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If necessity is the mother of all invention, then assumption is the mother of all screw-ups. And there's no worse time to be making assumptions than when you're traveling - especially when what should have been a simple overnight ride turns into a three day trip from hell.
Heh. I always get a chuckle out of all the different ponified names that others come up with when dealing with famous real-world landmarks. Crazy how different authors can think up such different and unique titles.
The Dodgers played in Bronclyn?
Sorry. Couldn't resist.
Anyway, this looks like it's going to be a wild ride and I'm looking forward to seeing how it goes from here. I just knew that they'd regret getting into that train car.
Till then!
Thank you all for the fantastic response!
>>165393 This story is indeed inspired by Planes, Trains and Automobiles - granted, the plot is only loosely based on the movie, but there will be references to it in the chapters to come...
>>165512 Bah! Knew I'd screw up somewhere...Thanks for catching my mistake!
Poor Twilight. She can recreate an entire dam during the middle of a flood but can't seem to harness the power of wood. Good for nothin' magic! Always failing when it really matters! Or when it's the funniest...
Still a funny read. I'm seeing a breakdown of our titular trio well before the end. Can't wait to see it!
>>182691 I think the Sonic Screwdriver principle of ineffectual on wood could be in play here... 
>>183437 In retrospect, it does seem like a missed opportunity. 
But Apple jokes are a dime a dozen, and seeing as I stole Applecon from another fic in the first place...
>>183735 I did read the sequel, though frankly I wasn't that crazy about it. Not that there was anything wrong with it, it was just such a huge chance of pace and feel from the original that it caught me off guard. But that's just me.
Whenever I read/watch these stories, I really just want them to make it to Fillydelphia in one day, take a train to Manehatten, and have time to spare.
That, however, will never happen. 
UNLESS! You make an alternate ending where they just make it to Fillydelphia fine, for readers like me. 
lol, one of my teachers at uni had a similar set up. Although when his train car was unlatched no other train attached. He ended up walking back along the tracks in Hungry for a few hours to get back to the station. Can't wait to see where you're taking us on this...naaaaaah too easy!
GRAY HOUND LINES - Copy right! Copy right!
Not a whole lot going wrong here this time (though I'm sure Twilight would object) but things are moving along.
Speaking of Twilight, I think she should take a breather on using anymore magic. But then again, what would the fun in that be if things don't go wrong?
Keep at it!
Just a tease?? 
Well, I suppose that's better than nothing! 
Erm, anyway, concerning the story:
I freaking LOVE this!! It's fantastically well written, descriptive, hilarious, and manages to keep the characters in, well, character! Something many stories lately have had trouble with. As with Bellum, I did indeed "D'aw", but not once, several times, most of which include the journey inside the bus. Though those were also accompanied by "Ew's". Candy Ring represents that "neigh" (LOOOLOLGEDDIT)bor we all know and love. Well, more accurately DESPISE WITH THE UTMOST HATRED FROM THE BOTTOMLESS PIT OF OUR HEARTS. 
...*Ahem*...
Sorry. Oh, and sorry for this ridiculously long comment. And for not writing more about your story. And for using so many emoticons. DARNNIT. SORRY FOR WRITING SO MUCH. AHHHHHHHHHH.
DANG. MUST STAY FOCUSED.
Okaaaayyyyyy....anyways, point is, I adore this story with all my heart. It's unique! And brilliant as a Sonic Rainboom. Well, I suppose a Rainboom is more colorful than brilliant, literally anyways...Oops! Off topic once again!
FSLKGSLKDJGJPJIGIJGJRIJGOEJSGHKJAHGUHRIUGHINLO
I need to stop typing now.
NIGHT OF THE FIRST DAY
-- 60 Hours Remain --
Good and funny as usual (Twilight's exploding scream at learning she teleported backwards instead was hilarious), though I did catch one little oddity in one paragraph near the end: "Nightfall came in earnest and the lanterns were extinguished to allow the travelers to get some sleep, but between the hard seat and the bumpy ride Twilight was having an impossible time going to sleep." Ending both halves of the sentence with "sleep" like that feels a little redundant. Perhaps something along the lines of "...an impossible time getting any;" the audience should be able to tell you mean sleep. Granted, I could just be being nickpicky, I can be like that sometimes, but I still think this is one of those little things you just need to watch out for.
Ooh, a "countdown" of sorts seems like a really good idea, I wish I'd thought to include it...Oh well. I guess I should stick to more subtle ways of keeping track of time in the story anyway.
>>205392 Thanks for catching that. I know I rewrote that paragraph a number of times so it's entirely plausible an extra "sleep" snuck in there while I was revising it.
