My Monday morning in Canterlot went almost exactly as I had planned it. I had a good breakfast, though that feeling of something missing was prevalent. I still can’t quite place my finger on what it is, though I’m sure the answer will come to me eventually.

It was a little while after breakfast that things started getting interesting. I was going for a walk in the castle garden under the beautiful sky with the sun warming everything up when an armored earth pony came up to me. “Miss Yang Xiao Long?” he asked. For some reason, he didn’t sound pleased.

“Yes, that’s me” I responded. “Have I done something wrong?” I really hope not.

“I was informed late last night that you would be coming to boot camp in Canterlot before breakfast. It’s been two hours since then.”

“Wait, what?” I never applied for such a thing.

“I have orders to bring you there for standard training. If you walk with me, it will be easier for you and me both.”

“Sir, I never applied for the military here. I can’t even write Equestrian all that well.”

“Are you backing out on me now!?” I can’t help but wonder if this one was a drill sergeant. He had the voice for it.

“No, I never even applied.” How do you back out of something you never wanted in the first place?

“I was informed you might say something like that. You leave me no choice then. I must subdue you by force and drag you there myself.”

Now sounded like a good time to run. “Nope.” I ran at a pretty good speed past the stallion and back through the garden. I did not sign up for this, and I never told anybody I wanted it either. Something was up, and it wasn’t the fluffy looking clouds in the sky.

“Get back here!” the stallion shouted as he chased me. I didn’t respond as I ran through the garden. I wasn’t breathing anywhere close to hard, but it’s still good to save breath where possible.

If there was one good thing about the armored stallion chasing me, it was that I could hear him. I saw a tall tree up ahead, past a few sharp turns in a hedge maze by the looks of it. An idea clicked in my mind. The one chasing me was an earth pony, and ponies were not good at climbing trees. Probably.

I made my way to the tree and jumped up to the lowest branch, then made my way up a few more, giving me plenty of distance and cover. “Victory is mine!” I thought as I saw the stallion run past the tree.

Now that I wasn’t being chased, that brought to mind the question of why I had been chased in the first place. My name, as far as I knew, was very hard to mistake for someone else’s. It couldn’t have been Celestia or Luna, since they had no reason for me to be put in boot camp, let alone the military in general. Same goes for Twilight and Spike. Fancy and Fleur were right out too, since they were too nice for that.

The only conclusion I could come up with was that it was a noble at the meeting last night. I shot down and deconstructed almost all their bills pretty quickly, which was apparently a first, so I wouldn’t put them faking an application for me beyond them. It became a question then of who.

I made sure to stay still and quieted my breathing when I heard those armored hooves again. They were approaching me, or at least getting closer. He stopped under the tree and sat down. He didn’t seem to be looking for me now, but rather like he was waiting for someone.

For a few minutes, we stayed like that. Then Lady Primrose walked up to him. “Good day, sir” she greeted. “I heard you got a new recruit, the one and only Yang Xiao Long. Congratulations on having such a notable being in your camp.”

“She’s not there. In fact, she never even showed up. I’ve been chasing her for half an hour, and I can’t find her.”

“Then I would be happy to assist you. I can talk with plants, and you are in a garden after all.”

“Oh no” I thought. “Dear tree that I’m hiding in, please don’t give me away to her.”

Lady Primrose’s horn lit up with a bright green glow and the grass began to shift around and form a path to the tree. Not good. “Her trail stops here at this very tree, and there’s no trace of magic or anything flying through recently. She must be here.”

The stallion turned around and launched a powerful kick at the tree, causing it to shake violently. Unfortunately, I had gone out on a limb to watch them, wasn’t holding on to anything, and I fell to the ground face first. Surprise, surprise, it stung a bit.

“There you are, rookie” the stallion said before wrapping some of my hair around a forehoof and pulling my undamaged face off the ground. “When I get you to the camp, the first thing you’ll get is a haircut down to regulation length!” And then my hair lit up at that, causing him to recoil away from me. I felt a brief pulling on my scalp, and when I looked at the stallion, I saw a couple strands of my hair caught on his armor.

