Girls' Heist Out

Chapters

From Ponyville to Canterlot
And Canterlot to Cloudsdale
And From Cloudsdale Onward

From Ponyville to Canterlot

Long ago, Ponyville was a quiet place. Its citizens lived and worked as you'd expect from a sleepy, pastoral town. The occasional feud would break out, or a new face from the city would come to town, and the rumours would buzz from mouth to mouth for weeks or months before dying back down into the usually-pleasant haze of country living.

Some trace the change to Twilight Sparkle coming to town. And yes, all that business certainly turned Ponyville on its head. But even if she'd never graced the world beyond Canterlot with her presence, there were a certain few Ponyvillian natives who had a knack for trouble themselves.

And now, years after Princess Twilight had ascended to her throne back in Canterlot, and dire friendship problems and super villains alike were mostly a thing of the past, the Cutie Mark Crusaders hadn't changed much at all.

At least not two of them.

“Stop rustlin',” Apple Bloom hissed. “You're gonna give us away!”

Sweetie Belle huffed. “Well, why'd you pick a bush that's obviously too small?” She squirmed at the twigs that poked and scraped at her coat. “It's not my fault that I'm the only one of us with legs.”

Apple Bloom groaned. “Would you shut up about your legs already? I get it, you're tall. Now be quiet and sit still! Unless you'd rather we wait at the platform?”

“No, I told you, we've got to do this right.”

“In what world is sneaking onto a train without paying 'right'?”

“It's what Scootaloo deserves.”

Apple Bloom snorted. “That doesn't make a lick of sense, but fine.”

They were crouched in a thicket, across the train tracks from Ponyville station. Behind them was nothing but rolling hills and patchy forest, nopony for miles and miles.

The ground beneath their hooves began to tremble, the branches around them began to rustle. The distant chug of a steam engine stirred the silent air. The Friendship Express lurched over the hill from Las Pegasus and rolled toward the station. It stopped with a hiss, and ponies began to trickle out of the doors. There were never many disembarking at Ponyville, and the train was almost always full.

As the train slid into place between the station platform and the thicket they were hiding, Apple Bloom rose to her hooves and poked her head out. The broad side of the train was mere yards away, with not a soul in sight.

“C'mon, now's our chance!” Sweetie Belle said, already starting forward.

Apple Bloom followed a split second later, matching Sweetie Belle's longer gait with ease.

They cantered up beside the train and galloped down its length toward the last of the cars, where the VIP compartments were kept. Thanks to some very subtle questions posed to some friends in high places, the two young mares knew those cars to be empty.

Apple Bloom stopped at the coupling between the last two cars and planted her forehooves on the railing. “You're sure we'll be able to get inside?”

Sweetie Belle scoffed and began to climb. “You worry way too much. We'll get inside. Even if the doors are actually locked, there's always magic.” She swung her hind legs over the railing and crouched on the gangway between the cars. There weren't any ponies on the platform beside them, but if anypony were to trot by…

Apple Bloom clambered up beside Sweetie Belle and pressed herself against the car's locked door. They counted breaths.

“You know, we could always just wait for the next train and buy tickets. We've got plenty of bits,” Apple Bloom whispered in Sweetie's ear.

“We both agreed to this, remember? It's not about bits, it's about Scootaloo. She'd do this for either of us! We owe it to her to do the same.”

“I don't think Scoots'd want her friends to get themselves arrested the week before her wedding.”

Sweetie rolled her eyes. “When'd you turn into your sister?”

“Now then, I…” Apple Bloom hesitated. Would that be a bad thing? She felt like a few years ago, she wouldn't have hesitated at all with her response.

She was saved by the train's whistle. The wood beneath their hooves rumbled. “Hold on,” Apple Bloom said.

“Holding,” Sweetie Belle acknowledged.

The train lurched backward, and Sweetie Belle let out a short, muffled yelp. Then the train began to inch forward, the engine humming and the wheels pounding. As Ponyville station receded into the distance and the train picked up speed, they let out a shared breath. No going back now.

Even sheltered between train cars, the noise was tremendous, and the air buffeted them at a constant, numbing tempo.

“Think we can head inside now?” Sweetie Belle shouted into Apple Bloom's ear.

Apple Bloom peeked her head over the railing and out from between the cars. The rushing wind blasted her ears and nearly pulled the bow out of her mane. Ponyville was already a dot on the horizon. They would be approaching Canterlot mountain soon, and the train tunnels that spiraled up its interior.

She stepped back into the relative comfort of the gangway and nodded to Sweetie. “I reckon its now or never. I don't want to be tanglin' with a locked door in the dark.”

Sweetie Belle tossed her mane. “I happen to be pretty good at light spells.”

“Sure you are. Come on, let's get this thing open.”

The unicorn rolled her eyes, then turned and fixed them on the door into the second to last train car. It was supposed to be reserved for run of the mill VIPs—celebrities, royal guests or friends, and members of the old royal line like Blueblood.

The Cutie Mark Crusaders had occupied it themselves on a few occasions, although never alone. Without their sisters present, they blended right into the background, which suited them all well enough.

The door's outline glowed a faint green, and the weather stripping seemed to bulge and stretch. Metal clinked and jangled, the door jolted once or twice. Sweetie Belle grimaced. “This was a lot easier to do last time.”

“Let me guess,” Apple Bloom said, too quietly to be heard over the wind, “the door to the VIP car is different from the others?”

“What?” Sweetie Belle called out without turning her attention from her task.

Apple Bloom stayed quiet. She peeked out from the gangway again, this time looking toward Canterlot. The mountain loomed large, and they were already on a small incline. Five, maybe ten minutes to go before they reached the first tunnel.

Sweetie clicked her tongue, and with another loud rattle the door swung open. She stepped back and gestured inside.

Apple Bloom shook her head. “Ladies first.”

“Aw, don't be so hard on yourself,” Sweetie said, following it with a short raspberry. She stepped through the door. Apple Bloom followed.

The car was dark for a moment, then magical braziers sprung to life, casting cool green light over the luxurious interior. A sitting area dominated most of the space, with a luggage rack and a small bookcase pressed up against the far wall. Nothing at all compared to the princess car, but definitely nicer than two stowaways deserved.

Apple Bloom kicked the door closed behind her, then settled onto a plush hoofstool and rolled her shoulders. “That's the easy part out of the way.”

