town until it's time for Pinkie's party, so you have an idea of where things are. How does that sound?"

"There's a lot of equipment that I'm responsible for right now. Equipment that I signed out, and am expected to bring back to the palace when I return," he explained. "Is it going to be safe to just leave it unattended like that? Where anypony could just gain access to it?"

She really didn't like what he was getting at, all but saying outright that he feared his stuff might get stolen if he wasn't there to actively keep an eye on it. But she opted to not comment on the implication to his words, and the picture of distrust that was being painted. Rather, she had a different approach.

"There are ways to keep that from happening. Spells, procedures, and the like. Your gear can be about as safe and secure as the Elements of Harmony themselves are right now," she assured him. "What do you say?"

"If you believe the approach is worthwhile."

The urge to frown was all but palpable. She's really hoped that he'd have something more to contribute to the discussion. But it was what it was, and he seems content to keep his answers short and simple for the time being.

"Alright then. Follow me..."