Chapter 1: Ain't No Gettin' Off This Train
A train whistle shrieked and caused an explosion of feathers from the treetops. The startled birds darted in every direction imaginable, doing their best to avoid the steadily rising smoke pouring from the locomotive of the train. One-by-one, the doors to each passenger car slammed shut. A trio of Diamond Dogs was the last unit to fumble on to the departing train. Each scruffy mutt had a burlap sack slung across their shoulder.
Wherever they were going, they were certainly in a hurry…
Pressed against the outside door of the caboose were three foals, armed to the brim with weapons and armor. Button's teeth were biting down onto the hilt of his sword as the train lurched forward. Impatiently rummaging through a sack of potions was Apple Bloom, with Scootaloo lifting her head up to stare through the window of the caboose.
"An' you're sure we can't just go back to the farm? I-I was doin' real good stockin' up on food!" Apple Bloom swallowed and felt the anxious lump from her throat splash into her stomach. "Not sure this fightin' stuff is for me…"
"I am not going back to that boring farm to pick veggies all day," Scootaloo huffed. She quickly pulled her head down from the window. "Eek! Almost saw me."
Button spit the sword into his hoof. "Hey, you guys said you'd help me, right? We're not gonna stand much of a chance if we can't beat a few goons on a low level skirmish. C'mon! It'll be fun!" His beaming grin was interrupted when a bump caused his head to slam into the outer wall of the caboose. Almost immediately, the door flung open.
"No time to argue! The level's starting!" Scootaloo spread her wings and adjusted the gladiator-styled helmet perched on her mane.
["Novice Skirmish: Rumble on the Rails" – The Diamond Dogs have ransacked a stockpile of gems from a mining town and are hoping to escape back to their headquarters. Put those dogs down and reclaim the train!]
"Remember what I taught you two!" Button exclaimed over another screech of the engine's whistle.
"Always be prepared!" Apple Bloom managed to muffle, while holding her saddlebag in her mouth.
"Never be afraid!" Scootaloo narrowed her eyes at the unkempt muzzle pushing through the doorway.
"Cutie Mark Crusaders Assault Team… YAY!" Apple Bloom and Scootaloo chirped in unison.
"…and Button Mash, too! Hurrah…" The colt was feeling a tad left out from the pregame huddle. Though at this point he was the only blank flank among the trio.
Scootaloo's wings pushed down against the ground. The strength of the gust caused Apple Bloom and Button to hold onto the safety railing for dear life. "Aww yeah! Just like Rainbow Dash!" The usually-grounded pegasus exclaimed. Her surroundings finally stopped spinning once she stabilized her hooves on the train roof. "Can't fetch me up here, bone breath!" Scoots stuck her tongue out at the irritable Diamond Dog below. All he could do was shake his club in a vain attempt to frighten her off.
Unfortunately for him, it was hard to shoo anypony away with a sword jammed in his stomach. Before he could deliver a counterattack to the stab-happy colt, Apple Bloom bucked her hindlegs into the Diamond Dog's rear and heard a loud crack. The result was a blinding burst of light followed by the clattering of pixelated bones onto the wooden floorboard.
Apple Bloom covered her mouth. "Jeez, ya didn't say this game was so violent."
"Eh, violent games never hurt anypony. Ain't any more violent than having Ponyville knocked down by a new monster every couple of weeks." Button grabbed the shiny coins left by the slain enemy and entered into the train. "Shake a hindleg, Bloom!"
"Uh, right," Apple Bloom muttered, hopping over the cartoonishly exaggerated skull and bones from the former mutt. "You comin', Scoots?"
Scootaloo clapped her hooves together in excitement. "You kidding me? I ain't walking through all the train cars to reach the front. I'm taking to the skies!"
Button's head appeared over Apple Bloom's swaying bow. "Just make sure you watch your stamina bar! You'll fall like a rock if you try flapping when you're tired."
"I know what I'm doing! You two just try to keep up." Scootaloo winked and clopped along the roof above Bloom and Button before taking off. "See ya at the finish line!"
"Apparently pegasi get big heads as soon as they can fly," Apple Bloom sighed. "Hope she don't get like this when those wings of hers really start to work."
Button grabbed Bloom by the hoof and yanked her forward. "Then we better beat her to the front car before that head of hers gets any bigger!"