Oh no. And there’s that feeling of my eyes going red. “For the last time, you will not!” I was mad now. I retreated into my mind a bit as I lunged at the stallion from my spot on the ground and, very quickly, grabbed him at the top of his neck, stood up, spun around and choke slammed him into the trunk of the tree I had just fallen out of. Bits of wood came out from the impact, both towards me and I think a bit on the other side too.

With him taken care of, I turned my attention to Primrose, who was now backing away from me, clearly afraid of what I might do to her. The moment her horn lit up, I extended the Ember Celica to their full length. She fired a blast at me from her horn, which I easily blocked with the magicproof gauntlets.

“W-what are you going to do to me?” she fearfully asked as I approached and grabbed her the same way I had the stallion.

“You’re going in the dirt with your grasshole friends” I responded before picking her up as I had with the armored one, fancy dress and all, and choke slamming her into the ground, kicking up a plume of dirt upon impact.

After those two were taken care of, my anger was extinguished and I stumbled a bit as I got back in control of myself and my eyes changed back. I looked at the two ponies and their fearful looks in my direction. I did the only thing I could think of.

“Somebody help!” I shouted to the sky.

It didn’t take long for help to arrive in the form of four pegasi guards, their armor styled differently from the earth pony’s, to arrive. “Did you call for help, miss Xiao Long?”

“Yeah, I did” I said while sitting on my knees on the ground between the stuck ponies. “I did this to them.”

The pegasus in charge turned to his comrades and began talking with them. I could tell one of them was keeping an eye on me, even though I had no intention of going anywhere. Well, they couldn’t tell that, and I basically just admitted to assaulting two ponies in front of them, and oh god I’m going to be in a lot of trouble.

One of the pegasi left for the castle while the one in charge came to me and the other two tended to the stuck ones. “Yang Xiao Long, slayer of Tirek” he started. “I can tell you’re quite upset by this, so let’s not beat around the bush, and we’ll get this figured out as soon as possible: why did you do this?”

I knew that if I only told him why those two were stuck, it wouldn’t be enough, so I told him about my whole morning after breakfast. From my walk to my run, climb, fall, burst of anger at my hair being pulled out, and then calling for help. After telling him my story, I looked at my victims. Apparently, they were stuck worse than I thought they were. None of the pegasi had been able to get them out.

“Why would you get angry over your hair being pulled out like that?”

“It’s part of who I am, as much as I don’t like it. I don’t have any control over it. Anyways, what are the charges and the punishment?”

“Based on what we saw at first, it was going to be two high counts of assault, but now that I’ve heard your story, there’s likely more to look into. Princess Celestia should be here soon.”

“Very soon, captain” Celestia corrected as she landed next to us, followed by the fourth guard. “Yang, I want to know why you would do this.”

The captain answered before I did. “She did it in what I’m calling a case of self defense. Drill sergeant Iron Hoof was pursuing Yang, whose name was on an application to the military, and she only did this to them after her hair got damaged, causing her to fly into a rage that was apparently out of her control until it was over.”

“Why would Yang apply for the military? She’s much too timid for that.” There was no denying that.

“I believe someone filled out a form in her name. Why somepony would do that to someone who’s saved Equestria from certain doom is beyond me.”

Celestia contemplated the information for a bit before walking over to Lady Primrose, who was still stuck in the ground, and easily pulled her out with her magic. “Prove to me that you have no motive, Lady Primrose.”

“What?” Lady Primrose asked. “Why would you think I have any motives?”

“After Yang utterly destroyed your bill last night in a matter of minutes? The one you’ve worked on for so long? That you apparently knew about Yang’s “enrollment”?”

Lady Primrose shuddered for a bit before she gave up and answered. “I didn’t do it alone. Almost all of the council was in on it after the meeting. After we pulled all the information we could on her last night, we forged an application in her name with the assistance of one of the enrollment office’s transcribers.”

“Almost all of you?” Celestia probably knew who wasn’t in that group, and I think I was thinking of the same two too.

“I’m sure that if Fancy and Fleur’s bills were rejected, then they would have been with us too.” Suspicions confirmed. And they just got more points in my book.

I decided to speak up. “Did you know that last night’s meeting was the first time they got to even present those bills of theirs? And do you know why I approved theirs?”

“Why were theirs approved? Did they pay you anything?”

