The morning became quite the adventure for the young buck after his initial meeting with the final element of harmony. Twilight lead Thorn back to the library and showed him how to operate her shower. She offered him some soap along with some semi fragrant shampoo. Thorn had found the cleaning supplies quite interesting and made a mental note to find some to bring some back home.

After determining an optimum water temperature and washing himself to cleanliness, Thorn exited the shower and dried himself with a towel Twilight had left him. “How wonderful,” Thorn thought to himself blissfully, as he worked to carefully dry his scalp without puncturing the towel with his antlers. He felt amazingly refreshed and found the residual warmth of the water to be quite comforting. However, he had little time to truly enjoy the sensation, as Twilight had warned him that they needed to be at the train station soon.

The warning spurred Thorn to finish up and head down to his rucksack and don his body armor and helmet. Once he was armored up, he met up with Twilight who escorted him through town. “I’m sorry about Rainbow. She means well, but she can be a bit rash,” Twilight said apologetically.

Thorn waved it off. “I took no offense,” he replied calmly. “In retrospect, a lone soul alone in the middle of a town would look a bit suspicious to anyone.”

Twilight chuckled lightly. “Yes, I suppose so.” They proceeded through town until an odd building came into view. It was a small cobblestone building with a straw roof and multiple windows taking up part of the walls. Two signs marked the building, but Thorn couldn’t readily recognize the symbol. It was a long cylindrical tube with another tube at the front and dotted with multiple circles and lines near the bottom. “What is that? Is that what a ‘train’ looks like?” Thorn pondered to himself. The design was just bizarre, and the buck couldn’t understand how such a thing could whisk him and Twilight to the capital. Ultimately, his knowledge of pony technology was insufficient to determine how the machination operated and had to resign himself to find out.

Twilight sped up slightly to reach the building first and quickly approached a window with a circular grate and an opening near the bottom of the glass. She was quickly greeted by an earth pony stallion with a light brown coat and a grey mane. He was wearing a vest with a small circular hat with a short outstretched rim and both articles of clothing were marked with a similar symbol to the one marking the building.

“Mornin’, Princess Twilight,” the stallion greeted with a kindly drawl. “What can I do fer ya?”

Twilight produced some small gold coins she had grabbed prior to leaving the library and put them on the counter before adding, “Round trip to Canterlot, please, Time Clock.”

The stallion at the booth, Time Clock, gave a sheepish smile before putting his hoof on the coins. “Princess, ya know we don’t charge royalty for trips,” he replied with a chuckle as he pushed the currency back to the alicorn.

Twilight returned the smiled and pushed her own hoof against Time Clock’s. “I know, but this isn’t for me this is for my guest. He has business with Princess Celestia.” At this, Time Clock peaked around Twilight to see Thorn standing a foot away from her. Time Clock immediately switched from curious to surprised and seemed stuck there for a bit before the sounds of a loud whistle approaching broke his stare. “I... well... ahem, yes well. If ya want, we can include, uh, yer guest as a diplomate and we can waive their fee,” Time Clock explained with calculated hesitation.

Twilight blinked in surprise, “Oh, yes, that would be fantastic. Thank you, Time Clock.”

Time Clock nodded graciously as he pushed the two tickets back toward the princess, this time without resistance. “D-don’t mention it,” he said to Twilight, before turning to the strange accompanying guest. “Best of luck to you...um, feller, with yer business.” He finished with a polite tip of his hat.

Thorn replied with a nod before following Twilight onto the platform. Upon crossing the small turnstile, Thorn took notice of his environment. There were a few other ponies at the train station sitting on benches with their respective luggage. Some were in some kind of casual garb or generally unclothed. Some took notice of the duo’s arrival, most watching as the recently anointed princess casually walked onto the platform while others took note of the odd being following close behind her. Thorn noticed them watching, but he was more interested in the odd path that lie before the platform.

It appeared to be some sort of path made of two parallel metal rails with segmented planks of wood placed perpendicular to the rails. Looking along the odd path, it seemed to stretch off into the distance with no discernible end. Thorn pondered this bizarre trail and wondered what it could possibly have to do with the odd shape on the sign he saw before. They had to be related in some way... right? “Twilight, what is this path for?” Thorn asked when his mind couldn’t determine the correlation.

