//------------------------------// // Thrill Ride // Story: My Little Caboose: Blue is Magic! // by DarkWing //------------------------------// The pink sun bore down on the group, sending small chills down their spines as they walked towards the train station to get to Canterlot as fast as they could. To get there, though, they had to walk through Ponyville, which was currently being tormented by Discord all the way from Canterlot. Houses had fire made out cotton candy coming out of the windows. Mares and Stallions alike ran around like ants, trying to fix whatever damage they could. "This guy seems to know how to make a good party." Grif muttered as he filled his hoof with the cotton candy fire to toss into his mouth. "Are you sure that's safe to eat?" Simmons asked quietly, noticing a few flecks of red in the candy floss. "Don't be a spoilsport." Grif laughed as he threw a piece into his mouth. As soon as he did, his eyes went wide and his face turned a bright red, while he began sweating feverishly. "Grif, are you okay?" Fluttershy asked as she walked up to examine her pegasus charge. "Water." Grif said quietly through puckered lips. "Where water? Need it. Now!" "Over the-" Fluttershy began pointing towards the town fountain, and in an instant Grif disappeared. Grif whimpered as he ran up to the town's fountain, then began scouring it to make sure it was safe to drink. Satisfied that it looked like water, he fully submerged his head under it and began chugging to get rid of the awful taste. "Grif, quit wasting time!" Sarge growled, bucking Grif in the ribs, sending him spiraling away from the fountain. "What kind of cockbite ruins perfectly good and delicious cotton candy by putting pieces of hot pepper inside of it?" Grif panted as he got off the ground. "The kind that finds irony delicious." Twilight sighed as she continued walking towards the train station. "I find it ironic that-" Caboose started. "Don't." Church grunted, stuffing his hoof in Caboose's mouth. "So what kind of backup do you think he has?" Rainbow Dash asked as she hovered above the others. "I'm not sure. The Necronomicon and him seem to have no love lost." "Well, even if they don't like each other, I don't think that book can stop Discord from using him." "I think she's onto something." Sarge said quietly. "I recommend we get there as soon as possible to find the book of Grif's death and use it on Grif!" "How will that help?" Grif asked angrily. "You're asking the wrong questions here, Grif. How won't it help?" "Sarge, please stop trying to make plans." Church grunted as he looked ahead. "But what would he use him on? It's not like he has any use for him seeing as dead bodies are just lying around in Canterlot, right?" "I have a bad feeling about this." Twilight said softly as they neared the station. "Why?" Church asked, thinking she was talking about the train station. "It doesn't look like Discord messed with it." "That's not... I mean, just because it doesn't look like he messed with it doesn't mean he didn't." "I guess, but at this point-" Church was then interrupted when lightning shot down from the clouds and struck just a few feet in front of them. With a few yelps of surprise and shrieks of fear, they jumped backwards to avoid being hurt and averted their eyes in case anything got sent flying. Caboose, however, was the only one that didn't close his eyes, but rather trotted up to where the lightning hit and grabbed something in his mouth and trotted back to the group and stopped in front of Twilight, then tapped on her neck. "Huh?" Twilight asked as she looked at what Caboose was holding in his muzzle, then took it away from him. "What is it?" Caboose asked as the others turned their attention to Twilight. "It's a note." Twilight said warily. "Hello again, Discord here. I just wanted to know what was taking you all so long? While it has only been a few years trapped in stone, it feels much like the thousand years. As such, I a very lonely up here, so I've provided you with free tickets to get up here faster, as I know you're already going to use it anyways. Oh so predictable. Now, don't keep me waiting, you wouldn't like to see what I do when I grow impatient." "Doesn't something about this seem a tad... off?" Rarity inquired curiously. "What if that's the point?" Caboose asked seriously. "It sounds to me like he is just trying to make us feel nervous and question his motives, when in reality he really is just trying to get us there faster. After all, he is supposed to cause chaos, and what causes more chaos than not causing it when you're expected to?" "Caboose... has a point?" Church raised his brow as he gave Caboose