All Aboard the Rainbow Express
FWOOOSH!
Fwooosh!
Fw-Fwoosh!
Four silver-plated bodies swooped down through the snowy mountain air, following the northwest tracks. Far below the Talon, in the shadow of granite peaks, a black steam engine with three rattling cars sped along a narrow path flanked by frosted fir trees and sloping snowbanks.
The Sergeants fanned out so that they formed a solid "V" behind their Commander.
"She's crazy," Raptr wheezed as they crossed through the smoggy plume left behind by the chugging engine. "Does she honestly think she can lose us in that thing?"
"Wait until she hits you in the face with fireworks," Windburst grumbled.
"No squabbling." Seraphimus seethed. "Let's discuss options."
"Commander." Starstorm pointed. "The rearmost car is constructed of wood."
"Good observation." Seraphimus nodded. "That'll be our point of entry." She shouted over her shoulderplates. "Does everyone have their hatchets?!"
"Aye, Commander!"
"Yes, ma'am!"
"Good." Seraphimus glided lower and lower. "Stay even... above the tree-lines." Her charcoal eyes narrowed. "Wait for the forest to clear a bit. Then close in. Sergeant Starstorm and I will take the top. Raptr? Windburst? Take the left and right sides of the car, respectively."
"Gotcha."
Seraphimus hissed through her beak. "On my mark..."
"See anything yet, Rarity?" Fluttershy asked, squinting at the map on the engine compartment's floor.
"I'm looking as hard as I can, dear." Rarity clenched her jaws. "I do wish the good professor was as proficient at his hoofwriting as he was at his geography." Frowning, she snarled into the air: "And I do wish it was a tad bit brighter in here!"
Fluttershy reached out and gingerly grasped Rarity's horn.
Rarity blinked. "Fluttershy, darling, what are you—?" Her horn glowed, illuminating the map before their ghostly eyes. "Oh. Fabulous."
Their vision was obscured by Rainbow's hooves as she phased through them, hoisting another heavy shovel full of dredge coal.
"Rnnnnngh!" Rainbow Dash gnashed her teeth, kicking the furnace's chute open again.
"Hold your breath, Rainbow!" Twilight insisted. "Just in case! You don't want to inhale any dredge coal!"
"Wouldn't... that be... the lamest... way to go...?!" Rainbow struggled as she finally lifted all of the dredge coal up and dumped it down the chute. The fire within the furnace flickered hotter, and she could feel the train lurching forward at a higher velocity. "Whew..."
"Great!" Twilight grinned as Rainbow slapped the chute shut. "You're getting the hang of this!"
"Yeah... but..." Rainbow leaned on the shovel as she wiped the sweat off her brow. "Can we make it go faster?"
"Uhm..." Twilight gazed at the instrument panel. "Maybe."
"Cool."
"But I wouldn't recommend it."
Rainbow frowned. "Twilight, for real—"
Pinkie phased through the ceiling once again. "Whewwwwwww boyoooo! They look super duper mad this time!"
Rainbow spun towards her, blinking. "Have they caught up?"
"They're tailing us as we speak!" Pinkie gestured wildly. "Like a bunch of fleas! Only with wings..." A gulp. "...and silver armor."
"..." Rainbow trotted briskly towards the next car. "Guess I should have a look-see."
"Huh?" Rarity looked up. "Guh!" She and Fluttershy flinched as a lavender shield dragged them after their anchor. "But... what... Rainbow!" She frowned, pointing at the map behind them in the engine compartment. "...aren't we supposed to find a jumping-point?!"
"It'll have to wait." Rainbow passed the shelves and shelves of dredge coal until she reached the next coupling platform. "I'm bird-watching." She slapped a panel, opening the metal door to the second car. Schwisssh! "Catbird-watching."
Squinting, Rainbow looked down a narrow walkway. To her left, several thick cabinets were built into the metal body of the second train car. To her right, shelves were filled to the brim with long, narrow iron bars.
"The next car is made of wood," Rarity said, floating alongside Rainbow. "I can bet you a million rubies that—"
"—they'll try breaking in through that. Got it." Rainbow nodded with a shudder. "Looks like we've got some staves to fight them off with."
"You mean..." Twilight nervously cleared her throat. "If it comes to that?"
"Twilight..." Rainbow sighed. "It always... always comes to that."
"Oh!" Fluttershy suddenly squirmed in mid-hover. Her eyes were locked on the cabinets. "Oh d-dear."
"What is it, Flutters?" Rainbow asked. She heard a loud rattling from within the cabinets. Curious, she reached a hoof over and slid one of the panels open.
