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[Canterlot] Foals abound! (Private ATTN: Tacobob)


Vanillapop

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Throughout the entire journey to Canterlot, Amber Glass couldn't stop thinking about the great Equestrian capital. She had been reading books about the city for as long as she could remember, and her mother had told her numerous stories about it. There were luxuriously beautiful buildings, enchanting cafes (though Amber was sure they wouldn't be nearly as enchanting as those renowned in her home town), and nearly anything a young filly could begin to imagine. While all of that had sounded endearing, nothing had captivated her as much as the stories surrounding Canterlot's train stations. The trains had been subject to many novelizations, and Amber Glass was all too familiar with them --- after all, they were among the favorite setting pieces for her favorite book series in the whole wide world: Prancy Drew! 

 

Wherever there was a train, there was a great mystery to be found. That was what Amber Glass had come to believe over the course of her exposure to one of literature's greatest tropes. Armed with that knowledge, she could scarcely contain her excitement as she peered out the window of the small inn she and her mother had taken up as a temporary abode. Her eyes were wide as she stared down at the bustling streets. In particular, the train station on this particular street had been featured in Prancy Drew! She'd read all about it in Junior Detective Weekly while at home in Calnais. The author had visited the train station several times, and had supposedly documented every last nook and cranny to be offered. In fact, Canterlot itself had been the subject of many mysteries and stories for the Prancy Drew series, and Amber Glass had made it a point to map them out. She wanted to see them all ... But most importantly, she desperately wanted to investigate the depths of the train station. When she and her mother had arrived, the little pegasus hadn't had much of a moment to really take in her surroundings. Now that it was the next day, however, she surely would have the opportunity. 

 

That was ... If her mother would let her. 

 

Like a caged animal, Amber's eyes remained glued to the window of their room. She huffed and she sighed throughout the entire morning, until, finally, her mother began to cave. The magical words why don't you go and explore the town? were uttered, and the little filly couldn't have been more pleased! Amber had hardly heard her mother tell her not to wander too far from the inn, and to make sure to ask a Canterlot guard for directions were she to lose her way. Amber knew what to do anyway. She was a well traveled young one, and her parents had certainly trusted her to be independent in nearly every city they'd gone too ... Except for the ones that were so large even an adult pony would have a hard time getting around. In those instances, she was lucky enough to leave their sight. 

 

Amber Glass fluttered out the doors of the inn. Her thin legs stamped down on the ground. Her wispy orange-red mane slid over her eyes, and she brushed it away. The freckles on her nose crunched up from the force of her smile, and, unable to contain herself, she set off to galloping towards the train station. She simply couldn't wait to see it!

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Canterlot was by far the safest city in all of Equestria. There were no strange monsters from the Everfree like Ponyville, nor were there any rude locals like Manehatten to scoff at him and call him a 'rube'. The streets were always clean, and one could see the ever impressive Royal Castle from almost anywhere. Even a colt or filly could wander the streets alone and have no worries, beyond all the gasping they would do as one would marvel the grand city. However, the young colt known as Fast Track was not wandering the city streets, but he was sitting rather comfortably in his favorite part of the city, the train station!

 

He had spent the better part of the day going through a few of the heavy old tomes located in the station's modest records department. The little brown pony had been curious what sort of trains predated the current 'gingerbread' themed models. He was never too keen on the current look of Canterlot's trains. They were supposed to be powerful and beautiful, not 'cutesy and wootsie'! He had heard somepony say that 'The Friendship Express' had been themed to celebrate 'Hearth's Warming Eve' one year, and after receiving so many letters with positive feedback, they ended up keeping the formally temporary decorations for good. The colt let out an whistle as he discovered what he had been looking for.

 

An high glossy centerfold rolled out of the book, which caused the colt's eyes to go wide. They did use the A4 class locomotives! Now those were trains! They were massive, strong and fast, like the dragons of the olden days! Thankfully the Crystal Empire knew better and purchased and restored two of engines after reopening its borders. His second whistle alerted an older mare who poked her head into the room. "Fast...What in the world are you looking at? Aren't you a little too young to be readin.."

 

The well dressed Pegasus mare known as True Trestle to most, and 'mom' to the colt rolled her eyes up as her son displayed the page he had been admiring. "Oh for goodness sake.", she groaned, "Of course it's a train. Why would it be anything else?" Fast Track shrugged his shoulders before returning to his reading. The mare quickly made her way over to the colt and tapped the smaller pony on the shoulder with her left wing, "Come on Fasty, you've been in here all morning! You need to get outside and breathe some fresh air! Maybe you can go visit one of your little friends!"

 

"I can't.", he grumbled back with his face still in the book, "Sweet Cents is with Mindy in Trottingham at that dog show.", he droned, "Wiseacre is still grounded. Double Time is at Hoofball practice. Cinnamon Tart Is with her dad at Appleloosa, Wind is climbing a mountain and Red Shirt has the trots. Hey! Mom! Quit it!", he growled as his mother started to push him towards the door, "That's lovely dear. Now how about you make a few new friends? Or you can at least check out the train that had arrived from Prance the other day?"