Twilight smiled and explained, “That’s the railroad. The train uses it as the path to travel, but only where the tracks go.” Once she was finished she noticed Thorn looking at the railway with scrutiny. As she began to wonder what was perplexing the buck so much, Thorn asked another question, “What, exactly, is a train?”

As Twilight was about to give the answer, THE answer announced it’s presence with a loud and sharp toot of its horn. The sound was enough to cause Thorn to whip around toward the source and was surprised to see the bizarre machination heading towards him. It was a large mechanical beast with a large plow skimming above the rails. A large tube on top of the machine spewed white smoke into the air as it approached. Additionally, it appeared to have multiple compartments in tow. And the sound it made, a hard chug that sounded as though it was moving with intense force and power. Thorn was boggled. He couldn’t even begin to consider how such a machine moved or operated. Animals and large beasts were one thing but this... train, was something far beyond him and none of his training covered any form of engineering this complex.

“That’s a train,” was Twilight’s giggly response as the train squealed into the station and eventually came to a complete halt, releasing a cloud of hot steam from the undercarriage. Thorn looked over the monstrosity with adherent curiosity. He looked over the various tubes and wheels that held the machine together. How everything worked, he was unsure, but he was interested in learning. However, it appeared such an exploration was not possible at the moment. A pony emerged from one of the many cabins attached the locomotive and proceeded to call for all those heading to Canterlot to begin boarding. This caused Thorn to temporarily give up his investigation of the train and follow Twilight onto the passenger car. She offered the pony the two tickets she’d purchased and he allowed both of them onto the train, with only a prolonged gawking glance as Thorn passed by.

Upon entering the traveling carriage, Thorn took a glance around the passenger car and saw two rows of bench seats going from one end of the cabin to the other, minus where the entrance was. Each bench was covered in a silky beige fabric and each had a similar green glass backboard. The sight was awe-inspiring for Thorn, as this seemed to be quite fancy. He’d never really seen something this fancy, at least not outside the kingdom’s palace. He’d never seen glass aside from some spots where dragons had roosted previously. But this was colored glass with swirling accents.

“You ride in something this fancy regularly?” Thorn inquired in awe.

Twilight chuckled at the statement. For a moment, she contemplated informing him of the royal cabin along with the first class and suite cabins, but thought it might be better to now push Thorn’s buttons too much. “Not always,” She explained as she made her way to her seat. “But this is the most common way to get to Canterlot.”

Thorn simply released a silent “Wow,” before following Twilight to a nearby bench and sitting next to her with a decent gap between them. Thorn watched as other ponies continued to board, many of them tossing a wayward glance toward Thorn as they passed, and noted how some of the boarding ponies were dressed in varying dresses, garb, and, what Thorn assumed, was formal wear. For some ponies, the outfits we as simple as a hat and a scarf or some odd thing that laid over their muzzle and covered their eyes, but some were more intricate. Some of the mares were wearing long dresses with fancy hats. The stallions were wearing... something fancier. It reminded him of something he’d seen some of the advisors in the palace wearing, but it seemed... stiffer, not as silky as the unique suits the advisors wore. These suits seemed pressed and sharp, and... they looked really uncomfortable. Especially, the various bows and hanging things from their necks.

While Thorn was curious of the different outfits, he put his thoughts toward his more imminent problem, how was he going to present his case to the Princess. He knew why he was presenting himself to the princess, but... how was he going to go about it? Formality was the most obvious, but he should at least present a valid reason for an envoy to return with him. What did he have to offer? What did his kingdom have to offer? Ponies seemed so advanced compared to deer. They had technology, advanced magic, even luxury. What did deer have to offer? Plants?... Wait, they did have herbs. Maybe medicine? Unless they have magic that is better than medicine.

Thorn groaned. What else was there? Maybe... maybe... “Oh no, I can’t think of anything!” Thorn thought in frustration. “What am I supposed to offer? Should I offer anything? Should I just-just say that the King wants to discuss a trade? WHAT DO I DO?!” Thorn was snapped out of his frustrated thoughts by a hoof on his shoulder and Twilight asking if he was okay.

