Chaotic Harmony

The rebel base was a group of flimsy shelters disguised as sand dunes and connected by hidden underground tunnels. Including the six who had acted as ambushers, there were a total of about fourteen ponies in the rebel group. Eclipse concluded that one of these fourteen must be Silverstar.

Cactus Star hugged her father’s leg, but Sagebrush was no less nervous than she was. Eclipse kept his honesty on a constant burn, his trust of these rebels still low. Dust Demon and Braeburn flanked Sagebrush, Eclipse standing just in front.

The door swung shut behind the newcomers, and with it’s closing came a brown earth pony with a black moustache trotting into view from the tunnels that made up the majority of the base.

Eclipse grimaced as Silverstar approached. “Did you have to pick a place that feels like an old crypt?” He asked, drawing a chuckle from Silverstar.

“And you’d be the assistance my boys got on their raid, I assume?” Silverstar asked, not bothering to answer the question.

Braeburn stepped forward. “That’d be us. It’s good to se you again sheriff. I thought you’d been caught.”

“Likewise, Braeburn.” The sheriff said, nodding. “But no, they ain’t got me yet. Luckily a few of my marshals kept it that way. We came out here, been fighting ever since.” Silverstar glanced past Eclipse and Braeburn, a grin crossing his face. “Is that who I think it is?”

Dust Demon smiled, shaking hooves with the sheriff. “Depends on how far you’ve slipped, old stallion.”

“Heh.” the sheriff grunted. “Finest flyer we had in town. Still need to work on your people skills, though.” He turned to Eclipse. “You’re the only one here I don’t know. Care to explain?”

Eclipse nodded. “I was sent to Appleloosa under orders from Princess Celestia. And I need your help to take out the gang.”

“Ah, if only I could give you that help.” The sheriff sighed. “My men and I are running out of steam. Have you tried looking for the buffalo tribe? Or has the gang sent them all to the mine?”

“Yeah, and we found them.” Eclipse said as the sheriff led the group into the tunnels of the base. “Their numbers are too few for them to offer any help, either. They directed us here, implying that we might find help with the prisoners and a group of freelance rebels.”

“That sounds like advice they’d give.” Silverstar nodded. “The prisoners may be able to help ya. If you can take out the mine.”

“You’ve mentioned a mine twice now.” Eclipse noted. “What are they mining?”

“If only I knew.” Silverstar led the way into a larger area than the entrance, where the rest of the rebels were resting. “I just know that if you follow the rails, there’s a mine with an entire tribe’s worth of buffalo stuck inside with a small army of ponies for guards. Took us a week to get there. Twelve hours if you took a train ride.”

Eclipse ground his teeth. “Everywhere we go we get turned down. Is there no one willing to fight with us?”

Silverstar stopped in his tracks. “Boy, I’d love to fight with you. I’d love to stand for my home. But I can’t!” He pounded his hoof into the wall. “There ain’t enough of us!”

“That’s why we need your help!” Eclipse shouted. “The buffalo are too few, you’re too few and the prisoners are probably too few or too weak! That’s why I’m trying to get all three!”

Sagebrush grabbed Eclipse’s shoulder. Eclipse turned to look at the light green pony when he noticed that the walls of the cave were several shades redder than they should be. He shut off his disharmony magic, returning his attention to Silverstar, who had understandably backed up several steps.

“Look.” Eclipse continued, much more calmly. “I’m not asking you to trust me. Instead, trust Braeburn, Sagebrush, Dust Demon, heck, trust Cactus Star! We need you, Silverstar, as much as my pride is screaming at me for saying that, we need you. We need the buffalo, too.”

Silverstar sighed heavily. “Now, if a complete stranger will fight for my town, then I have no excuse.” He gathered his group of rebels. “The train has about eight guards and five buffalo prisoners all stuffed into it each ride. Not a problem for fourteen ponies, plus the group you got, Eclipse.”

“What are you planning?” Sagebrush asked, keeping both Eclipse and Braeburn from asking that same question.

Sheriff Silverstar grinned. “Boys, it’s time for a hijacking.”

<><><>

All the ponies stood along the tracks, waiting for the train.

Sagebrush sighed. “We’ve been standing here for an hour.” He complained. “Is this thing even gonna come?”

A train engine could be heard approaching on the tracks.

“You were saying?” Eclipse chuckled, adjusting his pirate hat.

“Why in the name of Tartarus are you still wearing that?” Dust Demon asked.

Eclipse shrugged, casually tossing the hat into the air, where it went spinning away, eventually disappearing from view.