“Mhm. Time for the boring part.” Sweetie Belle walked across the room and laid down on a velvet loveseat. She yawned. Her eyes lingered for a moment on the bookshelf, scanning the spines. She yawned again. “I don't suppose you brought some cards?”

Apple Bloom snorted and said, “You see any saddlebags on me? Come on, Sweetie, we've gotta stay focused. They definitely check these cars a few times on long trips.”

“I already added some extra security to the other door. Lock spells are actually really easy to learn once you get started.” She kicked her rear hooves up onto the loveseat and stared up at the ceiling. “We'll have plenty of warning.”

“Oh. Good call.”

And Apple Bloom's gaze also drifted to the ceiling.

The boring part of the plan also happened to be by far the longest part of the plan, and it was broken into two stretches. The first stretch, from Ponyville to just after Canterlot, and the second, from Canterlot to Manehattan. The first would definitely be worse, since it was just the two of them.

They were both still staring at the ceiling. Not talking, not thinking about anything particular. Things were always a little off when only two of them were together. They were all best friends forever, and Apple Bloom would do anything to help Sweetie or Scootaloo, but for some reason she just couldn't talk to one of them without the other there as well.

And now Scootaloo was getting married.

“Do you think she'll move?” Apple Bloom asked suddenly.

“Hmm?”

“Scootaloo. Since she's married, I guess she… they'll probably want to move.”

Sweetie Belle scoffed. “The last time somepony tried to make Scootaloo move away, she was willing to disown her own parents so she could stay. And Flash Fire basically lives at her apartment already.” Sweetie's voice wavered a few times, but she almost sounded convincing.

Apple Bloom cleared her throat and reverted her gaze to the ceiling. “I know all that. I just meant that they might want someplace a little bigger than an apartment now. It was never a roomy place for a filly as frantic as Scoots, and Flash ain't much more subdued.”

“Oh. Maybe. I think Flash Fire mentioned something about house prices around my parents' place, so maybe she has her eye on something there.”

Apple Bloom bit her lip. “First to move out, first to get married, first to buy a house. Scoots is really hogging all the firsts.”

“Hasn't she always been like that?” Sweetie Belle asked, rhetorically. The question hung in the air, unrhetorically.

Scootaloo and Flash Fire's wedding was scheduled the following Monday, less than one week away, in the Crystal Empire. Flash Fire had pulled some strings with her modeling contacts to get a free venue and discounted hotel suites for their modest list of attendees. Surprising no one, Scootaloo was happy to go along with her fiancé's wishes. A little too happy for the rest of the Crusaders' tastes.

Hence the plan.

Scootaloo had spent the previous weekend visiting her parents in Shire Lanka, and was currently headed north on a direct train to the Crystal Empire, where she'd undoubtedly spend her every waking—and non-waking—moment with Flash until the wedding. That train, coincidentally, ran alongside the Friendship Express for a brief stretch just outside Canterlot before they parted ways, one toward the Crystal Empire and the other back toward Manehattan.

Apple Bloom's eyes wandered to Sweetie's horn. She had no reason to doubt her friend's magical prowess, but their plan hinged on some very fast and accurate magic. Even a little mistake could have lethal consequences.

But damn it, they deserved a hen night with their friend before her wedding, no matter how many death-defying stunts it took to arrange.

The train rattled, jostling both ponies and every loose object in the car. Sweetie Belle blinked and sat up straight. “I think somepony—”

The door handle on the far side of the car jiggled. There was a soft knock.

The two stowaways rushed toward the back of the car and huddled against the far wall. Sweetie's horn glowed, and the door they'd entered through glowed once again. The latch clicked, and they tumbled back out onto the gangway. The immense roar of the engine greeted them again, only now amplified and rebounding off the craggy tunnel walls.

Apple Bloom fetched up against the railing, braced herself, and gave the door a swift kick. It slammed closed with a resounding crack that shook the whole train car. She blinked a few times as her eyes adjusted to the dark.

“We can't stay here,” Sweetie shouted beside her. “Ponies probably heard that buck from five cars away.”

Apple Bloom glanced at the car behind them—the princess car. Sweetie followed her gaze and gulped. “I don't think I can—”

Heavy hoofsteps came from behind the door. She and Sweetie hadn't moved anything, had they? Maybe whoever was inside would leave when they saw the car was empty.

They didn't leave. The door rattled as somepony inside tried the handle.

“Now or never, Sweets,” Apple Bloom urged as she backed away from the door. She could feel the tunnel walls rushing past them on both sides, and how little space there was between the walls and the train. She wasn't prone to claustrophobia, but she was starting to feel an exception coming on.

Sweetie Belle let out a sound, something between a chuckle and whimper. “That's gonna be 'never' then. There's some serious magic on the princess car's door.”

The doorknob jiggled again. The sound of a key being inserted into a lock cylinder.

The two young mares looked at each other, gulped, and then scrambled to the railings on either side of the gangway. They hadn't planned this in any way, but it seemed they both had the same idea.

Apple Bloom climbed the railing and swung her hindlegs over the side, keeping her front hooves firmly hooked over the top. Her hind hooves scrabbled for a purchase. They landed on the thin lip of metal that separated the frame of the car from the pounding piston and driving wheels below. The vibrations rattled through her hooves and into her bones.

She shimmied carefully, one hoof at a time, around the side of the car. Her nose pressed against the smooth, blank wall, and she felt her own breath against her face.

Over the tremendous roar of the locomotive, she heard the door fly open. She clung tighter to the narrow railing, then glanced up. While there wasn't much clearance to the sides of the train, the tunnel's ceiling was quite a ways up.

Around the corner of the car, a soft yellow light illuminated the empty gangway. It swung back and forth across the railings, at the princess car, then it grew brighter and wider as whoever was casting it stepped out onto the landing.

Apple Bloom drew her hindlegs together and lowered her weight. This was one of the dumbest things she'd done in years, but at this point it was either give up and be caught, let go and be crushed under the friendliest train in the world, or, well…

She breathed in deep and leapt upward, pushing off the metal lip with her hindlegs. She reached out with her forelegs and prayed.

One hoof caught the top edge of the car. The other bounced up uselessly against the wall with enough force to dislodge the other's grip. Apple Bloom pitched backward, and she opened her mouth to scream.

A sudden, indistinct force slammed into her from behind and pushed her against the train, then up. Her limbs had turned to jelly, but she managed to catch the top of the car and jerkily clamber to the top.

