Runaway Train

I didn't remember it being so bright but the western town must have been having a heat wave judging by the intense mirages that were everywhere. A lot of the citizens were too hot to go about their business it seemed and rested on the porches of the wooden structured buildings which seemed to make up the majority of the town.

Indeed the only stone buildings must have been the jail and town hall which stood overlooking a large sandy square where various pony carts went about their business. Beyond the city I saw acres of cherry trees and further beyond that a green landscape which I remembered as being some kind of old swamp.

I looked back and saw Pick was right behind me and squinting in the hot afternoon sun. "So you said there was a thousand year old beauty somewhere nearby" he remarked and I was about to tell him to go back and wait in the jail but at that moment something there their hooves around me and hugged me tight.

"Captain I've never been so glad to see you, you almost died but I got you onto the train that stopped for me and then after they healed you they took you away, I hid your gear in the train station's bathroom and by the way trains are incredible" she began talking really fast but I hushed her saying "We have to go, the Royal Guard will be showing up here in under an hour and the Sheriff is still loose on the town" I said as I turned to Pick and said "Go back into the cell and pretend I made you pick the lock, I don't need some kid with a life sentence around my neck".

"Who's this Captain?" asked Luna as she just realised Pick was standing there. I didn't know if Pick had some kind of mental problem but he was staring at Luna quite dumbly with his tongue hanging out. "This is nopony, just a thief who helped me get out of jail and who should be going now" I said turning to Pick who still hadn't regained his composure until an angry sounding voice called "No I think Pick here should stay a while and get acquainted with you two seeing as he is now an accomplice".

The Sheriff was standing in the town's centre with his deputy who was a pure black pony with jet black hair and equally black eyes. They were both holding what appeared to be crossbows and had them levelled at the three of us whilst the ponies and in fact the entire town all stopped and stared from their porches.

"Listen here Sheriff Justice, this is only me, the girl and the kid are all just ponies I tricked into helping me escape" I said and the Sheriff laughed saying "Hay boy I knew Slick there would open the door for you and assisting an enemy of the Empire would earn that little nuisance a life sentence but as for the little lady over there, well I'm more disappointed than I am surprised but I'm sure I the guards will want any collaborators so more money for me and more tears for you".

I looked at the two grinning figures and particularly at the pony who'd kicked me, asking "What about you son, think this old lying cheat will share my reward money"? The pony spoke in a thick and almost demonic voice stating "Oh I'm just in it for the fun and the position once old Justice hangs up his coat and badge".

"Yep Thorn Bush here I think will treat dodge with a much better view than I had upon arriving here when the city first started, maybe he'll finally put the meaning of the word law into practice" said Justice as he and Thorn kept one hoof on their Crossbow's and advanced towards us.

"Now turn your back hooves up, head down on the floor so that when the guard arrive we can do this little transition peacefully and quietly" said the Sherriff as he walked closer and closer towards us with his boots clanking as he went.

"Do as he says" I told the two and Pick (who seemed quite obedient and less cocky with a crossbow in his face) obliged and began to kneel. Luna however did completely the opposite and before I or the Sheriff knew what was happening she'd spun round and drawn my crossbow from what looked like my saddle bag and she aimed and fire right at Deputy Thorn. Her aim and the fact that it takes practice even for a well-trained soldier to use a crossbow to its maximum effect was against her since she hadn't trained with one before but maybe having a hoof in the invention of the device helped since the sleeper dart flew straight and true into the eye of the deputy.

Like it or not, the dart still had a metal needle on the end and before he was knocked out he had time to scream as he lost his left eye for good. "Shit" the Sheriff yelled and leased a bolt which flew through the air and embedded itself into the rocking chair of an elderly pony who cried out in fright.

Suddenly the town was all screaming and the Sheriff who had the odds against him quickly stumbled for a secondary arrow on his side quiver which he obviously couldn't load with the crossbow's heavy draw weight. I leapt up and through the air, taking it as a moment to strike and I landed right on him and began to hit him with everything I'd got.

"Should have taken me in dead" I told him as I grabbed his badge from where Pick had dropped it when the fighting began and shoved it down his throat. I held his nose as he began to choke and said "Maybe you can govern the pits of hell" I yelled as he began to fight for life. "Stop it Captain!" yelled Luna so suddenly that I let go and he spat the badge out and coughed for air.

I stumbled off him and looked, shocked at myself for doing such things to a pony. "I didn't…I…" I began to stumble but suddenly my eye caught something far off in the distance, it sparkled and was shining in the hot sun and although it may have been a mirage I wasn't going to take the chance. "We need to move now" I yelled, getting up and looking around Dodge.