“No. Aside from being short and simple, they also went in the opposite direction of yours. Theirs eased restrictions on individuals and made it tougher for massive bills to go through while yours seemed more oppressive. Mr. Iron Hoof, how often do you read up on newly passed bills?”

“I always skip that part of the newspaper” he said as Celestia pulled him out of the tree and set him down. “It’s too long and confusing for me.”

“When you can, read the ones I approved. It won’t take long, I promise.”

“Iron Hoof, you aren’t getting out of this unscathed” Celestia said. “You were just doing your job, but you didn’t hear Yang out. This could have been avoided if you had just listened to her and used some discretion.”

“My apologies, Princess” Iron Hoof said. “I’ll return to the camp now.”

“No, you are taking the week off from training the rookies. Even with your armor and how tough you naturally are, getting slammed into a tree like that can cause damage. You will get a checkup to see if anything was damaged, undo Yang’s enrollment, and fix your armor yourself. Am I clear?”

“Yes, Princess.”

“You’re dismissed. And do make sure to read the bills Yang passed.” At her word, Iron Hoof left the scene, along with the pegasi guards, leaving a levitated Lady Primrose with Celestia and me. “Back to you and your admission, Lady Primrose. Whether or not you’re forgiven depends on Yang, since she was the one you targeted, but you all will be punished.”

“How can I earn her forgiveness?” Lady Primrose asked.

“I’m not the one to ask.” Celestia set the mare on her hooves. Her dress had bits of dirt all over the back, and a few tears were obvious. She didn’t look too injured though, which was surprising. I guess ponies are just tough creatures.

Lady Primrose slowly turned to me. “Miss Yang Xiao Long, what can I do to earn your forgiveness?”

Tough question there. I don’t like tough questions. “As long as you keep this from happening again, you’ll be forgiven. Pretty simple, yes?”

“No forced military recruitment, yes” Lady Primrose said.

“And you must pay for the damages Yang accrued through this scheme of yours, along with the time of those you’ve taken up” Celestia said. “Tell the members involved in this scheme that I will see them too.”

“Yes, Princess Celestia.” Done here, Lady Primrose left the scene scared. I know I’d be scared in a situation like hers.

“And how are you feeling, Yang?”

“Pretty bad” I admitted. “I don’t like hurting anyone, and I still have no control over my anger when my hair’s damaged. I just wish that this whole thing could have been solved with words alone. If it was, maybe I’d just be walking past this tree right now.” I looked back at the craters I had made with the two ponies. The one in the ground could be filled in and smoothed over, but the one in the tree would be a more permanent mark of what I can do. It’s not the kind of mark I want to leave.

Celestia followed my gaze to the tree. “You may have more restraint than you think you do. You didn’t use any of your, what are those things that go in your gauntlets?”

I looked at and collapsed the Ember Celica. “Shells.”

“Yes, you didn’t use any of those. You also stopped after you stuck them in their places. Neither were seriously hurt, thankfully. And you’re not angry right now either. In fact, the first thing you did once after your outburst ended was to call for help, and you even admitted to what you did. I see that as a strength of yours.”

“Or just me being timid.”

“No. It’s easy to deny doing something bad. Admitting you did something at the scene you caused means you did not run. It takes a certain strength that I don't see very often anymore among the nobility.”

“Thanks, I guess. I think I’ll just go back to the library in the castle. Sometimes, it feels like I can’t even walk outside without something happening to me. Thanks for your time.” As I made my way back to the castle, I found myself wondering if there was a sunny spot in there I could read at.

I didn’t find just a sunny spot in the library, but a whole sunny wing, filled with light reading and short stories. It even had a few weird sculptures made of panels at odd angles in an open area that were perfect for lounging on, as one pony was. I asked a librarian about it, and apparently those sculptures were built for just that purpose. They were also secured to the floor, both physically and magically, so the chances of them falling over because of climbing was pretty much null.

After finding a couple of cheery looking books, I made my way to the tallest of the sculptures and began climbing it. There was a spot at the top that looked nice, like two sides of a cube in a V-like shape. It was also the only spot on the tower that wasn’t enclosed. The climb there wasn’t easy, since I also had to move my books with me and the angles were weird.

It took me around twenty minutes, or so it felt, but I finally made it to the top. To my surprise during the climb, the whole sculpture wasn’t hot, not even the parts that had to have been in the sun for a few hours at the least by now. Those parts were just slightly warm. It was probably magic that kept it that way.

