We pretty much stayed on track from there on out. We literally did; the train ride went on for hours at a time, without even the teensiest of breaks. About halfway to our destination I'd already accepted that our journey would probably take forever. Forever, I say. And I'm in no way overstating things by that. I wouldn't have believed I could get bored so easily with issues that heavy constantly lasting on my mind. Turns out, I was wrong. All the while, sitting still felt like it would be the end of my earthly existence, the dying of laughter at the end of a play. The sole reason for me to pull through was the thought of not letting my friends down. Or at least not aggravate them any more than I already had.

I did go over the edge with that once, and ended up getting forced to watch paint dry. It was awful. Anything of the like didn't need to happen ever again.

By the time we arrived at our destination, the day's time already proceeded to three in the afternoon. Or so I got told. Examining the shadows of rocks doesn't make a whole lot of sense whenever the sun and moon remain in the exact same position all day...and night. If the different times could even be considered day and night at that point. Does time actually work like that, or would everypony just remain in some sort of limbo, which is like...half of both, but not completely any of them? But wouldn't we also have to stop moving forward or backward, then? I made a mental note to check up with that later.

Another problem did already start to rise up in my conscience: I was honestly getting worried about how I'd possibly get myself to sleep tonight (or whatever you'd call it). I mean...we've had a similar problem before, with those gigantic weirdo seeds Discord planted in the Everfree Forest some time back. They managed to grow all over the place, kidnapping both princesses in the process. Only back then, we managed to solve the problem within what would have otherwise been no more than a day. So sleeping had not been an issue.

I had a feeling it would all be different this time. With all due respect, Twilight would hardly be able to get everything in order that quickly. Super-best friends or not, even the united elements of harmony couldn't bring ponies back from the dead.

Always assuming the blast actually did kill Luna and Celestia. I still didn't want to believe it myself, even now. The very thought made me cringe, and every feature of my Pinkie sense stand on edge. Then again, Fluttershy's words from earlier lasted on my mind just as heavy. While I didn't want to believe her, deep down inside I knew she was right. At some point, somepony would have to speak up and tell the inconvenient truth.

I didn't get anything further from her; the two of us hadn't shared another word for the rest of the ride. In general, everypony on the train had been incredibly silent, safe for some general instructions passed back and forth. By the time we stopped at the foot of the mountain, the constant tension had done a great job wearing me out. My last hope before stepping out of the train car included some lone, shady place for me to lie down and rest my hoofsies a little. Or just go to sleep, right away. At this point, a pony didn't have to be any subtle, I guess.

Unfortunately, I figured that wish of mine might not become fulfilled for a really long time. With all of us following Twilight out the back of the train, and moving on around it, we could see immediately why it didn't proceed any further. To be plain, it simply couldn't. The train tracks leading up the mountain or on to Manehattan and Fillydelphia from here on out were all gone. Buried beneath a pile of rubble.

The debris was huge. I don't think I've ever seen so many boulders and rocks broken down, ever before. The gigantic mass of ruins, walls and pieces of former buildings within its domain, stood reaching hundreds of feet high, wide, and probably across. From where I stood, I assumed it being almost as huge as the mountain itself. And that was really something. Like half the peak had been blown off alongside the city. Around this artificial hill, dozens of smaller pieces lay scattered across as far the eye could see. If Maud was to witness all this destruction brought to such a vast variety of sediments...I'm sure she would have cried. Probably just on the inside, but she'd be devastated, nevertheless.

Speaking of devastation, seeing all of its traces surrounding myself, I wouldn't dare to look up at first. I didn't even want to see the formerly majestic mountain, this once-in-a-lifetime symbol of Equestrian greatness, that might be no more. Even if that just accounted for some parts of it. This had been more than enough for me to take in, as it was. And yet, after a few minutes, I couldn't help myself. Driven by curiosity and fear, I yanked my head back and gazed upwards.