The two sealed their agreement with a hoof bump and scampered through the empty caboose.
In a strange turn of events, the Cutie Mark Crusaders - minus Sweetie Belle - were willingly playing a video game with Button. It was still a relatively new experience for the fillies, since Apple Bloom had never touched a game before and Scootaloo was usually too preoccupied shadowing Rainbow Dash's every move to have an extra hobby. However, what originally began as a single, forced play session soon turned into the girls sneaking over to dig around in Mineshaft whenever they had time to waste.
Apple Bloom's uninterested yawns soon faded when she learned that she could build her very own farm. She was a natural and quickly turned a field of weeds and rocky ground into orderly rows of wheat and carrots. Even more exciting was the fact that her hard work would fuel the bellies of anypony who wanted to venture into the unknown on their game file. As much as she hated to admit it, Button made a good point when he said gaming really was for everypony.
But the allure of tedious harvesting and calculated channels of irrigation didn't knock the socks off of Scootaloo. She mindlessly pressed through the tutorial lessons only to be frustrated when it came time to create a dwelling and live off the land. Before she could rage quit, Button decided to introduce the battling mechanics to the antsy pegasus. Scootaloo's warrior spirit was satisfied with hunting for new items with her trusty bow, and soon the trio had formed one very solid team.
Except Sweetie Belle was nowhere to be found. She had no clue her friends were enjoying the same game that almost a year ago introduced her to late nights of mining alongside her coltfriend. She was bound to find out sooner or later though. Hopefully Button's mind could think of a good excuse without the aid of a pause screen to stall for time.
Scootaloo landed a few cars up and waited for her stamina to refill. She panted and wiped a foreleg over her brow. The rushing wind across her face caused her eyes to squint shut. "Glad I'm making such good time, but where's the action? I guess Button and Bloom are having all the fun."
The iron blade of Button's sword sliced through a Diamond Dog and left the army of thieves one member short. "They're coming from the next car!"
Sure enough, the stamping of paw pads shook the floor under the foals. Whatever was headed their way was much bigger than the pups they had cut through so far.
Apple Bloom had a beaker of green liquid held tightly in her hoof. She pushed the hood of her red cloak up to get a better view of the disaster stampeding her way. "R-ready!" Frontline encounters were definitely not her favorite activity. Cuddling a stalk of corn back on her virtual farm was sounding better with each shake of the floor.
The door flung off the hinges and smashed into the back of the car behind Bloom and Button. The splintered frame landed atop the various bags of gems bedazzling the seats furthest back. Standing in the doorway was a hulking Dog wearing a leather jacket and spiked collar. His crinkled maw could barely contain the crooked teeth jutting from his gums. He was as clichély designed as he was threatening.
[Alpha Dog: Wow. Such strength! This Diamond Dog has a thick skin, so you better hope you have something that packs more bite than bark. If not dispatched quickly enough, he'll howl for reinforcements. Did somepony say dogpile?]
"Ohmahgosh! He's huge!" Apple Bloom took a step back. With an aisle of seats on each side of her there was nowhere to run. Unless of course she wanted to climb up onto the roof to find Scootaloo.
"The bigger they are, the harder they fall!" The tip of Button's sword sparkled and he leapt forward to pierce the cocky pooch.
Wham!
Apple Bloom clamped her hooves over her ears to soften the sounds of Button smashing through an entire aisle of seats. After a few seconds of groaning, the colt poked his bruised head out from the wreckage. Despite the force of the blow, Button still had most of his hearts intact. It paid to have high level gear in the early stages. Though his foolhardiness wasn't doing much to show Apple Bloom the ropes of combat.
"Are ya okay, Button?" Apple Bloom screeched to a halt. She turned to face the monster with the green vial still in her possession. "I'll keep him busy and you sneak up from behind!" Her eyes fell onto the shimmering liquid. "Pretty sure this one's a smoke bomb!"
Button shook the splinters from his mane and hopped onto all fours. "I, uh, I was just trying to show you how strong these bulkier monsters can be!" He stomped his front hoof and snorted. "Now you know the dangers of the Alpha Dogs. Gotta stay sharp or you'll wind up remodeling the train like I did."
