The ride to Canterlot was longer than I’d have liked it to be, but it was nonetheless, a new experience for me. Flying thousands of miles above ground but instead of being in an airplane, I was basically in a luxuriously extravagant portable park bench with wheels, being carried by two flying horses in gladiator armor. It was so COLD up there… The stinging chilly winds nipping at every part of my body as we made our way to this Canterlot place didn’t help, either. The high altitude allowed for less of the sun’s heat to reach us. I also felt somewhat short of breath as less warmth from the sun came accompanied by less oxygen to take in. I tried to tough it out, to no avail.

I found myself shivering violently and wrapping myself with my forelegs for warmth as I sat, eagerly waiting for this trip to be over. My miserably frigid disposition didn’t go unnoticed by Twilight and Spike. I expected them to be laughing at me because I assumed they were used to taking trips like this, seeing as neither of them was bothered by such horrid weather conditions. Instead, they looked at me with a surprising amount of concern. I tried to smile to let them know I was fine, but the drastic atmosphere only allowed me to screw up my face as I felt a chill go down my spine. Twilight took it upon herself to nuzzle up to me, which surprised me.

“Sorry…” she softly began as she shared her warmth with me. “I forgot about how harsh these trips could be for ponies that haven’t traveled to Canterlot this way instead of taking the Friendship Express…”

“F-F-Friendsh-sh-ship Exp-press-s-s?” I stuttered as I quickly wrapped my forelegs around the unicorn, all the while trying not to make the movement seem desperate. It didn’t exactly cure me of the cold, but it sure came close enough…

“Mm-hmm. It’s a train system that takes ponies to different cities around Equestria; Canterlot included.”

“H-how come w-w-we ain’t take th-that?”

“This way is much faster and safer, although less convenient in terms of uh… passenger care…” she answered with an unsure smile. Twilight snuggled up to me and wrapped her forelegs around me, seeming to get comfortable with the hug.

“H-how don’t this b-bother y-y’all?”

“I’ve been riding in these things since I was a filly.”

“And I’m a dragon,” Spike interjected. “I’m basically built to be immune to extreme temperatures.”

“Lucky y’all…” I said as I saw a series of extravagant large buildings protruding from a mountainside approaching. FINALLY, we made it.

“Here we are!” Twilight announced as she tried to break from the hug. “Um… you can let go now…”

“Just a liiiittle longer…?” I innocently asked with a shy smile.

“No, you’re fine now. Canterlot isn’t cold. I promise,” she responded with a short laugh. I reluctantly let the unicorn go as the chariot descended into undoubtedly THE most overly decorated medieval-looking city I’d ever laid my eyes on. The buildings were huge, each and every one of them designed like they were part of one giant majestic world, totally separate from everything else. This place must’ve been where all the rich upper-class ponies lived. Given that Twilight herself lived here at one point AND had tight connections with royalty, I began to suspect that I’d been one lucky enough to come into contact with one VERY important pony… The chariot landed in front of the entrance of an enormous, translucent white castle with what seemed to be a stylish solid gold roof. Thankfully, the atmosphere returned to one identical to that of Ponyville; pleasantly warm with a sufficient supply of quality air.

“The Princess is still not back from her international duties,” one of the pegasus guards informed as Twilight, Spike, and I got off.

“She will send you a letter when she returns. In the meantime, Miss Sparkle, you and your colt-friend may freely explore the city,” the other guard said.

“Dammit, not these guys too…”

“Thanks. But for the record, we ain’t datin’. We’re jus’ friends is all,” I informed.

“That is not the message your snuggling with Miss Sparkle in the carriage delivered to us.”

“What?? But I—!”

“Thanks, officers. Let’s go, Ty,” ordered the unicorn. I growled in defeat and looked at the ground as I turned to follow Twilight and a snickering Spike away from the castle and into the city of Canterlot.

“I don’t get it… why is it that just about EVERYONE here automatically thinks we’re romantically involved?” I asked.

