Planescape: Equestria 10

>A few minutes later Twilight pokes her head around the door as you and Rarity are in front of the mirror deliberating over hairstyles.
>She’s pushing for a swept back, coiffured look, but you can’t help but feel that’s mostly because she’s still thinking of it as a mane.
>Still, you can’t deny it has a certain elegance to it, and it’s probably more trouble than it’s worth to resist.
“Are you two just about done?” Twilight says. “We should set off soon to be sure to catch the train.”
“Just about!” Rarity sing-songs back before turning back to you, putting on her best pout. “Now, I know it might be a little more formal than you are accustomed to, but after all you ARE attending an audience with royalty, a little formality is called for, don’t you agree? I think with the new details on your jacket, and your boots polished up like that, that hair style gives you a certain military sort of dignity - like a dashing young officer. Don’t you think, Twilight?”
“Yep!” the purple pony says. “Looks just right to me. So… shall we? This IS the last express train of the day, so if we don’t catch it then we’ll be stuck on the slow train overnight, and it would-”
“Yes,” Rarity cuts in hurriedly, “quite. Let’s go.”
>The three of you rejoin the others in the living room and make ready to set off.
>It still takes several minutes before everyp0ny is ready to leave, much to Twilight’s chagrin.
>Fluttershy has to leave extra food and water for Mercy in case she’s not back tonight, Pinkie Pie gets distracted by something shiny in the kitchen, Rarity suddenly has a flash of inspiration and wants to try putting magical blonde highlights in your hair.
>Twilight climbs the walls the whole time, harping on that you’re going to miss the train and be a whole day late to Canterlot and make a bad impression on Princess Celestia and how she’ll be so disappointed in all of you.
>Finally everyp0ny is ready and you set off in a group down the road into town.

>Along the way the ponies point out local landmarks to you including the town’s clock tower and the sweeping orchards of Applejack’s farm.
“Now don’t worry none if folks give ya some funny looks,” Applejack says as you approach the town itself. “Yer gonna be a new one on ponies round here, so expect some attention. But don’t sweat it, they’re all friendly folk and they’ll warm t’ya soon enough. Fer today though, we ain’t got time to introduce ya round, so just keep yer head down and we’ll make sure there’s no trouble.”
>Sure enough, you feel like some kind of sideshow attraction on the way through town. Everywhere you go, ponies stare at you in wide-eyed wonderment.
> With nothing better to do than watch them back, since the atmosphere makes conversation a little hard and all, you’re struck by how distinctive each pony looks.
>You don’t think you’ve seen any two with the same coat and mane coloration.
>By comparison, humans must really look all the same to these ponies.
>Although since the vast majority are seeing their very first human today, and won’t have a chance to compare you with anything, you guess that might be a moot point.
>Pinkie happily continues to point out landmarks as you go through the centre of town, either completely oblivious to the hushed, tense atmosphere that follows you down the street or else choosing to ignore it.
“…and that’s Sugarcube Corner, where I live! It’s run by Mr. and Mrs. Cake, they’re super lovely ponies, they don’t even mind me missing work today and yesterday even though I haven’t told them about it! Probably! Ooooh, there they are! Hi Mr. and Mrs. Cake! This is Anon, he’s a human, isn’t that exciting? We’re taking him to see Princess Celestia! Oh, and, Anon, there’s the Carousel Boutique, that’s where Rarity lives and has her shop and all, and there’s Roseluck’s flower stand, she’s the pony over there hiding behind all the flowers, hi Roseluck! No wait, now she’s the pony running away around the corner…”
>You just let it wash over you, giving a friendly nod to the few ponies who meet your eye on your way.
>Nobody stops or challenges you – you guess that as bearers of the Elements of Harmony, or whatever, the ponies you’re with must be pretty serious high-ups in Equestria, or else presumably you’d have a dicier time of just strolling through here.

>You come to the train station with time to spare, despite all Twilight’s fretting, and she visibly relaxes as you collect your tickets and step out onto the platform to wait.
>You still don’t really have any idea what to expect from this ‘train’ you’re about to catch.
>The fact that it runs on rails makes you think of a story you heard a couple of years ago from some old bubber who claimed to have come from a Prime world where they had carriages that ran on rails powered by bound elementals, but it had sounded like yark to you back then.
>Either way, he didn’t mention anything about ponies, so that rules out the possibility that he was actually talking about the same place.
>It’d be hard to tell a story about Equestria without mentioning ponies.
>And you’re far from sure that this is a Prime world, although it could be.
>You chat with Twilight on the platform and she explains a bit about how the trains work, but it doesn’t serve to really prepare you for the massive machine that shortly pulls up in front of you with a great clanking of iron and huffing of steam.
>You’ve learned not to be surprised by the accomplishments of these ponies, but this thing still takes you aback.
“Is this… really safe?” you ask as the ponies lead the way on board.
“Of course it is!” Twilight says. “Have you really never seen a train before?”
“I really haven’t.”
>Well, the ponies are all getting on, so if it’s a deathtrap then at least they’ll be racing to their deaths alongside you.
>That’s not actually very comforting.
>It takes a while after the train starts moving for you to relax and stop expecting it to crash or jerk in an unexpected direction at any moment, and to resume replying to the ponies’ conversation with more than monosyllabic grunts.
>Actually, though, once you get used to it, you quickly start to enjoy the ride.
>Hurtling across the land like this certainly does show off Equestria’s idyllic countryside to good effect, and you’re reminded of your theory that this could be a realm of Arborea - although the mechanical monstrosity that you’re currently riding aboard seems like something transplanted from Mechanus.
>The approach to Canterlot itself is particularly impressive, with its golden spires leaning out from the side of the towering peak beside it and the sunlight making rainbows in the great waterfall that cascades down the mountain and spreads out in innumerable rivulets all around the city.
“Ah, Canterlot,” Rarity sighs. “Isn’t it lovely?”
“It sure is,” you agree.
“I mean, I know that a cosmopolite such as yourself must have seen an awful lot of grand capitals and all… but our little Canterlot doesn’t measure up too miserably, now does it?”
“Not too miserably at all,” you smile, admiring the view out of the carriage window.
>A lot of planar travellers make a point of affecting a blasé air, like nothing can impress them, but you don’t see the point in that.
>If nothing impresses you any more, why even keep travelling? It’s sights like this that keep you wandering the planes.
>You have plenty of time to soak in the ambience as the ponies escort you through the streets to the palace.
>Once again you get astonished stares from pretty much everyp0ny you pass - which is an awful lot of ponies - but you don’t let it bother you or stop you from admiring all the marble and gold-leaf architecture or the fancy goods on display in shop windows.
>Meanwhile Twilight is going back over her checklist with you, and you make the occasional affirmative noise to give her the impression that you’re listening.