Sweetie Belle stared back at her with wide eyes, light dissipating around her horn. “L-longer legs,” she said weakly.

Apple Bloom pressed herself against the roof and waited for her heart to catch up. Several seconds later, she raised her face and rolled her eyes. “Thanks.”

“Any time.”

The faint magical light of the pony investigating below faded, and the door closed.

Sweetie crawled closer and laid a hoof on Apple Bloom's shoulder. “You okay?”

“Fine,” she croaked. “But let's try to stay inside the train from now on.”

Sweetie nodded, then glanced down the tunnel, to the small halo of white light in the distance that was ever so slowly getting closer. “About that… we probably don't want to be out here once we leave the tunnel.”

“Absolutely not. I reckon the air resistance would knock us off the mountain in a blink. But we can probably count on them checking the VIP rooms a few times between here and Cloudsdale.”

“So no more kicking back in a luxury suite. Figures.”

“And they're probably checking tickets now.”

Sweetie frowned. “I guess we can't steal some from another passenger.”

“What? Of course not. We could get them in serious trouble!”

“I know, I know. That's what I was saying.” Sweetie slumped against the sloped train roof. “I'm sorry. You were right. We should have just done this like normal ponies.”

A shiver ran through them both.

Apple Bloom centered her weight and slid her hooves underneath her, then stood, her stance wide and strong. She wavered slightly as the wind tore at her, driving her backward. She refused to budge. She staggered toward her friend and offered her a hoof. “If they're checking tickets, we'll just need to avoid the railway ponies.”

Sweetie looked up with wide, wind-blasted eyes. She reached up, grabbed Apple Bloom's hoof, and rose. “The train's packed full,” she said, confidence restored. “And we only need to stay onboard until the next train crossing.”

Apple Bloom grinned, and Sweetie grinned back.

They lumbered to the far side of the car. Apple Bloom went first, leaping from one car to the other, then dropping down onto the gangway. She turned and stood at alert as Sweetie Belle followed her example.

The unicorn may not have been quite as athletic, but her irritating height advantage trivialized the jump, and her dangling hind legs nearly touched the plank of the gangway when she lowered herself down.

Sweetie twisted the doorknob with her magic and paused. The doorframe glowed green, and the door clicked open.

“Let's hope nopony saw that,” she said, then ducked inside.

Other than the two VIP cars and the engine, all of the Friendship Express' rolling stock was identical: wide passages down the center, padded benches along both sides, and simple storage compartments mounted high on the walls. The dividers between seats also slid up and down, so they could be transformed from simple two-pony seats to surprisingly acceptable beds for overnight trips.

For those who couldn't afford airship travel, it was the cheapest, quickest, and most comfortable way to get from town to town.

And so it wasn't surprising that when Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle stepped inside the passenger section, several dozen ponies were waiting inside to greet them. Those in the nearest few rows turned their way and stared. Apple Bloom froze.

Sweetie took the lead. She nodded politely to an old mare seated next to the door, smiled to a colt on her left, and strolled down the aisle.

Apple Bloom followed awkwardly after her. Everypony was still staring. Was she walking normally? How did ponies usually walk? She stopped and stared down at her hooves to make sure they were behaving.

A wisp of magic tugged at her shoulder, and she looked up.

Sweetie raised an eyebrow, one hoof gesturing to an empty bench. Oh.

They slid in together, Sweetie Belle on the aisle seat. Apple Bloom retreated into the corner.

“Do you think they noticed us?” Apple Bloom whispered.

“Probably, but they'll forget. Most of them were reading or playing with something when we came in, and I don't think we made enough of an impression to compete with that.”

“Good, good. And this seat? What if it belongs to somepony?”

Sweetie sighed, exasperated. “It's not assigned seating.” She squinted. “Are you okay? You don't usually get this wound up over a little rule bending.”

“You know, crowds. Ponies staring. It's a lot to take in all at once, s'all.” She took a breath. “I'm fine now.”

Sweetie looked skeptical, but she said nothing.

Light suddenly poured in through the windows as they left the tunnels. Apple Bloom caught a few narrow glimpses of central Equestria's splendor. Canterlot was only a few minutes away.

“Does this train stop for a while in the city?” Sweetie asked.

“Not really. A few minutes for everypony to disembark and all, but they keep a pretty tight schedule. And that's our chance to get back into position.”

They were in the third to last car. The Friendship Express, during non-peak seasons, operated with seven passenger cars, two VIP cars, and a staff-only car behind the locomotive. Most of the passengers would disembark at Canterlot, and few would board to replace them, which meant the odds of them being questioned by an railway employee would be a lot higher. It was in their best interest to hide away in the VIP car before the train started moving again.

“Now arriving in Canterlot. Please wait for directions from a staff member before disembarking. Thank you.”

The train slowed down. Ponies started to gather their things and shuffle in their seats. A uniformed mare sat by the door. She seemed bored.

“When the train stops, stand up and move toward the doors,” Apple Bloom said.

Sweetie nodded. “Eyes down, move with the crowd.”

They lurched when the wheels finally ground to a halt. The train operator twisted a key and swung the door open.

Sweetie Belle got to her hooves and slid into the crowd. Apple Bloom was right behind her. They ambled their way down the car, slipping between the streams of bodies whenever an opening appeared, until they reached the gangway door leading to the VIP car.

Apple Bloom opened the door and peeked outside, only to find herself mere inches away from a well-groomed white flank adorned with a compass rose. She jolted back into the passenger car and closed the door.

“What's the matter?” Sweetie asked, her voice wavering. “We don't have much—”

“Blueblood's on the train. The VIP car,” Apple Bloom said in short, clipped sentences. “New plan, come on.” She pushed Sweetie back into the crowd and toward the opposite gangway. “We need to get up to the front.”

“The front? There's no way we can get through the entire train without getting stopped.”

Apple Bloom paused, considered, then pivoted toward the doors to the station platform. “Good point. We'll go around.”

Sweetie was hot on her heels. “B-but what if the train leaves without us? This is our only chance to catch Scootaloo's train!”

“It won't leave without us. Everypony needs to disembark, and then the new passengers need to board. We've got a solid few minutes at least.” Apple Bloom nodded to the uniformed mare, then stepped off the train.