Luna offered me my crossbow but I denied saying "you keep it, I was never good with it anyway. I tried to remember the layout of Dodge from maps I'd previously studied but unfortunately my memory couldn't quite place them.

"How do we get to the train station" I asked Pick quickly but he was still on the floor and staring at Thorn. "He's not dead he's just knocked out and by the looks of it missing an eye" I said and pulled the kid up onto his hooves. He looked at me with a scared look in his eye and gulped.

"I…I don't want to die sir…I just want to live" he said looking like he was going to cry. "Well you collaborated with me and now that means you will probably end up dead unless you tell me where the train station is right now" I yelled shaking him as my eye spied the shining object getting closer.

Pick paused for a second before he tightened his hat around his head and took off in a run saying "this way" and causing us all to gallop after him. The citizens of dodge were still panicking and as we got into the station we were met by a great big and ugly train which read Appleloosa on its side. It was obviously a freight train and by the looks of it, it was geared up to travel.

"What do we do now, they won't let us buy tickets" whimpered Pick and Luna looked at me in a way a trapped rabbit would but I said something absolutely absurd sounding "We're going to hijack the train and drive it until we're far away from Dodge".

Pick looked at me like I was mad but Luna said "Sounds like the best plan for the moment where do we start"? "In the Engine, we've got to figure a way to get it going I said, charging to the front. Luckily there was a Driver who was whistling away to himself when he saw the three of us charge into the compartment. "How does this thing go" shouted Luna, pointing the crossbow (which wasn't even loaded since the small bolts were in my bag) at his face and looking as menacing as she could which was good since she literally had the face of a murderer.

The Driver began to explain what Luna asked and I grabbed Pick, saying "Run to the bathroom and find some bags which Luna has hidden, then bring them back here and be quick about it". Pick looked like he wanted to say something but seeing my expression he didn't complain and instead galloped as fast as he could towards the small stations bathroom.

I checked the Sky and saw that a sky chariot with six guards and pulled by four and followed by five other guards, all Pegasi and all carrying weapons. They must have noticed that something was up because they had descended rapidly and begun to spread out quick.

Pick charged back into the train Engine just as Luna uttered "thank you and gestured for the Driver to get out of the train. The Driver edged out of the train and upon touching the platforms he ran for it. Luna looked up at me and the panting Pick with all our stuff and instructed "Ok we need to keep shovelling coal into the Engine in order to generate the power for this beast, the more coal the more power and the faster we go, I think I can drive this thing but I'll pretty much need a constant stream of coal" she said.

"Pick boy, you will shovel the coal and I'll defend us from danger" I said as I looked up at the sky. "Whoa now, I'm leaving I don't want to die I…" but he was cut off when a bolt thudded into the metal above his head and he picked up a nearby shovel and cried "Ok I'll do it, please get us out of here"!

Luna happily obliged and threw a lever with al her strength. The train juddered forwards a few metres and the two Pegasi who'd shot at us landed and charged towards the train. I drew my sword from the packs which were dumped by the boiler and as the first guard reached us. I swung my sword against his but he parried and went to counter so I dodged and swung again and he side stepped into the side of the train which was beginning to move, causing him to fall over and slam his head into the ground.

An audible scrunch was heard and I couldn't help but go "ooh" as the platform slowly at first disappeared and left the second guard standing alone and calling for backup. Soon we began to speed up but so did the guards who were all converging on the railway station now.

"Luna faster, they're going to catch us up soon!" I yelled but she cried "It won't go any faster than this, it's a freight train it's heavy and needs to gather momentum first" she yelled back as the chug of the train roared in our ears.

"Pick, stay here and keep shovelling coal, Luna use the crossbow if you need to the ammo is in my saddle bag" I said as I got my sword's scabbard and fitted it over my back before putting my hoof outside the train and onto the roof of the train.

"What the hay are you doing?" asked Pick as he shovelled coal for dear life. "Going to buy us time" I said as I disappeared from view and with a huge burst of strength (which was quite good for a pony that'd been kicked in the head) I pulled myself onto the train's roof.

There were about ten carriages slowing us down and from this position with the smoke blowing from the funnel and stinging my eyes I could make out six fast Pegasi who'd probably been reserve and a few others who must have tired their wings from flying a little further away.

I moved down the train carriages, jumping across the gaps as I went until I was on the edge of the train. The first Pegasi landed a carriage ahead of me and charged toward me with his sword raised. I used the momentum of the young guard who wasn't cut out for attacking but defending and simply side stepped and watched him fall off the train and fly across the ground.