>Pinkie Pie seems to be getting kind of antsy that Twilight’s checklisting is stopping her from playing tour guide again, but happily the palace comes into view before she boils over.
>As expected, it’s the tallest and most majestic building in the city, all sweeping arches and ivory spires and gold flashing in the sun.
>The guards on the gate match the colour scheme, white coats, gleaming gold armour.
>They’re just about the first ponies you’ve seen today, last night’s acquaintances excepted, who haven’t stared at you like you’re the first human they’ve ever seen.
>Which is surprising actually, because you’re pretty sure that you are, in fact, the first human they’ve ever seen.
>Nonetheless, discipline wins out and they gaze straight ahead as you approach.
>Pinkie Pie blows off some steam by pulling ridiculous faces at them and you grin, a little tempted to follow her lead.
>You’re pretty sure there was a checklist point about following Pinkie’s lead in anything. Better not risk it.
“Hello, Miss Sparkle,” one of the gate guards says, breaking his blank gaze to give Twilight a brief smile. “It’s been a while. The princess is expecting you and your friends, and your guest as well.”
>He gives you a wary but polite nod.
“Allow me to escort you to the Princess.”
>It might be couched in terms of a request, but it sure doesn’t sound like one.
>You accompany the guard pony through the golden gates and follow him up towards the front entrance of the palace as he and Twilight exchange some small talk about somep0ny called Shining Armor, who you gather is the guard’s superior officer.
>You have a chance to admire the palace’s décor along the way, including various statues and portraits of what must be pony nobility.
>You idly wonder how there can be a nobility when the royal family seems to be made up of just two sisters; there doesn’t seem to be much scope in that for branches in the bloodline.
>You’re brought directly into the princess’s presence, which makes a pleasant change from any of your previous brushes with royalty; in your experience, if there’s one thing royals love, it’s making people wait.
>Princess Celestia’s audience chamber is awe-inspiring. Tall windows and the high, vaulted marble ceiling with its glass dome give an almost overwhelming sensation of space and light as the late afternoon sunlight floods in and pierces the hall through with a thousand lancing rays.
>It feels more like a temple than a seat of secular power; in which case, the altar would be the raised dais at the far end of chamber, where the Princess sits in state.
>You can’t deny that the splendid setting seems justified in her case.
>As you expected based on your meeting with her sister, she has both the horn of a unicorn and the wings of a pegasus.
>Her coat is magnolia, and her mane and tail are like flowing waves of soft prismatic light – not like Rainbow Dash’s bold, bright colouring but a soothing spectrum of pastel greens and blues, gently rippling and shimmering as you look on.
>A golden crown rests atop her head, matched by a golden clasp around her neck. Even her hooves are delicately shod in gold – and her cutie mark is gold as well, a blazing sun.
>In short, she is radiant – as expected from a pony princess who supposedly magically controls the sun, you suppose.
>It might not be easy to maintain your cynicism in the face of this beauty and grace offensive, but you intend to try your best.
>Fey, you remind yourself. Treat them like fey.
>She watches you with inscrutable lilac eyes as you approach to a respectful distance and make a deep bow, while the ponies each touch their noses to the floor in obeisance.
>The princess breaks into a smile like the dawning sun, and you feel your heart lift instinctively before you put a lid on the upsurge of elation.
“Hello, my little ponies,” she says, her voice warm and maternal. “It’s so good to see you all. Thank you all for your efforts in bringing Anonymous here safely. We must speak of some important private matters, he and I, so I hope that you all won’t be too offended if I ask you to adjourn to my antechamber for ten or fifteen minutes. I’ve had some refreshments laid out, so, please, make yourselves at home there. I’ll send for you when we’re ready.”
>Most of the ponies seem to take this in stride, but Twilight looks crestfallen. She seems about to open her mouth with a ‘but…’, but Princess Celestia’s bearing – kind though it is – doesn’t really brook any argument.
>Twilight hangs her head in defeat and follows her friends back out of the audience chamber.
>You’re alone with the princess, but for half a dozen of the stony-faced royal guards in their burnished armour.
“Hello, Anonymous,” Celestia says at last, her tone neutral.
“Hello, Princess.”