And Canterlot to Cloudsdale

Sweetie Belle's heart was racing almost as fast as when they'd been on top of the train. She hated not knowing what was going on, what the plan was. Everything seemed so clear cut when Apple Bloom laid it all out back in Ponyville. Now…

She hurried after her friend, dodging through the crowd of ponies that ambled around the platform. Apple Bloom was walking too fast, too purposefully. They were going to be caught for sure at this rate. Everything was ruined. Ruined!

They stopped between two train cars, a flow of ponies surrounding them on both sides. Apple Bloom scanned their surroundings, then turned and leapt onto the coupling between the locomotion and staff car. She waved.

Sweetie Belle swallowed down bile and followed her example, slipping through the railing and crouching by the staff car's door. “What now?”

“Open it up,” Apple Bloom commanded.

After a deft wave of magic, Sweetie Belle smiled, stood, and pushed the door open. “Unlocked and uuuuunoccupied,” she said in a jittery singsong.

They ducked inside. The staff car was small, more of a locker room than a space to lounge or congregate. Maybe that was by design.

Apple Bloom immediately turned and began rummaging through lockers and cubbies.

“What are you looking for?”

“What do you think?” Apple Bloom said. She spun around, clutching a folded vest in the crook of her foreleg. “We need to get inside that royal compartment, don't we? Two noponies from Ponyville might not be allowed in Blueblood's car, but he can't keep official, uniformed transport attendees out, can he?”

Sweetie Belle peered at the garment dubiously. “Sure you can find two that fit?”

“Who cares? None of the other train workers look sharp. So long as we can get 'em on.” The train's whistle sounded, and Apple Bloom started to work the vest's buttons open. “Come on, we don't have all day.”

The train jolted and began to roll out of the station.

Sweetie Belle sighed, turned, and scanned the room. Her eyes fell on a rumpled vest that had been tossed haphazardly on top of a locker, and she levitated it down. After giving it a careful sniff—musty, but not too gross—she slipped it on. She smoothed out the worst of the wrinkles, folded the collar, and despite the dubious fit, she immediately felt a bit of her confidence return.

“How do I look?” Apple Bloom asked from across the room. Her vest was a bit tight around the neck and shoulders, and Sweetie Belle had to fix the upper-most buttons with her magic, but all in all…

“This might work.”

“I told you. Now come on! We need to get to the back of the train in…” Apple Bloom turned and peered out the window at the landscape rolling by. “Ten minutes, I reckon. Maybe less.”

They approached the door, and Sweetie stepped forward, ready to work her very literal magic on the lock.

“Hold it.” Apple Bloom stepped to the side and snatched something off the wall. She held it between her teeth proudly. “Key,” she mumbled.

“Oh.”

Sweetie took the key, opened the door, and they began their very casual, but not too casual, march through the train.

How would railroad employees move through their workplace? Slowly but surely. They have nothing to gain from reaching the far end, but they have to keep moving, keeping an eye out for problems. Sweetie Belle set their pace, letting her eyes drift casually over the passengers as they passed.

Other employees… How well did they know each other? It was impossible to guess, really. Perhaps they spent every afternoon of every day on this exact shift with these exact ponies on this exact train. Perhaps they switched tracks and hours and roles so often that they barely knew what to call their direct managers. Sweetie Belle decided that they would suddenly become very busy when they passed other workers. It would do in a pinch, and if all went well they'd be safely tucked away in the princess car before anypony thought to ask questions.

They moved through the first car without incident.

Apple Bloom let out a long breath on the gangway between cars.

In the second car, they encountered a problem. Two steps inside the door, Sweetie Belle drew up short and hissed, “Rarity.”

“What?” Apple Bloom ducked her head and scanned the crowd. “Oh ponyfeathers. That's gonna be a problem.”

Toward the far end of the car, a unicorn mare sat on the aisle seat of a bench. She exuded dignity and composure and, unfortunately for them, boredom. Her eyes flitted around the car, the windows, the ceiling. She must have forgotten her reading material.

“You didn't mention your sister was in Canterlot when we were planning all this,” Apple Bloom whispered.

“I didn't know! And she's in Canterlot all the time. She runs like a thousand stores.”

“Four.”

“Whatever. I'm just saying, Rarity's not as easy to keep tabs on as your family probably is.”

Ponies on the benches nearest them were starting to stare at the two train employees who were huddled by themselves and whispering. As the seconds dragged by, more and more eyes drifted toward them. They needed to do something fast.

Apple Bloom gnashed her teeth. “We don't have time for this. Um, uh…” Her eyes flitted nervously in search of something, anything.

Sweetie centered herself.

The windows of the train were low and wide. Single pane, from the looks of it. Sweetie Belle tested the glass beside them to confirm her suspicions, and yes, it was flimsy, magically reinforced to reduce its cost and weight. A bit of careful spell work, though…

“Get ready,” she said, eyes narrowed on the window beside her sister.

A steady, constant eddy of magic flowed through the glass, pushing and pulling gently at particles just so to prevent cracks or chips. With every ounce of fine control she had, Sweetie punched a tiny hole, thinner than an eyelash, from the middle of the pane to the outside of the train. With some subtle guidance, the strengthening magic flowed out and dissipated into the air.

She coughed, sharply, and then gave the glass a magic shove.

It shattered outward, the crash ringing above the din of the car. Wind rushed in, buffeting ponies, filling their eyes and ears. Pages of books fluttered and loose paper whipped up into the air. Ponies nearby yelped in surprise and nervousness. Those a few seats away began to stand, turn, mutter remarks and questions to nopony in particular.

Rarity, a mare of poise and distinction, but also very much a mare of bombast and flare, leapt to her hooves and shuffled into the aisle. She stared at the empty window frame, her ears twitching as the cold mountain air rushed over them. She took a deep breath, let out a loud sigh, rolled her eyes, and sidled into an empty seat on the opposite side of the car, away from the draft.

By the time she settled into her new seat, two extremely irresponsible train employees had already rushed past and disappeared into the next car.

They only encountered two employees down the length of the train. In car number four there was a stallion in a rumpled uniform leaning heavily against the wall beside the boarding door. The brim of his hat was pulled low, but it was clear from a glance that he was fast asleep. They swept right past him.

Then they reached the final passenger car. An earth pony mare stood at the far end of the compartment, her back to the gangway door that lead to Blueblood's car. Her eyes were hard and narrow, and she was big, the kind of build one would expect to see hitched the front of a vehicle rather than onboard one.

Apple Bloom slowed to a stand-still after spotting the mare. “I don't think she'll let us past.”