As my eyes turned towards the peak, I didn't stop myself from producing a loud, shocked gasp. I'm pretty sure some of the ponies who didn't know me as well turned their heads in curiosity at that moment. Which hardly mattered to me because they were hardly worth mentioning compared to the sight provided.

There was a large, gaping hole torn into the upper portion of the mountain, directly above us. A massive, black cloud of smoke came boiling out from underneath. I cast a shadow onto the cliff sides below, making them look even more threatening and intimidating than everything about this whole business already was.

One thing I was completely and absolutely sure about, Twilight wouldn't take in the sight lightly. At that moment, I assumed we could consider ourselves happy if one single mental breakdown was all she'd get out of this. And as it turned out, I was wrong again. Instead of all I had predicted, she simply lowered her head, and proceeded to what was left of her youth and childhood memories.

If an element of harmony ever felt entirely helpless in its existence, it must have been right then. Seeing her trot forward mechanically like that...I had no idea, whether I'd ever be able to smile again. I mean...I probably would, but I didn't feel like it in that particular situation. Once you're so super-sad, happiness in any shape seems to be hundreds of miles away, further up than even the non-existant chocolate rain clouds brought to us by Discord's former reign of chaos.

I still miss those little perks that go along with eternal chaos. But everypony has to have their dark side somewhere, am I right?

To provide a short distraction from my disturbed friend, I let my eyes wander around the scene for a while. If there was one thing that did surprise me about our overall situation after all, it was that the place looked absolutely deserted. Like, at all. Except from the six of us, and the Appleloosa ponies from the train, nopony was to be seen anywhere. Instead, a dreadful silence filled the cliffside and its surroundings. I would have considered it fun and spooky on any other day. But right now, it all just made me sad.

Could it really be that nopony else was there? No survivors, no nothing? Of course, most ponies in Canterlot were a bunch of stuck-up unicorns, who probably didn't stand a chance against whatever happened. Heck, these ponies didn't even know how to par-tay properly. I couldn't possibly expect them to outrun an explosion.

On the other hoof, there had been more than enough pegasus ponies around here, if I recall correctly. Even if most of them were only members of the royal guard. And of course, there would always be Luna and Celestia. Both of which could fly, right? They had the wings and all. Wings always gave you this ability...probably. I couldn't say, I never had wings. Except in these weird flashbacks I sometimes get in my dreams. Or whatever they are. I basically see myself as a light cream-coated pegasus named Surprise. Not sure what that means, but it's probably to deep for me in the first place, so I never really bothered to find out.

Anyhow, I did suppose the princesses would find a way to escape Canterlot before it was too late. Or would Celestia just stick to the city, unable to abandon anyone still stuck inside? That certainly did fit the super-loving, motherly image I've always had of her. Even more so after first meeting her in person, way back. If she did that, if she really stayed in Canterlot instead of running away, Princess Luna would very probably remain there with her. And that meant...well, bad news for either of them. And everyone else in Equestria.

I frowned. Practically, I should have known. And now, I did. We all did, most likely. The sun and moon wouldn't be up at the same time if the princesses were all safe and sound. But having to face the facts with our own twelve eyes made it all the worse. For all of us, that was, but especially Twilight. In which case it would only be her own two eyes. Y'know, since she doesn't have twelve eyes all by herself and all.

Canterlot was where she originally came from. She lived in Ponyville for over a year now, but her real home had always been here. This city was like her own version of my family's rock farm. Only bigger, prettier, and generally a lot more fun. You get the point. She grew up here, had all the good experiences with her family and friends during her fillyhood, her days of being mentored by Princess Celestia...

This was the place where everypony she ever cared about lived, safe for her Ponyville friends. Well...more like had lived. Since they probably didn't live here anymore. Or anywhere else for that matter. Did I say so already? Sorry about that.

