//------------------------------// // Train Frustrations and Proposals // Story: A Day In Ponyville // by FelixTheBrony //------------------------------// Train Frustrations and Proposals “Ah still can't believe ya ate tha potato fer breakfast...” Applebloom mentioned to Twilight while they, as well as Spike, Applejack, Big Mac and Rainbow, stood on the train platform ready for the train to Canterlot to arrive. “Well...I didn't really have any other food items in the library,” Twilight replied, sheepishly. Applebloom rolled hers eyes, while the others talked amongst themselves, not wanting to get involved in that particular conversation. “So...You're absolutely sure Scoots will be okay at Rarity's?” Rainbow asked for, possibly, the hundredth time, to which Applejack replied. “Yes, Ah'm sure she will!” “But...Thunderlane's still getting used to his Diabetes...” “Look Rainbow! Rumble will be there an' he's more than capable of keepin' her safe!” Big Mac grinned. “Oh yeah, remind me ta threaten 'im when we get back,” Rainbow rose an eyebrow at him. “Why do you need to threaten him?” “Just ta make sure he don't do anythin' ta hurt her so Ah don't have ta hurt 'im,” Rainbow was about to tell him to leave Rumble alone, before realising that Rumble's reaction to a Big Mac threat would likely be hilarious and decided to let it go. “Trains coming!” Spike announced, pointing to the train chugging towards them in the distance. “Alright finally!” Rainbow yelled, dramatically. “Jeez, it took it's sweet time!” Mac just glanced back at his suitcase, which held a wedding earring ready to propose to her when they got to their dinner reservations that night. “Passengers are reminded to keep all their personal belongings with them while on the train! And if anyone is feeling peckish, we have our travelling chef with us on board today!” At this train announcement, Applebloom burst out laughing on her seat next to Spike, who rose his eyebrow at her. “Um...What's so funny?” “Really! Is that what their calling 'em now?! Travelling chefs!” She giggled, picking an apple and a plastic spoon out of her saddlebags. “These chefs only have potato chips an' chocolate bars! Ah have an apple an' a plastic spoon, do Ah suddenly become Pinkie Pie!” “Oh c'mon Applebloom, they do sandwiches!” Applejack argued. “Yes but Ah could make a sandwich! Anyone could make a sandwich!” Applebloom announced before an image of Sweetie Belle opening a jar of peanut butter and the peanut butter bursting into flames as the air made contact with it appeared in her head. “Well almost anypony...” “Look, these ponies are hired ta sell food...” “Oh Ah'm sure they are. Hey look, who's that pullin' tha food trolley! Ah think it may be Gustave le Grand!” She mocked as she shouted down the empty carriage. “Hey Gustave Ah'll 'ave an orange!” “C'mon AB,” Spike said, rubbing her shoulder. “Why don't we go see what they have, I'm kinda hungry.” “Well, Ah guess if'n they are Travelling Chefs they must have somethin' good.” As the two left, AJ sighed as she relaxed in her seat next to Twilight. “Jeez, Ah don't know what it is, but she seems a lot more...argumentative recently.” Twilight shrugged. “She's probably just going through puberty...” Rainbow interrupted her by jamming a hoof straight into Twilight's mouth. “Oh no! I'm not listening to all that again!” “Hello, how can I help you today?” The pony behind the counter on the food cart of the train said to Applebloom as she and Spike walked up to him. “Um...Can Ah have a daisy sandwich please?” Applebloom asked. The pony looked at her, sympathetically. “I'm sorry ma'am, we're out of stock right now,” Applebloom rose an eyebrow, pointing out the fresh looking daisy sandwich behind the glass case. “But there's one right there,” She stated. “Oh that one's just the display,” Spike and Applebloom shared a look before the filly decided to clarify. “So let me jus' git this straight. You've got this daisy sandwich here ta show that yer doin' daisy sandwiches...But yer not doin' daisy sandwiches.” “They're in the range! We just don't have any at the moment,” The pony explained. Spike, sensing an argument coming, decided to take a step back to stay out of it. “But ya do! Ah can see it right there!” “Look, ma'am, if I sell you that one, then other ponies won't know we do daisy sandwiches.” “But yer not doin' 'em!” Applebloom exclaimed, frustrated, to which the