Alright for some strange reason while I was reading this, a deep mono-tone-ish type voice was saying the words, like how people read stories and such, but whenever any of the three talk it's their voices that speak, and when it is showing the other text it is that deep awesome sounding voice. Should I get a brain scan?
Awesome story btw. 
Well, the countdown thing is a reference to "The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask," which occurs over the span of three days (repeated over and over and over again), and the way the game announced how much time was left at temporal landmarks has kinda become memetic. The fact our heroines have three days to get to Manehatten struck me as a similarity worth repeating the meme for. At least the penalty for not finishing on time is only missing some of WonderCon and not the end of the world.
Of course, it's possible you already knew all that. In which case, I'm sorry for telling you something you already knew.
Chapter the fourth: in which Twilight loses it. 
This comment is also replacing a "FIRST!" comment on this chapter that I just deleted. I don't want to seem to be a jerk about this, but I would really like it if comments actually had something to do with what I've taken the time to write. 
The moment I saw that airship in "Sweet and Elite," I knew this day would come.
Security checks are a bitch!
I think it would have been funny if Twilight had ignited one of the (unoccupied) airships and then the three of them had to be interrogated for, "acts against Equestria" or something.
Still funny though and the CLOCK. IS. TICKING!
DAWN OF THE SECOND DAY
-- 48 Hours Remaining --
I completely sympathize. One time while my family and I were on our way home from visiting relatives in the mid-east, a thunderstorm delayed our plane and we missed our connection (interestingly enough, the airport also had those "multiple terminals connected by trams" thing), forcing us to make an emergency overnight stay at a nearby hotel. And as we did not plan for this, the following day was the only day in my life I wore dirty underwear.
...That is EXACTLY the sort of thing you don't talk about on the Internet.
Heh heh, Fillydelphia Flyers. Cute. I work in Philly and see the International Airport frequently. 
The poor mares, trapped in the unending misery of "The Fanfic Zone", in which they shall be forced to endure one disaster after another until, in utter frustration, they release Discord and beg him to end it all!
And instead he'll just make it loop FOREVERRR!!
Planes, Trains and Automobiles is one of my favorite movies from the 1980's, and the two scenes that made the movie for me were the airport scene, and the highway scene. I'll bet this one was a fun chapter to write.
"You're going the wrong way!"
"What?"
My arm is not long enough to salute you quite as much as I'd like for this.
Oh my! Twilight, that's why you fly in shifts! I can't wait to find out where they are actually going to land! Whatever the case may be, Twilight is going to be sued by the owner of that yacht, and is probably going to lose her balloonist's license. I really hope she purchased liability insurance!
The ticket lady was the bomb! She does not get paid enough to deal with bitchy unicorns that are having a bad day. "... You're Bucked." 
They're losing everything they have to get there. I really hope you don't make the convention suck or I'ma flip my computer over!
It's impossible not to feel sorry for these three. Plus,Twilight's gone insane, Dashie broke her wing and ain't the best at controlling her temper and Applejack... well, she seems to be taking this the best actually.
Personally though, I sincerely hope that ticket mare dies a horrific death courtesy of an insane cupcake chef. I'm dead serious, I hope we see her again just to watch her suffer.
Not much I can say other than "Good story mate, looking forward to the next chapter."
Falling asleep at the wheel is a very real and possibly one of the most dangerous things that can happen while operating a vehicle. I'm come close to having that happen to me a few times myself, especially on a monotonous drive on a highway.
Yeah, that ticket lady probably should have told Twilight that at the beginning of the story. It would have saved everypony a lot of grief. But then I would have been denied laughing my butt off so buck that.
On a final note: It's not the falling that kills you. It's the landing.
That horrid Ticket person wouldn't have been so mean if she'd known who Twilight was.
A vastly powerful unicorn.
The personal student to Princess Celestia
A National hero who has saved Equestria TWICE.
I'd love to see Twilight get Celestia involved.
"Dear Princess Celestia. I need a favor....."
B bombs were dropped, I had the stupidist grin the entire time and the ticket mare couldn't care less
>>248651 I can understand how the ticket mare couldn't give any less bucks though, its the companies stupid policies and she has to take the flack all day, but to be honest Twilight is bucked
Somehow, what with Twilight normally being the cool-headed voice of reason, it is ten times more hilarious when she finally loses it. I cannot tell you how much I laughed over her screaming at the airship in the distance.
I also noticed a grave oversight--I wasn't tracking this! Problem solved!
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soon. This time even the Fire Brigade won't be able to help :). 
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