Boarding for Canterlot
The train station was deserted, aside from a train conductor and the ponies who had formerly been left in the Library. Fluttershy was practically mummified with bandages, seeing as how she had yet to fully recover from the events that transpired at her cottage, and had Angel with her, trying to tighten the bandages further. Applejack, Derpy, and Rainbow Dash were watching Pinkie Pie attempt to convince Scootaloo and Apple Bloom to stay in Ponyville while everyone else would take the train, but from the way she sounded, she was making Ponyville seem a lot less interesting than what the mares were going to be up to in Canterlot, though her wild ideas came out sounding like they were traveling to a ‘Land of Dreams’ with no fillies allowed.
Soarin’ and Spike were eating some pie that Pinkie Pie and Applejack made out of keeping their promise to Soarin’, but also out of sympathy. The de-winged Wonderbolt member seemed to really enjoy the pie, and looked like it took his mind off of his wings, or lack thereof. Spike was at the station in order to see Twilight before she left, considering how it was very likely that he would be given some orders before Twilight got on the train. Even if it was pointless, he was glad that Soarin’ was sharing some of the apple pie that he had been given, considering how great it looked and smelled, not to mention how it tasted.
“Ooh! Here they come! Here they come!” Twilight had been spotted by Pinkie Pie, and wasn’t surprised to hear her easily excitable friend alert everyone else of her presence. Following her was Vanish, Rarity, Sweetie Belle, and Spitfire, the last of whom looked very happy, given how she had a nice, brief nap. She rolled her eyes upon seeing Soarin’ eating a pie, but still poked fun at him. “Well, I see that you haven’t lost your appetite, huh, Soarin’?” Soarin’ shook his head, with a simple ‘Mm-Mmm!’ in response to the statement his good friend had made.
Twilight trotted over to her number one assistant, hoping for some good news. “Spike, have you given everypony their bags?” Spike nodded his head, and proceeded to check his checklist. “Let’s see. Everypony got a couple apples, a drink, and a blanket. In addition, you’ve got a few scrolls, quills, and sealed ink wells, the Cutie Mark Crusaders have their capes, Applejack’s got extra apples, Rarity’s got a brush, Pinkie Pie got cupcakes and Derpy just picked up some muffins from Sugarcube Corner. Rainbow Dash has a copy of the latest adventure of Daring-Do, Soarin’ has his flight suit and goggles, Spitfire's got the scroll from Celestia, and Fluttershy… could use some help.”
Twilight shook her head. “Spike, you know magic can’t just heal wounds like that.” Magic and medicine were seldom used together due to their natures. Ponies in Ponyville worked hard to learn medicinal properties, as opposed to being able to repair a broken wing with simple ‘unicorn horn magic’, or cure a cold in a similar manner. While it was true that unicorn magic was often used for surgical procedures, it was mainly to place bones in the proper positions, as opposed to being a quick means of healing; for truly healing a wound of that degree, time was still the preferred method of treatment. Vanish walked over to Fluttershy, frowning at the sight of the bandaged pony. “I apologize for you not receiving proper treatment. I suppose they tried their best.” Seeing the pink-maned mare nod slightly, the hat-wearing stallion walked over to converse with the train conductor. After a minute of speaking, Vanish returned to the other ponies that had gathered in front of the train car.
“All right, we’re ready to begin the boarding process. My client stopped by to pay the conductor, as well as to give him my photograph, making this ride exclusive to those who I enable access; when my client has a plan, they leave nothing to chance.” Twilight nodded her head at the words Vanish said. It made sense to take so many precautions considering how Gather had made sure to plan out as much as he could, and it looked like everypony would need Vanish’s permission to board the train. Seeing as how they saw themselves as his enemies, it appeared that they were at his mercy if they hoped to reach Canterlot.
Vanish stepped in front of the door, opening it gently as he turned back around. “... If you would all be so kind as to begin boarding?" Everyone formed a line, Spike included, unsure about what Vanish was planning. One by one, they walked past the stallion, expecting the worst of reactions as he checked the list he had obtained from his saddlebag, pausing to check off each one. “Rarity, check. Twilight Sparkle, pass. Spitfire, go on…! Hold on a second, filly. I can’t let you board.” Rarity turned around at those words, seeing that her sister had been stopped, and seeing the filly scream in disbelief. “WHAT!?” The voice crack was adorable, but nothing to laugh at given the situation. Apple Bloom and Scootaloo cut ahead in the line in order to defend their friend’s right to board the train, as well as their own. “Y’can’t do this! We wanna come, too! Let us on, y’creep!” Scootaloo scowled as she backed up her fellow Crusaders. “Yeah! You’ll probably do something to the ponies on board to hurt them, like you did to Rainbow Dash!”