pony replied. “We do do them.” “Oh good, Ah'll have one then,” She answered him. He sighed. “Look, it's quite simple,” He said, to which she lowered her eye lids in a deadpan expression. “Is it? Is it really?” “Yes. This sandwich is here to show the range of sandwiches that we do. Thus, we sell daisy sandwiches,” He explained, to which she gripped her mane in frustration. “But ya not sellin' 'em! Ah'm tryin' ta git one an' look at tha state o' me!” She sighed and continued. “Look, jus' either sell that sandwich ta me or take it down, otherwise if somepony else comes here, lookin' fer a daisy sandwich an' comes ta ask fer that one after seein' it like Ah did, yer gonna be dealin' with tha same situation we're in now!” “Look, it's there to show we're doing daisy sandwiches so ponies will know we do them by the time we've restocked.” “Well that's fine an' dandy when ya have more than one, but right now ya only have one so it'd be better ta either sell it or take it down because, in tha end, somepony will be more willin' ta except that they can't have somethin'...if'n they can't see it right in front o' 'em!” “Why?” Applebloom grunted. “Because a pony will see somethin' fer sale an' notice that this is a shop an' they'll use their eyes an' brain ta process that ya do, in fact, sell tha sandwich. Whereas, if it's not there, they'll know that you've run out. They won't just assume you have somethin' if it's not there. Fer example, it never occurred ta me that you were doin' a hay bale buffet with a potato chip dip side,” The pony behind the counter looked confused. “We're not doing a hay bale buffet with a potato chip dip side,” Applebloom cried out in frustration. “EXACTLY!!” “...I can do you a hay sandwich,” Applebloom groaned and fell forward, her head colliding with the counter. “Fine...I'll take tha hay sandwich, Mr. Travelling Chef...” He took the sandwich from under the counter and placed it in front of her, before looking over at the glass case. “Huh. It's my last one of them as well,” Spike shot forward and put four bits on the counter, snatching the sandwich and Applebloom away from the pony before she does something rash. “We have now arrived in Canterlot! Please mind the gap between the platform and the train!” The announcer called as the doors opened and the group filed out of the train. When there, however, they were faced with the Royal Guard, many of them next to certain enchanted ring like devices. They noticed a familiar orange Pegasus as he turned to them. “Hey guys!” “Flash?” Twilight asked, confused, as she and the group met up with him, giving him a quick peck on the cheek in greeting. “What's going on?” “Well,” Flash started, gesturing to a sheepish looking Discord hovering on top of the station archway, sipping on some chocolate milk. “Discord, here, was training some of the guards by planting illegal substances in some of the ponies suitcases as they came in...” “Oh that's smart! Keeps the Guard on their toes and shows them that even the ones that seem the least likely to do so could cause trouble,” Twilight summarized, to which Flash nodded with a deadpan look. “Yeah. Or at least, it would be smart if he could remember which suitcases he put the substances in...and could remember what substances he put in!” He answered, rubbing his forehead with his hoof. “We had to assemble the whole Guard to search every single suitcase that enters this city and all other cities too!” Rainbow whistled as she saw one guard pull a potion bottle with a skull and cross bones on the front of it out of a little filly's saddlebags. Discord then scooped it up in panic. “Careful! This is one of the most dangerous substances in existence!” The guard looked up in fear. “What is it?! Nitroglycerin?! A virus?!” “Liquid Sugar X,” He said, creating a tear in reality and throwing the glass container through it. “Symptoms include randomness, hyper acute awareness, way too much energy and being able to predict the future but in a way that won't make any sense to anyone!” Twilight heard all of that and pondered on that a little. Could that be how...Nah! She quickly shook her thoughts from her head and levitated her and Spike's suitcases to one of the searching stations. Pinkie was standing in her kitchen, using a rolling pin to flatten some cookie dough when a rip in reality suddenly opened up and the same bottle that Discord threw away had fallen out