“Well… to be perfectly honest with you…” she nervously began as we trotted through the clean cobblestone streets of Canterlot. “I um… don’t have many friends who are stallions… in fact, other than you— even though you’re only temporarily a stallion— the only ones I have right now are my big brother Shining Armor, and Applejack’s big brother, Big Macintosh. All my other friends are mares save for Spike. Any other colts or stallions I know as of yet, I merely count as acquaintances... I’d guess that since you’re the first stallion anypony’s ever seen with me that wasn't related to me or one of my best friends, they all quickly assume we’re a couple…”

“Seriously?” I asked in surprise. “Tha’ss crazy…” Now I was really curious about the purple mare. “Hey… have you… ever… actually dated anybody before? I‘m sorry if I’m pryin’ into your personal life, but I—!”

“No…”

“Whaaat? Why not? You’re cute, smart, funny, and enjoyable to talk to. I’d expect you t’ have had at least one past relationship.”

“I told you before… I was too busy with my studies on friendship and making the princess proud to worry about social interaction… Thank you, by the way…” she smiled a little.

“I’ss the truth. But as for the introversion… You ain’t like that no more. Wha’ss keepin’ you from enterin’ the datin’ world now? Other than your apparently busy schedule...?” I noticed the unicorn mare beginning to blush. Spike, not wanting to hear anything, covered his ears… wherever they were.

“I… guess I’m still a little wary about trusting anypony with my heart like that… Don’t get me wrong, though; I’d be partial to having a special somepony in my life… I just don’t know if I’m ready for such a thing yet, though…"

"Why not? What would you be lookin' for in a pony?"

"Well... If I WAS looking for somepony, I'd like someone who wouldn't hinder my studies... Somepony who'd share largely similar viewpoints and a synonymous outlook on life as I do, while at the same time understanding my cumbersome daily schedule and not being intimidated by that... OR the fact that my family is upper-class... I think I'd generally want someone who'd see me as just an average pony, you know?"

"I understand completely..." I murmured, listening intently.

"What about you?"

"Me?"

"Yeah. Are you currently in a relationship of any sort with anyone in your world?"

"I can't say I am. When I said I preferred t' be alone, I meant it..." I joked.

"Oh..." she replied, seeming not to find humor in the quip.

"Swing an' a miss... Oh well, it really ain't a time for jokin' anyway..."

"But... I dunno... I just never focused on it, really. There's nothin' stoppin' me, but... in a sense, I jus' don't feel like dating..."

"Care to explain?"

"I guess... Look at it this way: Jus' like how you don't know if you could trust someone that way or be sure that they could handle your schedule, I simply got used t' bein' alone. Not t' say I'm lonely, of course..."

"No offense, but it certainly seems that way to me... I understand you enjoying your alone time, Ty, but it seems to me as if you've gotten so used to it that you're afraid of a little change..." She surprised me with her analysis.

"Afraid of change...? Am I...?"

"Hm... Maybe I am, maybe I'm not..." I conceded.

"Change can be a good thing, believe it or not..." the unicorn advised.

"Yea, but change can bite you in the ass if you ain't careful."

"Bite you in the what?"

"Oh! Sorry, I meant uh... What's a pony's backside?"

"Flank?"

"Yes, that."

"Well, that's no reason to shield yourself from it; that's an excuse."

"I know, I know..." I agreed. "I'll take your word on it. But back t' you... How are YOU prepared for that kinda change?"

"Trust me, I prepare for ANYTHING," Twilight confidently assured me. "I've read tons of romance novels, autobiographies, and love advice guides to know EXACTLY what to do when I—!”

"Already, I disagree..."

“Lemme stop ya right there,” I interrupted. “Listen… love ain’t exactly somethin’ you can simply look at an’ then record into a book or learn about from readin’... it also takes first-ha— err, HOOF experience. I’m almost positive your Princess told you about that, an’ knew about that when she sent you t’ Ponyville to make some friends."

"Hmm... Maybe, but I don't think that means my research is totally insufficient," Twilight rebutted. "I mean, how else would I be able to prepare myself for an amorous relationship if I'm not actively participating in finding a special somepony right now?"

"Fair point."

"Glad you see that. I feel as though my research has more than prepared me for a romantic encounter."

"Such naiveté... Proves that she don't know everything, intelligent as she is."

