Season 2 Premiere Chapter 1: Travel Plans
"What about Eagland? Tell me we're still going there! I would simply adore a chance to visit such a cultural place!" Rarity piqued in after a year or two of waiting for season 2.
"Well, yeah, all in good time. We can hit up Eagland after Stalliongrad. They line up perfectly!" I retorted.
For more details, consult your expert travel agent Chris Shane.
"We should tell the other guys about this. I'm sure they'll be excited to hear about it." I said.
We climbed out of the chest/secret science storage room and into the common room, where the other ponies were still sleeping. Jeffery, Joshua, and Derrick had all rented rooms for themselves, but only because they snuck some valuables away from the dead attackers at Canterlot. After the others were told about the trip, The whole nine of us headed to the Canterlot Train Station. The group sat in the lobby as I approached the ticket stand.
"How can I help you sir?" The Mare behind the counter asked cheerily.
"How much for nine to Stalliongrad?" I asked after counting the members of our group.
"Three-Hundred-And-Fifty Bits, sir." She said matter-of-factly.
Without a second thought, I asked another question. "When does it leave?"
"In five minutes. Care for your tickets now or when it leaves?" She asked, ready to prepare a stack of tickets.
"Never, thanks." I moved back to the group.
"Bad news guys-" Before I could continue, the others began counting their collective bits.
"How much is that?" Applejack asked.
"Comes up to... Only enough for eight." Rarity said.
"So someone has to stay behind." Joshua stated.
My mind began to race. "I'll stay behind." I volunteered.
Everyone looked at me with either suspicion or sympathy. "But if anyone of us should be there when we save Twilight, it's you, Chris!" Fluttershy began.
"No, I'll be there. I'll just have to... find my own way to Stalliongrad. Besides, I'm the best equipped to deal with things like trainless living." I argued.
After some hesitation, Fluttershy spoke. "Alright. I guess someone should buy the tickets now?."
"But... Yeah, I will." Rarity went to buy eight tickets.
"ALL ABOARD CANTERLOT TO STALLIONGRAD" The conductor shouted.
The ponies shuffled into the passenger cars. "Good luck, sugarcubes." Applejack wished.
I nodded. That was some A+ work you just did Chris, but it ain't over yet, I thought to myself. The train began slowly lurching forward at an engines grumble.
"Thank god Canterlot still uses coal trains." I Galloped to the caboose and grabbed onto the railing. It's like that was put there just for train hijackers. As I tried to match my speed with that of the train car, I also tried to jump onto the caboose, which was, apparently, very difficult to do all at once. After a few close calls My feet caught the platform, and I lifted myself fully onto the caboose... Which turned out to be a fully decked-out snack car for which the passengers of were all able to see my wonderful display of agility. And then I remembered that I had wings. And that I was very stupid, at times. I had attracted the stares of every single passenger in the caboose.
"Man, that's the last time I stick my head out the window!" I shook my head and brushed my brow as I moved out of that car and onto the next, searching for the group. Two cars down I found them, all sitting on one side of the train. Before I could sit down with them, a pony stopped me.
"Tickets please, sir." The voice of pure rail-guided coal-fueled justice spoke over my shoulder.
I turned to face the stallion who spoke to me. "What?"
The stallion smiled. "Your ticket, sir."
For once, my ingenious brain offered no response.
"I...What?" I stuttered.
The stallion look at me suspiciously. "If you don't have your ticket, sir, then I'm going to have to remove you from the train."
"Wait, you can do that? That's cold." I said, shaking my head in disbelief.
The stallion called over my shoulder for security. Two earth ponies stepped in from the other end of the train car. By now most of the passengers had noticed the ticketless hijacker that was about to be tackled by two huge ponies, including Jeffery and the group. I waved, just before being thrown to the floor by one of the security ponies, having wind knocked out of me. I would've done something along the lines of summon my scythe, but before I could react, my face was to the floor and an elbow was digging into my spine, so it was a little hard to focus. I still tried, but only purple sparks shot from my hoof.
"Somebody get this guy a collar!" One of the security guards shouted.
I heard Joshua's voice from behind me. "He's with us!"
The train began moving over a bridge, I could hear the loud clacking from the floor of the train
"Doesn't matter. No ticket, no ride." The first stallion said. "Not on my train. Take him out, boys."
The clicking of cold metal sounded around my neck, signaling the end of my magic using days, for the time being. Before long, I was hanging out one side of the train, the wind pushing against my face. I could barely say "I can explain!" before I was given a blow to my head and thrown off the train and past the bridge the train was passing, which was located above a waterfall the size of the Canterlot Castle. Darkness enveloped my vision for the second time that week.
A few minutes later...
I opened my eyes to see a Mountain Goat staring me at me intently. I didn't react, only stared back, a little taken aback by all the questions going through my head.
"So my name's Impact. What's your's?" I said slowly, a little unsure how to approach the situation.
"They call me One Who Has Large Hooves." He replied.
I nodded. "Is that so? That's a nice name, One Who Has Large Hooves."
The goat broke character, chuckling. "I'm just screwin' around, kid. Name's Grey, at your service." He reached out his right hoof. I bumped my hoof against his, eliciting a response not of confusion, but excitement.
"Hey! It's about time somebody got that right. You're Impact huh? Welcome to my humble abode, Impact." Grey showcased the interior of the large tent we were inside of with one full-body motion. There was a huge table, chairs, bookshelves, even kerosene lamps.