Thorn turned to see Twilight looking at him with a concerned look on her face. “You looked like you were about to panic,” Twilight stated. “Are you okay? Oh gosh, are you getting motion sick?!”

“I- what? No, I was... I,” Thorn felt a hitch in his throat. Part of him felt ashamed that he didn’t know how to deal with this situation and anxious at the thought that he might embarrass himself and his king before the princess... not that he wasn’t doing so already. He considered his situation, he knew he was flustered and clearly it was messing with him. And ultimately his knowledge of the ponies was minimal at best and erroneous at worse. Both weren’t going to help him and his time was short. Looking at Twilight, he realized his best solution was the princess he could barely maintain eye contact with. With a heavy sigh, Thorn finished his statement, “I was...uh... thinking of how to handle my...um... appointment with Princess Celestia.”

Twilight’s concern quickly turned to understanding as she began to see where the worry had been coming from. “Oooh, o-o-okay. Well, maybe, I could help you prepare,” Twilight offered. “We do have a two-hour ride, so we have time.”

Thorn nodded with a smile, “I would be further in your debt if you would.”

Twilight matched the smile and offered her help. “Well, you are looking to request an emissary right?”

Thorn nodded in agreement.

“Okay, well, I doubt Princess Celestia will deny the request, but she will need to let the emissary know what to negotiate with,” Twilight explained.

“That makes sense,” Thorn conceded. “Sooo, where should I start?”

“Well perhaps-” Twilight began, just as the attendant called that everypony take their seat as the train was about to get underway. “Uh- as I was saying, if I know the princess, she may just question you for the information she needs, but it definitely wouldn’t hurt to make a case. So... uh... would deer be okay working with ponies?”

Thorn was unsure. “M-maybe? Aside from Master Ironwood and myself, everydeer believes you're a myth. I’m not even sure how they are going to react if and when the emissary comes with me. I don’t even know what they’ll do!” Thorn was beginning to sound nervous. He had attempted to keep his mind off that thought, but with his meeting with the princess so close, it felt much worse. The whole plan would be pointless if he couldn’t get the emissary to the palace! Could he in good conscious walk a pony into the kingdom and cause a... wait. “Maybe... they won’t have know a pony was ever there,” Thorn responded thoughtfully.

Twilight blinked at him in confusion.

Thorn elaborated, “You and the Princess teleported into the cave under the Great Tree’s diaus. While it isn’t the closest to the palace, it does have a more obscured route and there will only be other Guardians there.”

Twilight’s eyebrows flashed with realization, but was quick to bring up a counterpoint, “Well, the princess could always fly you there too.”

Thorn blinked in confusion. “Fly us there?” An image of himself and a faceless envoy riding on the back of Princess Celestia, and her carrying the both of them to the palace within the forest.

Twilight nodded, “Of course, we have chariots that can carry ponies across long distances. They’re usually for more concealed entrances and exits.” The way Twilight said this made it appear that this was an everyday occurrence. To Thorn, the thought of flying seemed like a fantasy. The closest he’d ever come to flying, was some of his ventures in the canopy of the forest, but even that seemed a far cry from flight. Given the possibility of being able to take a flight from Canterlot to Foraoise, Thorn strangely found himself experiencing a hint of excitement amongst his anxiety and worry; however, it was short lived. The excitement quickly waned and soon his mind returned to facts and procedure. The idea of flight was well and good, but if he couldn’t present himself correctly and offer a good case for starting talks, it’d be pointless.

“Well, it is a viable option amongst the others,” Thorn conceded before moving back to the previous topic. “I will still need to present my case before the Princess before I can get there though.”

Twilight nodded in agreement and did her best to offer the best advice she could conjure. “Well, aside from deer and ponies interacting, maybe it wouldn’t hurt to explain your kingdom and the going on's of society. It could paint a good picture.”

Thorn nodded. It could be helpful if nothing else it could be a good jumping off point. At best, the princess could ask questions for clarification and it might offer her some ideas to give to the emissary. Given the situation, Thorn made a mental note to learn more about diplomacy and bargaining should things go well.

