Author's Note

This is a preparation chapter. The next will be longer, I can promise you that much. Stick around for the next chapter: "Detour To Vanhoover"

Nick Likes Trains

The rain had stopped at around noon. The decrease in rainfall noises made Luke wake up from his nap. When he opened his eyes, he almost forgot where he was. However, memories of what had happened not too long ago flooded in...and he realized where he was. He was in Celestia's bedroom, laying on her bed. He attempted to get up, but something weighed down his left arm. Confused, he turned his head to see Milky Way. She was still there, snuggling up to him in an attempt to keep warm. And after judging by her...*ahem*...teats...he could tell that she was definitely cold.

Luke then noticed something. He was wet. No, not from the rain. He was dry, except for his pants. He pulled off the blanket, and saw a big wet spot on his jeans.

"Crap!" He said.

"Huh..?" Milky woke up from her nap.

"Oh...sorry to wake you. I uh..."

Luke motions to the wet spot on his jeans.

"Huh?" Milky looks down at her teats, "Oh um...you didn't have an accident...um...I think I...lactated in my sleep."

"Huh? Lactated? As in...milk came out?" Luke asked, an eyebrow raised.

"Yes...I'm sorry...I ruined your jeans."

"No, it's fine. I'll just get them cleaned later. I'm more concerned about my friends mocking me."

Luke got up from the bed, and stretched a little. A few joints popped, and he stopped stretching. Walking around the bed, he pulled his gun bag out from the left side and pulled out one of the rifles.

"What do you wanna do now?" Luke asked.

"I don't know..." Milky responded.

Luke strapped the bag to his back and opened the door, "Come on, Milky. Let's do a bit of exploring."

Nick and Axel were in the higher regions of the castle. They were hanging out on the royal library. They had managed to break through the gate, and take a look around.

"Ugh. This place doesn't have anything worth stealing." Nick said.

"We're not here to steal. We're here to search for supplies...maybe answers to why Equestria became so fucking psychotic. There wasn't any rape...or blood in the show. Something went wrong." Axel said.

"Blah, blah, blah. To be honest, this is a WHOLE lot better than the show."

"You've never even watched the show!"

"Yes I have!"

"What, two minutes of it?"

Nick responded to this by giving Axel a little shove. Axel responded by pushing harder. Nick punched Axel, and he collided with a bookcase. Several novels and scrolls fell to the floor. One book, however, hit Nick smack on the head. Nick stumbled, and fell to the ground.

"Okay," Nick said, "We're even."

"Hello? Guys?" Nick's radio buzzed.

Nick pulled up the radio, and held it upside-down in a dazed act, "Hello?"

Axel sighed, "Idiot." He then grabbed the hunting radio from Nick's hand and spoke into it. "Hello?"

"Hey, Axel," Miranda's voice said.

"Hey, Miranda. What's up?"

"In case you haven't noticed: The rain has cleared up. I've been looking around with some binoculars, and saw that the train station is untouched. Do you think we can use it to get places? The car is fucked, so..."

"Ok...but here's the big question: Where would we go, and why?"

"That's the...interesting...part. Radio everyone to come to the entrance of the castle."

Ten minutes after everyone got the message, Luke, Milky, Miranda, Axel, and Nick met near the entrance of the castle.

"You found a working train?" Luke asked.

"I only listened because I heard the word 'train'. " Nick said, eagerly.

"So, listen to this: When I snooped through the castle, I discovered this scroll." Miranda said, holding out a dusty, rolled-up piece of paper.

"What does it say?" Axel asked.

"It says," Miranda started, "Humans, Mythological Miracles: When all-out disaster strikes, it is said that the four chosen humans are sent to bring peace and harmony to the apocalyptic land. If the Six Elements of Harmony combine with the Four Elements of Survival, disaster will be no more. The Elements of Survival are Brutality, Hospitality, Morality, and Collaboration. [CAUTION: Use only in a scenario that is impossible to handle alone.]"

Everyone thought about it for a few minutes.

"So...we're the chosen ones?!" Axel said, looking at himself.

"Aww yeah! This just got a heckuva lot more awesome!" Nick yelled, fist-bumping the air. "Zombies, trains, and being a superhero!"

"So...we have to find the other elements?"

"Who are they?"

"I'll answer that," Luke said, "The elements are the main ponies of the show."

"Show?" Milky Way asked, "What do you mean by that?"

Everyone looked at Milky, then back at each other. Somehow, they non-verbally agreed to not tell her.

"We'll tell you some other time," Axel simply said.

Milky nodded, which satisfied everyone.

"So...what's the plan?" Nick asked.

"Well, we gotta find the Elements of Harmony. In order to do that, we must go to Ponyville. Forget spending the night here. We take the train to Ponyville, find the Elements, then save the world. We can be done with this in just two days! Maybe even one!" Miranda suggested, "Who's ready to save the world?!"

"I like trains."

Nobody said anything. They only stared at Nick.

"What?" He said, shrugging, "I like trains."

They shook their heads, and opened the front gate. Luckily, the zombies had wandered off by then. The group of five exited the castle, crossed the drawbridge, and made their way to the train station. Upon arrival, they found only one train there: The Friendship Express. Taped to the doors was a note that read "TRACKS TO PONYVILLE UNAVAILABLE. INFECTED INDIVIDUALS OVERRUN. PLEASE WAIT UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE."

"Further notice," Nick scoffed, "Like we're gonna wait to use this thing."

"I hope it still works," Miranda said.

"Lemme see. I'm the train expert."

Nick climbed into the conductor's seat, and examined the controls. After pressing a few buttons and fiddling with some switches, some smoke exited the top.

"Yep! This girly contraption work." Nick said, smiling.

"It's not THAT girly." Axel said.

"Look at it: It's like a centipede of cakes! But...a train is a train, and I like trains."

Nick pulled a rope, and the horn blared.

"All aboard!" Nick yelled, followed by some giddy giggling, "I've always wanted to say that."

"Try to keep it down...you'll attract infected." Milky said, climbing into a train car.

"Well, get in before the zombies come!"

They obey, and Nick makes the train move from it's position. Soon enough, the train was rumbling down the mountain.

"Hey Luke," Nick said, "Come with me. I gotta show you something."

Luke followed Nick to the front of the train, where a large black and white map was displayed on the wall.

"So...if the way to Ponyville is blocked, how will we get there?" Luke asked.

"Here's the plan: We go Southwest, and stop at a station that is between a place called Vanhoover, and Tall Tale. We stop there to refuel or resupply, and then continue to Ponyville. Shouldn't be too hard." Nick said, moving his finger across the map to emphasize his idea.

"I like it! This will be a piece of cake!"

"Don't jinx us...because if this goes wrong, I'm going to beat the crap out of you."

"Alright, Hercules. Focus on the train."