Author's Note

So yah, second chapter. . . Same as before, leave any thoughts you might have. . . how is your day going?

Facet 8

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The train roared down the tracks, slamming Twilight quite suddenly with a rush of deja vu. Outside of the candlelit coach she road in, the flames cast upon the planes below, dancing and swirling through the night. They formed shapes all too familiar, but at the same time, distant and unmoving, as though she was glancing through a window much as Plato had once said, and could only see the shadows of the people. The train whistled its lonesome cry, echoing back from the cliffs that soared not too far away from town.

The whistle jolted Twilight from her thoughts as she returned from the window perch and headed towards the door. Situated at the forward end of the command coach lent to her, she was barely there when Applejack came through the door first, before Twilight could see herself out.

“Before you even ask, yes, we’ve made it.” Twilight smiled at her soon-to-be old tutor, savoring her heavy accent, all too aware she’d be leaving her soon.

Looking out the window once more, the planes had vanished from view, and all Twilight could see was a mildly rundown boomtown on the edge of the San Palomino desert. Which she had expected. Twilight always made sure to know of where she was going, even if it was but a stop on a longer journey of hers.

The boomtown of Mercy was situated at an oasis in the vast desert, and also served as one for the weary travelers who stopped in from time to time. In fact, so many were people passing through, going to and fro across the great desert, that any census had failed to account for the actual number of permanent residents. Even those were subject to flights of fancy, young men and woman taking off for work and a married life, or older folks being sent for by some dignitary or their family so that they may be taken care of. Anyway, Twilight can’t fill you in on everything she knows, now can she?

Shaking her head in confusion, Twilight turned back to her mentor as Applejack finally spoke.

“Y’all right, sugarcube? Lookin’ a bit lost in that head of yours.”

“Yah, I’m fine. So what are we doing here again?”

“We are here on behalf of the Princess to get you properly trained for combat. Add to that, the one training does need some discipline.”

“Oh really, and how do you know her?”

“We go way back, back to our hometown of Ponyville where I rescued her from a pack of Diamond Dogs. We used to constantly compete, but she’s. . . she’s. . . ”

“She’s what, Applejack ?”

“She’s darn tootin’ lazy, that’s what!” Applejack shouted in a sudden fit of anger. “Sure she may be confident in her abilities as an amazing pilot, but she lacks humility! And she ain’t done a single day of hard work in her entire life!”

“Really, then what does she do for work?” Twilight asked with a gentle smile, tring to ease her mentor. Applejack noticed the tone and calmed herself down before putting her Stetson back on her head.

“She’s a weather expert. At least last I heard.”

Having come to edge of the train station and the start of the town boardwalk, the pair looked around for someone who appeared to be waiting for them. Stepping down and glancing up and down the street, Applejack’s eyes were the first to pick out the Cardinal Red Mustang. Sure, it was a tad beaten up, but they were nice and fast when you needed some speed. Which is why Applejack and Rainbow Dash had longed share a fondness for them.

“Listen m’am, this one’s not for sale, so you better lay off!” Called out a figure in a sharp but feminine voice from across the main strip when she noticed Applejack looking jealousy at her car.

“Oh, plenty sorry, it’s just that I’m very fond of Mustangs.” Applejack shouted her reply back, looking like she wanted to hide under her hat out of embarrassment. “I’m also lookin’ for a friend of mine to pick us up, know anyone like that?” She continued, peeking out from under her hat.

“So I was sent to pick you up. Figures. So which one is Dash’s new pupil?” the figure inquired, emerging from the darkness of a nearby building .

Twilight finally piped up. “I am! Miss. . . ?”

“Name’s Spitfire,” she said as she finally came into view. She was of medium height and build, but had definite signs of being athletic. Her blond hair had mild a mild red at the tips and was cut in a spiked variation of military standard, and she wore a black military blazer alongside a pair of track pants. The look on her face was not the most approving. Anyone could tell that Twilight wasn’t anywhere near the standard strength of soldiers or athletes, and it barely helped that she had managed to beef up a bit since her youth.

“Well, hop in, we don’t have all day. It’s late enough as it is without me having an early shift in the morning.”

They clambered into the banged up four seater as the captain climbed into the driver’s seat while Applejack took shotgun and Twilight crammed herself into the back. Spitfire revved the engine before stomping on the gas and the old Mustang tore out of the train station with a squeal of rubber.

As she started the car, Spitfire spoke again. “Listen now, This is my base you’ll be stayin’ at, I don’t want any funny business or hijacks on the premises, you hear?

“We gotcha,” Applejack said before being interrupted by Twi.

“Wait a minute, you’re the Spitfire? Captain of the famous Wonderbolts, best fliers and test pilots in all of Equestria??!!”

“The very same.” Spitfire replied before going quiet in a way that told the rest to be quiet as well.

“Um. . . ”, “What. . . ”, “Wait. . . ”, “Well. . . ” Twi stammered.

Eventually though, silence fell over the car until at last they came to an area filled with rocky pillars where canyons arose from the dusty planes. What had once been distant monoliths from the train station had come close enough to rise vertically right in front of them. Deftly, and with much experience, Spitfire drovie into and through one of the many canyons before them, ‘til they came to a stop at a ‘T’-Intersection with a cliff rising right in front of them. High in the cliff, a light shown through a cleft which stood out prominently, and Twilight could almost swear that she saw some movement up there.

Doors opened and slammed shut as Applejack and Twilight followed Spitfire out of the car, their bags in hand. Well, in Twilight’s case it was actually a crate, which he held with both hands, though only managed to through using her magic. As I’ve said before, she was nowhere near strong enough to carry it alone.

Spitfire walked up confidently to the solid rock face, smiling a smile that the others couldn’t see. Oh, were they in for a surprise! Always good for catching the rookies off their guards. Knocking once, twice, then three times, she stepped back from the door. A great rumbling arose from within the mountain as the cliff began to shake, before, with a great hiss, the cliff popped forward, splitting in two down the middle, and then moved on unseen tracks to either side vast opening in the cliffside.

Twilight’s and Applejack’s mouthes both dropped open in amazement Twilight before Applejack gathered herself back together enough to close her mouth and shut Twilight’s as well. Spitfire smirked at both of ehm before simply stepping to the car and getting back in.

Leaning out the window, she called out, “Follow the car, don’t get lost, and most of all, don’t touch anything.” Bringin’ her head back into the car, she turned the car back on, and began to slowly pull into the cavernous warehouse that had been revealed.

Applejack and Twilight looked at each other in puzzlement across the top of the car as it passed between them. The expression on Applejack’s face was an almost identical copy of Twilight’s own perplexity. Ad the Mustang pulled forward and they followed behind, the doors slowly began to rumble shut behind them.

Sealing with another hiss, the machinery that had made the underground warehouse almost deafening to be in quieted to a near indistinct sound. The mustang drove silently onward into the warehouse, where there were long iles to the right filled with crates and to left was a bare rock wall with several doors embedded in. High above it all on the left was a long glassed in area, probably a security room of saw time was Applejack’s geuss. Twilight was bust examining the crates, her mind sifting through what details it could pick out to try and determine what might be in them.

Lost in thought and having stopped long since, they were startled by the sound of an approaching pair of boots. Looking up, they watched as Spitfire approached them.

“Well, glad you both stayed put.” She said, looking pleasantly surprised. “C’mon. Time to meet your new trainer.”

Twilight practically squeeled in excitement as they passed through one door out of many that decorated the left hand side of the cavern. Up and up they went, 2 flights of stairs in all.

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