"Yea, well any ol’ body can write about their experiences in a book, which may be able to do as much as point you in the right direction in terms of how to love, I'll give ya that much… But ultimately, I don’t think they’ll EVER equate or compare to your own experiences. Every pony is unique and as such, has different experiences; especially with love, I'd presume. No one ever got married by readin' advice guides an' followin' the text at every step. Sometimes, ya gotta go through an experience yourself t' really learn somethin'. In terms of meetin’ a special someone… jus’… give it a shot, I guess is the point I’m tryna get across…” I said, never taking my eyes off of Twilight. I felt like I was stabbing myself in the chest with my own words, given how I'd recently been feeling toward her.

“I suppose you’re right… As they say, experience is the best teacher...” she responded as she brought her eyes up to mine. In those big, shining violet eyes of hers, I saw a glimmer… of what, I can’t rightly say. Whatever it was, it kept our gazes locked on one another for a longer amount of time than either of us would have normally allowed as we stopped in our tracks and silence filled the air around us.

“Are you two done!?” shouted a now-impatient Spike, breaking our concentration.

“O-oh, right… Sorry, Spike…” said Twilight, rattled and blushing.

“Uh, yea, my fault…” I apologized as I suddenly felt hot. “So um… where do we go from here?”

“I’m not really sure… Other than the fact that this place is much richer than Ponyville, it really isn’t that different, to my knowledge.”

“Might as well wing it, then. We ain’t really got nothin’ better t’ do before Celestia gets here,” I suggested. With that, we walked around the royal city with no particular destination. Just like the buildings, the ponies there were extremely classy. Almost all of the ones I’d heard talking spoke with some refined British-sounding accent while wearing formal clothes like they were all headed to some important event. I was sure Rarity would’ve LOVED this place.

However, with classy living, of course, came snippy, elitist attitudes. Twilight and Spike had no trouble talking to the locals, given that this was their birthplace and they were well-known. I, however, was not so fortunate. Almost everyone I tried to talk to had some smart-ass remark to say about what a “low-class wretch” I was or how “uncivilized and backwoods” I looked. Otherwise, they’d stick their nose up in the air with a “Humph!” while they’d walk off. I did get an actually kind response like a wave or even a “Hello,” here and there, but those were few and far in between. The hasty judgments based solely on how I looked were getting on my nerves quickly. I was biting my tongue harder and harder to keep from saying something that would get us (or at least me) kicked the hell out of here.

“Are you okay, Ty?” Twilight asked with concern.

“*sigh* I’m good. Why?” I said with a poorly hidden sense of frustration.

“I see how everypony’s treating you here…”

“Yeah, and it’s not pretty,” Spike added as he laughed.

“Spike…” Twilight said, not amused by Spike’s comment.

“What? It’s true!”

“Whatever, le’ss jus’ keep goin’…” I bitterly suggested as I shook my head.

“Alright, then…” the unicorn unsurely responded.

We had to get out of there quickly, because there was only so much verbal abuse I could take before I lost it. This culminated in one pony with an overly gelled-up blond mane, a monocle, a Cutie Mark of a piano, and a black suit jacket doing the upward-snouted “Humph!” after I tried to ask him if the day seemed nice. However, what set me off was that I heard the light blue unicorn stallion, who seemed no taller than Twilight, mumble something under his breath that sounded like “…trash…”

“Oh, aight, be that way!” I snapped, stopping the stranger in his tracks as he turned to me with a look of shock. I’d become noticeably aggravated with the unnecessary mistreatment. “Ah’ont need ya shitty approval anyway, you snooty mothafu—!”

“Ty!” Twilight interrupted, snapping me out of my rage as I straightened up my face before turning to the lavender mare. “Don’t let these ponies get to you. They’re just not used to newcomers here. Let’s just go back to the castle now… this doesn’t seem to be going so well…” I stopped, closed my eyes, and took a deep breath.

“You’re right… I jus’ lost myself for a sec…” I concurred.

“Well, I never!” the blue unicorn shouted, appalled by my outburst. “I demand a proper apology right now!” Hearing his voice angered me as I glared at him from the corner of my eye.

“After you blew me off, then added that little comment you mumbled about me bein’ trash, you seriously expect an apology from me?” I calmly asked the stranger.

“Oh, my… Y-you heard that?” the suddenly-frightened unicorn stallion asked back.