With that, Thorn began to recount everything he knew about life in the forest. What he knew of the kingdom and every resource he could recall. For the remainder of the long train ride, Thorn just talked to Twilight, and as time passed and the two exchanged ideas and advice, Thorn forgot that the individual he was talking to was an alicorn.

Along the long two hours, Thorn found himself idly slipping away from talks about his homeland and shifted to Druidic magic. Twilight was completely enthralled and was actively taking notes of spells she wanted to investigate later. Thorn capitalize on his enraptured audience and new found relaxation to get some advice on spells he had previously had an issue with. Twilight was, of course, more than happy to offer what advice she could offer. Their conversation had highlighted some vast differences between pony and deer magic, mostly that deer magic required that there was some source of plant, seed, or fungus present. Additionally, if the correct ingredients for sustaining the growth weren’t available, the spell would be useless. Compared to pony magic, which could warp or alter the world at will, deer magic seemed to have heavier restrictions. The concept was fascinating and made Twilight curious to test some spells to see if she could even perform some of the spells Thorn had described to her.

As Twilight mulled over the possibilities of Druidic magic, she noticed that the train was beginning to angle upward slightly and her weight was forcefully shifted into the back of the bench. Thorn, likewise, took notice of the odd shift and looked out the nearby window to see what had caused the change. He saw that the train had begun to ascend up, what appeared to be, a mountain. In the near distance, he could see the sprawling city of Canterlot. Looking at it, Thorn began to feel a growing sense of wonder. The city was immense and truly majestic. It was massive and seemed to touch the very clouds themselves. It was everything he associated with ponies personified in a city affixed to a massive mountain. Thorn would have continued to stare at the sprawling city, except Twilight intruded upon Thorn’s fascination. “It’s pretty impressive isn’t it?”

Thorn nodded dumbly.

“Well, we should be arriving fairly soon,” Twilight stated as she adjusted herself in her seat. “Are you going to be okay?”

Thorn broke out of his thoughts as the question truly hit him. He was walking into the pony capital meet their ruler. This caused his anxiety to spike, but he forced himself to maintain his composure. He couldn’t walk through the city verging on a panic attack. He took multiple deep breaths and forced his heart to calm down. By the time he found himself coming to a point of near normality, he hear a loud horn blare from the front of the train. When he glanced out the window again, he found that they had just entered a tunnel and the cabin went pitch dark. This did little to relax Thorn, but he made himself focus on his task. He took more deep breaths and released them slowly until the reached the station.

As the train came to a stop, Twilight let Thorn finish his deep breathing as she watched the other passengers leave the train. Some gave her a kind head nod and others stared at the odd multi-horned creature breathing deeply. Eventually, Thorn finished his deep breathing and stated he was ready to proceed. Both of them walked to the nearest exit and the moment they stepped of the train, Thorn’s stomach twisted into a knot and his previously decent heart rate began to accelerate again. “That’s... a lot... more... ponies.”

Before the Guardian-in-training and the newly appointed Princess of Friendship was the sprawling city of Canterlot. Virtually all space was covered with pony socialites, tourists, and citizens. Looking out over the city, Thorn began to realize that the trek to the castle was going to be significant-

“Princess Twilight Sparkle!” a voice called out from the crowd.

Thorn and Twilight turned toward the voice and spotted a well built white unicorn clad in golden armor. Twilight instantly recognized this as one of the Royal Guard that kept the castle safe. Thorn came to a similar conclusion based solely on his armor and the way he presented himself. “I was sent to collect you and your guest,” the guard stated curtly. “There is a carriage waiting.”

“Or this might be a little easier than anticipated.”

Thorn let out a small sigh of relief and followed the guard to the carriage. Just outside the station platform, an ornate closed carriage waited. In front of the carriage was another guard in similar armor. He watched as Twilight and Thorn approached, but he seemed more focused on Thorn. At first, Thorn wasn’t entirely certain why the guard was overly focused on him, but remembering he was wearing his own armor and following close to a princess of the land, he could understand their caution. In order to put the entourage at ease, he allowed Twilight to board first and offered a small bow to the guards before boarding himself. The gesture made the guards relax, if only slightly. Once they were both onboard the carriage, the two guards attached themselves to the carriage and began making their way into the city.

