Upon arriving in Canterlot, Sparknite and Pitch Blaze gaze out the train window in awe at the majestic city. Large towers and houses that made their village look puny, were scattered as far as the eye could see, not to mention Twilight's castle peeking out overhead. Amidst the beauty and grandeur of the cityscape, the two stallions noticed something else. There were a lot of royal guards moving around the station, as well as the town of Canterlot itself.
Now, Sparknite read that there was supposed to be many guards in this city, especially since a Princess ruled here. However, there was much more than he had expected, to a point where it almost felt...concerning.

"Whoa, are there supposed to be this many Royal guards?!" Sparknite questioned aloud as he and Pitch stepped off the train, careful to not bump into too many ponies on the way out.

"Well this is where Princess Twilight lives so it wouldn't be surprising." Pitch reasoned, adjusting the fedora on his head.
Although the pegasus hid it well, he was also a bit concerned about the number of guards that seemed to stalk them as they exited the train, and onto the station's cemented floors. The glares they pierced the two stallions with was disconcerting, to say the least.

"Alright let's…" Pitch was about to say, before a scream of glee was heard from up ahead.

"OH MY GOSH ITS PITCH BLAZE!!!" A green mare in the distance squealed ecstatically, as a crowd of ponies began closing in on them.

And, just like that, Pitch's worries about the extra security faded into the background, as a new one quickly replaced it. Unruly fans. Of course there were some in Canterlot too...

"Not again, I should've expected this…" Pitch stepped backward with an annoyed groan, awaiting the inevitable as he braces himself.
It was times like this where the pegasus wished he was just a simple seamster and not a famous model.

"Nope, not on my watch!" Sparknite quickly got in front of his best friend, and teleported them to a secluded area of Canterlot, catching the white pegasus by surprise.
They were now hidden behind some bushes, far from prying eyes and the train station itself.

"Gah! Wow Sparknite, you're not only my closest friend, but you also double as my body guard. Thank you for the assistance!" Pitch Blaze nuzzles Sparknite gratefully, with a sigh of relief.

"No problem Buggy. Well, since we have the rest of the day, why don't we do a little bit of sight seeing while we're here?" Sparknite suggested with a smile.

Pitch can't help but giggle softly at the nickname. Sparknite had given him that name due to his eye condition that made his eyes...abnormally large. This was one of the reasons he covered them, since most ponies made fun of him for it. But not Sparknite. The blue unicorn may tease him a bit, but it's all done lovingly, as shown by the cute nature of the term "Buggy". The pegasus almost gets lost in his reverie, before shaking off his embarrassing thoughts, and clearing his throat.

"I would love to! But, I should probably get some sort of disguise. I would prefer not to be mobbed by strangers everywhere I go." Pitch Blaze reminded Sparknite with a shudder.

"Oh, right!" Sparknite stepped towards Pitch, and lit his horn up briefly, casting a disguising spell onto his friend.
Initially, Sparknite didn't like the idea of using his magic on those he cared about, due to the fear of hurting them. However, Pitch had insisted several times, so this magic cloaking process had become a regular thing between them.

"There we go! Now only I can see you as you. Other ponies will now see you as just a regular pony. Don't worry, I can take it off at any time!" Sparknite explained with a proud grin.

"Well, of course my friend, I already knew this?" Pitch chuckles, noticing a bit of a pattern when it came to his friend's unnecessary spell explanations.

Sparknite's face heats up in embarrassment, rubbing the back of his neck anxiously.
"I did it again, huh? Sorry, my brain keeps convincing me that if I keep explaining the process out loud, it'll help me remember that I'm helping you, and not hurting you."

Pitch sighs, rolling his eyes with an amused smirk. He then gives his unicorn friend a gentle ruffle to his mane.
"You are a mess, aren't you? You remind me of what happens when multiple spools of yarn get tangled together in a messy pile on the floor."

Sparknite bats his hoof away with a flustered huff, he simultaneously loved and hated it when Pitch teased him like this.
"Sh-Shut up, you jerk!"

The pegasus laughs at the unicorn's expense, sticking his tongue out at him.
"You know, I never meant it as a bad thing, right?
Anyway, thank you again my dear friend. In addition to my new look, shall I acquire a new title as well?"

Sparknite takes a moment to gather himself from his earlier embarrassment before sighing.
"No, I think you'll be fine as long as I just call you Pitch." Sparknite assures him, his reddened cheeks finally calming down.

"Fair point, shall we get started on finding a place to stay for when night falls first?" Pitch recommended, subtly smoothing out some tangles on his friend's tail with a wing.