Painful and definitely broken bones but at least he was alive. However my small victory was cut short when another four Pegasi caught me up and landed on the train. Two were in front of me whilst two came from behind all carrying swords and all with the same stoic expression I'd learned to adopt years ago.

However despite their crisp and fearless look they hesitated despite having me surrounded so I taunted "Come on, I haven't got all day"! The nearest guard charged, sword rose with an almost perfect execution, however it wasn't good enough and I blocked his strike and stabbed him in his side.

I was about to nock his helmet off with the hilt of my sword but I had to defend my flank from another strike as the other three converged on me. I certainly had my plate full and I became just a machine which was losing against younger less experienced ones but still younger and well oiled.

I sliced the leg of another guard who collapsed in pain but to his credit got up once more and resumed trying to take my head off. I stabbed the pony I'd first attacked in the stomach and he crumpled and fell of the train. The wound wasn't deep but he was out of the game and possibly for some time. The other three attacked with a lot of fury now and I let my right guard down and received a slice on my left fore-hoof for my mistake.

I fell over and to my surprise kept going, crashing through the wooden ceiling of the train car I was on and landing in a pile of red rock candy. That was at least what I thought it was until I saw TNT written on a bar of it. I quickly picked it up with my mouth and looked up just in time to block the sword which sliced down as a guard through himself through the hole in the roof.

I began to back away one car at a time, trying to see how loud the clang of my sword could go before it snapped from the force we were both hitting each other with. At one part of the train where the carriages joined I'd had enough and using the hilt of my sword I first kicked him in the chest and hit him in the head with all my force, denting his helmet and sending him tumbling off the train.

I took a second to breathe but was denied the reward when I heard a very girlish scream from the Engine. I charged through the carriages, practically kicking down all the doors to reach the engine. Upon reaching the engine I just saw Pick smash the head of a Guard who'd been on the roof whilst Luna shot another guard point blank in the chest with the crossbow.

They both fell off the train and I could see they were both thoroughly surprised as well as me that these two normal and a bit scrawny civilians could actually fight to some degree, at least enough to get rid of them. "Where were you?" asked Luna as she threw another control and Pick resumed shovelling in more coal to the hungry beast.

"Nowhere" I mumbled through the dynamite in my mouth. "Anyway I can't get us any faster, if we hadn't got so much weight then maybe I could double our speed but…what is that in your mouth" she asked and I spat out the stick of TNT.

"This err thing is an explosive, a bit like destructive magic I could use it sever the cars halfway along the train" I suggested and Luna nodded saying "If you can control it then yes do it but Pick protested "You want to blow us up after we've just survived that attack"? "Yes" I yelled as the train roared along the lines.

I put the fuse into the flames of the boiler before I once more climbed back atop the train carriage and ran towards the halfway train marker. However the final Pegasus who was so tired he couldn't even fly straight anymore materialised out of nowhere and revealed to be carrying a Guard with a horn on his head.

The Unicorn leapt from his back and he gratefully tumbled into the dust along with his comrades. "Drop the dynamite of the train and put your hands up before I take you down" shouted the Unicorn whose face was covered by his helmet.

Although I had seen Unicorn's use magic on other before and knew that no matter what experience I had I'd lose this fight so I said "Ok" and threw the stick into the couplings in the centre of the train. The Unicorn was distracted long enough for me to lunge at him and buck him in the stomach before ripping his helmet off and seeing who it could be.

It was Shining Armour, the son of a bitch who'd stolen my job and brother to Twilight. "I'm taking you in he said and his horn shone suddenly and attempted to levitate me but something happened and Shining Armour suddenly held his head as he cried in pain. "Wrong, go back to Canterlot and study Luna, she isn't right and never bother me again" I said as I booted him off the train and ran for it, knowing I only had a few seconds until the TNT exploded.

I dived into the Engine as the train was rocked and we all held on as we sped up considerably and looking back I saw that although we were on fire the other carriages had completely exploded and de-railed, blocking any trains which might want to follow.

"I want to go home" cried Pick as he shovelled coal harder and I groaned "Don't we all whilst Luna for some reason was looking very happy despite the fact we'd just been In a heated battle against some well-trained foes.

"Why are you smiling?" I asked quizzically. "I'm…driving…a train!" she cried happily whilst gesturing around the Engine room which contained bits of burnt carriage some blood, a dented helmet and a filthy and crying Pick.

"I'm too old for this stuff" I said as I leaned back against a pile of coal.