Sweetie Belle pinched her lips and looked the other uniformed mare over. No hat, no shoes. Just a vest and a scowl. Sweetie rolled her shoulders, loosened her joints, and sauntered over. “Afternoon.”

The mare raised an eyebrow.

“We just got word that Princess Luna is boarding at Cloudsdale. We need to prep the car.”

That got a reaction. “Princess… Luna?” she said incredulously. “She doesn't use the trains.”

“I guess she does now, so it's up to us to make this a good first impression.” Sweetie Belle nodded back at Apple Bloom, who was still lurking several paces back, then made a move to step around the mare.

She lifted a hoof, blocking Sweetie's way. She ran her eyes over their uniforms and sniffed. “And just how are you gonna 'prep' her car? I don't see any cleaning supplies or refreshments on ya.”

A hoof tapped Sweetie's shoulder. “Maybe we should go get some,” Apple Bloom whispered in her ear.

Time for a gamble. Sweetie shrugged her off and gave the actual rail worker before her a withering look. “The supplies are in the car, genius. We wouldn't keep high quality surface cleaner or aged spirits anywhere else on the train.”

They matched glares for a moment. The other mare's jaw tightened, and for a moment Sweetie half-expected her to throw them both off the train single-hoofed.

But then the mare schooled her face and mumbled a quick, “Right, right, go 'head,” and stepped aside.

They opened the door and moved onto the gangway. Once the door was safely closed behind them, Apple Bloom cursed loudly into the wind. “That was stupid. I don't know how you keep getting away with dumb, half-baked lies like that.”

Sweetie shrugged. “Oh, you know. Raw, natural talent. Imagine if I ever had a reason to practice at it.”

“Uh huh. Cause you're so honest.” Apple Bloom peered away from the train and off into the country side. She squinted. “I think I can see Scootaloo's train's fumes over that there hill. We've got like two minutes before our two rides pull up next to each other.”

“Let's not waste any more time, then.” She removed the key from her pocket, unlocked the VIP car's door, and swung it open.

It seemed a lot less cozy than it had twenty minutes ago.

Blueblood rested on a large chaise in the center of the compartment, a large glass of wine on the end table to his right and a half empty plate of food on a second table to his left. He jerked upright as they entered. “What's the meaning of this?” he said blearily. His eyes took a moment to focus. “Shoe Shine, get rid of them.”

“Shoe Shine?” Apple Bloom muttered.

Their eyes wandered to the corner of the room, where an ancient, suited stallion sat quietly in the corner. He took a breath, as if he was filling his lungs for the first time in minutes. “The prince has requested—” he began in a rusty voice.

Sweetie blew past them, striding toward the next door. “Sorry, your majesty, but Princess Luna is boarding soon. We'll be out of your mane momentarily.”

Blueblood gasped slightly and raised a hoof to his mane, gingerly nudging at his locks as if afraid they'd crumble at his touch.

Shoe Shine trembled and began to move. Apple Bloom winced in sympathy.

Sweetie opened the door and led them out onto yet another gangway. A reassuringly familiar one, she might even say, except that they all pretty much looked the same and at this point she was getting pretty sick of them. She was getting sick of trains in general, actually, and they'd only been on this one for half an hour or so.

She pushed the door behind them closed and turned the key. As she stepped backward, Apple Bloom said, “Hold on, gimme the key.”

Sweetie glanced out at the adjacent track. It was bending closer and closer to them, and now she could plainly see the other train. “Hurry,” she said.

Apple Bloom took the key in her mouth, reinserted it into the lock of Blueblood's car, and turned it sharply. Sweetie could see the muscles in her friend's neck straining. The lock whined, creaked, and then suddenly gave with a tremendous crunch sound.

She pulled the key back out and held it up for Sweetie to reclaim with her magic. “There,” she said. “That should give us plenty of privacy.”

Then they rushed to the princess car, unlocked and opened the door, and darted inside.

Sweetie Belle didn't bother locking it behind her. She tossed the key over her shoulder and shouted, “Whatever happens, keep that door closed!” Then she darted up to the window and slid it open. None of the other train windows would do that, but safety regulations meant little when stacked up against the whims of the princesses.

A tempest roared into the room. Sweetie blinked tears from her eyes and stuck her head outside. She couldn't breathe, but their timing was so tight that she probably wouldn't need to. She forced her eyes to focus.

There, not twenty feet away, was the other train. It was bigger, less friendly than the Friendship Express, as one could guess from the name. A dozen uniform metal cars slowly crept past her.

Sweetie focused on her magic. She knew the exact shape of Scootaloo's presence, the exact pigment of her coat and the precise frequency of her voice. If anyone could do this, it was the two of them.

Finally, in the third to last car, tucked away in a corner seat on the far side of the other train—damn, she hasn't considered that—was the missing leg of the Cutie Mark Crusaders. Sweetie couldn't see her, but she could visualize it plain as day. The pegasus had her nose buried in a magazine or pamphlet of some sort, probably more wedding planning.

Even under ideal circumstances, teleporting other ponies was a difficult feat. Many unicorns could do it, but the strain was so great, and the complications likewise, that few ever tried. Teleporting them any distance was even harder. Teleporting a living creature that the caster couldn't even see, now that was plain foolhardy.

Sweetie gathered magic in her horn and focused every neuron at her disposal. She was about to do all of that while traveling sixty miles per hour on a train she wasn't supposed to be on. Her eyes narrowed, her eyes closed.

Zap!

And From Cloudsdale Onward

For a moment, Scootaloo was sure that she had just died.

In her defence, while rail travel is considerably safer than most other modes of transport, it was mathematically more likely for her train to spontaneously combust and snuff out every single passenger than for her to be teleport-kidnapped off a moving train just minutes outside of Equestria's capital.

The bench beneath her disappeared, leaving her suspended in mid air for a split second. The image of the seat in front of her, functional blue upholstery marred by pockmarks where rude ponies had stuck their chewing gum, was replaced with a view of a decadent, richly decorated suite, complete with paintings, ornate wood mouldings, furniture fit for a castle, and two strangely familiar railway employees.

Scootaloo barely managed to snap her legs out and land on her hooves. She stumbled, one of her knees buckling, and she staggered over to the nearest wall. Her head was spinning, her stomach churning every so slightly, and while all her instincts screamed that she was in danger, that she should be tense and alert, she instead squeezed her eyes closed and waited for things to go back to normal.