I admit, I didn't want to be around when Twilight would finally find an answer to her questions. Discover whether her family and mentor made it or not, that is. Or if they - like presumably everypony feared - died, being buried beneath tons of crushing, unforgiving rubble.

There, I said it. The truth we didn't want to face. Fluttershy would be proud of me...maybe.

Despite all odds, hopes, and wishes, I could easily imagine the answer to that question, and how she would react to it. Of course, these would be the times when one friend needs another the most, but personally I didn't think I could take it. My whole life, ever since getting my cutie mark, I never wasted a second thinking about grim scenarios like this one. And when it all came crushing back onto myself, there was no way I could just figure out on the spot how I had to react. I felt incredibly dumb for not considering it earlier.

Come to think of it, I realized once again how that other day really did place a vast change in my life. Ever since I experienced a sonic rainboom for the very first time, and decided to leave my parents' home to spread cheers across the nation, my world had consisted of nothing but sunshine and rainbows. Another side of me got buried beneath what I'd soon realize to be a mere facade of happiness. One, which consisted of no talking, and no smiling...only rocks.

I never wanted to go back to that old self of mine, and at times I have and had to vigorously force myself in keeping it that way. Which worked out pretty well for a couple of years. I suppose the simple, suburban lifestyle I lead during that time simply didn't require a whole lot of self-reflection. Meeting the five mares I now consider my bestest of friends might have, a little. But in a positive way. And I can't say that my happy party persona lacks any sort of positivity. It practically bursts with it, to an extend that's almost unnatural.

And in a way, all things considered, all of this was really weird. I was really weird, and I somehow never managed to notice that before. Somehow, I'd always just been myself...hadn't I? And my friends approved of it, even though they probably did view my shenanigans somewhat critically. Gaining this new perspective only now, I can't say I'd blame it on them.

"You okay, sugarcube?"

As opposed to most days, Applejack's voice violently cut into my string of thoughts, making me jump. Turning to see the concerned expression of my fellow earth pony friend trotting along beside me, I immediately felt like I had a lump stuck in my throat. My distracted walking did apparently slow me down a great deal, and now the two of us were walking at the very back of the pack. Twilight and the others had well surpassed us by a good few yards some time back.

"Of course," I squeaked, accompanied by a high-pitched giggle. "Why wouldn't I be?"

Also, did I really always sound like this? It seemed extremely ridiculous, all of a sudden.

"Why? Well, ah could hardly tell where ta start," Applejack replied, her brows furrowing in concern. "For starters, yer mane's hangin' down limb, ya gotta pretty pale look on yer face..." she trailed off for a moment, the honesty behind her green eyes briefly seeming to struggle with itself. "And, of course, yer shakin' all over as it is."

She let out a deep breath, her eyes locking with mine, again. "Dang, gal. Can't tell me you didn't notice any of that. You sure you ain't gonna fall sick on us, or somethin'?"

For just a moment or so, I fell silent. A short while, not much longer than the blink of an eye. It never lasted longer than a few seconds, I think. But they were enough to put me off balance, once more. Because I felt uncertain. For a teensy little time frame, insignificant at best, I didn't know how to respond. I had no idea what I could possibly tell my friend, even though she was walking right beside me, looking me dead in the eye. And that just didn't happen. That never happened before. Except maybe with my parents, back before all that...y'know.

I shifted my view to the left, unable to look Applejack in the eye for the moment. It can be really hard having a serious talk with her while not being really honest at the same time. That's the two sides of the element of honesty: On one hoof, AJ's a pretty bad liar, probably one of the worst I've ever seen. On the other, she couldn't ever be fooled with a lie, herself. Whenever Applejack was completely serious with anypony, that pony couldn't possibly convince her with anything but the complete and absolute truth. Lie to her, and she'd just see right through them. And right now, I could tell her about myself being fine all I wanted, it wouldn't ever persuade her.