The filly snickered and snapped her chemistry goggles over her eyes. She looked even cuter with her magnified eyeballs. "Mighty kind of ya, but I think I coulda figured that one out on my own."
Scootaloo's tiny wings buzzed like a humming bird as she hopped from one train car to the next. She was only pausing to regain her stamina before her hooves propelled her into the smoky puffs billowing from the stack atop the train's engine. The sudden sound of a window sliding open caught her ear. She pressed her body down against the burning roof and waited. Between the wind whipping over her mane and the clacking of the tracks, it was almost impossible to hear her own thoughts.
Two griffons flapped out from the open window and took flight; immediately noticing the fuzzy, orange pancake sizzling on the roof.
"Guess I shouldn't have expected an easy stroll to the front." Scootaloo removed the bow from her back and steadied the grip firmly between her teeth. The smoke from the train wasn't making visibility very favorable for the tiny sniper, and unlike her, these griffons could fly without pausing to catch their breath. Her left front leg slowly reached behind her head and plucked an arrow from the leather quiver resting between her wings. Realizing she was still low on wing power, the exhausted pegasus decided to roost on the roof before beginning her assault.
But with a tunnel quickly approaching, she didn't have much time to shake off her new flight pals.
An arrow sliced through the wind and clipped a wing of the closest griffon. The beast shrieked in rage and dive-bombed the train. Scootaloo fired a volley of arrows into the thick plumage on the griffon's chest. Its wing movements slowed until it fell onto the roof with a loud thud. The body vanished and only a pile of feathers remained. They quickly scattered behind the train, leaving a wake of dancing quills to mix with the line of smoke.
"Gotcha!" Scootaloo scooped the coins and remaining feathers up and dropped them into her inventory. However, she should have kept her eyes on the sky.
Two powerful talons tackled Scootaloo onto her back and held her in place. The filly's helmet fell from her head and rolled off the train roof to the speeding ground below.
"Help!"
Button and Apple Bloom were already on their way. With a parade of Diamond Dogs close behind.
"Almost there, Scoots! Jus' try not to get yer face pecked off!" Apple Bloom followed Button out the door and felt a sudden wave of air catch her mane. Button was already climbing up the ladder to the roof. Scootaloo was only a few cars ahead, but her time was running out.
The griffon's beak jabbed forward, pinning a chunk of purple hair into the metal roof. Scoots had narrowly avoided a punishing blow. Her forelegs ached as she pressed, punched, and swatted at the squawking terror holding her down. As the talons dug into her shoulders she couldn't help but submit in agony. "I can't shake her!" Another thud from the beak echoed in her ear.
Button leapt over the gap between the cars and continued his reckless gallop toward the griffon. "Almost… there…" He unsheathed the sword from his back and closed the distance between himself and the distressed filly. "Bloom, use the smoke potion to keep those Dogs off our flanks!"
Apple Bloom heard their pawsteps scampering closer. "Okay, green is smoke. Red is… healing? Or was that blue? Aww, horse apples! I can't remember! Pretty sure green is the smoke bomb." The wind was practically blowing her cloak off, while she waited patiently for the stampeding army. "One, two – gosh I hope this works – three!" Apple Bloom's forehoof chucked the green vial down between the cars just as the Diamond Dogs opened the door.
The griffon reared her head back one last time. Scootaloo's head was grasped firmly in her talons. The squirming filly wouldn't dodge this attack. Just as her sharpened beak lunged forward, Button's sword sliced through the foe's neck. A burst of feathers cushioned Button's fall onto Scootaloo.
"Heh, sorry." Button rolled off Scootaloo and exhaled. "That was a close call."
Scootaloo coughed a spurt of feathers from her mouth. "I probably should've just stayed with y-"
Apple Bloom's eyes widened. "Green was the explosive one!" Her hooves scrambled backwards until she was able to flip around and charge toward her comrades. "Run! She's gonna blow!" The vial smashed onto the floor between the Diamond Dogs. The green goop splattered everywhere and ignited within seconds. Apple Bloom lost her footing and slid forward into Scootaloo's rump.
"What's with everypony running into me?!" Scootaloo scuttled away from Apple Bloom and steadied herself on the wobbling train car. Flaming debris littered the rails behind them. The engine wasn't much further ahead now.
Button's jaw was agape. "What the hay was that?!" Even he didn't know a potion that powerful could be brewed. Good thing Apple Bloom was on his side!