“Scootaloo?” asked a sweet, pitch-perfect voice.

She swallowed down a bit of bile and dared to open one eye a sliver and look up. “Sweetie?” And then, “Apple Bloom? What in Equestria—”

Then she was engulfed by two hugs from two different directions. Her limbs gave out, and they tumbled together in a pile of fluff and nerves.

“We actually did it!” Sweetie squeaked. “I was sure that when we got stuck outside—”

“—wouldn't believe the stunts we pulled to getcha!” Apple Bloom said over top of her.

“And now we can go—”

“—ride it 'till Manehattan—”

“—Manehattan for the what is certain to be—”

“—best night ever, I reckon!”

Scootaloo managed to untangle herself and escape her friends. She took a few steps back. “Jeez, one at a time guys.” She looked around, getting her first good look at the room. “Whoa, where… I'm still on a train? And this is…” The personal touches on the walls gave it away. The top half of a ponyquin tucked into a corner, with an oversized horn and a long, graceful neck. A ceiling covered in little twinkling, painted stars. A plaque mounted over the buffet that depicted the moon and the sun at their nadirs.

“Is this the Princesses' car? Are we on the Friendship Express?” She hurried over to the window and peered outside. She had to crane her neck and squint, but yes, there in the distance, receding further and further, was her train headed to the Crystal Empire.

She rounded on her friends, who were only now climbing to their hooves. “What the feather is going on? Is something wrong? Cutie mark business? End of the world? What?”

The other two shared a sidelong look.

Wait. “Manehatten? Best night ever?” Her face fell and anger walked its way up her veins. “Is this about your dumb bachelorette party? I told you, I'm busy! We'll have plenty of time to hang out after I get married.”

“Oh come on!” Sweetie shouted. Her eyes were still a bit starry from the taxing spell she'd just cast, but she still managed to look indignant. “We went to all the trouble of sneaking onto a train—”

“Sweetie,” Apple Bloom warned, biting her lip and glancing back and forth between her two friends.

“—stealing uniforms and nearly filleting my sister—”

“It was safety glass,” Apple Bloom corrected

“—all so we could have one night to hang out and stuff before the wedding! It's not a hen night if you're already married.”

Scootaloo raised a hoof to her face and rubbed her eyes. “First of all, please don't call it that.”

“Oh, sorry,” said Sweetie.

“And second, why does everyone keep acting like everything changes after we get married? We're already living together, we're already in love, we already spend most of our spare time together. This is just making it official.”

Apple Bloom was already rolling her eyes at the words coming out of her own mouth. “It's just a tradition, Scoots. We know you and Flash Fire are strong and steady, but this is supposed to be a big thing, and we'll all be sorry later if we skip it, I know it.”

Scootaloo opened her mouth, only to be interrupted by a loud bang from outside the car. Muffled voices shouted, more bangs rang out, and both Sweetie and Apple Bloom spun on their heels to stare at the door. Scootaloo really took in their clothing for the first time, the tense, nervous jitter to their limbs, their casual references to their actions onboard the train…

“What did you do?”

Sweetie cleared her throat. She didn't turn around. “We maaaay have taken an unorthodox route to get here.”

“You two didn't pay.”

“If you really think about it, didn't we pay with our time and effort slipping past all the ticket inspections?” Sweetie said sweetly.

There was another loud bang outside. Metal crunched.

“That must be our big burly friend,” Apple Bloom said. “Takes a special metal to stand up to an earth pony like that, and I guess these hinges ain't it.”

They backed away from the doors, toward the very rear of the train. Scootaloo watched her friends' faces.

Apple Bloom was surprisingly calm—pensive even. Cooking up the next move, the next strategy, no doubt weighing Scootaloo's willingness to cooperate. This being the last car, there was no other exit, and luxurious as it was, there wasn't really anywhere to hide three full grown ponies. Options were very limited.

Sweetie Belle's lips were moving silently, sorting through excuses and demeanors and lies at the speed of thought. Even she would have a tough time talking her way out of this one. Whatever she had claimed to get this far, the ruse would fall to pieces when they saw a third stowaway to match the other two.

Scootaloo glanced around the room, sighed, and resolved that next time she'd let these two learn their lesson. But this time… well, Scootaloo had never been the responsible one.

“Seems like time's up,” she announced. She trotted over to the side of the room, hooked her forehooves around the legs of a heavy, fancy wooden table against the wall, and tugged. “Help me drag this over to the window.”

They seemed unsure for a moment, exchanging dubious looks. Apple Bloom finally walked over, slid her shoulder under the table, and hauled it clear across the room in a few solid shoves. It smacked against the mahogany paneling with a dull crack.

Scootaloo squinted at the window, the height and width of the table. “Perfect. Now rip the legs off of that side,” she said, pointing to the legs closest to the window.

“What?” Sweetie said, appalled. “Do you have any idea how much this table must cost? Cause I sure don't, but if it's in this car then you can bet it's worth more than our sorry flanks.”

“It sounds like you've already broken a window and a door. What's a quarter of a table more?”

The sound of the car's door jostling as somepony tried the handle curtailed any further discussion. Sweetie Belle squared off against the door, horn glowing. “Make it quick, I can't hold it closed against that mare for long.”

Apple Bloom nodded. With Scootaloo holding the table steady, she quickly snapped the legs off with two carefully aimed bucks, and Scootaloo slid the end of the table through the window and halfway outside. Apple Bloom's eyes widened when she realized what Scootaloo was planning. “You can't be serious.”

Scootaloo grinned. “I'm always serious when it comes to stunts. You know that. Now, grab something heavy to weigh down this end.”

Together they managed to drag a large grandfather clock away from its place in the corner and tilt it over until most of its weight pressed down on the edge of the table. The course was complete. Now, time for a trial by fire. She hopped up onto the table and leaned against the grandfather clock. “Get up here, Sweetie. We need all the extra weight we can get.” She turned to Apple Bloom. “No offense.”

“Didn't take none till you pointed it out,” the earth pony said gruffly.

Sweetie Belle backed up against the table and careful mantled on top, shoulder to shoulder with Scootaloo.

Apple Bloom took a long look at their setup, then sighed and hopped up as well. She crawled toward the window frame. The surface of the table stuck out from the side of the train like a diving board. A narrow, violently quivering diving board over a blur of rock and dirt instead of water. She looked back at her friends and shouted, “Scootaloo! If this goes wrong… happy wedding and all! Sorry we messed it up!”

