Love and Laughter on the Ponyville Express [OPEN]

[BaconofChaos]

Lyra wrapped her scarf around her neck a little tighter to try and block out the wind a little better. She'd worn a comfortable wool scarf, a wooly hat (with a hole for her horn in the top), her favourite winter saddle, and a quartet of heavy winter boots. Even so, it was still chilly outside. The train would be here any moment, but she couldn't wait. Not because she was cold, but also excited. The Canterlot winter festivities were some of the best she'd ever experienced. She loved seeing them when she was a foal. She hoped they would be just as exciting now.

Lyra looked over to her girlfriend, Bon Bon, and smiled. "Ooh, I can't wait to see everything! The decorations! The pageant! The parade! Maybe we can build some snowponies!" she said, bouncing up and down in glee. Of course, she'd been saying the same things non-stop for a few days now. When Lyra got excited about something, it was hard to get her to calm down. Hard, but not impossible. "Y-You think your parents will like me?" she asked. "I wanna make a good first impression, you know?" Lyra's brow furrowed at this. She couldn't deny that she was nervous about going to Bon Bon's family's for dinner. "Should I have brought my Lyre? I could play them a song. That would break the ice, right?"

As the aquamarine pony got lost in her own imagination, wondering what Bon Bon's family was like, the train pulled into the station, it's colourfully painted carriages standing out in contrast to the snow covered ground. One or two passengers got out, but it seemed the majority were staying on.

"ALL ABOARD FOR CANTERLOT!" cried the conductor.

"Ooh! It's here! C'mon Bonnie, let's go!"

[knight]

Bon Bon

Bon Bon trotted along after her fillyfriend, a smile on her face. Fluffy boots with bells on them, and a set of stylishly fluffy earmuffs, and a fluffy scarf, is what she wore for the occassion, along with a casual skirt draped over her rump, lined with--as would be guessed, fluff. Lyra was absolutely eccstatic with excitement, but Bonnie felt nothing but....nervous.....really nervous...she hadn't had any sweets all day, she was so nervous! She made Lyra and herself sticky buns for breakfast but--she'd be darned if she couln't even bring herself to have eaten it.

She was scared. Not only was it the day her parents were going to meet her roommate, whom she had, of course, mentioned in letters in the past, but she was also going to...going to tell them that she....she was....

"Ooh! It's here! C'mon Bonnie, let's go!"

Bon Bon looked up at Lyra, who was already hopping aboard the train, "C-coming, Lyra!"

Bon Bon galloped up the sloped walkway that led to the train platform. She could see a certain minty pony waving at her from just inside the train, obviously too excited to wait for her. Bon Bon sighed and smiled heavily, realizing how much she loved that unicorn in there.

She trotted aboard the train, and trotted over to where Lyra was and kissed her on the cheek, not caring if the other ponies on board saw, "What about your parents, Lyra? They live in Canterlot, too, don't they...do....do you think they'll like....me?"

[Mojo]

(entry withdrawn)

[RarityDash]

((Entry edited to reflect changes in RP))

Verity Essence gave a groggy yawn as she woke up. She looked around to see she was still on the train. They had stopped at some small town s to pick up some more passengers, it seemed. Probably Ponyville. She had been riding since Fillydelphia, where she had been hard at work gathering intel on certain highly classified matters. It had been a grueling past week and she was a little tired, but she supposed it would be nice when they finally got to Canterlot.

Working for an organization like the REIN made certain things like holiday plans kind of tricky. Because of her work in Fillydelphia there was no way she'd be able to make Stalliongrad in time for the holidays. Not that it mattered too much. Pony traditions and holidays carried little weight with her parents. They were far more traditional zebras than Verity. She actually loved this time of year and had found nothing more majestic than Stalliongrad in the heart of Winter, but her parents were far more interested in honoring the old Unyasi traditions.

She was going to Canterlot to see a friend. That is, if friend was even the right word. Their relationship was kind of tricky. Visiting him for the holidays was kind of a weird idea for her, but it was better than nothing. She had always heard Canterlot was nice during the holidays as well. She was eager to see how it compared to the celebration in Stalliongrad.

Waking up more fully, Verity began to take noticed of the boarding passengers. Being in information, pony watching was a natural hobby of hers. She first noted a pair of mares who boarded, a green unicorn and a cream colored earth pony. They sat close to where she was sitting. Verity could tell immediately from their body language they shared a very deep bond, beyond that of just friends. They looked very happy. Verity figured that sort of relationship must be nice.

Watching the two of them, Verity began to think about her own situation. Would her and him ever have that kind of relationship? Did she even want that? Really, he was kind of a jerk... They were best staying just colleagues, or friends, or whatever they were now. It was actually pretty stupid of her to do this; visiting him for the holidays. That had certain implications. Still, looking at the happy couple, it did really seem nice. The zebra found herself blushing a little, still drowsy and a little confused.