I got to my spot, settled in, and began reading one of my books. Now I could relax and forget about what happened out in the garden.

“Yang? Yang, wake up” Twilight said as she hovered next to me.

I yawned and stretched my arms. When did I fall asleep? “Twilight? What time is it?”

“Only three in the afternoon. We still have a few hours before we head back to Ponyville. Would you like to visit my family for a bit?”

“Not this time, Twilight. Sorry.”

“Aww. Oh, Yang, be careful. You’re pretty high up.” Hm? Oh, right, I was a good ways up. At least the sunlight was nice. “Also, you’re apparently a quiet sleeper. None of the librarians even noticed you were asleep until an hour ago.”

“Really?” At least my nap was a good one. “So, what are you doing here?”

“I’ve been looking for you to let you know that everything that happened this morning has been fully sorted out. I also wanted to let you know about how the bills you passed have been received.”

“Yeah?”

“The harvest collectors are not happy, since they can’t demand as many crops now. Lawmakers are not happy since they can’t pass those really long bills as easily. On the other hoof, we’ve been getting a lot of positive feedback from the general populace in Canterlot.”

“Does that mean I’ll have more fans here?” I was dreading the thought.

“Most likely yes. And across Equestria too. I wouldn’t be surprised if Applejack is at the station waiting to thank you when we get back to Ponyville tonight.”

“I’m sure I can handle that. So, what’s the plan?”

“After we get down and put your books back, we are going to see Rarity.”

Now I was a bit confused. “Huh?”

“She didn’t tell you? She has a branch of her boutique here in Canterlot. Seems she decided to make an impromptu visit there, so she said in the letter she sent me.”

“Why not just come here herself instead of sending a letter?”

“She sent it with her magic. She’ll be arriving at the station at 5:30, and we can take the 8:00 train back to Ponyville with her.”

“So we have five more hours in Canterlot then?” I turned to the side, slid off my spot on the tower with my books in hand and nailed the landing. “Do you have a plan for those few hours?”

“Of course I do. The first thing we’re going to do is gather all your things in your suitcase and go to the local Carousel Boutique. We’ll drop off your suitcase there and wait for Rarity at the station. If we arrive early enough, I can buy our tickets for the ride back ahead of time while we wait.”

“Shouldn’t you get special privileges, being a Princess and all that?” I let Twilight put the books back since she seemed to know exactly where they went. I wouldn’t be surprised if she had whatever equivalent there was to the dewey decimal system here memorized. I know I wouldn’t.

“I don’t take advantage of them unless I have to and if there’s no way I can do it with my magic. Buying a regular ticket is cheaper and easier than the crown reimbursing for first class.”

“Less money and paperwork.”

“I actually used to love paperwork. I’ve even had dreams where paperwork was all I did, and I was happy in them. Now that I’m a princess, it’s not as fun as I’d dreamed of it being.”

“Were you getting paid for each document in those dreams?”

“No, that wasn’t part of the dreams. Why do you ask?”

“If you got paid for each document you processed, it would be pay-per-work.”

Twilight gave me a deadpan look and loudly sighed. “Yang, why are you making all these puns?”

I was about to answer her when the question actually hit me. Why was I making all these puns? I didn’t do that before I came to Equestria, and I didn’t do it for a while after my arrival either. It was probably a recent development. “I don’t actually know. Hey, where’s Spike?”

“He’s at the comic store downtown. He’ll meet us at the station. Since we have time, would you like to get a donut at Pony Joe’s?”

“Now who would say no to that?”.

“I can think of a few ponies that would.”

We left the library and went up to the room I used last night. Along the way, Twilight told me about some of her adventures, like the time she and her friends in Ponyville, including Rarity, defeated Nightmare Moon and saved Luna. It sounded like quite the adventure.

Before making our way out of the castle, we decided to stop by Luna’s room, though it was mostly my decision. I knocked and Luna opened the door. “Hello, Yang, Twilight. What brings you two to my chambers?”

“Since I’ll be out of Canterlot in a few hours, I just thought I’d come by and say bye” I answered.

“You did it again, Yang” Twilight said from behind a facehoof. “You punned. Please stop.”