And she tiptoed out the window and out of sight.

The table shuddered under their hooves. The grandfather clock groaned and clanked against the floor. Sweetie Belle vibrated. “I can't keep the door much longer,” she shouted.

“Just hold on until Apple Bloom's up!”

“Up?”

“Well yeah, where else do you think we're going? Even I'd break my legs if I tried to jump off at this speed.”

Sweetie Belle's eyes darted from the door to the window. “We'll get blown right off the top!”

“Don't worry about that,” Scootaloo said with all the confidence of a pony who had climbed on top of her fair share of fast-moving objects. “You've got a pegasus with you now. I may not have the best wings, but I can keep us safe from the wind.” Hopefully.

The table flexed violently, and its back feet lurched an inch off the ground before slamming back down. Suddenly the weight was gone. “Your turn,” Scootaloo said.

“The door.”

“Don't worry about it, just go!”

Sweetie complied. She slipped awkwardly through the window, her long, graceful unicorn legs suddenly less of a gift than usual, and disappeared.

Scootaloo braced herself. She turned to look at the door just in time to see it crash open and reveal a large earth pony mare in a fancy red vest just like her friends. The mare stood in the threshold, her eyes bugged and jaw agape as she took in the disaster that was the royal car. After a long second, the initial shock seemed to pass, and she started to charge forward.

“Wait! Stop!” Scootaloo pleaded, letting just a trickle of fear into her voice. The earth pony skidded to a stop, ears pricked and eyes darting.

Scootaloo felt the table sink slightly beneath her end. Just in time.

“Sucker!” she shouted, and dove for the window. The table rattled and rocked beneath her, and immediately the wind tried to rip her from her perch. She rolled her shoulders and shifted her weight and kept moving, hoof after hoof. The table bounced and twisted like a cheap ruler.

Scootaloo reached the end, pivoted, and leapt skyward. She cleared the top of the train with all four hooves and landed neatly in a crouch beside two very windtorn and equally flightless ponies. They both clung to the car's roof with all their might.

Her jump must have been enough to dislodge the clock entirely. The table pitched down, its tip touched the ground, and in seconds it was ripped out the window altogether and flung off into the distance behind them, bouncing and flipping and splintering away.

She leaned down close to her friends' ears and shouted, “Follow behind me! Keep your body low and your face turned down.” She turned and set herself, then spread her wings and turned her body to best cut through the wind and create a safe wake behind her.

Their pace was slow and cautious. After several long seconds peering over the edge to check for spectators, Scootaloo leapt from the princess car to the roof of Blueblood's. She turned around, ready to help either of her friends if they failed the jump, but all of sudden they didn't seem to be having all that much trouble keeping up. Apple Bloom launched herself across, and Sweetie's jump was graceful and neat.

They continued halfway down the train until finally Scootaloo pulled up short in the shelter of the train's large “Ponyville Express” sign. The other two fell into place beside her.

“So what's the plan now, geniuses?” she asked.

Apple Bloom coughed. “Ahem, uh, well… Manehattan, I guess?”

Sweetie Belle nodded encouragingly.

Scootaloo crossed her forelegs and huffed. “I'm not spending all day on top of this dumb train, and I'm not going all the way to Manehattan for a party I didn't want in the first place.” Then she glanced over the three of them and groaned. “None of us have any bits, do we?” She fixed Sweetie with a glare. “Would it have killed you to teleport my saddlebags over with me?”

“Hey, teleporting a naked pony is hard enough. If you knew how close I was to dropping you under the train, you wouldn't be complaining.”

Her frown deepened. “I don't know, Sweetie, I think I actually would be complaining. I don't think 'my friend doesn't want to go to a party' justifies almost killing her.”

“Oh come on, you're fine.”

Apple Bloom nudged them. “Come on, y'all, give it a rest.”

The wind whipped past them. Hills rolled by.

“You're right though. We don't have any bits,” Apple Bloom answered. “We didn't really plan anything past getting to Manehattan.”

“I figured we'd crash at my sister's store and borrow some bits for the trip home. Coco's cool like that,” said Sweetie.

Scootaloo sighed. “Okay, what's the next stop.”

“Uh… I don't know if there really is one?”

Apple Bloom stuck her tongue out and stared up at the sky, deep in thought. “There aren't any major towns between Canterlot and Manehattan on this track except Cloudsdale, and we passed that a while ago. But there is another stop. Hollow Shades.”

Scootaloo let her head fall back against the sign. She groaned. “And let me guess, we'd be at the train station in the middle of nowhere for hours waiting for the return trip to Canterlot?”

“Probably,” said Sweetie.

Apple Bloom sighed. “Faster than going all the way to Manehattan and back, though. Still doesn't solve our money problem.”

The sun was starting to set. Scootaloo had expected to arrive in the Crystal Empire by dusk. Sweetie and Bloom had probably planned for the three of them to slide into Manehattan at around dinner time. But now it was mid-afternoon and they were stuck right in the middle.

Sweetie Belle suddenly perked up. “Hold on, maybe I can fix this. Let me focus for a second.” She closed her eyes. Her horn glowed. All was silent for a moment or two. The unicorn's ears twitched. The train rocked and jolted. “No bits,” she muttered.

Scootaloo looked over at Apple Bloom, who shrugged.

Finally, Sweetie stiffened and clenched her eyelids closed. Her horn flashed, and two paper-wrapped packages appeared in the air beside her. She cracked her eyes open and grinned. “Four-bean burritos!” she proclaimed. “They were just sitting in a locker a couple cars ahead!”

Apple Bloom looked put out for a moment, but then relaxed her shoulders and reached out for one of the burritos. “I guess stealing somepony's lunch isn't the worst thing we've done today.”

The train rolled through the country. The sun was bright and warm in the sky above, and the wind that whipped at them from around their shelter was more refreshing than anything. They sat and ate and rested, gathered themselves after the intensity of the day.

Scootaloo's gaze wandered northward, to the dim silhouette of snowy mountains just barely poking over the horizon. Flash Fire would understand, of course. She always understood. But she was already doing so much of the wedding work, and here Scootaloo was, lazing on top of a train headed in nearly the opposite direction of her fiancé, eating stolen junk food and watching the afternoon slip away.

She'd make it up to her. A little warm buzz swirled through Scootaloo's body at the thought, and she felt a bit of the tension between her eyes loosen. She had years and years to look forward to, a million little moments with her future wife, and it would be blissful.

