//------------------------------// // Strangers on a Train // Story: George Trestale, God of... Something // by DrOcsid //------------------------------// Viewing the Canterlot-bound train from afar, I was struck with an idea. A train wouldn't bring me all the way to Anthropia, but it could certainly get me part of the way there. Looking at the map, between here and Anthropia is a town called "Appleloosa". From what I can tell on this map, the train will get me a large portion of the way there. I'll just have to wait for it to be en route to Appleloosa. This means I need to figure out two things. One, how I'm going to get a copy of the train's schedule, and two, how I'm going to get on the train. So, as for the train schedule, my only option would likely be to just hope there are copies of it on the train. Maybe there will be, maybe there won't. I'll cross that bridge when I get there. But for now, I need to figure out how I'm going to actually board the train. This is going to take some planning. I can't exactly go and buy a ticket. I'm going to have to sneak on somehow. But how? I can't board it in any of the towns it stops in, that's way too high risk with the amount of ponies getting on and off. This means my only option would be to get on it between its stops... but how am I gonna do that? I can't just run up next to it and grab it, my arm will get ripped off. And I can't think of any feasible way of stopping it. I looked at Canterlot, and then to the bottom of the mountain it's on. Hm, it looks like the train uses this tunnel at the bottom. Perhaps I could jump onto it from an overpass? Eh, that's a stupid idea. So, clearly, it's the best one for me to use! En route to Canterlot's mountain, it soon became nighttime. I admired how cool-looking the sky is. Seriously, that is a nice shade of purple. While thinking about this, I heard a train whistle. I looked to the left and saw the train in the distance, on some rails headed towards Canterlot. I needed to get to the overpass fast. I quickly picked up the pace, and after about twenty more minutes, I made it to the mountain. Okay, the tunnel has a ledge above it I can stand on, but how am I going to get up there? I thought about this for a moment, but in the middle of my thinking I suddenly heard the train whistle from the inside of the tunnel. Oh god, that's coming up way faster than I expected. Okay, I gotta figure this out fast. After some quick thinking, I came to the conclusion that I needed to try and teleport onto the overpass. I can't imagine it being likely that it would work, but, hell, it's my only option. I quickly focused on the overpass and waved my arm, only to appear inside the tunnel. I could see the train's light some distance down there, and it was approaching fast. I quickly ran out of the tunnel and tried again. Okay, this time I appeared next to the overpass in midair. I fell down to the ground and considered if my power was taunting me. The train's about to come out of the tunnel. I quickly got up and tried one more time as the train rushed out of the tunnel... ...And I appeared over the train instead. I quickly fell onto the train, my legs giving out and me hitting my head on its roof. I quickly got up and saw the ground passing by around me. "Holy shit. I did it. I did it! Lo hicimos! I did it!" I almost jumped for joy, but stopped myself as I realized that's a stupid idea. After walking up a few cars, I sat down and began to wonder where this train was going, hoping it would be stopping somewhere closer to Anthropia. While thinking this, I suddenly saw we were headed for another tunnel. Which happened to be really close. Shit. I quickly got up again and looked down at the cars. Okay, fuck it! I jumped down between them, the tunnel's roof missing me by mere inches, and me landing on the connecting platform. After a sigh of relief, I looked through the window in the door to the next car. Filled with ponies, not good. I looked at the one behind me. Not filled with ponies. That's better. I quickly ran into the room to see various bunks with curtains. I climbed into a higher one and quickly shut the curtain. I looked out the bunk's window to see the train leave the tunnel. Now, at this point I figured I was safe. Who would invade the privacy of Equestria's most wanted? While considering this, I heard the door to the cabin open. A young sounding voice made itself known. "Why do we have to be so careful about one human? How dangerous could he be?" "Celestia said he survived falling off Canterlot," another voice said. "Something fishy is going on if that's true." That voice sounds so familiar. Why can't I put my finger on it? "So, we're going to Ponyville just so you can research humans? Doesn't Canterlot Castle have a library?" "Yes, but I've already scoured through all the books there. I'm going home to see if any of my books have different information on humans." "If you say so, Twilight." Twilight...? Then it hit me. God damn it, why her of all ponies? Why does my luck suck so much?! And as if it couldn't get any worse, I began to feel a sneeze coming on. How do you stop a sneeze, again? I'd like to know that as soon as possible. "Spike, this is important. We can't have a human running amok-" "AH-CHOO!" "...Bless you," said the younger voice. "Thank you," I replied. ...Fuck, why did I say that? "Wait, that voice!" said Twilight. My curtain was suddenly covered in a purple aura, and then it opened, greeting my eyes with Princess Twilight Sparkle and... some lizard thing. "Ha! We've got you now!" said Twilight. Well, this plan is screwed. "Ha-HA! That's what you think!" I opened my bunk's window, only to be trapped in a magic bubble again. "Nice try, but you're not getting away this time!" said Twilight. "We're going to bring you back to Celestia. She'll be glad to see you've been captured again." "Wow," said the lizard that I assume is named "Spike". "He was right here the whole time! That's convenient." "Yeah, well, you know what's inconvenient?" I said. "What?" said Twilight. "This!" I waved my arm to the right, suddenly appearing on top of the train again. Man, considering all the possibilities, this is working out pretty well for me. I heard voices from inside the cabin. "Darn it! Celestia said he might be able to teleport, but I wasn't going to believe it until I saw it," said Twilight. "Let me guess, this means more research?" said Spike. "Well, obviously." Laughing at the fact that I escaped unscathed, I stopped listening to the cabin and looked out in front of the train. My happiness was suddenly cut short upon seeing that the train was now stopping in Ponyville. Shit.