Getting myself to look the other way, another sight confronted me. Another one that I didn't expect, especially not now. Because I didn't see anything. Or at least, I couldn't spot whatever I would have seen laying in that direction, since all of it got obscured. The panoramic view I enjoyed just minutes ago was suddenly covered up, hidden behind a thick, seemingly impenetrable curtain of pink.

It wasn't literally a curtain, you see. That pink mess was my mane, part of yours truly's good old self. And only a minute ago it rested firmly on top off my head, having the same poofy, bubblegum texture as always. Now, said mess had turned into a neatly combed, straight manecut, the tips of each strain kept hovering only inches above the ground.

How did it even get there? I certainly hadn't noticed any of the change when it happened. I mean, I usually do know whenever that kind of thing happens. The first time my mane completely changed happened during that sonic rainboom, all these years ago, no less. And how couldn't I remember everything about that moment more vividly that any other occasion in my life? It did also lead to my first party, and the appearance of my cutie mark. If that doesn't define a life-changing event, I don't know what does.

Yes, yes, I know. Trailing off and all that...again...sorry.

Realizing my mane hanging down all limp like that made me jump once again. Touching back down with all four hooves, I realized what Applejack meant when talking about myself shivering. My legs did somehow manage to carry me, but they did so being really shaky all the time. Matter of fact, I felt like I could hardly lift myself off the ground. And that certainly wasn't my Pinkie sense going for some newly invented combos. Overall, I felt incredibly weak all of a sudden. Some kind of bed would have been greatly appreciated at the time. Even a bunk would have done, to be honest.

I felt uncertain. Like, I had felt uncertain before, but my apparent physical weaknesses made it all the more extreme. Maybe I really was getting sick. Though I had no idea why that would be. My stomach never had a problem with too much candy before. According to my immune system, the term too much by itself didn't even exist. And I certainly hadn't eaten any of those worm-filled muffins lately.

A down-to-earth mare like Applejack usually is the right pony to call for any suggestions on sickness. Not counting the incident with the...well, worm-filled muffins. But that happened ages back, and I didn't blame her for it. Whenever Applejack was up and running on her own four hooves, she could usually tell whether somepony else wasn't. And she'd told me I didn't look too well, and was obviously worthy of being concerned about. That couldn't be good.

"Nah," I eventually told her, my voice coming across a lot more quiet and less enthusiastic than usually. "Just caught a little cold this morning, is all."

A frown worked its way onto Applejack's muzzle, as she directed her eyes back forward, watching her step. After all, we were still wandering through a whole mess of rubble, and a pony could step over just about anything in a mess like this. Neither of us knew where exactly we were headed at the time. But Twilight seemed to know her way around the city even now, and I guess we all just obediently followed her lead.

Considering the situation between just the two of us, I don't think AJ ever bought anything of what I said. Of course she didn't. I could tell from the look on her face, which pretty much gave it away...like I said, she's always been a bad liar. Then again, how could anypony possibly believe my stuttering? One, that didn't fit to my otherwise quirky personality, no less. I hardly believed the words coming out of my mouth myself, much less their sound actually resembling that of my own voice. It did seem somewhat foreign, for whatever reason.

"Whatever you say, sugarcube," she concluded, a mix of frustration naturally swinging in her voice.

We didn't say anything else for quite a while. I don't know what my friend kept thinking about me at the time, and I wasn't very eager to find out. As for myself, I was too busy questioning my own values to keep up with any kind of conversation. And I did feel increasingly sick, the more I thought about it. On an unrelated note, part of me still did grow frustrated with how this day just proceeded to become less fun with every passing minute.

Maybe that was just the problem. Maybe ponies just kept thinking about everything more than they should, thus making their lives feel much worse than they were in the first place. The world could be a happier place if we all stopped worrying for a while, and just tried to admire the good things we had. Just like I did while admiring the rainbow spanning across my parents' acres ages ago.

Sunshine and rainbows.