a once over. "I don't see Gummy on him anywhere..." "I would also like it to be known that I cannot feel my hands." "There we go." "I don't think we should be questioning whether or not we can trust that thing, what I think we should be questioning is if the train is safe." Simmons said nervously. "I doubt it, but I don't think we have much choice." Twilight sighed as she grabbed the tickets off the ground. "It would take over a day to walk there, so who knows what he'll have done by then." "I think we should risk it too." Grif said quickly, grabbing the ticket from Twilight. "Shotgun!" "Dammit." Simmons grumbled as he took a ticket for himself and walked onto the platform with Grif. The rest of the gang grabbed their tickets from Twilight and slowly made their way to the train, looking for any signs of danger. They then walked into the train, minds furiously turning to figure out what was happening, knowing Discord has to have had upped the stakes to act so carelessly. "Oh, it's you guys again." The ticket collector sighed, then his eyes widened when he looked past the mares and stallions. "What the hay is happening out there?" "It's a guy named Discord, and I'm willing to assume you know what that name means." Tex grunted as she walked up to him. "He's back?" The ticket collector asked fearfully. "Yeah, so get your ass up to the front cart and get the conductor to start this train since the girls here are the only ones that can stop him!" "Right away, miss!" The collector said with a quick salute and trotted ahead. "Alright, so what's the plan?" Tex asked once the others had taken their seats. "I guess when we get there we just run to see if the Elements of Harmony are where he says they are, then go to the palace." Church shrugged. "That's the plan?" "I'm open to suggestions, but I'm pretty damn sure there isn't any other option." Church sighed as the train began to move and the ticket collector walked back into the cart and took a seat at the back of it. "But hey, we have an hour to think." "Uh, guys, I don't want to be that guy, meaning Church, but I think we're moving." Tucker said worriedly, eyes glued to the window. "We're in a train, Tucker, of course it's moving." Church groaned. "Yeah, the thing is I don't think it's supposed to be moving up." The others looked at each other then looked out the windows and saw that the ground was no longer visible and the clouds above them started getting closer. They looked down to see what was happening and saw that the train track they were on was no a strange, metallic mechanism made out of rails. The ticket collector was now running around the cart, trying to find a way out while the others simply sank back into their seats, wide-eyed. "Y'know, I don't think we ever got your name." Tex said to the stallion who was currently breaking down. "It's Stubbs." The collector said quietly as he banged on the door, not quite sure why he was doing it. "Well, Stubbs, I hope you lived a long life, because it may end pretty damn soon." Tex laughed, turning away from him to look forward. "Unless you like that sort of thing." "I don't think I'd like that!" Stubbs yelped, now slamming on the door at a much quicker pace. "I don't think I'd like that at all!" "Huh. Then it's going to suck being you soon." Something slammed into the back end of the cart, sending the train cart off the track and into the air, causing most of the inhabitants of the train cart to slam into the back of it and into each other, while Pinkie and Caboose held onto their seats, yelling with excitement at what they thought was a fantastic ride. The train then began to spiral through the air, making some of the cushions dislodge from their position, while everyone tried to hold onto something. "Oh my god!" Caboose yelled, causing the others to look at him. What they saw, however, was Caboose picking marshmallows out of some cereal that was pouring out from under his seat. "Lucky Charms! They listened to my request letters!" "Hey, Grif, you okay?" Sarge asked with a bemused chuckle as he grabbed onto the edge of one of the seats. "I think I got food poisoning from that hot cotton candy." Grif said weakly, face turning green. "I think I need something else to eat to wash it out of my mouth." "Speaking of candy." Tucker coughed, looking at Rainbow Dash seriously. "Y'know, we could die soon, and I don't want you to die without living the Tucker Experience, patent pending." "We're about to die and you're thinking about... other stuff?" Stubbs yelled furiously as Caboose stuffed himself, Tucker flirted with Rainbow Dash and Sarge and Grif argued. "All of you are crazy!" "Welcome to my world." Church sighed.