Edited December 29, 2011 by Phil the Time Wizard

[knight]

[[OOC: I'm not going to post anything as Bonnie until Lyra posts, but....I'm a little confused on.....Crossover characters present here....is this a crossover RP? I thought it was part of the Mane RP......I'm a little confused here. Clarification would be....super duper.]]

[Mojo]

(entry withdrawn)

[BaconofChaos]

(OOC: I hope you don't mind me saying this Mojo, but I'm not that comfortable RPing with the crossover characters in this. I'm not asking you to leave or anything, but I think Lyra will ignore them for now. I don't mean any offence to you, I just think that robotic, interdimensional travelers are likely to push the RP away from the lighthearted romance/comedy theme I had wanted. Anyone else is free to RP with your characters though ^^)

Lyra smiled at Bon Bon's kiss, and gave her an affectionate nuzzle in return, huddling closer to the beautiful cream-coloured pony. "Oh, I'm sure my parents will love you!" she said, brightly. Her smile flickered and she turned her gaze away for a second. "Yeah, it'll be great. No problem." She gave Bon Bon a playful kiss on the nose, before turning to look at the new arrivals. Her eyes widened and her face lit up as she noticed who was nearby.

"OMIGOSH! Misty! Long time no see!" she called out, waving a hoof excitedly. "How are you? C'mon over!" she said, indicating a nearby seat. She'd not seen Misty Magic for months, since the big circus in Fillydelphia. How wonderful to meet up with old friends on Hearth Warming Eve! she thought.

(OOC: Yes I'm aware of the hypocrisy of acknowledging a crossover RP but not the characters. As I said, it's kind of about the theme.)

[Mojo]

(OOC: I hope you don't mind me saying this Mojo, but I'm not that comfortable RPing with the crossover characters in this. I'm not asking you to leave or anything, but I think Lyra will ignore them for now. I don't mean any offence to you, I just think that robotic, interdimensional travelers are likely to push the RP away from the lighthearted romance/comedy theme I had wanted. Anyone else is free to RP with your characters though ^^)

(OOC: Yes I'm aware of the hypocrisy of acknowledging a crossover RP but not the characters. As I said, it's kind of about the theme.)

(ooc): Well, since you are the second one in this thread that has expressed discomfort with my choice of characters for this RP and since I respect you as the creator of this thread, I will hereby withdrawl from it. My characters DO clash with your appointed theme and the last thing I want to do is cause problems in a RP (even though my choice of characters were WITHIN THE RULES for Special Event RP). No hard feelings, but the NEXT time you decide to start a thread in a Special Event RP,kindly specify whether or not Crossover characters are acceptable. This step will avoid further confusion. Done here. Have a nice train ride, anypony!

[knight]

Bon Bon

Bon Bon was not put at ease by her fillyfriend's words, though she couldn't help the giggle that escaped when she got kissed on the nose. It still didn't ease her mind, and as she watched Lyra pop about to greet an old friend, her worries only doubled.

Lyra was so sweet, filled with kindness towards just about anypony. Down to earth and generally a lover of all things...Her parents...there's no way they would accept her. She could picture her snobbish mother and father now, the hard, judging eyes that her sisters approached anything deemed 'below them' with. She closed her eyes tightly, trying to push away the thoughts, but they only got worse.

She pictured her parents, after they heard what she was...who she loved...the shame they would feel of her. The hard words they would say, the cruel way they would shun her from their family. She imagined it all, daydreaming--well, more like day NIGHTMARING if you asked her.

Her smile quivered as she opened her eyes, Her pupils tightly constricted, and she rubbed her forearms as she looked out the window, unable to think beyond that dark thought mumbling softly to herself, "M...maybe...we shouldn't even...go...to see my parents..."

[RarityDash]

As the train continued to move, Verity gave another yawn. She looked around the train, kind of bored. There really wasn't much to do but study the passengers. Was that right? Was it an invasion of privacy? Maybe, but gathering information was also her job, so it was kind of hard for her to resist the urge.

She glanced over to see the two mares she had previously noticed being affectionate. They were certainly bold. Verity supposed a romance like theirs wasn't that unusual a thing these days... but within a public place like the train, it was still kind of brazen of them. Verity actually admired that. She had no use for tradition and conformity. She applauded ponies who weren't afraid to be different. It was a sign of progress. Watching the two made her smile just softly.

Verity's keen perception picked up a change not too long after the affectionate moment passed. The earth pony mare's facial expression fell. Happiness was replaced with worry and uncertainty. Verity understood at once. As content as they were with their relationship, this earth pony at least was still afraid of how she'd be judged for it. Her body language was incredibly easy to read, even from where Verity sat. She was deeply distressed. Verity could only assume that the mare's family were what was waiting for her when the train reached Canterlot, and that they didn't know about her unicorn partner yet.

A tricky situation. Verity could empathize. She hadn't ever brought home a female lover. Not yet anyway. But it would be a stretch to say she had never disappointed her parents. After all, espionage is hardly a viable career choice among the proud zebra of the Unyasi savannah. Verity was confident she wasn't what her parents had expected or really wanted, but she was still pretty sure they loved her. She hoped the troubled earth pony would be as lucky as her.

