A Few Good Ponies

Somewhere In the Hayseed Swamps

1200hrs

There it was, the edge of the forest. With the help of his pathfinder spell, and the guidance of the tatzlponies, Sunrise figured they couldn't be far from Dodge Junction. Being a former mining settlement, it was a major hub of the Equestrian railway. The plan would be to catch a train from there to Canterlot. Though without any bits, or their distinctive armor, it would be a challenge to convince the ticket master to let them aboard.

Emerging from the woods, the trio soon spotted the small town in the distance. Something seemed off though, and as they got closer it soon became apparent why. The place was deserted. The streets were empty, and doors to shops and homes alike were left open, as if the residents had just up and left without a care as to what happened to the place. All that could be heard was the soft rustling of the wind, and the occasional banging of a loose door.

They walked into a nearby inn called “The Marvelous Manticore” according to the brightly colored sign hanging out front, depicting a large lion-like creature with a beautifully styled mane. The first floor was largely open, with several tables taking up most of the floor space in front of a small bar. Everything was covered in a fine layer of dust. Not so much as a note from the owners to be seen.

Walking into the kitchen, Screech noticed an apple pie sitting on a counter. A few flies buzzed around it, but it was otherwise untouched. He shot out a tentacle, wrapping it around the pie and pulling it into his mouth, swallowing it whole with a slurp.

Sunrise walked in behind him. “Ugh, do you know how long that might have been there for?” He said disgustedly.

Screech just shrugged and continued searching the kitchen. Finding nothing of interest, they returned to the main room.

Lightning called down from upstairs. “Nothing up here, all the rooms are either locked or empty.”

Walking up to the bar, Sunrise poured himself a shot of apple whiskey, levitating the bottle as the brown liquid splashed into the glass. Lightning flew down the stairs, landing next to him. She flashed him a judgmental look.

“What?” He asked. “It's not like there's anyone here to pay for it, and I could use something to take the edge off.”

“No no.” She replied. “I was wondering why you didn't pour me a shot.”

Grinning, he levitated over another glass before filling it and placing it in front of her. Clinking their glasses together in a quick toast, they threw them back, grimacing at the burn of the strong liquor.

“Well this explains where all the ponies heading South came from.” Said Sunrise as they walked back into the street. “Multis must have been here, keep your eyes open. Who knows what might be waiting for us.”

As if on cue, several earth ponies burst out of a nearby shop, quickly forming a semicircle in front of the group. There was a crash behind them as 3 more ponies emerged from an alley, blocking their escape.

One of the ponies in front of them, a cream colored mare with a curly crimson mane stepped forward. “Ah, the one who got away.” She stated bluntly. Her eyes narrowed when she noticed Screech. “A tatzlpony? I always hated your kind. A bit too grabby for my taste. No matter, none of you will be leaving this place alive.”

With that, the corrupted ponies rushed forward. Sunrise quickly charged his horn, launching fireballs at the two closest ponies, immediately setting them ablaze as they impacted. Lightning took to the air, dive bombing ponies, trying to keep them on the defensive as several of them attempted to surround Screech. A stallion came at him from the side, attempting to slash at him with a broken bottle held in his teeth. Screech quickly spun around, knocking the stallion to the ground with his thick tail, before grabbing a mare with two of his tentacles and throwing her through a window like a rag doll. One more pony approached him from behind, a pickaxe held in his mouth as a makeshift weapon. Before he could strike, Lightning shot forward, bringing her forehooves down on his head, and knocking him to the ground dead.

Sunrise was panting heavily, sweat pouring down his face. Fireballs were effective, but very draining, even for a skilled battle mage. Hearing a pony running up behind him, he kicked out with his rear legs, catching a stallion in the jaw, incapacitating him immediately.

In moments it was over. All the attacking ponies were either dead or unconscious. Lightning came to a hover next to Sunrise.

“How's the wing?” He asked.

“It's a bit stiff, but it sure feels great to be able to fly again.” She replied, doing a quick back flip in the air.

“We'd better get moving before any more of those ponies show up.” Stated Sunrise. “Now that Multis knows we're here, it's only a matter of time before more of his minions come for us. Let's just hope there's still a train at the station we can steal.”

The group galloped through the town, eyeing the empty windows and rooftops carefully as they made a beeline for the station. Soon it came into sight. It was a large wooden building with a clock tower in the middle. The group continued up the steps, and through a set of large wooden doors. Proceeding through the large deserted building, they walked out onto the platform. Waiting on the platform was a colorfully decorated steam engine connected to several passenger cars, before ending in  a caboose. On the other side of the track was a small wooden water tower.

“Alright, do any of us know how to drive a train?” Asked Sunrise.

Lightning shook her head, and Screech just tilted his to the side like a confused dog.

“How difficult can it be?” Said Sunrise. “They just need water and coal to work right? Lightning, fly up and make sure the water tank is full. If it isn't, fill it from that tower. Keep a lookout while you're up there.”

Lightning nodded and took off.

“Alright. Screech come with me. We need to load coal into that engine before we can even try to start it.” Said Sunrise.

Screech nodded, and the two of them boarded the train.

“How's it looking up there Lightning?” Asked Sunrise.

“Tank's about half full.” She replied, peering into a hatch on top of the engine, before she got to work maneuvering a water pipe into position. She pulled a rope, opening the valve and allowing water to flow from the tower. Soon the sound of water pouring into the metal tank could be heard.

Sunrise opened the door to the furnace, finding it empty. Looking back, he noticed the fuel car was filled up about half way with coal, and there was a flat shovel secured to the side of the cabin. He levitated the shovel over to Screech, who looked at it for a moment before grabbing it with a tentacle.

With Screech loading the furnace with coal, Sunrise tried to make sense of the controls. There were several levers and gauges. “Okay, that looks like a brake....that must be the throttle......that looks like a pressure release.”

Once the tank was full of water, and the furnace with coal, Lightning hovered above the train keeping lookout as Sunrise worked. He ignited his horn, setting the coal ablaze, and closing the furnace door. Once the gauge showed that pressure was building, he called up to Lightning.

“Looks like we're good to go, get on!” He yelled.

“That's good, because it looks like we might have company soon!” She yelled back, noticing several ponies in the distance running toward the station. These ones were different than the group that had ambushed them. Several of them were wearing midnight black armor, and there were several unicorns among them.

White smoke was billowing out of the stack on top of the engine as Sunrise released the  brake and pressed forward on the throttle. Lightning fluttered down to land beside him, and Screech watched with interest as the train hissed, before creeping forward. Picking up speed, they soon pulled away from the station. Behind them, the door to the platform burst open, and a group of armored ponies rushed out. Several unicorns threw spells at the fleeing train, breaking windows, and blasting holes in the caboose. A few blasts flew past the engine, one ricocheting of its metal side with a flash.  A metal railing went flying off, hitting the tracks with a flash of sparks. It would be of no use though, as they quickly faded into the distance.

The two ponies watched with amusement as Screech shoveled coal into the furnace, the shovel held in one of his tentacles. At some point he had found a conductor's hat, and had placed it on his head as he worked.

Feeling the clattering and gentle rocking of the train as it sped down the track, Lightning Strike let out a sigh of relief. Giving Sunrise a quick kiss, she said “Next stop Canterlot.”