Thorn settled in just as the carriage began to move and found the benches more comfortable than the benches on the train. Additionally, he was enjoying the relative seclusion the carriage afforded him and Twilight. Which made him wonder if the Princess had sent the carriage to keep him hidden or if she was doing this more for the sake of his anxiety. While he couldn’t deny he appreciated the seclusion, but the idea made him feel extremely embarrassed. One way or another, he’d have to work on that.

For now, he took in the sights as they passed by. He watched as the carriage moved along a smooth paved path and the wide open space began to condense into a more narrower city with tall buildings bordering the street. Many of them were colorfully accented with a base alabaster white being the most common and reoccurring. While he couldn’t recognize what each building was, many of them were marked with signs that showed they were an eatery or some sort of clothing shop. A few of the clothing shops caught his eye as the clothes presented in the windows were different than the ones he had seen. The seemed more... elegant and varied. Some were long flowing dresses while others were... actually, some he couldn’t recognize. It seemed that some were too small to be a dress.

Additionally, he smelled the various scents that were coming from the restaurants. The smells were a mixture of sweet and savory with some having a unique spicy smell that he recognized, but he couldn’t pinpoint it. Regardless the smells had an effect on his stomach and his mouth. He felt his mouth beginning to salivate and his stomach began to gurgle and moan slightly. He did his best to keep the sounds subdued.

“Sorry, we ran out without really getting any food,” Twilight stated. “I can see about getting you something to eat once we get to the castle.”

Thorn’s stomach grumbled it’s agreement, but Thorn, himself, was more hesitant. Twilight had done so much for him thus far. Additionally, he suspected Twilight may have suggested the carriage. For now, Twilight’s offer would probably be a good idea. Even if it wasn’t a full meal, something in his stomach would quell the noises. Reluctantly, Thorn accepted and quickly worked to change the subject. “The city is truly astonishing. I would never have expected there was this much built onto a mountainside.” While he was trying to change the subject, he was being sincere. The massive span of the city seemed like it would be impossible to build. If a deer were to attempt it, it would be quite the struggle to get the right plants and roots to support something this massive.

Twilight smiled at the statement and beamed with pride. “Well, Canterlot was the culmination of efforts from all three tribes. The earth ponies helped clear the space needed, the pegasi supplied the unique building platforms and materials, and the unicorns used their magic to shape the city into its basic foundations.” She leaned over to point to the castle that was quickly coming into view. The large castle seemed to hang off the edge of the massive cliff, yet radiated a sense of importance and regality that Thorn had only experienced when talking to the king.

“Canterlot castle is the ultimate combination of all three tribes,” Twilight continued, revealing in her captive audience. “The castle has a signature of each tribe, the accents of the pegasus, the amazing stonework and architecture of the earth ponies, and the unique flourishes that the unicorns gave the castle. There are other unique signatures in the castle, but it would take awhile to actually go them all.”

Thorn fixed his gaze on the magnificent building again with a new sense of awe and understanding. This was very much an important place and it was more than just a place to house a throne, this was the center of pony culture... and their history. Thorn felt himself straightening up out of respect. “That is quite an accomplishment,” Thorn replied with respect heavy in his voice.

“It is an amazing accomplishment,” Twilight responded as the carriage pulled into the castle courtyard. Peering out the carriage window, Thorn could see the large entrance with large walls flanking both sides, and presumably, rounding the entire castle. The walls and gate were ornately decorated with golden filigree and accents. Additionally, a large drawbridge looked to have been lowered but could be easily withdrawn. Furthermore, he noticed two small towers flanking both sides of the bridge with slits in the center. “I suppose it’s not all appearances,” Thorn thought to himself. “It’s well-fortified too.” Thorn’s respect for the castle and the pony capital continued to soar as the guards detached themselves from the carriage and opened the carriage door. This newfound respect caused another reaction as well. Thorn felt his heart beginning to beat harder, but the feeling wasn’t like his usual fears. Something about this felt deserved, necessary. Thorn took a deep breath and waited for Twilight to disembark first before he exited the carriage himself.