The train was now in full view.

“Three…” Silverstar counted down. “Two…” Eclipse charged his chaos magic. “One…” six of Silverstar’s rebels, plus Eclipse and Silverstar himself, spread their legs, preparing for what was about to come. “Now!”

Eclipse fired his disharmony, using several chunks of earth as catapults to send himself and the other seven volunteers onto the top of the train. Silverstar and six of his rebels crawled into the car, taking on the seven guards in that section, while Eclipse went for the engine and the one guard driving the train.

Eclipse popped his head into the window, startling the guard. “Dis is a jacking!” he yelled, grabbing the pony and tossing him out the window. Eclipse crawled inside, pulling the brake for the train and causing everyone in the car behind him to be lurched forward by their own inertia.

He trotted back to the train car, opening the door to peer inside. Rebels, gang members and buffalo alike were strewn about from the unexpected stop.

Dust Demon landed on top of the train car as Eclipse entered. Another moment and the gang members had begun to randomly be thrown out of the train using several different windows.

The other rebels had caught up to the train by now, knocking out any awake gang members as they came to them and boarding the train. Once everyone had boarded, Silverstar joined Eclipse back in the engine. “The buffalo are more than happy to assist.” he reported.

“Good.” Eclipse acknowledged. “Let’s open a can of whoop-ass on that mine!” He sent the train into full speed, sending everyone on board flying back from the sudden lurch.

“Ugh…” Silverstar groaned. “Ever thought about being a little slower with the speed changes?”

“Nope!” Eclipse grinned. “Hey, think we can convince Dust Demon to get out and push?”

“I ain’t goin’ nowhere.” Dust Demon retorted, standing next to a pair of Silverstar’s rebels in the engine car. “And before ya’ll say something, the other car is packed.”

Braeburn squeezed himself into the engine car. “I bear witness to that fact.” He heaved, gasping for breath.

A buffalo popped his head into the car, but didn’t try to come through. “Are you the leaders of this rescue?”

“It ain’t a rescue yet, buddy boy.” Eclipse said, glancing out a window. “But it’s about to be.”

The buffalo snorted. “I am the chief of a neighboring tribe to the one that has befriended Appleloosa. Chief Bloodhoof.”

“Nice to meet ya.” Eclipse greeted, waving a hoof.

Bloodhoof nodded. “My tribe has mostly been captured by these gang members, and we want to take our revenge. If doing so manages to strengthen our ties with our sister tribe and open a gateway for our own interaction with Appleloosa, then it’s a bonus. Will you accept our help?”

“Of course.” Eclipse shrugged. “By the way, do you have any idea what they’re mining?”

“I heard some rumors from the guards. Supposedly, it’s an ancient energy source buried there. One connected to the elements of harmony.”

Eclipse laughed. “Then they’re looking in the wrong place. I stumbled across that energy source myself!”

“What?” The buffalo asked, shocked once more.

Eclipse’s smile turned into a frown. “Also, you’re lying through your teeth. I can tell.” He turned and grabbed Bloodhoof’s horns. “What are they mining?” he spat out, putting pressure on Bloodhoof’s horns.

One of the horns began to groan. This was reflected in Bloodhoof’s face scrunching up in pain. “What are you doing?” he asked, his horns in less than a pleasant position at the moment.

“What. Are. They. Mining?” Silverstar grabbed Eclipse’s shoulder, but the gray pony shrugged him off. “You’re losing time, Cairne.”

Bloodhoof grimaced. “I don’t know! I was hoping to spur you along. Get you to fight even harder for my people.”

Eclipse brought Bloodhoof’s face down to his. “I was already fighting my hardest.” He shoved the buffalo away from him, turning back to the train’s controls.

Bloodhoof fell to the ground while Eclipse turned back to the train controls. Bloodhoof smiled. “Good work.”

He retreated back into the train car, shutting the door as Eclipse turned back around. “Excuse me?”

The door opened again, this time with Sagebrush standing inside it. “Eclipse, one of the buffalo wants to see you. Says he’s a chief named--”

“Bloodhoof.” Eclipse finished for him. “Cairne Bloodhoof.”

Sagebrush blinked. “How’d you know?”

Eclipse stomped his hoof. “Damn it, we’re being watched by something.”

Dust Demon nudged Eclipse. “I don’t think that thing was watching us…”

Silverstar nodded. “Eclipse, once this is said an done, you need to get back to the Princess. Whatever that was, it ain’t going away.”

Eclipse groaned. “Sagebrush, send Bloodhoof in. But I already know what he’s going to say.”