"Man, you got this place pretty well tricked out, eh Grey?" I scanned the tent, admiring the decor.
Grey shrugged. "What can I say, I have a lot of free time. Hey, could you help me set the table? I'm on dinner duty tonight."
"Dinner duty?"
Several other mountain goats entered the tent, patting me on the back on their way in. I could count at least fifteen, which would explain the size of the table. I was slowly pushed by the crowd of goats into a seat.
"What's on the menu tonight, Grey?" A goat asked.
"Whatever I make, you know the rules!" Grey replied, gaining a laugh from the whole table.
Grey began placing plates of grass and hay in front of every goat, and as he did this, another goat struck up conversation.
"How're ya feeling, Red?" He asked me.
"It's Impact, actually. But I'm fine now. Water does a lot more damage than I thought it does." I replied.
"Yeah, some of us learn that the hard way. Right Easy?" Another goat said.
A goat with a lazy eye replied to the name Easy. "STARFISH ARE BEAUTIFUL!" He shouted.
"Easy learned the hard way. Any ways, how'd you end up floating down a river?"
I rubbed the back of my head. "I... got thrown off of a train. Some crazy conductor asked me for a ticket... and I didn't have one cause I snuck on the train from the back. So he threw me off."
The goats all laughed together. "That'll teach you!" A goat said. "Where were you going?"
"And why?" Another goat asked.
"I had to pick up a friend from Stalliongrad. Some other friends had already bought tickets, but there wasn't enough for me, so..." I explained.
"Aw! It's really nice that you would go through that for a friend!" Another goat spoke, this time it was a female voice.
"You sound like a good guy, Impact." The first goat said.
"Yeah, sorry you had to be woken up by Grey of all people!" The girl said.
Everyone laughed, even Grey.
Canterlot to Stalliongrad...
"Man, I hope Chris is alright. That was a long fall." Derrick said.
"I can't believe that they just knocked him out and threw him off like that. Is that even legal?" Joshua said angrily.
"I doubt it. We're in the middle of the wilds, too." Derrick added.
Fluttershy cowered in her seat. "I hear that there are wild goats in these mountains that eat ponies!"
"Why would you say that, Fluttershy? Seriously! Now I'm stressed out. Thanks a lot." Joshua said, rubbing his temples.
"Nice going, Fluttershy." Jeffery said with disdain towards Fluttershy, patting Joshua on his back.
In the other booths, Pinkie talked politics with Rarity and Applejack.
"So what am I?" Pinkie asked the two ponies in front of her.
"Pinkie Pie, you're a Communist." Applejack said.
Rarity nodded. "Everything you said matches up exactly with what Communism supports."
"So because I think that everything is free and everybody should share, that makes me a Communist?"
Sharing a glance, both Rarity and Applejack replied, "Yes."
Pinkie Pie grinned. "I'll fit right in at Stalliongrad!"
Outside Grey's Tent...
We all sat around the large, crackling campfire. I was speaking with Xanadu, the leader of the goat tribe.
"Tell you what, Impact, we'll let you stay the night, than you can head to Stalliongrad in the morning. Sound good?" Xanadu smiled.
"Sounds perfect." I noticed a goat tossing handfuls of some type of plant into the fire.
I pointed to her. "What's she doing?"
The goats laughed. "Smell that?" Grey asked. "She's beginning Spirit Time.
I sniffed the air, and received a sweet, fruity smell. "What is that?" I asked.
Xanadu, the purple wavy goat chieftain replied a slow-motion, distorted reply, one that I couldn't understand.
"What'd you say?" I said just as slowly.
I could hear the goats laugh in slow-motion as they all turned into big caterpillars of various sizes.
"All hail the caterpillar king!" Xanadu said, bowing down to me in his caterpillar form.
"Oh, hey thanks man." I collapsed onto the ground.
Pictures of the scythe flashed before me, dimensions I had been to, and then I saw someone holding the scythe. It wasn't me, or any form of me, It was someone else. It was too dark to see their face, but their black hair flowed with a nonexistent wind. They had a muscular build, and held the scythe with two hands. He gazed directly at me. He only uttered a single word.
"Theif."
I awoke several hours later, in the morning time, under a pile of goats. My head was in a small nook where goats were to my left, right, and above me. next to my head was a half eaten bowl of hay. The collar that had been put on me by security was digging into my neck. I shifted slight, waking up most of the goats. They all groaned as they awoke, and stood up, allowing my lungs to feel the soft touch of air again. I went outside for some fresh air, hoping that the smoke had cleared, and it had. Xanadu also stepped outside, and spoke with me.
"I have a bag with some food and drink ready for you. You've been a wonderful guest, Impact. You're welcome here anytime." Xanadu smiled.
"Thanks, Xan. That means a lot to me." I patted his back.
Easy walked up beside me. "IMPACT, I JUST WANTED TO SAY THAT WHEN YOU SAID THAT YOU HIJACKED THAT TRAIN FOR YOUR FRIENDS, IT TOUCHED MY HEART. I WANTED YOU TO HAVE THIS." Easy picked up a stick from the ground and handed it to me.
Smiling, I hugged him. "Thanks, Easy."
"NICE KNOWING YOU, IMPACT." He said loudly.
"Nice knowing you too." I walked to the saddlebag with the supplies in it and put it over my back.
I waved to the tribe and said goodbye, and they waved back. I hit the road that led to Stalliongrad, one last goodbye echoing through my head.
"I'LL ALWAYS BE WITH YOU, IMPACT."
Goodbye, Easy.