"Oh, well, ya see, I took some of the monster fluid from those spider thingies we fought in the Shimmering Caves last week and mixed it with ground up ignition root to amplify the explosion!" Her country accent made even the nerdiest explanations sound charming.
Scootaloo was still busy brushing the feathers from her fur. "And you learned all that from farming?"
"I was pagin' through some of the spell books that Sweetie Belle had. There's a section on potions! Just figured I needed some tricks up my sleeve if I wanted to keep up with you two brawlers!" Bloom squeed.
"Then all that's left is to move up to the front car and take this train back!" Button carefully led the group down the ladder and back into the safety of a passenger car. Just as they closed the door, the bleakness of the dim tunnel overtook them. Now that Apple Bloom had accidentally incinerated half the train – and stolen gems – the amount of baddies that could spawn had severely decreased. Somewhere up ahead was the boss. Some nasty, snarling beast was just waiting to rip these foals into pieces!
Until the screen went black.
. . . . . .
"Gah! What happened?" Button's controller flew into the air.
Penny held out her hoof and grabbed it before she had to witness forty bits of pay smash into pieces. "Careful, Button! These things are expensive."
Scootaloo rubbed her crusty eyes and blinked twice. "Ugh, how do you stare at this screen for so long?"
"I'm bringin' Granny's eye drops next time…" Apple Bloom was holding a pillow over her tired eyeballs.
"What's the big idea, mom?" Interrupting a gamer colt before a boss battle was means for mutiny. "We were gonna clear that stage together! I gotta get these two whipped into shape before next we-"
"Hello?" A familiar voice called out from downstairs.
"That's why I came up here! Sweetie Belle is back from Rarity's place! We couldn't stall her any longer!" Penny expressed through a clenched jaw. "We're in Button's room, Sweetie. Come on up!" It was amazing how a mother's tone could go from scolding to soothing depending on the foal she was addressing. Button usually fell into the former category.
"Crud! Quick, everypony scatter!" Button threw a blanket over the controllers on the ground and hopped into his beanbag chair. Apple Bloom and Scootaloo both took position sprawled on the ground.
Sweetie Belle's head poked through the open doorway. "Sorry that took so long. I could've sworn I had my pajamas packed for our treehouse sleepover tonight, but then I checked my bag and they weren't there!" She sighed. "Then Rarity had me help her model some new foal fashion line that she said would 'only take a second, dear!'"
"N-no biggie." Button watched as his mother's hoof casually shoved the open Mineshaft gamecase under his bed. "We were just hanging out and talking about..."
"Button tried to get us to play that digging game you always go on about!" Scootaloo gagged with her tongue out.
"Awww, you should have played! It's so much fun!" Sweetie cooed. "Maybe next time we can all sit down and play together. I promise you two'll love it. We can teach you all sorts of stuff!"
"If I wanna go dig in the mud, I'll just go grab my brother's shovel." Apple Bloom winked at Button. "But one of these days I'll give it a shot."
The girls grabbed their bags and scurried down the stairs in the typical chaotic fashion. Button and his friends exchanged pleasantries before they left for the clubhouse. When the door finally closed, the colt pressed his back against the wood and slid down onto the floor.
"Close call." Penny said before trotting away. "I don't know why you won't just tell Sweetie Belle about the convention. It would save us all a lot of trouble!"
"But that'd ruin the surprise! She's going to flip with excitement when she learns all about the Mineshaft expansion!" Button's forelegs were raised in the air for emphasis.
Penny could only sigh and leave her distressed son in the living room. "Go wash up for dinner, mister. I don't want you mining on an empty stomach tonight."
. . . . . .
The water in the bathroom had been running for several minutes. Button didn't pay the bills so of course he wasn't overly concerned. Instead, he was absorbed in the tri-folded piece of paper held between his hooves. The faux tatters around the edges made this parchment look like it really had been hanging on an announcement board of some long lost mining village. The bolded words on the top were enough to send shivers down his spine.
The Underground Pyre Awaits
"First prize: an all-expenses paid trip to Las Pegasus to develop your dream game." Button rubbed his hoof over the fine print. "Just another week, Sweetie Belle. Then I'll really be able to show you how much you truly mean to me…"
/) To be Continued (\