Am I first for once? Well, anyways, I liked the references to Greek mythology and the whole "surrealness" of this story makes it awesome.

WARNING: Major spoilers in the comments below. Do not read before reading story.

... Now I'm sad. It was a good read though.

I got confused near the end; the whole "Celestia being supposedly dead" came out of nowhere.

I would say more, but I can't right now. Good job.

All my feels. A very nice story friend

>>10228881022888 Celestia is an immortal. She can go between the world of the living and the dead. she is essentially their god.

>>10229041022904 She's dead.

Well here is something for all you long faces!

>>10229071022907 oh man you hit me with that one. I expected death...but you got me with this one.

Very nice story

... Yeah, I kinda figured halfway through that that's what happened. Still good though. Especially taking the "don't explain how" route (unless I missed it).

Wasn't really a surprise; the train analogy is an old one. Nevertheless, it was still a great read. Props to you, good sir.

Well, this was an unexpected sledgehammer-blow to the solar plexus, followed by a gutpunch with brass knuckles.

It was...bittersweet, that's the term. The structure, spelling and grammar all seem to be in order, which is a bonus.

Faved and upvoted.

Ya know, there's a small part of me that hopes this will be in season 3.

I would read but I honestly can't handle such good sad stories . I'll give ye the thumbs up though because from what I can tell, this is a good story. I especially find the idea and description heart-wrenching.

Ending...this ending. I love it. I like this look on this matter. Not goodbye, only see you soon.

Title + tag = instant spoiler for me, but good story nonetheless.

>>10233361023336

I had the same problem when I opened the story. Old Country songs, Folk Lore, and Tom and Jerry nearly ruined this for me.

What a beautiful story.  I loved it.

Wow, that hit hard. Very good story.

Oh boy, she is the dead. :[ I liked the surrealness of this, and how the midnight black train was just a metaphor for the "path to the afterlife" when one dies. Those folk on the train that look scared makes sense now.

>>10233921023392

I think it was Casper the Friendly Ghost that made me remember the imagery of the train.  One of the movies.

It looked like she was I a pool of hr own blood, from the picture..

um was there just a hint of shipping in there? and how in the hay did Applejack die? let me guess she worked herself until she had a heart attack right?

Wow.  This one hit me good. Thank you for writing it.

A wonderful story all told. A strong central metaphor that manages to hold its suprise a suprisingly long time with its great subtlety.

My only complaint would be the Dash segment is a bit too shippy for my taste, and I don't think it makes sense that she can't join the Wonderbolts (if flight school was really a necessity, there'd be some kind of remedial program for adults). I think there are other tragedies, or lesser problems, you could draw from there.

Still, that doesn't detract much from an otherwise excellent tale. Good stuff.

Wow, this went WAY over my head, i didnt even get any of the dialouge until the A/C pointed it out, and even then it took me a sec. cuz i thought he was talking about celestia, i didn't even consider that possibility of her being dead, man NOW i can see why its labeled sad, i didnt think her leavin to go to her parents

Wasn't there a country song that was called the Lone black train?

>>10239021023902

I could have sworn it was older...

Long Black Train - Josh Turner

I'm sad now.

This was good. One thing though, a free ride? Charon always demands payment for passage to the land of the dead.

>>10240051024005 He doesn't demand payment from the dead.

I knew it was about her parents! I called it! But...now that I think about it, are they all dead? The fact that Charon was there, and that everypony else was crying for her, and when Applejack asked Princess Celestia if she was dead...Holy moly, they freakin' are dead! Applejack's parents died, and so did Applejack, that's how she went to see them. That's also why her parents thought they'd see Granny Smith first, too, huh? Wow, at first I was happy that Applejack saw her parents, but now that I know she's really dead...

Chancellor Puddinghead. That made me laugh waaaaay too much.

She's d-dead?

...ok I'm choked up now...

That. Was truly amazing. I have no words.

wow... petty heart tugging. nice

And it certainly was no secret that Aj died, the figerative langurage and even the fact that the cover image lookes like AJ in her own blood from a distance

you can't fool me! I've read the stories!

*reads*

don't cry, don't cry..

: "Wh-Where ya goin?... Come... Come back..."

: "Wh-Where ya goin?... Come... Come back..."

I thought that picture was a pile of spaghetti and meatballs from the thumbnail on the featured bar.

>>10229071022907

Image: http://i.qkme.me/3p3m40.jpg

Was the end surprising? No. Was the story touching? Yes.

Was it something I really wanted to read after going memory digging into some darker parts of my head for my story today? Damn you feature box.

