//------------------------------// // Chapter 1: A New Approach // Story: One Shot, One Chance // by SpeederClaw //------------------------------// “Nope,” Fuzzy said shaking his head. “But, but this could mean the opportunity of a lifetime!” Blitz whined. “I know, Blitz, but c’mon! Ponyville is sooooo far away!” Fuzzy replied whining back. “Wait, WHAT, PONYVILLE!?!” Blitz said shaking his head. Blitz grabbed the flier he had shown to Fuzzy and realized his mistake. He scanned the flier top to bottom until he located the problem. Blitz gave himself a well-deserved facehoof. “I don’t know how in the hay I missed that!” Blitz said facehoofing himself once more. “You’re such a dumb-dumb, Blitz,” Fuzzy remarked. “But, in any case I’m still not going with you.” “…” Fuzzy let out a barely noticeable chuckle, but Blitz caught what he was up to. “Are you for real, Fuzzy, seriously?” Blitz said tilting his head with irritation. “Hey, hey, let a pony joke. You never appreciate my funny!” Fuzzy said defending himself. “That’s because some of your jokes are over the top!” Blitz said remembering all the times Fuzzy had made ill-timed jokes. “Whateva, Whateva, we shall embark on this quest. But first!” Fuzzy raised his hoof into the air. Blitz expected the worst news to come. “I have to stop by Appaloosa to pick up them goodies I ordered.” Blitz sighed in relief. “Alright then, I’ll meet ya in Ponyville, bud.” “Yup, yup.” Fuzzy gave Blitz hard pat on the back which actually knocks him down. Before Blitz could retaliate Fuzzy hopped out the door and started skipping toward the train station. ‘The fool didn’t even think of bringing anything with him! Geez, Fuzzy, you’re a hard one to figure out.’ Blitz got back up to his feet and went into his room he shared with Fuzzy. As he opened the door, the putrid smell of rotting food escaped into his nostrils, making him wince in disgust. He surfed through the piles of junk littered on the floor, almost tumbling over a half-eaten sandwich. He felt squishiness under his hooves and decided not to think about what he had stepped on whether it be alive or dead. He finally reached his destination and pulled out something from within a drawer. “Not gonna forget you,” Blitz said smiling with contempt. In his hoof was a sparkling snow globe containing two miniature snowponies, one a mare and the other a stallion. It was shining brightly in the pitch black room. He shook it lightly and watched as the pure white snow danced around the ponies in a rapid manner. He smiled as he stared into the snow globe which seemed to last forever. He finally broke his gaze and stuffed the snow globe into his nearby saddlebag along with a bag of Grass Gummis and a few AppleBran Bars. He looked around for any other item he might need on his permanent trip from Manehatten. “Well it looks like I got just abou-" Before Blitz exited the room, he took a quick glance at the bed, particularly at the fluffy, white pillow. “I sure hope there are comfy beds in Ponyville…I really hope…” ~~~~~~~~~~ Blitz started out the door and headed towards the train station. It wasn’t a particularly long walk as Fuzzy lived relatively close to the station. Luna’s moon was just rising and Blitz could tell it was going to be a long night. The sound of trains hissing smoke and powering up for depart filled his ears. He could read the big sign that said ‘TrolleyGo’s Trainstation’ painted in big red letters. The whole area seemed crowded with ponies all walking in random directions. Blitz started getting worried that he might get pulled away by the crowd. He could only imagine missing his train because of this. The train was set to arrive in about twenty minutes so he figured he had time to spare. But, of course he overlooked something extremely important. “Wait a minute, wait one single minute. I DON’T HAVE ANY CELESTIA DARN MONEY!” he shouted to the sky in annoyance. Blitz started to panic as he realized what kind of situation he was in. He knew he wasn’t the type of pony to overlook things; he always made sure he had everything in check. Blitz quickly checked his saddlebag in hopes that there may be some bits left in there. He shut it, defeated, and departed towards the train station. “How in hay could I forget MONEY! Of all things, money! Well at least I won’t starve to death…I ho-I gotta stop saying I hope,” said Blitz scratching his head. He walked up to the ticket vendor nervously as he knows the outcome can only be bad. The vendor had a stern look on his face and Blitz could tell he was not enjoying his job. His eyes looked bloodshot and his beard was probably the grossest thing the pony had seen all day besides Fuzzy’s defiled room. Blitz thought he was literally looking at a walking grease ball. “Alright bucko, make it quick!” the stallion said with an angry tone. ‘Well, there goes my chances of him being a big softy.’ “Uh, well, ya see, um…how much is it for a train ti-“ “100 bits,” the stallion stated. “…” “100 bits. Take it or leave it pal,” he said emphasizing the last word. “I ain’t your pal first of all and second, I’m pretty sure tickets are A LOT less than that!” Blitz said. “Okay, mister tough guy, if you don’t have the money then get out! If you think you’re tough enough then I won’t mind letting out some steam on a little squirt like you,” the stallion said tensing up. Blitz literally wanted to tear off the stallion’s beard regardless of its grease. He decided it might be best to just wait out a bit and cool down. Literally. ‘Alright, let’s try this out…again.’ Blitz sat down on a nearby bench, almost getting decked by a much larger stallion. He then started to get into a comfortable position and tried to concentrate. He focused on only himself and not the massive horde of ponies in front of him. His horn started to glow a faint aqua blue and he closed his eyes. A few seconds went by: nothing. Blitz started to sweat, but kept his focus strong. Just then he felt slight cooling sensation across his body. ‘Yes, finally, I got it to work. My magic actually works for once! Hahaha, now I-“ Blitz realized his horn wasn’t glowing anymore. “This just isn’t my day…er other half of my day I guess since about five hours ago I was happier than Fuzzy…being…Fuz-yeah.” Blitz came to the conclusion that the only reason he felt cool was because of the night’s breeze. He looked up and saw Luna’s crescent moon now illuminating the night high in the sky. He watched as trains went to and fro from Trolleygo’s Station, their hisses echoing throughout the night. Blitz realized he had only about seven minutes before his train departs, but what could he do. He had no money and the ticket vender certainly wasn’t going to give in so easily. “Maybe if I-gwaaAAH!” Blitz jumped and almost did a somersault in the air as he landed flat on his face. “Oopsies sorry, Blitz,” a familiar voice said materializing next to the fallen stallion. “Okay. Next time, don’t put your hoof on my face out of nowhere,” Blitz said slowly getting up. He checked his face to make sure it was in once piece. He vividly remembered a ghost hoof reaching out for him. “So, aren’tja excited to finally go to Ponyville?” Fuzzy asked as his body bounced up and down. “Yeah, about that,” Blitz said looking away from Fuzzy. “Let me guess!” Fuzzy scratched his head. “You don’t have any money do you, Blitz,” he said with a smirk. “…” “That’s alright, I bought you one anyway!” Fuzzy exclaimed as he magically pulled out a ticket and held it high in the air. “What in the hay? You-ho-wha-nevermind. Thanks, Fuzzy, I know I can count on you…most of the time,” said Blitz with a smug grin. “No probs, Blitz, I always got your back!” Fuzzy said pointing his own hoof at his own back. “I’ll hold you to that when we reach Ponyville, Fuzzy,” Blitz said thoughtfully. “Yeah, yeah…ope looks like my train is going which means its time for the Fuzzymeister to ride his way to Appaloosa!” Fuzzy said as he darted for his train. “Hey, Fuzzy, thanks again! I’ll see you in Ponyville. Promise me you won’t be too late!” Blitz yelled over the loud crowd. “Yup, yup!” ~~~~~~~~~~ Blitz hopped aboard his train just before it made its departure. He could feel the train start to shift as he handed the ticket to the conductor and took his seat. “Everypony aboard?!” the conductor yelled in a jolly tone. “Thank y’all for choosing TrolleyGo’s nighttime services. Have a good night!” Blitz stared out the window as the train came alive with power. He watched as Luna’s crescent moon glided across the black sky. Different blobs of color shuffled by into a blur. Despite the few bumps here and there, the ride was very soothing. Blitz hadn’t felt so relieved in a while. ‘I can’t believe I’m finally going to get a job. I’ve been jobless for too long! Fuzzy better be there because I swear to Celestia if he isn’t…geez I have to grow up, can’t rely on everyone for everything.’ Blitz could feel his mind drifting. He tried to stay awake but the recent day’s fatigue was getting the best of him. His eyes started to slide shut and he opened his mouth to let out a satisfying yawn. “I earned it,” he whispered. Blitz was on his way to a new life: Ponyville.