 

"Holy socks!", Fast Track gasped, after he nearly dropped the book on his mother's hoof. "That's an 141R 2-8-2! Those trains are gaze-mazing!" Not wanting to waste a single second longer in the records department, the colt returned the book back onto its shelf and quickly made his way outside. While not as cool as the A4, the Prench trains demanded to be respected! As he quickly cantered towards the platform, something else caught his eye...

 

 

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"Holy socks.", he gasped as quietly as he could. That was by far the prettiest filly he had ever seen! Sweet Cents looked like an ugly old mule with Spattergroit compared to this gal! He was very sure he had never seen the filly at his school, so maybe she was visiting! He could be her tour guide! "Hello Miss!", he waved a hoof at the Pegasus pony.
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Amber's speedy gallop began to slow as she neared the train station. She wanted to take in everything there was to see about it. The glistening, pretty buildings. The clean, gorgeous streets. Everything felt old and new all the same; it was simply divine! Her head perked up as she glanced at the roof tops, her imagination abuzz with thoughts of cat burglars bounding along towards the castle, evading the Royal Guard. There were so many memories she held about the buildings, and she'd only just seen them yesterday. While the memories were not truly her own, Canterlot felt ... Special. She could see why a writer would love the city and what it had to offer. It seemed full to the brim with potential. That was why she made a list of things to see, obviously. She didn't want to miss a minute of the magic. 

 

... Her list! Her eyes grew wide as she realized she had forgotten her notebook back at the inn.  She supposed she could go back for it, of course! But were she to do that, she was sure she would be roped into her mother's daily plans, and she wanted no part in getting dressed up all fancy for a fine art gallery. 

 

Before she could even begin to mourn her rashness in forgetting her precious list, she noticed something peculiar within her line of sight. A little colt was waving in her direction. She was certain she didn't know who he was --- but perhaps she was wrong? She'd met so many ponies on the train trip from Calnais, that she could scarcely remember them all in great detail. She couldn't recall having met another foal, however. Nevertheless, it was rude not to say hello back to anyone who happened to greet you --- the ponies of Prance often greeted one another in passing, even if they were new, or didn't often speak. It was simply customary, polite, and expected, to say hello. Amber blew her bangs away from her face, her eyes fixating on the other pegasus as she spoke: "Bonjour monsieur! It's a lovely day, isn't it?" 

 

At once, an idea struck her, and with an audible gasp, she sprang up, her wings fluttering excitedly. "I don't suppose you're from here? I was planning on doing some sight seeing, but I ..." She sighed, looking towards the ground as she landed. "I forgot my list... It was all mapped out and everything too..." 
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The little brown colt watched nervously as the filly turned her attention away from her sightseeing to give the pony her full, undivided attention. And gosh, she was even prettier up close! And then she spoke....

 

"Bonjour monsieur! It's a lovely day, isn't it?"

 

She was speaking honest to goodness real Prench! Not the snarky fake kind Cinnamon Tart liked to use. No ' Polly-voo-franzy' from this little Pegasus pony. This was the real deal! And what could he say in response? He knew two sayings in her language. 'Mon aéroglisseur regorge d'anguilles' and 'Je suis un petit cheval, s'il vous plaît ne me mangez pas!' He was not sure how to actually pronounce those words or even what they meant. So he decided to play it cool. No making up stories. No pretending to be somepony he was not. He had learned in the past that others would respect him more if he was honest. He had also learned that not all ponies were as interested in trains as he was. Even his best of friends tended to doze off a little as he spoke of his favorite hobby. So no train-talking, unless she brought it up!

 

Play it cool. Be cool. Don't be like Razor. Don't freak out when a pretty girl approaches you.

 

One of his friends was a friendly little griffon, an Fledgling named Glimmer who had a brother who was rather interesting. He was absolutely terrified of females his own age! He would freak out the moment one was near. Don't be that. Be cool. Like Soar'n. Or his uncle, Thunderbyrd. Those guys were cool. Like all the time. Now was the time.

 

"Oh yes! I'm from here!"

 

Ugh. That was not cool, but it will do. That also was not technically true, as he had been born in Cloudsdale. Not on purpose. His mother was visiting an old friend when the big day happened, He was SUPPOSED to be born a month later, but sometimes these things happen. And while he was such a tiny foal at birth, he was considered to be very healthy. But the filly REALLY did not need to know that. He lived in the great city of Canterlot for the majority of his young life.

 

"I could show you around town if you want. My parents work at the train station and I was just going for a walk.", the colt tried his best not to sound so desperate. "I know the city like the back of my hoof!" And making sure he did not forget the most important thing. "I'm Fast Track."

