• Published 5th Mar 2012
  • 35,220 Views, 13,446 Comments

My Little Caboose: Blue is Magic! - DarkWing



What happens when the Reds and Blues finally get Church out of the Epsilon unit? Caboose decides he wants a turn in the unit, of course! What happens next? Well let's just say he always did say he wanted a pony, now he has a world full of them.

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Choices

Six hours prior.

Grif and Fluttershy walked into the center of Ponyville's market area, watching the ponies go about their business. Grif paused in front of one of the stands and looked up to the sky. Fluttershy stood by his side for a few moments, wondering what he was looking at.

"Nice day out." Grif noted as the sun reached the highest point in the sky.

"Yes, it is." Fluttershy agreed.

"So, uh, know of any good places to eat? I've only really been to the market with you so I don't know of any place to eat..."

"I think so." Fluttershy nodded, walking slightly ahead of Grif. "It's not too far from here, and the food is really good."

"Great!" Grif smirked, quickly following her.

Fluttershy quickly led Grif to a small restaurant that had a leg high fence surrounding a small chunk of the property, so patrons of the restaurant could eat outside. Most of the tables on the outside had ponies sitting at them, chatting away while a stallion cleared the tables that had no diners. Fluttershy stopped by the gate of the fence where there was a small podium with a silver bell on it.

"I will be with you in a second." The stallion who was clearing one of the empty tables said quickly as he pushed a trolley with a large amount of plates inside the restaurant.

"Looks like a nice place." Grif said passively as he looked around. "Come here often?"

"Not really. I almost never eat in public."

"Why's that?"

"I don't know, I just prefer eating in the comfort of my cottage."

"Eating the same stuff doesn't get boring to you? I mean, I'm kinda getting tired of your cooking."

"Oh, I'm sorry, if I knew-"

"Don't get me wrong, I like the food you make, it's just nice to let others do the work for once, y'know?"

"I guess."

"I apologize for the wait." The stallion who cleared the tables said as he came out of the restaurant. "How may I help you."

"Table for two." Grif said pleasantly.

"Will you be dining inside or outside?"

Grif looked to Fluttershy, but she simply shrugged in response.

"Outside I guess."

"Excellent choice." The waiter smiled, looking at the available tables from the podium. "This way, please."

The waiter led them to a medium sized table with four chairs sitting next to it.

"I hope you don't mind, but this is the only table that has not been reserved."

"A couple extra chairs ever hurt anyone." Grif shrugged. "Besides, more room for food, right?"

"Quite." The waiter nodded approvingly. Once Fluttershy and Grif had taken seats, the waiter grabbed a few menus and gave them to the pair.

"So what's good?" Grif asked, eyeing the menu curiously a the waiter poured them two glasses of water.

"I'd like to believe that the entire menu is good, but I would recommend the veggie pizza. It's our most popular dish, so there is usually one being prepared at all times."

"Sounds good to me." Grif nodded, placing the menu on the table.

"We'll share it." Fluttershy said quietly.

"Very well." The stallion nodded as he placed the pitcher on the trolley. He then grabbed the menus and placed them next to the water pitcher. "Would you care for anything else?"

Grif looked at Fluttershy and raised his brow.

"No thank you." Fluttershy said faintly.

"Okay, I will check with the cook, but I believe your food should be out momentarily." The stallion said, placing a small basket filled with fruit in the middle of the table.

"Thank you." Fluttershy smiled warmly as the stallion went back inside.

"So." Grif said as he grabbed a pear out of the basket.

"So." Fluttershy repeated quietly, watching Grif as he rubbed the pear clean. "How do you manage?"

"How do I manage what?"

"To live so care free. You've shown that you care for things, but you seem perfectly content not to do so."

"I just got it figured, y'know?" Grif said as he took a bite out of a pear. He eyed it contemptibly before placing it back on the table.

"Do you not like pears?"

"I miss my oreos." Grif sighed before continuing. "Anyways, I just find it funny how much people try to please others. Like take Simmons for example. Back when we were always fighting the Blues, Simmons always had his nose up Sarge's figurative ass. You know what that got him?"