The two guards called for them both to follow and began to lead them into the castle proper. As they made their way in, Thorn began to notice that there were more guards within the castle and he noticed there were other ponies wandering about as well. Some were wearing odd dresses while others appeared to be in some sort of attire he wasn’t familiar with but was similar enough to the other outfit that he assumed they were in similar professions. Thorn assumed they must be the castle caretakers. He also noticed the caretakers were the only ones taking passing glances at him and Twilight. Thorn did his best not to pay any mind to the wayward glances and focus on staying with the escorting guards.

Going further in, Thorn was impressed by the many stone pillars that lined the corridor. While masonry wasn’t unheard of in Froaise, most of it was either in the king’s garden or within the Guardian’s training grounds. Additionally, they weren’t to this scale. These pillars were as tall, if not taller, than some trees he’d seen in the forest and the more he looked, the more he was impressed with their unique masonry skills. Then, he was floored by what he saw next.

The two guards rounded a corner in the corridor to reveal a large opening, beyond the opening was an expansive open-air garden. The various flowers, trees, and ferns were stunning and to top it off, Thorn didn’t recognize them all. Based on how they looked, he assumed it was plant life that couldn’t survive within the confines of the forest. He was fascinated, but he was more fascinated when the two guards stopped outside the opening to the garden and motioned for Thorn to enter. “The princess will meet you in the garden. Please wait under the tree over there,” the guard on the left said as he pointed to a large oak tree with ample shade. Thorn nodded his understanding and made his way toward the designated location, but he realized that he was proceeding alone. He turned to see that Twilight had been stopped by the guards. “Sorry, Princess Twilight. Princess Celestia specifically asked that this be a private conversation,” the right guard stated. “She asked that we give you this task while she is in her meeting.” The guard pulled a small note from a slit in his armor and presented it to Twilight. She took it and read it over... then read it again... then again. Each time her face scrunching and becoming more and more incredulous.

“Is she serious?” Twilight asked in befuddlement.

The guard nodded without a moment’s hesitation. Twilight was clearly displeased with the task, but what it was that was causing her such agitation was beyond Thorn. Regardless, Twilight went off to complete the task given to her and offered Thorn the best of luck. Now Thorn was alone in the garden and the rapid beating of his heart was the only thing Thorn could hear at the moment. “I can’t stay like this,” Thorn thought to herself. “Having my nerves this high strung isn’t good.” He took some deep breaths and did his best to control himself. He took deep breaths and released them slowly until his heart rate began to relax. He did this while thinking about what he should say to the Princess. “Should I open with the potential we could gain from each other? Maybe how now might be the best time to rekindle our alliance. The princess and the Great Tree both seemed eager to do so.” Thorn smiled as he subconsciously nodded to himself. It was a good starting point. If all else, his previous encounter with the princess let him know that she was receptive to open negotiations and the great tree would be willing to offer it's supported as well.

He took a deep breath to steady himself. He felt better, the tightness in his body relaxing slightly. While he couldn’t say he was completely ready for this engagement, he did feel more confident. He had a plan, he had direction, and all he had left to do was wait...

...

...

...

“Why is the waiting so much scarier than the thought of actually talking to the princess?” Thorn groaned internally as he stood beneath the tree in the middle of the garden. Looking around he found the garden’s atmosphere calming. It was quiet and a gentle breeze rustled the branches of the trees and bushes to create an equally calming sound. He sighed contently to himself and continued to take in the surroundings until the sounds of hooves on grass caught his attention. He immediately turned to see Princess Celestia standing in the doorway he had entered through. She was in her regalia from before and she had the same caring smile she had worn in the cavern.

Thorn immediately straightened up and gave a bow. He waited for Celestia to tell him to rise, much like he did with his king. He had to do this correctly, and he had to make the best fir- second impression he could.

“Please rise,” an unexpected voice said. Thorn didn’t recognize the voice. It sounded slightly younger than Celestia, but it was also female. When Thorn raised his head, he saw something he had not expected and worse something he was hoping to avoid at all costs. It was a midnight alicorn with a night sky mane standing just behind Celestia. It was the Nightmare Alicorn.

Author's Notes:

New year, new chapter. Been a while. Sorry to have kept ya waiting.