I thought I'd live in this perfect little world for a long time. But the world's conditions don't work like that. And right now, I couldn't just ignore the grim facts for once. Or the unsettling noises of rumble constantly coming from my stomach, which crept up to me alongside the weariness in my limbs. I first thought about it as some kind of appetite from not eating enough this morning. But that couldn't be possible either, considering all that candy I gulped down just before boarding the train in Ponyville...remember?

The sugar contained in that amount of sweets could keep anypony running for at least a week. Or in my case, the better part of an afternoon. As with some other substances, some ponies simply adapt to excessive amounts of sugar after a while, and build up a kind of natural resistance against its effects. Either way, it was much too early for me to get hungry again. And I didn't feel hungry, either. Not at all. While I usually enjoyed any sort of treat at any given time, the mere thought of even more candy made me feel even more sick this time. I even felt like I was going to puke, while mentally going through my inventory of edibles.

I eventually decided it was better to focus on my immediate surroundings to get myself distracted a bit. All those thoughts about my own well-being started to give me a headache. Which is funny in a way, since that's the exact opposite of what they're meant to do. Or accomplish, in the long run. Anyhow, I considered myself better off concentrating on the debris around me for now. And who knew? I might even find some useful information to report back to Twilight. So far, we didn't see anything that could help us. On the contrary, whatever was left of Canterlot made our situation all the more enigmatic.

Even after searching for them, we couldn't discover anypony else around. No survivors to greet us, guide us through the rubble, or at least to tell us what happened. But not only that; in the same way Canterlot had a lack of surviving ponies, we couldn't make out any trace of dead ones either. Not that I did mind them, I felt more than relieved about not having to dig through a pile of dead bodies anytime soon.

But it was also really strange, wasn't it? As much as I hated to say it, dead ponies should be more than expected after a disaster this size. Instead, there were only piles of rubble, made up solely from marble and concrete, clinging to the mountain's cliff side. And they sure didn't help figuring out our situation. Or maybe they did, and I simply wasn't smart enough. Twilight probably knew a way though. Having a brain the size of White Tail Woods does help you with that sort of thing.

On second thought, missing any evidence of dead ponies did light up another spark of hope. For me it did, anyways. I'm not so sure about my friends. But the thought was there. Maybe, just maybe it all wasn't so bad, and the princesses had in fact found a way to evacuate the city before it was too late. And maybe their energy was just too drained for controlling the skies at the moment...wherever they were.

I did feel a faint smile coming back to my face, which felt incredibly good at a grim time like this. However, it didn't grow any wider than that, still held back by that disturbing revelation I had earlier on. No matter what I tried, pushing the critical thoughts about myself aside completely to return to my usual cheerful self just didn't seem to happen this quickly.

Also, there was a problem with my mane, it seemed. Why it hung down like that, I couldn't tell. Sure, it tends to do that whenever I felt extremely down or depressed. Probably just another aspect of my Pinkie sense, you could say. At least I don't have a better explanation. Still, mane deflation only came to me in extreme cases, and I wasn't sure if this counted as one. It hadn't happened in years, except for that one time at Gummy's birthday party, when I did kinda lose it, admittedly...I think I already did talk about that more than enough.

I reached up with one hoof in an effort to push my hair back up to its trademark, curled poofiness. But even that didn't help. The long strains of darkened pink kept dropping back down alongside my neck, straight and parallel as they'd been before. As I said, it may well have been some kind of curtain.

Also, they really were long. I usually didn't even notice that, given their everyday shape. But right now, another question rising up in my mind kept asking myself about the last time I'd ever seen a barber's shop from the inside. It must have been years.

My friends - minus Applejack, of course - didn't seem to care a whole lot about my physical condition. I noticed Fluttershy casting a concerned glance my way every now and then, but she remained silent, nevertheless. Everypony else either didn't see me, or tried to ignore my current state. Given our overall situation, I couldn't blame them.