"It would probably be a good idea to be prepared. Let's go." Sparknite nodded in agreement, as he led his friend down the streets of Canterlot.

The two friends tried finding some inns to stay in, but unfortunately, all they had found so far were rooms that were severely overpriced, or all booked. On one of the many pathways of the city, they were about to give it up for the time being, when suddenly there was a voice that called to the ponies from behind.

"Psst! Hey, are you guys looking for a place to stay?" A pink mare with a brown and violet mane asked the two friends. She has a comically secretive aura to her movements, as she pulls down her oversized shades.

"Hm? Oh, yeah! Do you know of a place we could stay later today that isn't too pricey?" Sparknite asked the mare, turning to her hopefully.

"I may know of a place that's free...but you need to promise something." The pink mare began sternly, the almost silly aura from earlier now completely absent.

"And...what might that be?" Pitch asked suspiciously, shifting himself a little bit in front of his friend.

"Don't tell Princess Twilight of the place you are staying at!" The mare warned seriously, her eyes narrowing in emphasis as she came uncomfortably close to the two ponies' faces.

"O-Ok…" Sparknite stuttered in confusion.
Sparknite agreed, but...why weren't they allowed to tell the Princess? Whatever this mare had going on in her head, it was probably similar to whatever was up with that griffin they met on the train.

"Y-Yes ma'am!" Pitch nodded rapidly, just as puzzled as his friend was at the moment.
"Ugh, clearly she has never heard of personal space, much like my fans..." Pitch mentally laments, as he takes a small step backward.

The pink mare's hazel eyes quickly softened, as the two stallions voiced their agreement.

"Alright then! When you're ready to come, meet me over at the Canterlot fruit stand over there!"
She points to a small stand of oranges and apples a few blocks down.

"Oh, and my name is Gina Bowvie by the way. If you need to find me, just ask ponies using my name; trust me, almost everyone here knows me. Later, skaters!" Gina grinned, before skipping away.

"Well she seemed...nice...strange...but nice!" Sparknite commented with an awkward chuckle.

"Yeah…" Pitch muttered softly, looking lost in thought.

"You ok Pitch?" Sparknite asked his friend worriedly, noticing his distant expression, even with his eyes covered.

"...It's just...that was the second time we heard something weird come from somepony about Equestria. Well, technically it was about the Princess but, I don't know, I just feel off. There's something going on Sparky, and I'm just a bit nervous about it all." Pitch admitted fretfully.

The large amount of guards, combined with two separate figures giving them some sort of warning, wasn't looking good, and even Sparknite had to admit this to himself. Even still, he wouldn't let this ruin his chance to meet his idol!

Sparknite smiled warmly at his friend before placing a comforting hoof on his shoulder.

"So, we met two strange people on our way to Equestria, it happens Buggy! Just relax Pitch, I'm sure nothing's going on...don't worry, ok? Since when have we ever been in a situation that we couldn't solve together?" Sparknite reasons with him, though partially saying this for himself as well.

"Never, I suppose. Heh, you're right, Sparknite. I'm probably just being silly. How about we forget about what Gina said and, go get that rock candy necklace for your sister." Pitch shoves his fears onto the backburner, as he and Sparknite continue their tour through Canterlot.

***

After their tour of Canterlot and purchasing the rock candy necklace, Pitch Blaze and Sparknite decided to head to the fruit stand that Gina had mentioned.
It was late in the afternoon when they headed there, and it didn't take long for Gina to find the two friends.

"Hey guys. You two ready?" Gina Bowvie asked, as she skipped over to the two friends, seemingly out of nowhere.

"Yeah, we're ready. Thanks for helping us by the way." Sparknite smiled gratefully at the pink mare, who giggled in response.

"No need to thank me! I love helping ponies out, now follow me and try to keep a low profile." Gina ordered, as she gestured for Sparknite and Pitch Blaze to follow her.

The three ponies headed down an alleyway at the opposite side of Canterlot, away from Princess Twilight's castle.

"Ok, we're here." Gina whispered with a sparkle in her eyes, moving an old barrel to the side, where a hidden door was located on the floor.

"You boys like slides?" Gina Bowvie asked upon opening the door.

"Um, I guess but wh--a-aaahh!!"
Sparknite was about to respond, when Gina shoved him and Pitch down into the door's opening, where a slide took them into a downward spiral.

Gina grinned excitedly before jumping onto the slide as well and shutting the door behind her.

Author's Note

Chapter 2 is finished!
Wonder where Gina is taking these two?~