"Hressshaaaa!" The cabinets were full of tiny frenzied lizards. Their spines protruded as they hissed and snapped at Rainbow's fetlocks through their cage.
"Eeeeeek!" Rarity shrieked, flying backwards.
"Rrrgh!" Thud! Rainbow slammed the cabinet back shut, panting. "Friggin' Razzar cousins..."
"Must be food for the wyverns," Fluttershy said, trembling.
"We're going to be food for the wyverns if we don't find a way to lose the Talon," Rainbow muttered. Upon a flicker of lavender light, she looked up. "What's the sitch, Pinkie?"
Pinkie sank through the ceiling. "They're just... gliding behind us! Keeping at an even pace!"
"Really?"
"Yeah!"
"Must be strategizing a way to stop the train," Twilight said.
Rainbow blinked. "Lemme see..." She trotted over to a door and slapped a console next to it. Fwoooosh! Snow and icy mountain air roared into the compartment as she peered skyward, squinting.
Seraphimus blinked at the open doorframe in the second car.
"Sergeant." She pointed with a claw.
Windburst nodded. "I see it, Commander." He reached back for his crossbow.
Rainbow grimaced into the cold air, her ruby eyes reflecting the four bodies.
"The hay are they waiting for?"
Pinkie's ears twitched. "Dashie!" she shrieked.
The air sang.
With a gasp, Rainbow yanked her head back as—
Swisssssssh! A crossbolt sliced past her fuzzy blue cheeks and—CLANK!—embedded into the opposite side of the train compartment, quivering to a stop.
Schlump! Rainbow shut the automatic door immediately. She stood in the dim blue light, panting. A wet sensation trickled down her chin. "...?" She raised a hoof up, feeling blood leaking from a shallow cut on her cheek. "... ... ... must go faster." And she galloped back towards the engine compartment.
"But... but..." Pinkie pointed towards the rearmost train. "What about the catbirds?!"
"Rainbow doesn't stand a chance against all four of them!" Twilight hollered from up ahead.
"Here we go again," Rarity droned as she, Pinkie, and Fluttershy were swept up by the same lavender force.
"The train's accelerating even more!" Raptr exclaimed, pointing.
"Rats." Windburst frowned, shouldering his crossbow. "Guess I missed."
"The forest is clearing up ahead!" Starstorm pointed. "That gives us a window!"
"Right." Seraphimus nodded. "Let's move in." She led the charge, wingblades howling against the mountain downdrafts. "Remember your positions!"
"Aye!"
Fwoosh!
Fw-Fw-Fwoosh!
"Nrnnnghhh!" Rainbow struggled and heaved. Amber furnace light bathed her sweaty figure as she shoveled the last pile of dredge coal out of a single, solitary crate parked before the engine's instrument panel. "How about n-now, Twilight?!" She winced, shielding herself from ashes and sparks vomiting out of the chute. The temperature of the engine compartment rose significantly. "Are we going any faster?"
"Yes!" Twilight nodded, gazing at the instruments. "But only slightly!"
"Darn it! I thought th-that would do it!"
"The Furnace is burning through the dredge coal too quickly!" Twilight looked at Rainbow. "At this rate, I don't know what it will take to reach maximum velocity!"
"Well, couldn't we... I dunno..." Rainbow Dash slapped the chute shut, panting. "...redirect the... uhm... reserve steam auxiliary banks... or s-something?!"
Twilight frowned. "Steam doesn't work that way, Rainbow!"
"Do I wear a pink diaper?!" Rainbow barked, frowning back. "Since when has steam ever worked properly in this stupid continent?!"
"Rainbow! Rainbow!" Rarity waved a hoof from the floor.
Rainbow phased through Twilight, squatting beside the map. "Did you girls find something?!"
"We did." Fluttershy nodded, then pointed at Sinrar's scribbles. "There's a southern stretch of mountain crossing directly over the tracks."
"Over the tracks?" Twilight stammered, leaning in. "How's that possible?"
Rainbow blinked. "A tunnel."
Rarity nodded. "A tunnel. Right after a bridge that goes over a deep chasm."
"What do you think, Rainbow?" Twilight asked.
Rainbow brushed a hoof over her shaved head. "That... sounds..." A blink. "Perfect, actually."
"What do you plan to do?" Fluttershy bit her lip. "Jump off while we're in the tunnel?"
"Then the Talon will follow the train on the other side!" Rainbow exclaimed. "It'll give us time to hide in the forest then book it up the mountainside!" She smirked stupidly. "Wyvern Point or bust!"
"I dunno, Rainbow." Twilight fidgeted. "That seems awfully optimistic... even for you."