She dropped her gaze from the distant horizon down to the grasslands flying past them, then down further, to the warm metal under her flank, and the two ponies sharing the ride with her. Sweetie Belle was happily tucking into her half of one burrito. Apple Bloom had already finished two thirds of the other. Scootaloo slid closer, grabbed Apple Bloom's leftovers, and took a bite. It was filling and flavourful, although clearly of a fairly low quality.

Sweetie Belle broke nearly twenty minutes of silence. “Are you still mad at us?” Not accusing or defensive, but open and a bit apologetic.

Scootaloo leaned her back against the sign and looked up at the sky. “Not really. I still wish you hadn't done it, but… Listen. You two know me better than anyone. Even Flashy doesn't know me like you do, yet. On any other day, I would have loved to stow away on a train with you, or disappear for a weekend to party in Manehattan. But this wedding is really important to me, and I guess that's a new thing about me that you girls didn't know about. And that's okay.”

“We should probably have assumed though,” Sweetie said.

“Maybe.”

Apple Bloom shifted closer and rubbed her shoulder against Scootaloo's. “I don't even want to get married, but I get you. Sometimes two things are both important, but one of them is more important right now.”

“That's a good way to say it,” Scootaloo said.

Sweetie moved closer on her other side and said, “And it's Flash Fire we're talking about. Nopony in Equestria would blame you for prioritizing her.”

Scootaloo rolled her eyes. “Oh Celestia, here we go.” But a grin was already growing on her face.

“I've said it before and I'll say it again,” said Sweetie. “I don't even like mares that way, but Flash is something else.”

Apple Bloom also rolled her eyes, but she finished her part. “I don't like anypony that way, but yeah, Flash Fire lives up to her name.”

“You both suck,” Scootaloo said, her tongue extended. “Leave my fiancé alone.”

“Can't,” said Apple Bloom. “Sorry, but she's marrying our best friend. She's stuck with us, for better or worse.”

“Definitely worse,” Sweetie said with a sharp nod.

Scootaloo finished her burrito. The sun was near the horizon. The hills gave way to scraggly woods, the woods bristled into a forest, and the forest stretched up above to nearly blot out the setting sun on the horizon. The train slowed, the wind started to die, and the warm sunbeams that had heated the top of the train were smothered.

Scootaloo stood up. “I think that's Hollow Shades,” she said, pointing to a line of blocky shapes in the distance.

Apple Bloom nodded affirmative. “They'll be checking for us, so we'll need to get off quick and hide.”

“Do you think they recognized us?” Sweetie asked.

“Not enough to get us in real trouble,” Apple Bloom replied. “We might get a few stares the next time we take the train, but I reckon that's all.” She cleared her throat. “Assuming we don't get caught when we get off. Then we might have some serious explaining to do.”

The train slowed and slowed as it pulled into Hollow Shades.

The town had grown a bit more hospitable since the return of the Pillars and Princess Twilight's second coronation. It still wasn't pretty. Gloomy forest hung over the perimeter, raining needles down on the buildings and threatening serious damage whenever strong storms rolled through. The streets were paved with rough gravel, the horizon perpetually obscured, and the sky always a bit darker than it should be.

But at least the roads were intact, and the train station was clean, and there was a general store and a doctor's office to serve most of the residents' needs.

Scootaloo eyed the nearest line of houses opposite the train station as they rolled in over the last hill. They would have less than a minute to cover a hundred yards or so. She felt her pulse speed up in anticipation.

The train's brakes squealed, and the car beneath them lurched as the train slowed down to approach the town. A deserted platform slid up beside them. The train hissed and clamoured until finally it fell silent.

In near perfect synchronicity, three ponies approached the edge of the train and leapt. Their hooves punched deep into soft, damp grass. The setting sun cast long, fantastic shadows across the field, the orange sun flickering at the corners of their eyes as they passed trees and rocks and buildings and hills.

Scootaloo had pulled into the lead, so she slowed down just a bit and looked over her shoulder. A skinny pony in a red vest stood atop the train and stared back. Scootaloo hopped into the air and spun in a complete circle, giving him a friendly wave as she whipped around.

They broke the treeline in unison and stumbled another few yards into the thicket, twitchy hooves bouncing against branches and stumps. Apple Bloom yelped as the ground gave way beneath her and she tumbled down a short incline. Sweetie Belle grunted as every stray twig she passed bumped and nicked her legs.

Scootaloo dug her heels in and slid to a stop, a massive smile on her face. Her chest heaved, her breath was hot and lively, her tail and mane were tousled. She could feel tiny bruises and cuts all over her body from their mad dash through the trees.

The other two stumbled into her, and together they fetched up against a fallen log and fell into a pile. Scootaloo found herself pressed flat against the forest floor. She inhaled long and slow. Hollow Shades smelled different from the forests around Ponyville, but they still had an unmistakably earthy note that brought back years of memories.

She rolled away from her friends and clambered to her hooves, only to wince as bits of her coat clumped and matted together. She looked down at herself and burst out laughing.

“What's so funny?” Apple Bloom asked. She was laying on her back, glaring upside down at Scootaloo.

The pegasus ran a hoof through a sticky patch of fur on her own chest. “Tree sap.”

The other two stared at each other for a moment. “Oh Celestia,” said Sweetie Belle. “I really thought that was a thing of the past.”

Apple Bloom stood up and sat against the log. “I live on a farm, y'all. I'm covered in tree sap every weekend.” She spoke in a deadpan, but her grin was as wide as the others.

In the distance, a train whistle sounded, and the faint rumble of the engine followed soon after.

The sudden scale of the world—how far they were from anything, how wild and mysterious every inch of the land was, snatched the breath from Scootaloo's lungs. She hadn't felt anything like it in years.

Her train, her wedding, all of it seemed a bit less dire. She'd get to the Crystal Empire tomorrow, or the day after. Flash Fire wouldn't be mad. In fact, her fiancé would probably laugh herself silly. Their wedding would be beautiful and memorable, but it wouldn't be everything. Her life would change, but life wouldn't.

Scootaloo reached out and wrapped her friends in a warm, sticky hug.

“I really missed you girls.”

Author's Note

The biggest possible thanks to Chaotic Dreams for his constant, enthusiastic support, and to the Enchanted Library patreon server for organizing the event and keeping it fun!