CH 2: The Train Ride Dilemma *remastered*

Walking up to Octavia, Vinyl was the first to introduce us.

“Hey Octy, were here and I got Tech to come along,” she said putting her hoof around my neck.

“Yes here we are,” I followed putting Vinyl’s hoof to the ground.

“Thank you Vinyl glad you could convince him,” Octavia said with a giggle. “So Tech, You all packed and ready to go?”

“Got everything I need I guess,” I said while tapping my suitcase. “So why exactly did you want me along for this trip? I mean you got Vinyl to come with, which of course is a huge surprise given to her laziness, but why me?” I question.

“Well for one I know Vinyl wouldn't come along if I didn't invite you,” She said. “For two why not you? You barely come out of your house and you never really talk to us much. So I thought I’d be nice and take you to canterlot with us. You know, so you can see more places in Equestria.” She ended that sentence with a smile. I never told them where I came from so I guess now is a good time.

“I never told did I,” I said rubbing the back of my head. “I was born in Canterlot and I’m very familiar with the area,” Octavia stared at me in confusion. Guess I should've told them sooner.

“Well….uh, you still wanna come?” Octavia asked hoping I would. I was already regretting what I was about to say. So why not throw in some sort of joke which might get me a punch to the arm.

“Eh why not I mean Vinyl would probably miss looking at me and get bored if I wasn't there,” I said with a smirk.

“HEY!!” Vinyl raised her hoof and punched me in the arm with some force. Oh I saw it coming but I didn't wanna block it might as well take what’s coming to me.

“Alright lets get on the train before she kills you,” Octavia said while walking toward the train.

I let out a small chuckle while Vinyl looked at me in a little anger. I might of stepped it a bit far, but I didn't care very much. “Don’t stare too long my bright green coat might make you go blind,” she looked away and soon followed Octavia on to the train. I took one more deep breath before stepping on the train. These two are gonna be the death of me but, I don't care. Might as well do stuff like this with friends then without.

I followed Vinyl and Octavia to our car. This train seemed different than the one I went on to come here, way different. It was way more clean and it was bigger. There was actually personal cars for ponies to sleep in. I kept following these two wondering why I never seen a train like this before. The floors of every car were well carpeted, the walls were perfectly painted with a different design in each car we went to, and just everything was perfect almost to perfect.

We reach our room and I ask. “Octavia if you don’t mind me asking, how much were those train tickets?”

“Only ten bits each which is surprising this train looks way more expensive than that,” Octavia replied while looking around our room. However ten bits that’s the price of a normal train, did Octavia know we were getting this train?

“See now I thought something was strange how d-” I got cut off by a intercom.

“We will be heading to canterlot on a new route this ride. We have something in the way of the route that normally gets us there. It will be a three day ride. Hope this didn't ruin any plans for anypony on this ride, sorry for the inconvenience.”

“Well….a longer trip,” I said. “Octavia do you think there letting ponies on this train for that reason because there’s some sort of blockage?” I asked her.

“That might be the case,” She replied rubbing her chin. “However what would be the blockage?”

“Probably some rock,” Vinyl said. “Sometimes I think you two over think things a lot. Just relax we're going on a trip no need to explode your minds over each other.”

I looked at her and then back to Octavia. “Eh she’s right we shouldn't do this. We’ll talk for hours and never find out what it truly is. Now let’s get on the main point here...there’s only two beds,” I said while pointing at the beds.

Octavia looked over at the beds. “Well...um, I guess….um,” she was pondering to herself not knowing what to do.

“There is a couch or I guess love seat right there on the wall,” I pointed out. “I could just sleep there so we don’t have to share a bed or anything.”

“But there’s no extra blankets,” Vinyl said. “Wouldn't you get freezing cold Tech. Oh what a dilemma what shall we do!” Vinyl tried acting like Octavia on that last sentence. Vinyl left herself open for this one.

“I guess me and Vinyl could share a bed,” I said with a cocky attitude.

“I’m cool with that,” Vinyl replied. I look over to her slowly, her face showing that she wasn’t joking. I was only kidding, but now I feel I just have been defeated.

“Well if that’s what you two want to do we can do that,” Octavia said. “Just what bunk do you two want?”

         “I was ki-” I get interrupted by Vinyl.

“Eh we’ll take the top it’d be fun up there,” she said smirking. I have a bad feeling she’s doing this on purpose.

       “Very well then,” Octavia agreed with her.

       I can’t believe Vinyl actually agreed with me to be honest. She barely knows me and yet she's cool with this? I think she’s getting me back for something or she literally just doesn't care. I’m over thinking things a lot today or I guess for the past few weeks. I need a massage or something, get this stress off my mind.