All in all this was done very well, now pardon me while I go cry like a foal.

>>10239181023918

Eeyup! I was about to do a "Relevant Country Music" link (~IS~ there a "Relevant Heavy Metal" song?), but you beat me to it.

Now my question is, why is she going to Hell/Purgatory/Perdition/some OTHER bad place? My only references for the Long Black Train all refer to it being a E-Ticket ride, so to speak.

Image: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/31471793/FiMFiction/emoticons/shrug_Twilight_future.png

wow... that just blew me away

Don't go ridin'on that long black train.....

wow...

THAT'S how I wanna go!

>>10240841024084 when ever sum one would die the wife/husben  would put a coin under there tung to pay Charon for ferrying the dead to the land of the dead. The dude has to make $ sum how .    

>>10253671025367

With Celestia being the sort of ruler she is, I'm sure she's made arrangements so that none of her subjects will be left behind for lack of funds.

>>10239181023918 That was the song that inspired it, and the weird thing is, I don't even listen to country music.

I saw this in the featured box. I knew she'd be dead. I'll read this later (Tales of Harmony is pulling me away).

One question, though. I didn't cry at My Little Dashie. Is this less sad than MLD, or more?

I nearly flooded and shorted out my keyboard at the Rainbow Dash part.

This is actually a strangely peaceful story in a way. A touch of sad, but more than just that.

I'm not sure how much the fact that she was dead was supposed to be a surprise, though, versus simply keeping the language subtle for the sake of atmosphere. I went into the story assuming she was probably visiting her parents' graves, but it really only took a few paragraphs to begin to suspect that Applejack herself had probably died. But that's fine, though, I think that's largely what gives it that peaceful "life passing before her eyes" kind of feeling.

First i was like "AJ is leaving ponyvile forever. how sad. Oh wait, she ll come back"

Then i was like "wait, something is NOT right here"

Then i was like "please don't be dead. Please don't be dead"

In the end i was like "AJ, dead? but why"?

me after having read it and

congratulations on making me cry a bit. Even my little dashie didn't manage to do that. yep, life have hardened me.

excuse me hile i press the star and the thumbs up...

ok, i am back. just have to give you 6 spikes:

very excellent sir. very excellent indeed

>>10255821025582 It's not super sad, though I never saw what the big deal was with MLD. I read it, and honestly didn't think it was anything special.

>>10236601023660 Just a hint of shipping. I dunno how AJ died, the how wasn't really what I was focused on when writing thins.

and i was sitting here half expecting that the midnight train would go anywhere...

>>10229041022904 I only read the description and I know she's dead.

Wow this was a good read but it suprises me she killed herself. Is there more

>>10257321025732

Well, she was a small town mare.

Was anypony else worried that those ribbons were blood when they say the pic?

>>10258251025825 she didn't kill herself, she just died.

WHAT?! NO!!! NONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!

>>10258451025845 but it certainly wasn't a lonely world

When I read the "Dead" from celestia, after realizing what exactly was happening, I broke down. Great story.

>>10255271025527 i think that's unfair to the rest of us ponies. he would of settled for 1 bit per pony. now its like 5, 10 maybe even 20 a pony. how many bits in taxes are going to him  and other "conductors".  

>>10257021025702

No offense to you, but I doubt that the best opinion of the emotional impact of a work is from the Author of a work...

I was saddest for rainbow dash really. She gets to live without her love and without her dream.  Aj gets to see her parents and wait for her love awhile.

>>10261801026180 Well you asked if it was sad or not, I didn't think it was the most baw inducing thing ever. As for my opinion on MLD, well, that's just like, my opinion, man.

>>10262511026251

I mean, this story wouldn't affect you as much, since you wrote it. You conceptualized the idea, and put it on paper. You knew what would happen. Other readers didn't. So, I was asking other readers, who didn't conceptualize anything, and only read it, to see their reactions.

>>10262701026270 Oh! Carry on then.

>>10229051022905

How did she die?

Wow.

I read "Charon" and completely freaked out.

I wasn't expecting that at all.

Very moving, thanks for writing. I enjoyed reading it, especially because my perspective changed a lot with that one word.

I had my suspicions about how this would end, so it didn't come as a surprise. I guess it was touching, but I'm horribly desensitised to things like this. Good story.

>>10262891026289 I dunno that wasn't really something I could include, but it was an accident, however it happened.

"From what I’d heard, they'd all been prepared for this party for a while now."  But...she died accidentally?  Her friends...were anticipating an accident?  I smell foul-play.