“Did I?” I thought over what I just said. “I did, didn’t I? Sorry. I’ll do my best to can the jokes for later.”

“Dang it, Yang!”

“That one was punintentional!”

“Oh be quiet already.” Twilight’s horn flashed and my throat felt kind of tingly for a moment. I tried to ask her if she just had a bright idea, but no sound came out of my mouth. “Thank you. I’m glad I know that mute spell.” She muted me? Not cool, Twilight. Not cool.

“Yes, the puns do get tiring after a while” Luna said. Traitor! “So, you’ll be gone soon? In that case, I wish you both a good trip back. I’ve got some mental exercises to work on. If I’m going to deconstruct bills like Yang did, I’ll need the practice.”

“That’s a good idea, Luna. Maybe we can practice with each other later on. That should help us out even more.”

“I’ll make sure we try it with each other when Cadance can join us. Oh, I’ve heard little Flurry Heart’s just starting kindergarten.” Who’s Flurry Heart? And when will I get to speak again?

“I hope the school’s ready for her. Or that a tutor is lined up just in case the school can’t handle her. I’d do it myself, but I can’t.”

“I’m sure you’ll get the chance to teach her all kinds of magic in the future.”

“Of course I will. Anyways, the clock’s ticking and teleportation isn't an option for us. Bye, Luna.” Twilight waved with a forehoof before walking down the hall. I waved to Luna as I left. I would have said ‘bye, Luna’ too, but I was still muted.

When we came in sight of the exit, Twilight asked me a question. “I’ll unmute you, but can you promise me that you won’t make more puns?” I nodded yes. At least I’d try not to pun.

Twilight’s horn flashed and my throat tingled one again. “Did it- yes, it did work” I said. “Thanks, Twilight.”

“I hope I don’t have to punish you like that again.”

Hmm. “Did you just make a pun yourself?”

It was Twilight’s turn to think back on what she said. “Sweet Celestia, it’s contagious.” I laughed a bit at her realization. I was still wondering when this punning of mine started though. At least it made me feel better.

We just got to the castle gates when I realized something. “Hey, Twilight? What if there are fans of mine out there?”

“Hm. That could be a problem, especially considering the barriers that you were trapped in last time. What if I were to fly and levitate you along? Since you’re wearing the Ember Celica, their magic immunity shouldn’t be an issue. If we go high enough, nopony on the ground should notice us.” I considered the options. Taking the ground route sounded more risky, but I’d also rather not be reliant upon Twilight. Then again, the air route was safer. I never thought that would be the case at any point. “We can stop at Carousel Boutique and you can hide there, along with your luggage. The mare that runs it is a friend of Rarity’s, so I’m sure she’d keep you safe there while I meet Rarity at the station.”

“I like the idea of hiding there. The less time I’m in the open here, the better I’ll feel.”

“Brace yourself, Yang.” Twilight spread her wings and crouched down, looking almost like a cat about to jump onto a table. A large, purple winged cat with hooves. I was enveloped in her magic, and the moment she took off straight upwards, I followed, along with my suitcase. I was now flying through the air with nothing on me but my clothes. The telekinetic field put a little bit of pressure on me from every direction, which both assured me that I was fine and made me a tad uncomfortable.

Fortunately, our flight was short, more like a big jump and some gliding. I was able to make out the boutique here fairly easily since its decor was similar to the one back in Ponyville. It was part of a big shopping plaza, and things didn’t look too busy. When Twilight landed, so did I, though my landing could be best described as the antithesis of graceful, maybe even a flop.

“Yang, are you okay?” Twilight asked as I got up.

“I’ve been through worse since I’ve been here” I said. Thank goodness for aura. It’s awesome.“Like that time I fell into your castle.”

“Yeah, that was a pretty bad fall back then. I’m sure that you would have been able to get right up if not for that case landing on your head.”

“And then promptly freaked out, leading to the need for a Fluttershy hug that much sooner. So, we’re here?” I picked up my suitcase, which wasn’t damaged. I’m sure Rarity would not have appreciated damage on it.

“Yep.” Twilight simply walked into the store, ringing a bell in the process. “Coco, are you here?”