While I kept watching the four ponies walking in front of us, mostly unable to read their expressions due to their back turned to me, now came Twilight's turn to cut into my line of thought. After silently trotting between piles of rubble, leading the way across several hundred yards at least, the purple unicorn mare suddenly stopped dead in her tracks. Needless to say, the rest of us soon followed suit, and five anticipating pairs of eyes lowered themselves onto our mutual friend.

Twilight wildly tossed her head around a few times, casting glances all around herself. Her motions went extremely fast; even I didn't think those were healthy. And judging from the pace at which she kept it up, I didn't expect her to see a whole lot of her environment that way, safe maybe for a few colorful blurs. Well, more or less colorful. Mostly, everything around us had some gray-brownish tint. With an occasional trace of green tossed in from the nearby woods. Anyway.

Looking right and left, our unicorn friend's expression didn't grow any more positive, let alone cheerful. And neither did she become any more sad because that wasn't even possible from this point...I think. Stopping herself from taking any further looks, she raised a hoof up to her face, massaging her right temple for a moment. "No," she subsequently mumbled, eyes closed, "No, no, no, no, NO!" and had her hoof crashing back down onto the ground. "That can't be right. None of this could! We were supposed to turn left, but...UGH!"

She fell back on her haunches with a groan. While our other friends quickly came trotting over in concern, I simply mirrored her last motion, and sat myself down as well. In all honesty, I could well need a little rest myself. I did feel exhausted after completing our little train ride, but all that weariness came back to me ten times as powerful now. Walking the short distance we just put behind ourselves hadn't made my legs or stomach feel any better, and for some reason I began to feel increasingly sleepy.

While Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Fluttershy, and Rarity all rallied around the purple unicorn who was obviously about to lose it (...again?), I kept to my spot. A long, even more exhausting yawn came across my muzzle. For some reason, getting that out of my system seemed like the most important thing in the world, right now. Rubbing my eyes with both forehoofs afterwards, I wished for nothing but the comfortable bed from my room at Sugarcube Corner by my side. And Gummy, maybe. He would understand me at times like this. Even if I didn't understand myself.

As for my other friends...well, they seemingly couldn't care less. The four of them were still gathered around Twilight in the distance, chatting away in a dull, mumbling tone that prevented me from catching any actual words they used. Also, my own hearing seemed to fade with every second, a certain sense of dizziness overcoming me. The sounds from my environment soon blurred into one dull, constant rushing of white noise.

I slowly turned my eyes upwards, looking at the pale moon that kinda shone down upon us from one side. It was still half a night, I suppose. So there wouldn't be anything wrong with resting for a bit. I mean, maybe it actually was night, assuming the daily rhythm hadn't completely gone nuts in the sky. Maybe Canterlot didn't blow up at night, and maybe it hadn't actually dawned...shouldn't have actually dawned...yet...ugh.

So there's that. And it was half a sunny day. I like those, by the way. Whatever...

As my vision started fading to black at the edges, I lowered my eyes back to the ground. There was a flat, but vast, gray boulder lying on the ground right next to me. Maud would have loved it, I'm sure. Maybe I could bring her a souvenir like that, or something. It sure looked pretty decent.

It also did look extremely comfortable at that precise moment. First raising an eyebrow in doubt, I soon didn't see any reason on why not to take a little break, and lowered my head down onto its surface.

Once the cold marble touched my cheek, I gently placed all my head's weight onto its solid, unyielding surface, and closed my eyes. I think I even felt a smile running across my muzzle while stretching out my limbs for getting a little more comfortable. I imagined seeing Applejack rush over to me just before everything went pitch-black, but I couldn't be too sure about that. For now, that friendly and pleasant darkness surrounding me felt like the best thing that could happen at the moment. If anything, it got me away from this dreadful place.

And what's not to like about that? Next Chapter: Chapter 4 - Astral Plane Estimated time remaining: 5 Hours, 11 Minutes