Hold Your Horses: A My Little Pony Story

Prose opened her eyes, and immediately closed them again. It was nice to wake up to the warm sun, but the light could be a little blinding. She opened her eyes again, this time more cautiously, and admired the setting of her temporary room. The unique cultural architecture made her feel like she'd woken up right into a new adventure. The crashing water of Neighagara Falls could be heard from her room. For such a chaotic kind of sound, it was quite relaxing. Prose pulled herself off of her cushy bed and stumbled onto the wooden floor.

She headed over to the full-length mirror in her room and checked the state of her mane. As always, it was poofy, curly, and vibrantly coral. She tried to pat it down in certain places to give it a more cohesive shape, but she saw the door to her room open behind her in the mirror. She turned around to face the door, and she saw her lovely mare, Princess Twilight Sparkle, enter the room.

"Prose! I was looking for you!" Twilight exclaimed as she saw her mare standing in front of the mirror.

"Really?" Prose asked. "I just woke up."

"We have to get going!" Twilight explained. "We're going to be late!"

"Late for what?" Prose asked, concerned.

"Celestia's 'Leaders of Equestria' meeting! Remember? The one I told you about yesterday?"

Prose recalled all of her memories from the day prior, combing through each event in her mind.

"Was it when we were studying the magical elements of the falls?" Prose asked.

"No," Twilight answered.

"Was it when we were mapping the mountains?" Prose wondered.

"No," Twilight responded, actively packing up Prose's things.

"Was it when we were relaxing by the water?"

"Yes, Prose," Twilight confirmed.

"Oh," Prose said. "I wasn't listening, then."

Twilight sighed. "It's fine. We just have to get going now."

Twilight handed Prose's fully packed saddle bag over to her.

"We don't have to be there for too long, this meeting should only take one day," Twilight assured Prose.

"All right," Prose acknowledged. "Let's get going."

Twilight led Prose through the Neighagara Falls Inn, and out into the crisp Neighagara Falls air. The train station was a short walk from the Inn, but it allowed for time to enjoy the beautiful Northern scenery for a few moments longer.

Twilight and Prose quickly arrived at the train station and took a seat on one of the benches while they waited. They didn't wait long, because a train showed up minutes later. Prose followed Twilight onto the train, followed by the rest of the ponies from the train station. They picked a train car close to the front of the train, which had a clearer view of where the train was headed. Twilight took a seat, and Prose sat across from her.

"So," Prose began, initiating some small talk. "What is this meeting for anyway?"

"Celestia called a meeting of Equestrian leaders to 'ensure good will and comradery' across Equestria," Twilight explained. "It's basically just a meeting to keep the peace."

Twilight's eyes lit up as she remembered an important detail about the meeting.

"And," she began. "It's catered."

"It's catered?" Prose repeated. "That's good. You'll have to save some for me."

"I didn't finish," Twilight continued. "It's catered by the company Savoir Fare works at. Ginger Blush could be there!"
Prose's eyes lit up as well. "Ginger Blush! I haven't seen her in so long! Maybe this was worth leaving the Falls after all."

"I'm glad this meeting will have something for you too; I felt bad about dragging you all the way back to Canterlot on royal business," Twilight spoke.

"Canterlot?" Flashbacks flooded Prose's mind as she remembered the night her and her friends had tamed one of Equestria's most feared villains. It was the night her and Twilight kissed for the first time.

"I know," Twilight said. "A lot of memories in that city."

A thought crossed Prose's mind.

"Is it possible Sombra will be there?" she asked.

Twilight's eyes turned to the side in thought.

"Actually, now that you mention it, that's entirely possible," Twilight suggested.

"So, Chorus might even be there!" Prose exclaimed.

"It would be quite the reunion," Twilight laughed. "Even I miss your friends. They're quite the special ponies."

A long stretch of the train ride was spent in a comfortable and hopeful silence. As Canterlot became visible in the distance, Prose struck up another conversation with Twilight.

"What're you reading?" Prose asked.

Twilight lifted her head from her book and met Prose's gaze. She lifted the book so Prose could see the cover.

"Time, Space, and Magic," Twilight named. "It's actually very interesting. I found it in the Starswirl the Bearded wing of the Library of Magic."

"Time magic? Didn't you try something with that once?" Prose asked.

Twilight sighed. "Yes, I did. It didn't work out too well for me," she laughed. "But it's still very intriguing to read about. It might be too complex for even me to attempt."

"A magic even you can't conquer? I didn't know that was possible," Prose jested.

Twilight laughed. "Time magic is like a different type of magic altogether. It's a whole new frontier. It's also something I don't think we should really mess with at all. The more we mess with time, the more fragile it becomes."

"That sounds scary," Prose admitted.

"Oh, it is. But it's so fascinating, isn't it? This book even suggests there's a way to escape time and space completely! It's just a theory, but most of this book is as well," Twilight admired.

Prose looked out of the train window at the city of Canterlot in the distance.

"Speaking of time," Prose commented. "Are you sure we're going to make it on time for the meeting?"

Twilight looked out of the window and her eyes widened. The distance they were from Canterlot wasn't what she was hoping to see. She turned back to Prose.

"I think I'm going to need to perform an emergency teleportation spell," Twilight warned.

"Teleportation spell? Aren't we a little far away for that?" Prose asked.

"Yes!" Twilight affirmed. "But we're going to be late if I don't try. Just give me a minute to cast the spell."

"Whatever you need," Prose agreed.

Twilight closed her eyes and focused on a long-distance teleportation spell. She focused on transporting both her and Prose from the humble train car to the grand city of Canterlot. Her horn began to glow as magic manifested inside of it. The light filled the train car engulfing herself and her mare. A final burst of magic finalized the spell and Twilight felt her hooves touch down onto the lovely streets of Canterlot. She opened her eyes and gazed around at the dazzling city. Her spell had worked.

"Phew! I thought that might not have worked, but we made it, Prose!"

Twilight looked around for her traveling companion, but she wasn't visible anywhere. She looked down at the ground and saw Prose's unaccompanied saddle bag.

"Prose?" Twilight called out.

She was met with no response.