Vanish cast an angry glance at Scootaloo for her rude accusation, which Rainbow Dash saw as threatening in itself, but saw him smirk menacingly as he responded. “If I hadn’t taken Rainbow Dash’s wings, I’d let you board so that I could use you as the pawn you are destined to be. Regrettably, I have already completed that task, so you have no further use or importance to me, or anypony.” The stallion could see the young Pegasus filly trying to come up with a comeback, but cut her off by stomping his hoof in front of her with authority in order to break her thought process, causing her to focus on him without anything to divert her attention, as he repeated the final word of his previous statement. “Anypony!”
The word echoed in the air for a matter of seconds. To the conductor, that’s all it was: A shout that lasted a couple of seconds. To the ponies boarding, the ones who heard everything that Vanish had said to the filly, it seemed to linger for several hours, like a foul stench. To Scootaloo, it hurt far more to hear those words than anything that she believed Vanish could have physically done. She had prepared to carry her scooter on board, but swiftly hopped on with tears welling up in her eyes and sped away from the station, past the other ponies in the line, prompting Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom to follow her in haste.
“… Y-You… You…” Rainbow Dash couldn’t believe that Vanish would say such words to a filly, and couldn’t think of a word venomous enough to describe her opinion of the stallion, who tried justifying himself. “It was necessary. I am certain she will forgive herself long before she’ll forgive me. As for the rest of you, move up.” The rest of the ponies boarded without words, but plenty of emotional stares for the stallion allowing them to board, from looks of anger and shock to a look of disappointed sorrow. Fluttershy was helped onto the train by her friends after she removed the bandages on her muzzle in order to instruct Angel to watch her cottage while she would be gone, before placing the bandages back on. Spike, the last in line, was stopped in a similar manner to Sweetie Belle. “Dragon, you can't come with us.” Twilight went back to the door in order negotiate Spike’s access to the train. “Vanish, can you please let him board?”
The dark blue unicorn turned to the lavender mare, frowning as he responded. “I cannot allow that to happen, my dear. If you have anything you wish to address before our departure, then you may make haste in doing so.” Vanish walked away to speak to the conductor again in order to confirm that they were to leave in a matter of minutes, but the gray-maned stallion kept an eye on Twilight and Spike as the two of them conversed. “Spike, I want you to send another letter to the princess. Tell her to make sure Princess Cadance and Shining Armor are in hiding, as well as Princess Luna. Before, I asked for them to meet us at the station in the other letter, but they'd be better off safe and sound. Can you do that for me?” Spike nodded his head, and saluted his friend. “You betcha, Twilight! I’ll get that sent faster than you can say-…”
A sad voice interrupted the statement. “I’m sorry.” The train horn could be heard, but the words immediately got the attention of Twilight and Spike, as they turned in the direction of the voice, seeing no one there. Suddenly, Spike disappeared, and Twilight knew who was responsible. She saw Vanish rematerialize a fair distance away from her, throwing the baby dragon into a corner of the train station before buck-kicking his head against a wall located under an awning with painful force. She could see the look of pain in Spike’s eyes, as his body became limp; a sure sign that he had gone unconscious, or worse. Twilight found herself unable to say anything, though Rainbow Dash opened a window of the train cart in order to shout at the vicious stallion. “Vanish!! What the hay did you just do!?” Vanish swiftly tucked Spike into the corner of the awning, after dropping him from where he had been pinned against the wall as Twilight prepared to block his access onto the train.
The stallion spoke up. “I cannot allow your friend deliver that message. I’m sorry, but this is not for my client.” Vanish turned around with a menacing stare as he chased Twilight onto the train, causing the other ponies to jump back to one side of the cart, with several of them preparing for a fight as the door of the train car closed due to the stallion’s magic. He looked up at the other ponies. “This is for me, and no one can be allowed to hinder my plans!” The train started moving and Vanish slid his front hoof on the compartment floor, prompting the other ponies to do the same in response. They could hear his magic activating under the hat he wore, as his stern gaze beamed through his normally calm demeanor. “Well? It's your move!”