"Well, anything is better sticking here on the Griffon Food Express!" Rarity whimpered.
Th-Thump! Several dull vibrations rolled up the length of the train. The mares blinked at one another.
"Uhm." Fluttershy gulped. "Wasn't me."
"Hey, uh..." Pinkie's head sank upside down from the ceiling. "Poopy news, everpony." Her teeth chattered. "We've got passengers."
Rainbow's eyes widened. "The wooden car!" She jumped to her hooves.
"Rainbow!" Twilight yelped, floating after her. "If they're trying to board, then the safest place to be is sealed off here in the engine room—"
"We haven't any time to wait it out!" Rainbow galloped down the cars, calling back. "You heard the girls! We're a bridge and a chasm away from the tunnel!"
"How are we going to make it?!" Fluttershy exclaimed, flying after them.
"Ggghhh!" Rarity hissed. "Will everypony please stay put for just one sec—" The ghost and her voice were both swept up by the lavender shield once again.
Schiiiiing! Seraphimus unsheathed a razor-sharp hatchet from her armor. Her exposed headfeathers rippled in the howling winds as she clung to the roof of the last car. She looked up at Starstorm... and nodded.
Starstorm nodded back. She raised her own hatchet, timed it with Seraphimus' swing, and—CRACK!
Both guardians hacked and carved at the surface of the car's wooden roof. Splinters sailed off in the whipping winds, disappearing into the column of dark smog pumping from the engine's smokestack towards the train's front. Meanwhile, along the sides of the speeding car, Raptr and Windburst likewise clung to the surfaces, slicing inward with their own mini-axes. Crack! Chunk! Thwack!
Schwissssh! The metal door to the last car opened. Rainbow crossed the coupling platform—then froze in her tracks, blinking.
The last car was mostly empty, save for a few lazily placed crates that rattled across the floor. Gradually, the dark interior of the compartment was severed by tiny slivers of bright snowy light along the ceiling and walls.
Rainbow blanched as the rays of light intensified, settling across her and the ghostly mares' nervous faces.
"So, like..." Pinkie floated in. "...they have axes."
"I know that, Pinkie!" Rainbow hollered. She danced in place. "Darn darn darn darn." Her eyes danced worriedly between the brightening strips of light. "There's gotta be a way to throw them off!"
"Maybe if we asked them nicely to stop?" Fluttershy trembled.
"Everypony put on their serious saddles for once!" Twilight grumbled.
Fluttershy folded her forelimbs. "Well, Rainbow had just shut Pinkie up, so I figured—"
"Rainbow, darling." Rarity leaned in. "The structure of this car is very weak."
"I can see that, Rares."
"Ahem..." Rarity calmly glared. "I mean from the inside as well as the outside."
"... ... ..." Rainbow turned and gazed at the second car's interior. Her ears twitched to the sound of rattling metal rods.
"Care to tell us what you're thinking, Rainbow?" Twilight asked.
"No." Rainbow galloped back the way she came. "You'd slap me if I did."
"Ugh..." Twilight groaned. "And since when was that different from usual—"
The lavender light scooped Rainbow's friends up, dragging them after her.
"Rnnngh!" Raptr grunted, shielding his face from strips of wood as he hammered harder at the wall of the car. "It's... it's... grghhhh..." He reached a talon under his helmet and wiped some sweat away. "...it's not giving way!"
"Keep at it, Sergeant!" Seraphimus hollered, hacking away with her own hatchet. "Windburst?!"
"Making some progress!" Windburst shouted above the tumultuous winds. The looming mountainside threw his voice in a haunting echo. "I'll let you know when I'm through!"
"Commander!" Starstorm exclaimed. She gestured at a loose plank of wood between them.
Seraphimus nodded. "Well done." Crawling across the roof of the speeding train, she joined the Sergeant's side and wedged her blade beneath the loose panel.
Starstorm holstered her hatched, then gripped the panel with both talons.
"On three," Seraphimus said.
Starstorm nodded, tensing her muscles.
"One... two... three!"
"Rrrrgh!" Starstorm pulled with all her might.
Seraphimus clenched her beak tighter, chiseling the edge of her blade deeper into the body of wood. Gradually, the two guardians peeled the single panel back, exposing the dark interior of the train car below.
"Rainbow... uhm..." Fluttershy winced. "Are you sure this is going to work?"
"No," Rainbow sweated. She stood up on her rear legs as she shoved three metal poles deep into the mouth of the engine furnace's chute. "But I can tell you what would not work: standing around doing nothing."
Fluttershy sighed. "I was afraid of that."