Otherwise, well written, though I didn't find it as emotionally compelling as some.  Likely my own fault, that...a little voice kept insisting that the "Train as modern ferry across Styx" concept wasn't terribly impressive if it could be outrun by three mortals who thereafter bested it in physical combat.

Two other thoughts - One, why did AJ get a private car?  I'm guessing either a privledge of being the Element of Harmony, or else the other souls on the train were...staying to the end, shall we say.  Two...if Celestia is capable of two-way travel between the world of the living and that of the dead...I dunno, seems like she could have just given AJ a lift back to her body.  Revenant AJ is better then dead AJ, I suppose.  Or at the least, let her hang around as a ghost.

>>10263811026381 what I meant by them being prepared was that after the accident, she was barely hanging on, her prognosis very bleak.

> concept wasn't terribly impressive if it could be outrun by three mortals who thereafter bested it in physical combat.

What exactly are you trying to say here?

Each soul got it's own car, being a supernatural train, it isn't limited by things like how much a few hundred train cars would weigh, or 'normalcy'.

Even though Celestia is immortal, there are certain laws about death and life she cannot effect. in this mythos anyway. Charon takes the dead to the other side because, well thats what he does.

>>10264221026422  Sorry, its my baseline reference to the train of the dead concept.  Some people thought of that song that was linked.  My baseline for the concept...would be Final Fantasy 6.  Again, its entrely on me, that, nothing regarding your writing, but if the primary reference frame one has for a thing is...less then impressive, it loses some of the impact.  Thought of another way...when, in the popular culture, the Devil has been reduced from a grand construct of evil, nearly equal to almost a punchline who can be bested and/or outsmarted by, among others, a backwoods fiddler, several groups of children, Jack Black, Keanu Reeves, and Nicolas Cage...it becomes difficult to take him seriously as a threat, with those mental images bouncing around.

Also, with the explaination, makes more sense now.  Didn't occur that the accident hadn't been immediatly fatal.  And I misinterpreted the description of the train to take it that the other ponies and griffons were often in the same car.  Apologies.

Again, please don't take my comment as negative, or think I'm insulting the work.  Was a good read.  Just...for me, lacked some of the impact it seemed to have for others.

You are waiting for a train...

BWONG

Long Black Train=Country Song...Sad country song....I can see where this is going..

Right in the damned heart man. Right in the heart. Damn.

This was a very nice story, though I figured out what was going on just before she got on the train.  Nicely timed, sad, and with a good ending.

Only problem I have is that now I want to know what happened.

Not sure if im really stupid and don't get this, or 12 in the morning is getting to me

EDIT: I get it, but didn't make me cry as much as I thought. I'd love to learn why and how she died, though.

It was sad, but it didn't elicit the same emotions that some of my favourite sadfics did on here.

Still, upvoted anyway.

I knew where it was going by the time and the ominous sight...but not being a fan of country I was reminded of another song...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qlqqeobOJvg

Little 'Savoy Brown', I think that fits the mood of this fix just as perfectly.

Damn good job.

That was beautiful; thank you.

What a sad yet beautiful story. When I finally realized that it was a metaphor for AJ dying and going to heaven I felt so sad.

FUCK NO APPLEJACK CANNOT BE DEAD!!!!!

>>10277811027781 But, she like, is, you know?

>>10278061027806nothing better of happend to luna

That twist ending dropped kicked me harder than a M. Night Shyamalan movie.

IT WAS AWESOME.

Image: http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lrwdoxQRpq1qejkb4.gif

Dude, so many props.

This was one of the best written fics I've ever read, and I read a lot.

This totally deserves all the hype- fantastic descriptions, a somber story, and a twist showing into a metaphor. You, sir, deserve a million feature boxes

Favorited, upvoted, and I'M WATCHIN YOU

This story is so touching, I almost teared. Then this song made it worse: Ben Folds- Still

A well crafted story. Not having seen most of the material others in here have, I didn't get it until her parents spoke... But I think that made it all the better.

>>10278591027859 Best gif

Unfortunately I could figure out what happened to Applejack from the description alone, so a lot of the tension is lost for me. (I've read a fic similar to this) Maybe I'll read it anyway at some point of time.

>>10279611027961 So if you haven't read it, then how do you know what happened?

....How did I miss that? I honestly thought for a bit that it was a literal train.... Damnit, too many feels :(

>>10279281027928

Indeed. Tis one of my favorites

And I just realized you wrote At Home on the Range, which is one of my favorite fics as well.

How was I not watching you earlier