“No, I jus’ thought it up an’ I decided t’— Yes, I heard it!” He took that remark as a sign to high-tail it out of there.

“Hmph. And you said Canterlot WASN’T cold…” I quipped as we changed direction back towards our point of entry into the large, elegant city.

“Well, I meant temperature-cold. I didn’t really expect the ponies here to be so cold to you. They were never that way to me…” Twilight answered in wonder.

“Maybe not to your face…” I said with a raised eyebrow. “I can only imagine how many of ‘em gossip around here…”

“You might be right… Come to think of it…” Twilight pondered.

“Hey Ty. Quick question…” Spike said in a curious tone.

“Wassup?”

“What were you about to say to that unicorn? That he was a snooty mother… what?”

“Uh, um… y-you don’t wanna know…” I nervously replied. I was in no way going to be responsible for teaching profanity to little kids (or baby dragons), especially if I haven’t heard those words being uttered by anyone I’d come into contact with here.

“Oh, okay… what about that other thing, though? About you not needing his shi—?”

“Ah-ah-ah-ah-ah! Spike, I was jus’ mad at the guy. Le’ss not be goin’ into specifics about what I said to him, because it wasn’t nice o’ me. Tha’ss all you need t’ know. Sorry you two had to see an’ hear that.”

“It’s okay,” Twilight responded. “Nopony’s perfect. I would’ve probably done the same if everyone I tried to talk to treated me like how they were treating you, except maybe… not quite so angrily,” she added, making me chuckle a little.

“I’m pretty sure you woulda found some way t’ mess with anyone who gave you a hard time, seein’ as you got magic an’ all. You don’t even gotta get mad.”

“Yes, but I prefer the ‘love and tolerate’ approach. If you can’t find a way to love it, then at least find a way to tolerate it. It makes everypony much happier. You should try it!”

“I guess… But you saw how ‘easy’ it was for me t’ tolerate bein’ insulted like that again an’ again…”

“Believe me on this one, Ty; when there’s a ‘will’, there’s a way… On a different note, would you like a dandelion sandwich?” she asked as she magically lifted a sack out of her saddlebag and opened it up to reveal two dandelion sandwiches and a handful of jewels of various shapes, sizes, and colors. I almost asked Twilight why she had jewels stored in the same place as food, but then I remembered what Fluttershy told me about dragons eating jewelry.

“I’ll take those jewels,” Spike hungrily said as if anyone else was going to take them.

“Sure… why not?” I answered with uncertainty before taking one. I was very apprehensive about eating a sandwich where the “meat” in it was flowers… but it WAS Twilight’s favorite food, so I figured, “what the hell?”

“I think you’ll like it. It’s delicious,” she tempted as she took a bite of hers. She seemed to savor it thoroughly.

“If you say so… *gulp* bottoms up…” I murmured. I took a small bite out of my sandwich, and almost spit it back out as soon as the flower made contact with my mouth. The bread was fine, seeing as it was wheat. The dandelion, however, was a whole different story. It was like someone had taken some celery, soaked it in grapefruit juice and vinegar, and then threw some tree leaves and sugar on it for good measure. Basically, it was extremely bitter and watery with a slight hint of sweetness. I didn’t want to be rude to the little unicorn, so I instead swallowed the piece of sandwich without chewing it further.

“Sooo…? How is it?”

“…scrumptious,” I uneasily replied, hiding my disdain behind a plastered-on smile. She smiled at me, and then continued to eat her sandwich. I figured that throwing mine away was not an option and neither was holding it, so I did what any sensible person/pony would do; I shoved the whole thing into my mouth and chewed rapidly while fighting my obviously angry gag reflex before swallowing the accursed thing in increments.

“Wow, the whole thing in one bite?” Twilight asked with pleasant surprise. “I’m impressed!”

“Eeyup, you sure can make one mean sandwich!” I felt my eyes tearing up from the sandwich’s intense battle with my throat.

“Well thanks! In that case, I almost wish I’d have brought more for us to share…”

"Thank Princess Celestia that you didn't..."

“Oh, what a bummer. Oh, look, we’re here!” I announced as we approached the enormous castle we’d been dropped off at. We trotted up the main stairwell where the two guards were standing. They, without so much as making a vocal sound, opened up the humungous wooden door and allowed us inside…