“The train is now leaving the station,” a stallion said over the intercom.

       The train started up and left the station. I’m on three day trip with these two, well this is going too be exciting or something I'm not interested in but, whatever I'm with friends I guess.

       “I’m gonna go look around the train a little bit,” I said.

       “Alright have fun,” Octavia replied.

      I left the room with both of them waving. I closed the door behind me and began to walk the train. As I was walking I heard a couple ponies talking about the blockage which I was still curious about. I leaned a little closer to the conversation too hear it more clearly.

“I heard that path has been blocked off for months now,” said a mare’s voice muffled through the wall.

“I heard that to, everypony wonders what it is but nopony ever tells us,” Another mares voice said.

“So what do you think is blocking the path anyways?” The first mare asked.

“I assume just a big rock or some fallen wood or something,” The second mare replied.

“Now Lyra if it was something that simple I’m sure they could get unicorns to break it or a few earth ponies to push it aside. It wouldn't be there for months if that were the case,” the first mare said which I now assume is Bon Bon.

“I don’t know Rose it could be that it got stuck in the ground or something,” Lyra responded to….Rose? As in Rose Luck, strange. She’s usually with Bon Bon why is she with Rose Luck?

“Well no need to worry about it now. You got the present right?” Rose asked.

“Yeah, oh Bon Bon is gonna be surprised when we meet her in Las Pegasus. I can't believe she went on this big business trip. It's been a few months since I've seen her last,” Lyra responded. That explained the whole three day trip were going through Las….Pegasus wait a minute. We can’t be stopping in Las Pegasus that’s all the way to the west. That would take us way more than three days heck that's like six to eight days even. We’ll have to travel through smoky mountain which itself is a two day trip. On top of that we’ll travel past Yan Hoover through the Unicorn Range under Cloudsdale and finally arrive at canterlot. That makes no sense...

Somethings up but I don’t know what it is. I continue to walk the train passing the dining car, and some more passenger cars. I reached one car before the engine car and started to walk back, but then I heard something come from the front of the train. Sounded like a bang and not a small one. I start walking toward the front of the train and hear some commotion. I slowly put my ear to the door of the engine car and I hear two male ponies.

“I’m on the path you told me to go on,” said the first pony.

“You told them three days to Canterlot!” The second raised his voice. “We can’t make it in three days!”

“We can if we take-” The first got interrupted.

“Were not supposed to take that route,” The second said.

“But it cuts off Smokey Mountain and half of Unicorn Range. No pony on this train is planning to stop at any of the destinations in between,” The first counters.

“If we go through there the train c-” The second gets interrupted.

“Listen it’s not my fault some weird glowing red rock decided to spring up out of the ground on the proper route to Canterlot okay. We’ll be fine, were taking the route if you like it or not,” The first one ended his sentence with a stern tone.

I back away from the door and start walking back to our room. A glowing red rock, a secret route, and the train could...what? So many questions were running through my head. How much do these train engineers actually know? Well one thing is for certain, I gotta tell Octavia and Vinyl about the situation. I hate eavesdropping like I just did but I only did it for information that's not wrong...maybe it is but whatever. I wonder how the girls will react to this or if they even know what the secret route is.

I get back to our room and open the door. Octavia looks my way and Vinyl is too busy on her phone. “Can’t believe you even get connection out here,” I said to Vinyl.

“Eh I was surprised to,” Vinyl replied. “That was a long walk you took on a train by the way.”

“Yeah I know, but listen I need to tell you two something," I said.

Octavia raised an eyebrow. “What is it?”

“I overheard the engineers talking about the blockage on the main route to Canterlot. Something about a big glowing red rock. I have no idea what that is but I heard they’ll be taking a secret route cutting off half of the Unicorn Range. Do either of you know what either of those two things are?” I ask

“I never heard of a big red rock,” Vinyl said still looking at her phone. “I also never heard of a secret route that cuts off half of the Unicorn Range either. What about you Octy?”

Octavia simply shook her head. “How much do these train engineers know exactly?” She questioned.

“See now that’s what I was wondering,” I said. “I guess we got a weird travel ahead of us.”

         “Indeed we dom” Octavia added.

The secret path was intriguing to me, but what was more was the red rock that I never heard of. I guess I’ll just have to wait and see this red rock or secret path and maybe get some more info on this "situation" at a library or something of the nature. For now I just need to relax and hope nothing bad happens. Sad thing is though, I can feel it in my gut, something bad is going to happen.