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A wash of relief flooded Amber's heart when the young colt offered to show her around the town. While she was certain she had forgotten some of the more minor locations on her list, she could never forget the most important ones, and surely a local would know where Canterlot's great landmarks were? Ever the non-composed, a look of great excitement crossed her face as she blurted out: "Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you! That would be simply wonderful!"

Her voice lilted into a soft giggle. She felt so happy to know she wouldn't have to dodge another bullet by traveling back to the inn. She loved her mother, and while ordinarily she was happy to travel and see what they were seeing, this was special! She wanted so badly to experience Canterlot first hand, and she never would if she were stuck in a stuffy old art gallery with a bunch of adults.

It took a brief moment for Amber to fully process everything the young colt had spoken. When she did, she could scarcely contain herself --- after all, the train station had been the number one thing on her list! An expression of pure enthusiasm crossed her face. "Your parents work at the train station?" She giddily trotted in place. "This train station? That's amazing! I've heard so much about it, but seeing it for myself is... Oh, c'est magnifique." She breathed a happy sigh. "Junior Detective Weekly said it was the inspiration behind some of the Prancy Drew books --- like my favorite: Prancy Drew and the Case of the Missing Showbunnies! It must be amazing to see this place every day. Are there really secret path ways throughout the station? Have you ever seen the control room? How many trains are there? Oh, all kinds of trains must come through here! I bet even the ones in Mystery in the Dining Cart. That's such an old book, though. I haven't seen a train quite like those before. They're big and elegant, and look like they could carry half of Trottingham if they wanted. The carts are supposedly all colorful, and iron and wood. They were supposed to be the most elite passenger trains in all of Equestria. Something even a princess would ride."

Often when she started asking questions, she found it difficult to stop. There was simply so much she wanted to know, and who could fault the little orange pegasus for that? Even something as mundane as the color of the wallpaper was fascinating for her. Trying to regain her composure, she straightened her posture. "How rude of me! It's wonderful to meet you, Fast Track." Her head tilted down sweetly. She crossed her front hooves, as if trying to bundle in all of her excitement.  "My name is Amber Glass."

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The colt tried his best to hold in a blush. His shaggy brown coat was more than enough to hide the skin on his cheeks, but there were other signs. The skin under his eyes, the ruffling of the feather on his wings. His tail. He needed to be cool! Her sweet laughter sounded like song from above. Was somepony pranking him? Did Princess Celestia send one of her own to torment him? And why? He was a good pony!

 

And now she was AMAZED at the idea of visiting a train station? Really? Seriously? Now he knew he was being pranked! Maybe Wiseacre was behind this. Even being locked away in his bedroom, he could still prepare and dole out  his usual capers. Still, he needed to be positive, as there was a very good chance the world's prettiest filly deiced to pay his city a visit, and maybe she was really interested in his train station.

 

Fast Track listened patiently to the Prench girl's questions. They actually had a story written about the station? And while 'Case of the Missing Showbunnies' sounded just a little too 'girly' for him, he was intrigued. Being a bit of a train-nerd, he had read pretty much every novel where trains were involved. At least the ones he was allowed to read. A few that dealt with murder mysteries were not to be read until he started high school.  And he also knew for a fact that Wind Walker had the original 'Prancy Drew' series. He could always borrow a copy of the 'Showbunnies' book. Say his mother wanted to read it. Yeah! Iron clad excuse!

 

And then she gave him her name. Amber Glass? It was an rather odd name for a Pegasus pony, but he still liked it. Now it was answer time! Fast Track cleared his throat with an 'ahem' before he started.

 

"Yes, my parents work at the station, My mother works in the front offices doing all kinds of stuff. Mostly calling the important shots! My father is an engineer, which means he actually gets to drive the train." Growing up, he always believed his father had the most exciting job in the world, and he still did. "And yeah. But they're not really secret rooms, but most of the old buildings and homes in Canterlot have special areas to go for emergencies. Sort of like the underground tunnels at Whinnyland. But those were for its workers..So that's not really the same. Er." he almost lost track for a moment, "And when my mother isn't in the front offices, she does work in the control are. And there's four trains. Two passenger. One cargo, and an maintenance train they use to keep the tracks in perfect shape."

 

He had to spend a moment to keep himself from running out of steam. "The newer trains mostly got rid of the fancy stuff. They made more room for passengers, but there's a really pretty train in Manehatten that's like the old ones. Private cabins. It even has its own dining car. It's a train you want to ride if your vacation is actually being on the train, not where the train takes you. We spent our vacation on the old train last summer...It was awesome!" He bounced a little as he had remembered the trip. And it  was a very awesome trip. The slow train did make stops at some of the more interesting locations in Equestria like Dodge Junction, Beakbreak City, Stalliongrad and Trottingham. He even felt the strange and very cool air as they got close to Tartarus. Creepy.

 

"Well, I'm officially your tour guide, so if you wish to go somewhere, just ask, and I will lead the way."
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