and hit her in the head. “Ow!” She exclaimed before she caught sight of the bottle and grinned, widely. “My Precious!” She cried, removing the lid and downing the substance in one go. “We drinks the precious!” Big Mac laid the suitcase out onto a conveyor belt, just before Rainbow did, everyone else having already done their checks and were now just waiting for them. Once on, the bag rolled through the strange looped device and it flashed red, indicating that there was something bad in there. “Alright, let's check this one,” A blue, female Unicorn Guard with a green mane announced, allowing Big Mac to open it. Inside, onto of everything else, was a large, serrated knife which was picked up in her magical grip and shown to Discord. “This one of yours?” “Hm...Yes, I believe it is!” He said, snatching it up and throwing it into another portal to who knows where. Just as the Guard was about to close the bag again, she noticed a small box in the corner of the case. “Um...Did you do anything in a box?” She asked Discord who shook his head. “Nope, had to make sure it was in plain sight.” She then turned to a nervous looking Mac who glanced at Rainbow, who looked up at him curiously. “Sir, could you open that box for me?” She said, pointing to the box. Mac nervously glanced at the box, then to Rainbow who still looked curious, and back to the Guard. “Um...Would ya mind if Ah didn't?” He asked the security pony who then started getting suspicious. “Yes! Yes I would mind! Now please, open the box and you can go along with your day.” She answered, a bit more forcefully. Mac started to sweat a little, trying to motion his head over to his marefriend as discreetly as he could. “Please don't make me open tha box!” He whispered, desperately. Rainbow nudged him in the side. “C'mon Mac, what's the problem? Just open the box.” Mac just chuckled slightly as he saw three Guards approach to surround him. “Ah...It's just...well...” “Sir open the box!” The three Guards demanded, loudly drawing out their spears to point in his direction. He turned back to see the mare with her own spear out and noticed a large crowd of ponies gathered around them all and let out a huge sigh. He fetched the box out of the bag, laid it out on the ground in front of Rainbow. The purple velvet box stood there as Mac crouched down in front of her. “Rainbow, these last three years have been three o' tha best years o' my life! You've been a bright ligh' that shined in mah monotonous work an' ya always bring a smile ta mah face even on some o' mah worst days!” The Guards, realising their error of judgement, lowered their weapons but didn't dare interrupt Mac from his speech to his, quite speechless marefriend. “Tha day Ah properly met you was probably tha first day Ah knew true beauty, yer laugh like a melody in mah ear and yer presence by mah side is one Ah wouldn't trade fer anythin' imaginable!” He then opened the velvet box, which contained a gold earring with a red apple in the centre of it, a rainbow lightning streak stained across it. “So Ah stand here, in this train station, in front o' tha Royal Guard, mah sisters, tha spirit o' chaos an' tha many ponies now watchin', askin' you, will ya marry me?” There was a tense silence for a few seconds, that could have been hours to everyone, before Rainbow gave her answer. She dove into him in and trapped him in a massive hug, repeating the word 'yes' very loudly and very happily. After that, the train station erupted in cheers and applause for the newly engaged couple. The Guards heard tutting behind them though and turned to see Discord clapping, but giving them a disapproving stare. “You know, this is why we need the training.” “Congradulations you two!” Twilight announced once the two finally got past the crowd also giving their congratulations. Rainbow just smiled, excitedly and hugged her friend. “Yeah, congrats big bro!” Applejack added, wrapping her brother in a warm hug, Applebloom joining in too. “Thanks,” Mac responded, looking a little disappointed. “But Ah kinda wished Ah managed ta propose at tha restaurant an' not in tha customs office...” “So that's why we were going to that place!” Rainbow responded, some pieces finally clicking into place. “Can Ah be a flower filly?!” Applebloom asked, looking up at Mac, imploringly. Mac just smiled. “Sure, but let's not worry about all that right now. We got a convention ta git to.”