Although it had only become a part of modern Equestrian life for a short period by now, the Crystal Empire had nevertheless managed to capture the interest of virtually everypony in the rest of the land. This ancient province, which for so long had been cast away into the aether by King Sombra's curse, had struggled greatly, not only with the fact that they had been cast adrift in time for a thousand years, but that the world had changed so much in that time. Customs and mannerisms and new trends were taking time for them to get used to, and yet, the natives of the Empire, the crystal ponies, seemed to be adapting rather well under the circumstances, most likely due to all the help that their new rulers, Princess Cadence and Prince Shining, were giving them. So far had the Empire and it's people come that, at this point, ponies from all over Equestria came here to visit and interact with them, if only to see the fabled magnificence of this once-lost land and it's people. Likewise, the crystal ponies seemed to enjoy the huge influx of ponies from other lands that came to see them, and could be seen chatting happily in the streets with all kinds of ponies, from Manehattan to Baltimare, from Appleoosa to Whinnyapolis. Yes indeed, the Empire seemed like it was on the fast-track to getting back on it's hooves after all of the dark times it had been forced to endure.

And through it all, there was perhaps no greater symbol of how far their people had come than the fact that they were now eligible for the Equestria Games. This prestigious event, which drew in ponies from all over Equestria, was a symbol of unity amongst their people. A competition meant not only to show the best of them, but to bring them together in a display of unity that the ponies so often prided themselves on. To host such an event was the greatest honour, and the great cities of their nation often did their very best to show that they were worthy of it. Today, it would be the turn of the Empire to do what they could to show that they had it in them to host this grand occasion, and host it well. And it was for that reason that Twilight Sparkle and her friends now found themselves where they were. Standing at the edge of the platform of the Empire's central train station, Twilight, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy and Applejack all looked around, eagerly awaiting the one they knew would be here soon. Rarity and Rainbow Dash, on the other hoof, were nowhere to be seen, and Twilight looked up, scouring the skies for the latter. It didn't take long for her to get her wish however, as the cyan pegasus soon came storming in from the airspace over the main city itself, landing with her typical skill before walking up to her friends. Turning to her, Twilight spoke in a somewhat nervous tone.

"Well? How's Rarity doing?"

Although initially nervous about answering that question, Rainbow, after looking over her shoulder and thinking over where she'd just come from, put on a small smile and chuckled a little before giving her response.

"Well...she used a lot of big fashion words I didn't get, so...the best I could figure is that she'll get it done...but it'll take a while."

Twilight nodded at that, knowing full well that this would be the case. After all, she remembered all too well just how much her alabaster friends had worked on Cadence's new hairstyle, and just how many mishaps had occurred along the way to make it happen. She knew she'd try her best, and her talent in style and aesthetics would certainly help her, but even so, it would require her absolute concentration and focus to get it right, especially since nopony had tried to pull that hairstyle off for a long time. Why the crystal ponies themselves didn't seem to know how to do it, Twilight couldn't fathom, but, that was the hand fate had dealt them, so they might as well put up with it. Instead, the young unicorn focused her attention on the train line before her, still vacant of any actual trains. She always hated it when things weren't on-time, being the kind of organized mare that she was. Even so, she knew it wouldn't do to appear in any way annoyed or frustrated when the inspector arrived, so she practiced her so-called "happy face", putting on a few smiles and trying them out for size. Needless to say, this earned her a few odd looks from her friends, several of whom couldn't help but stifle a few giggles as they watched her practice. After doing this for several minutes, Twilight was interrupted from this when Pinkie Pie then started speaking up in her usual high-pitched voice.

"Ooh! Ooh! There it is!"

Immediately, Twilight snapped her head in the direction her friend was pointing, and sure enough, there was a billow of steam in the distance. Preparing herself, the young unicorn took a few calming breaths, watching as the train came into view. It moved quickly, but soon ground to a halt as it reached the platform, letting out that distinct screeching sound that such trains were famous for. All of the mares looked to each other, half-nervous and half-excited about what was to take place here, but Twilight, ever vigilant, kept her eyes square on the train's doors. Moments afterwards, they opened, and a huge number of ponies began to disembark. A few new royal guards to bolster the Empire's small number, some tourists, even a few crystal ponies, returning home after visiting other Equestrian places. But still, there was no sign of the one Twilight knew would be here. However, as she turned to her right, she DID catch sight of a mare she recognised immediately. Yellow in her fur and green in her mane, she wore a pink outfit and was carrying a rather heavy luggage bag in her mouth, bearing a frustrated look as she did so. Twilight, remembering Miss Peachbottom well, sighed at seeing her, and it wasn't long before Rainbow caught sight of her friend's interest, looking to the green-maned mare before whispering to her.

