On the way, all Razor could picture in his mind was Rainbow dash. And all Raro could picture in his mind was Fluttershy. It was dark now and as the final trace of sunlight burned out over the horizon, the five ponies and Dr. Ringer’s henchponies slowly plodded up to sweet apple acres where Rainbow dash and Fluttershy were waiting. Razors heart skipped a beat and he found himself starting to walk slower. “Keep up,” Bamboo said. “We’re not even out of Equestria yet and already you’re out of breath”. Razor said nothing.
“Where have you lot been?” Rainbow dash shouted out to them from the darkness. “We’ve been here for ages,” she said angrily.
Razor was quick to respond. “I’m really, really sorry about that. We, we just got held up that’s all. You ok?” He said fast and apologetically.
“Yeah we’re fine… I guess” Rainbow dash replied. Everypony then gathered together like huddling penguins.
“Right…” Bamboo began. “I guess we’re not going to get very far walking in the dark so I guess we’ll camp outside here tonight, ok?”
Everypony sort of agreed but said nothing. The night was cold and dull and the only thing that could be heard from outside their tents was the relentless sounds of crickets and the occasional sound of a pony’s voice from the distance after coming back from a long night. There was too much going through everypony’s mind for any of them to get even a wink of sleep. Bamboo couldn’t stop worrying about if he got everypony lost, Razor couldn’t stop thinking about the journey ahead and Raro, like most of his nights, just couldn’t sleep. Dawn slowly started to creep up on them and after Razor had had no sleep what so ever he feared that the journey ahead would be strenuous and tiring. Just as he thought he might be able to get just a bit of sleep before the sun came up, he heard something outside of his tent. At first he felt scared and was about to whisper ‘who’s there?’ until a shadow of pony could be made out on the walls of his tent. “Hey Razor” Rainbow dash said as she entered the tent. “I’m sorry if I woke you”.
“No its fine I… I was awake anyway,” Razor replied.
“Well it’s just that I can’t get any sleep so I just thought I may as well talk so somepony,” Rainbow dash said.
“Yeah sure,” Razor said as Rainbow dash began to crawl deeper into the tent. The two of them both looked into each others eyes.
“So…” Razor said as he desperately tried to make conversation. “What’d you think the journey will be like?” he asked.
“I don’t know what to expect really, I just can’t get any sleep thinking about. It’s killing me,” Rainbow dash said as she smiled.
“Yeah I’m the same. I mean who knows what we might run into eh?” Razor replied. There was a pause. “You know, Fluttershy is really into your friend Raro,” Rainbow dash stated.
“Really?” Razor said. “Well I’m not surprised actually, he mentioned her as well.”
“Oh yeah? “ Rainbow dash said. “What’d he say?”
Razor looked back at her. “Well… he just… you know, he just couldn’t take his eyes off of her. Love at first sight and all that”.
“I know exactly what you mean,” Rainbow dash said as she smiled. She then moved a little closer to Razor and placed her hoof onto his. Razor looked up at her again. And as his heart began to pound, as he looked straight into Rainbow’s smiling face, he slowly leaned forward towards her. And just as she started to do the same and they were about to meet in the middle, Bamboo’s head poked into the tent. “Sorry you two, but we really should be heading off now. We’ll need an early start if we’re going make tracks.” The two ponies quickly leaned away from one other.
“Ah man it can’t be morning already,” Rainbow moaned as she left the tent. Razor was left alone, and although he had other things on his mind he just couldn’t wipe off the glued on smile on his face. No matter how hard he tried he couldn’t escape the feeling of what might have just happened between them. As everypony packed the last of their things, the last piece of cornbread had been eaten and the giant orange sun started to rise over the countryside, they set off from sweet apple acres determined to do as best they could at walking even one mile.
“I really don’t understand why these other ponies have to come along. I mean me, you, Fluttershy and Rainbow dash are all Pegasi and it could be half the time if we just flew,” Razor said hoping that nopony else heard them.
“Because we need Bamboo to lead the way, and as for Dr. Ringer, he’s supplied us with everything so far. Without him you would have been sleeping on the cold, hard floor last night my friend,” Raro explained. Razor said nothing as he continued to walk.
“I mean, we have Twilight here as well. 2 unicorns with us have got to count for something right?” Raro said as he carried on. The trail in which they travelled was split. Raro, Twilight and Razor at the back, Rainbow dash and Fluttershy in front of them, Dr. Ringer and his men in front of them, and at the front stood Bamboo.
“Ok, here we are,” Bamboo said.
“Wow, that was quick,” Rainbow dash sarcastically replied.
“No!” Bamboo snapped. “We can catch the next train from here which will lead us through Macintosh Hills and out of Equestria.”
“As soon as I get on that train, it’ll be the farthest I’ve ever been from home,” Fluttershy said.
“Me too,” Raro said.
“Well don’t worry you guys, its no more dangerous out there than it is here. Besides, it’ll be good for y’all,” Bamboo said as he tried to stop them worrying. As the train finally arrived they all boarded without even the slightest thought of turning around. Every one of them wanted to be a part of this. The continuous idea of eternal power couldn’t stop running through all of their heads. The train journey was long and boring, even though everypony was stuck in their little conversations between each other. Occasionally, Raro would look up at Fluttershy while she was glancing out the window, but when Fluttershy looked back at him he would quickly turn back is head and look as though he were doing something else. Bamboo did the exact same thing from time to time and although both ponies realised what they were doing, both of them just smiled at each other. But with smiles hid by jealousy. The only other ponies on the same train cart was just an ordinary looking grey pony reading a newspaper and a white pony with a musical note for her cutie mark and large purple glasses. The train finally came to a halt on its final stop on the boarder of Equestria.
As they all trampled of the train and the conductor shouted “All aboard for Canterlot”, everypony put on their bags and set off for Eternity’s Crossing.
“One thing still bothers me everypony… how are we going to cross that ocean?” Twilight said. “I don’t think I know any spells that powerful to get us all across”.
“Leave that to me,” Dr. Ringer said with a cunning smile on his face.