“Just a moment, Princess Twilight” came a mare’s voice from the back of the store. In fact, it sounded more like it came from behind the mirror over the back of the shop. A minute later, a tan earth pony came out, wearing a purple and white collar and a red tie. “How can I help you oh sweet Celestia, it’s Yang Xiao Long!” My dread was dissipated slightly when she cleared her throat and composed herself. “Sorry about that. I’ve been looking forward to meeting you in person, Ms. Xiao Long. Rarity told me about the simple black and white dresses you inspired her to create. I’ve barely been able to keep up on those orders.”

“Sorry to interrupt Coco, but can you do us a favor?”

“Oh? What do you need from me?”

I answered. “I need a place to hide for a while before taking the train back to Ponyville tonight. I’d rather face the wild fans of mine out there as little as possible.”

“That’s all?”

“Yeah. I got stuck in a mob of them yesterday. It wasn’t pleasant, and Celestia had to break it up. On her day off, no less.”

“So that’s what all the noise was about yesterday. Come with me. You can hide out in my workshop.”

“Thanks, Coco” Twilight said as I followed Coco. “I know we’re imposing on you, but we really appreciate it.”

“If Rarity is allowing Yang to live with her, then letting her stay here for a few hours is no problem for me.”

“Thanks, Ms. Coco” I said as Twilight left the store.

“Please Yang, I prefer Coco, or Ms. Pommel.”

“Sorry.”

“It’s alright. I won’t get upset over something that small. Now, here’s my workshop.” Coco opened a door that lead to a workshop that seemed to only be barely spacious enough for the purpose, especially since one of the walls was actually a window overlooking the shop downstairs. Seems one way glass is a thing here. “Sorry it’s such a small space. The rest of the floor is storage, an office, and a bathroom. Space here is not cheap, and I’m no pegasus. Or unicorn.”

I wondered for a moment how an earth pony could manage the fine manipulation of the materials needed for making clothes. “It’s alright.”

“While you’re here, you can do whatever you want, but please don’t mess up anything I’ve got set up here.”

“If I ever dream of doing that, it would be a nightmare. You have any paper and pencils?”

“Plenty of both, and some really good sharpeners. Oh, I’ve got a guest downstairs. Excuse me.” Coco left me in the workshop, closing the door on her way out. I began to carefully look around for the paper and pencils in here. I had something on my mind.

“Hello, Yang” Rarity said. “I have something for you.”

“Really?” I looked up from my writing, seeing both my host and Coco.

“I’ve successfully made a pair of shoes for you, as you wanted them. And a bit sooner than expected.” Rarity pulled a box out of her saddlebags, floated it over to me, and opened it up. The black shoes within looked very durable and well made.

“I like them already” I said as I pulled them out of the box. “Do you want me to try them on now?”

“If you don’t mind, dear. We’ll give you some privacy.”

“Rarity, it’s just my shoes. It’s not like I’m changing my whole outfit.” Already, I was partway through getting a boot off. As nice and durable as they were, they also took longer to get on and off than I liked.

“So changing your clothes requires privacy, but not your shoes? That doesn’t make much sense to me.”

I shrugged and finished taking off my boot before starting on the other one. “So, what brings you here?”

“A surprise inspection. I give it a rating of Fabulous. Coco has really come a long way since her time with Suri Polomare.”

“I do like to think I learned from the best” Coco said. “Rarity has done so much for me, I have no idea how I could thank her.”

As I slipped on my new shoes, I noticed something. “Where’s Twilight and Spike?”

“Oh, Twilight came across her parents on the street and she started talking with them. I believe I heard her mention your name. Spike stuck with her. I can only imagine they have positive things to say about you.”

“Oh.” With my new shoes on, I walked around the workshop a bit.

“How are they?”

“They’re very nice. They’re soft, secure, supportive, slightly stiff, simply superb. I like them.”

“I’m glad to hear that. Coco, what do you think of them?”

“They really simplify Yang’s look compared to the boots, although the brown was a nice little splash of color. Oh, Rarity, I’ve come up with a black and white dress I’d like to show you.”

I tuned out the rest of the conversation, though I did look at Coco’s dress. The right half was white, the left black, and both sides had mirrored jagged patterns in their opposite side’s color. It was a very striking look, though not something I’d go for myself. Rarity seemed to like it though.