[BaconofChaos]

Lyra looked disappointed as the pony she'd waved to left. Obviously it wasn't her she thought.

"M...maybe...we shouldn't even...go...to see my parents..."

Lyra's thoughts returned to the dinner with Bon Bon's parents. Lyra was nervous too, and she knew that under normal circumstances, she'd be the one trying to get out of it. But Bon Bon, who was normally so confident around others, was almost shaking at the idea. Lyra had to be strong for her. "Bon Bon, we can't keep putting it off. It will have to happen sooner or later. If... If things do go badly, we can always leave after. I know it's scary, but we have to at least try and make them see." She stared out of the window. The train was picking up pace now, and moving quickly towards the mountains in the distance. A light powder of snow was beginning to fall- A change of weather scheduled by the Ponyville weather team. She began to think of her parents again. That would be an.. interesting meeting, to say the least. She hoped Bon Bon would be up to it. Perhaps Lyra should be truthful. "My parents..." she began, already faltering. "My Dad will be okay with it. He's always supported me, no matter what. My Mom is, uh, more traditional." she said, diplomatically. "She's not completely closed-minded but... she's very passionate about her beliefs. Very intense. But she really does love me, and I'm sure she'll love you too once she sees how good we are together." Lyra smiled to Bon bon again, and this time it was a genuine happy smile. Who couldn't love such a sweet pony after all? "So there's nothing to worry about!" she finished.

Lyra stood up from her seat and stretched. "I know, how about I get us both some hot cocoa from the buffet car, warm us up and take our minds off things?" she began walking towards the back of the train to the next car, but as she did the train went over some kind of bump, and Lyra was knocked just enough off her balance to make her lose her footing and stumble sideways, crashing roughly into the blue and tan coloured zebra sitting the the stall opposite. "Waaaaaah!" *THUD* "Owwwwwwww!"

[knight]

BON BON

Bon Bon giggled at Lyra's words, comforted by them despite herself, and even more so when she tripped over and crashed into the zebra across from them. She wiped tears from her eyes, and sighed as she looked out the window. It truly wasn't Lyra's parents she was worried about. It was her own. Her parents were....not accepting. They never approved of her going off to make a life on her own, never approved when she got her own house and moved out of her relatives home in Ponyville. They thought her talent was a waste of time, and not worth the effort. Sure...they...'loved' her...sometimes...or they seemed to, anyway.

Bon Bon sighed, and looked at Lyra and the zebra, her eyes were dripping with worry,"I'll go get the hot cocoa. You apologize to the nice zebra."

With that, she trotted off quietly down the train, slipping from their car to another, and then another after that until she found her way to the food car.

[RarityDash]

Verity continued to watch the two mares. The unicorn began to speak just loud enough to where Verity could pick it up over the background noise of the train and other passengers. It seemed her suspicions were correct. More in fact than she knew. The unicorn would be confronting her parents with the news for the same time as well. Though the unicorn showed signs of some uneasiness in how she carried herself, her words and body language were largely optimistic. She had either convinced herself things would go well or was not allowing herself to show much weakness to make up for her deeply anxious mate. Either way, it was impressive.

The zebra was surprised when suddenly the unicorn rose from her seat and began to walk past her. She was even more surprised when just at the moment of her passing by, the train hit a sudden bump which inadvertently caused the unicorn to stumble and crash directly into Verity. It didn't seem to hurt either one of them, but it did make things suddenly a lot more awkward for the zebra. She had no choice now but to engage the unicorn in words. Seeing as Verity had spent the past several minutes spying on this pony and her partner, out of nothing more than curiosity, that left her in an odd place.

"Umm... are you alright?" she asked in an awkward voice, not really sure what else to say but offering a hoof to help the pony back up.

[BaconofChaos]

Lyra was totally embarrassed. Her single slip had caused her to land on the zebra's lap, before rolling off and landing uncomfortably on the floor. She shook her head to try and get the dizziness out. The Zebra had been kind enough to offer a helping hoof, so she took it as she got up, glad for the assistance.

"Umm... are you alright?" the zebra asked.

Lyra blushed slightly, still embarrassed. "Yeah, I'm okay! Are you okay? I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to do that, the train just jossled me and I slipped!" she said, adding a nervous laugh afterwards. She saw Bon Bon go off to get the drinks, so she stood and scuffed her forehooves on the floor, unsure of what to do. She could go help Bon Bon carry things. Her magic might be a little more stable on a bumpy train ride. But Bon Bon carried trays of sweets and chocolates every day, so she was used to it. Plus she couldn't just run away after bumping into that zebra, could she?

She suddenly became aware that she had paused for quite some time. "Uh, I'm Lyra, by the way." she started awkwardly. "I-I realy am sorry. If there's anything I can do to make up for it..." she trailed off. Why was it that none of Bon Bon's social skills had rubbed off on her yet?