"Is that her?"

Twilight shook her head at that.

"No. I've seen Miss Harshwhinny's picture. That's not her..."

Turning, Twilight's face lit up as she looked upon another mare exiting the train before them.

"...that's her."

The group all turned in unison, seeing the one Twilight now saw leaving the train. Dressed in a purple suit and bearing a blonde mane, this was a mare who, like Miss Peachbottom, bore a look of both frustration and complete disinterest. Seeing a mare such as this, Twilight's friends all looked to each other with unsure expressions. As for Twilight, she smiled at the new arrival, trotting up to greet her. Miss Harshwhinny noted the approaching unicorn, and was then taken aback when the latter lit up her horn, using it to levitate her luggage up for her before speaking up in a friendly manner.

"Welcome to the Crystal Empire, Miss Harshwhinny!"

The mare raised an eyebrow at that.

"I take it that you're the welcome party?"

Ignoring her rather unenthusiastic response, Twilight nodded.

"We are indeed! Allow me to introduce ourselves. My name is Twilight Sparkle. And these are my friends, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Applejack and Fluttershy."

Each of the mares smiled and nodded in greeting as their names were called out, and the new arrival nodded in return to each of them. However, as she dwelt on this introduction, she raised an eyebrow yet again as she looked to Twilight.

"Did you say your name was Twilight? As in...Celestia's personal protégé?"

Twilight had to resist the urge to roll her eyes at that. After all, she never enjoyed using her position as Celestia's pupil to her advantage on most occasions, even if it was for a good cause. Even so, she nodded in confirmation, leading to Harshwhinny seeming to be somewhat amore interested now.

"Well...it says a lot about a place if somepony like you is being used to greet me. I'm impressed."

The young unicorn smiled that they'd at least got that right, but her smile faded somewhat when she noted that the inspector was starting to look around, as if searching for somepony.

"I must confess...I was expecting to see Princess Mi'Amore Cadenza here today."

Twilight nodded before answering that.

"I'm terribly sorry, but Cadence found herself rather preoccupied with some other arrangements for your visit. But, I assure you that you’ll have the opportunity to see her later after a tour of the Empire."

Harshwhinny thought on that for a time, and then nodded, apparently willing to accept that as an answer. Standing to one side, Twilight silently invited the inspector to walk alongside them, which she did. And so it was that the group began to make their way away from the train station, heading for the city proper. However, as she continued to levitate the inspector's belongings, Twilight stopped, and looked over her shoulder. There, still struggling with her own belongings, was Peachbottom, who wasn't looking happy at the moment. Thinking on this, Twilight put on a smile, and then turned to Pinkie Pie before placing a hoof upon her shoulder, gaining her attention.

"Pinkie, I was wondering if you could do me a favour."

The pink mare nodded at that, prompting Twilight to look over at the other mare.

"That mare over there doesn't seem happy right now, and I figured you might want to go over there and, maybe, help her around the Empire. She looks like she'd appreciate it."

Pinkie turned, looking to the mare in question, before looking back to Twilight with a smile upon her face, giving a little salute before replying.

"Don't you worry, Twilight! Nopony is going to have a frown on my watch!"

Twilight smiled at that, and watched as her friend began to move towards the still-unhappy mare. However, Pinkie then stopped and turned back to Twilight, looking somewhat concerned about something.

"Um...are you sure about this? I mean...are you girls gonna be okay without me?"

Twilight nodded and smiled at that.

"Don't worry, Pinkie. We'll be fine."

Pinkie thought on that for a moment before, as usual, breaking out into her usual massive smile, after which she started bouncing towards Peachbottom in her usual, Pinkie Pie way. As for Twilight, her smile soon faded, as she turned to re-join the rest of the group, speaking in a low and hushed manner, with her eyes bearing a distinct tint of sadness to them.

"We'll be fine. After all...we've got all the time in the world...don't we?"