Eventually, Twilight walked in with Spike on her back. Both had big smiles on and were greeted by Rarity. “Looks like you both had a good talk with your parents.”

“We did” Twilight said.

“They really wanted to know about you, Yang” Spike said. “Since we weren’t exactly in a private place, we didn’t tell them very much.”

“What did you tell them?” I asked.

Twilight answered. “The results of your welcome party, that time you saved us and became utterly depressed, the way we pulled you out of it, and how you slept through your spa trip. We didn’t mention anything about you staying with Rarity.”

“I appreciate that. Thanks.”

“You’re welcome. Oh, that’s a very nice dress, Coco.”

“Thanks” Coco said.

“You’re welcome. I imagine that pattern would be popular among griffons.”

Coco looked over the dress, the gears of her mind at work. While that was going on, I took my writing off the clipboard, folded it up, and pocketed it. Fortunately, I was able to fit it in the pocket with only a little bit of effort. Unfortunately, it took up most of the space in the pocket. I was beginning to better understand why women often carried purses. I still didn’t understand the fashion part of it though. “So, what now?” I asked.

“We have just under two hours until our train leaves. I imagine none of us really want to be cooped up in here for that whole time.”

“If you’re worried about the crowds, Princess, they’re usually waning around now when everyone’s having supper” Coco said. “In fact, there’s a small restaurant near the train station I can recommend. It’s only been there a few months, and the whole inside is a bit smaller than this workshop, but it’s really good.”

“Really? What’s it called?”

“Crepes. That’s really what it’s called, and it’s what they serve.”

“Just crepes?” Rarity asked. “Sounds more like a dessert place to me.”

“The stallion there can make crepes for any meal. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, or even just a light snack.”

“How have I not noticed that place yet?” Twilight asked. “I go through the train station pretty often, and I haven’t seen it. Tonight, we’ll try it. If we don’t like it, we can get something on the train.”

“The storefront is only a little bit bigger than the door to the workshop. It’s easy to miss. Oh, pardon me. I see a noble guest down there.” Coco turned tail and went downstairs to tend to the customer.

I looked out the glass and saw that the noble in question was none other than Fleur Dee Lis herself. “Well, I think it’s time we got out of Coco’s mane. She has enough to worry about and we have dinner and a train to catch.” I snagged my suitcase after putting my boots in it and followed Twilight out.

On the way out, Fleur noticed me. “Hello Yang.”

I didn’t slow my pace and kept walking past her. “Hi Fleur. Bye Fleur.”

“Bye, Yang.” With our brief exchange done, I continued with Spike, Twilight, and Rarity out the building and towards the train station. I was wondering along the way just what was in the crepes at Crepes.

Coco’s description of the place was pretty accurate. The inside of the restaurant barely had enough space for the cooking area, us to sit down with our things, and the ceiling was just inches away from my head. A claustrophobic would not like it here. I don’t think a pegasus would like it either, based on how Twilight’s wings were fidgeting.

“Welcome to Crepes” the unicorn stallion said from the kitchen right by us. “You’ll find the menu on the table.” I looked at the table and saw under its glass surface the menu, seared right into the wood. Points to him for creativity.

I decided to get the deluxe fruit crepe, since almost all the others had flowers or grasses in them, and the ones that didn’t didn’t sound as good. That feeling of something missing nagged at the back of my mind again.

The stallion was quick to make and serve the crepes. Mine came out first, and it was big. There was no way I was leaving here hungry, though I might just get something on the train too. I didn’t pay Twilight or Rarity’s crepes much mind, but I was curious how Spike’s fried emerald crepe worked.

The light conversation and good food lasted us until twenty minutes before our train was due to depart. Twilight paid for the meal and we left the place, stomachs full. I wasn’t entirely satisfied, good as mine was, but it would do for now. We’ll probably come back here later.

Our train arrived right on time, and as the few on it got off, the few going to Ponyville got on. Rarity, Twilight, Spike, and I got the rear car to ourselves. Part of me wanted to sit on the back of the car again, but it was really close to sundown, so I decided against it. At least the trip ended on a peaceful note, even if today had a bit of a rough start.

Author's Notes:

Prepare for a hop, a skip, and a time jump. The next chapter is one I've been looking forward to writing for a few months.