"What?"

"Nothing." Grif chuckled. "Years of ass kissing, buttering up, trying to make Sarge happy and he has nothing to show for it! Then look at me. I went out of my to not please anybody on several occasions."

"What about you constantly being harmed?"

"Details."

"Well if you go out of your way to not help anybody, then why do you help me?"

"Huh." Grif said thoughtfully. "Y'know, I never really thought about that."

"Your food." The waiter muffled, holding a large tray in his teeth.

Grif broke into a smile as the waiter placed the large pizza on the table and walked away.

"This looks awesome." Grif said as he tore off a piece of pizza and threw it in his mouth.

"So why do you help me?" Fluttershy asked quietly.

"Dunno." Grif said, swallowing the whole slice. "You're pretty cool, I guess."

"Thank you." Fluttershy blushed lightly. "But I'm not all that cool..."

"What makes you say that?"

"Well I used to get picked on a lot in Cloudsdale."

"I find that hard to believe." Grif laughed.

"No, it's true." Fluttershy said sadly. "It's embarrassing. I wasn't the best flyer in Cloudsdale, and that's what pegasi are supposed to do. I was a disappointment."

"Says who?"

"Um... nobody really..."

"Look, soldiers are supposed to fight, but you don't see me doing any of that shit. Doing the opposite of what you're supposed to do makes life interesting. People can get angry at you, and maybe even pick on you, but why the fuck should you care what they say? As long as you're comfortable doing what you do, that's all that should matter." Grif said confidently. "Are you comfortable with what you do?"

"Oh yes, of course." Fluttershy nodded.

"Then to hell with everyone else. You're happy, that's all that should matter."

"I guess." Fluttershy sighed pensively.

"So who were these guys that made fun of you?"

"Just some mean stallions. They're the ones that-"

"-Tex beat up?" Grif asked to which Fluttershy responded to with a nod. "Glad Tex kicked their asses then. Though I guess I'd be saying that about anyone that's bent over and on the receiving end that isn't me."

"Come on, you have to let me have that one." A voice begged from behind Grif.

Grif spun around to see Tucker and Rainbow Dash on the other side of the fence.

"No, I'm still mad at you for getting us into this mess." Rainbow Dash growled, a small bead of sweat rolling down her face.

"You know I'm not good with words, I'm better with my-"

"What are you guys doing here?" Grif asked curiously.

"Well Tucker here thought it would be a good idea to tell our boss that Caboose died and then that got better." Rainbow Dash said icily, not looking at Tucker. "Now we have to work extra time, and we were given extremely short notice, so hopefully you can see why I'm a little angry."

"Calm down there Tex." Grif chuckled dryly.

"You want to know something?" Rainbow Dash asked snappishly, hopping over the fence.

"Here." Grif said, holding up the tray to Rainbow Dash as she came to his side.

"No, I'm good." Rainbow Dash said firmly.

"Just take a damn slice and relax. You'll find this funny when you look back on it."

"See?" Tucker asked, hopping over the fence to take a seat between Grif and Fluttershy.

Rainbow Dash mumbled something under her breath, then took a seat on the other side of Fluttershy.

"You have no idea how glad I am to see pizza here. I was beginning to think that apples and hay were all there was to eat around here."

"Maybe if you learned how to make food you wouldn't have to only eat that stuff!"

Fluttershy gave Rainbow Dash a small glance, telling her not to yell.

"Sorry Flutters, just a little tired." Rainbow Dash said quietly with a weak smile.

"I know." Fluttershy said reassuringly. She stared at the pizza and grabbed a small slice to nibble on.

"You know, I think I should protest what you guys do." Grif said half jokingly. "You guys kick the clouds out of the sky, but they're the comfiest thing I've ever had the pleasure of napping on. That should be considered destroying fine art."

"I know, I've had my fair share of naps on 'em." Rainbow Dash chuckled in agreement. "But with the clouds blocking the sun, nothing can grow. Heck, most of the food we eat wouldn't be here without the pegasi clearing the sky."

"So it's basically a choice between food and a sleeping area."

"Yup."

"Tough choice."

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