"Don't worry, Fluttershy," Twilight said. "There's some method here to Rainbow's madness." She gulped and squinted at Rainbow. "You are planning what I think you are, right?"
"Probably..." Rainbow winced from the hot fumes. Nevertheless, she twirled and turned the far ends of the metal poles, shoving them even deeper into the furnace. Coughing to avoid the sparks, she murmured aside, "Rarity, how close are we to the tunnel?"
"You're asking me?"
"You're the one with friggin' magical... structural... itchiness... or whatever." Her brow furrowed as she fiddled with the metal bars. "Can't you sense the geography around us?"
Rarity took a deep breath. "I... I-I can vaguely sense the path ahead." He pale brow furrowed. "There's a deep drop..."
"That must be the chasm," Fluttershy said.
"And north of that... yes... yes! The mountain ridge!" Rarity's eyes flew wide open. "I can sense it!"
"How far away do you think we are?"
Rarity fidgeted. "Erm... minutes. Five... ten. Depends on whether or not we maintain this speed!"
"Good. You're officially our alarm clock." Rainbow took a breath and leaned backward. She hoisted the three rods with her, and their ends were hot red with blazing heat. "Alright... that should just about do it."
"Do what?" Fluttershy asked.
"You'll see." Rainbow tucked the "cool" parts of the rods under her right wing. "But the Talon will see even harder." She galloped down the cars.
"Careful, Rainbow!" Twilight insisted, hovering after her. "Don't let the hot tips touch any of the dredge coal! We don't want anything setting off the reserve fuel! No matter how small!"
"Oh, Celestia forbid..." Rainbow panted as she carried the burning staves toward the rearmost car.
Crkkkk-rkkkk! The one panel lifted slowly off the roof of the wooden car.
"Almost..." Starstorm sputtered. "...got it!"
"Easy... easy..." Seraphimus shouted over her shoulder. "Raptr! Windburst! When I give the signal, join us on the roof!"
"Aye, ma'am!"
"I can see the interior!" Starstorm wheezed.
"Dashie! Dashie!" Pinkie dipped through the splintered ceiling as Rainbow reached the last car. "They're breaking through!"
"Not for long..." Rainbow lifted one bar out from from beneath her wing and hoisted it in her forelimbs. The glowing hot tip illuminated her pendant in a red sheen. "Okay... time to see if they get the point!"
Teeth gritting, she shoved the heated metal end of the staff up into the ceiling.
Clunk!
Sparks and ash flew. A patch of wood instantly caught fire from the hot metal's contact.
"Rainbow!" Fluttershy winced. "You'll set fire to—"
"Wait for it..." Rainbow sneered, shoving up against the pole. More ashes fell as the staff gradually shifted upwards.
"... ... ..." Starstorm blinked. She paused in lifting the panel, looking up at Seraphimus. "Commander? Do you smell that?"
Seraphimus squinted through the snowfall. "Burning...?"
Schlunkkk! A red-hot iron pole emerged beside them.
"Gaaah!" Starstorm yelped, flinching.
"...!" Seraphimus' charcoal eyes widened.
Pinkie hovered at the ceiling level. She lowered her phasing head. "A little to the left, Dashie!"
"Httt!" Rainbow pulled the staff down, repositioned herself, and shoved up again. "Get... off!"
Schlunkkk!
"Move!" Seraphimus shoved Starstorm back as she too rolled aside. "Move!"
Crkkkk! The sharp metal sliced up, impaling their position just milliseconds after they toppeled out of the way.
Starstorm and Seraphimus clung to the rooftop, panting. Within four heartbeats, the metal retracted—then shredded its way up once more, landing even closer to them.
"Ooomf!" Starstorm toppeled backwards and clung to the back of the train.
"Commander!" Windburst hollered from below. "What's going on back there?!"
"They're still on the sides!" Fluttershy exclaimed.
"Right..." Rainbow ditched the first pole—which had since cooled to a dull gray. She hoisted the second rod from under her wing—still hot—and shoved it through the right wall with a burst of flame. "Rghhh!"
Cl-Clank! A burning rod shoved Windburst's hatchet from his grasp.
"Gaaah!" Windburst wheezed, clinging on by one talon.
The rod retracted, and a hot patch of warmth formed in the wooden surface directly beneath Windburst's chest.
"Mmmf... dammit!" Windburst let go.
Crkkk! The burning metal sliced the air where he was.
Rainbow let go of the rod.
She grabbed the last pole from under her wing, twirled the hot metal in her forelimbs, then shoved it through the opposite wall.
Crkkk!
The burning metal ricocheted off Raptr's helmet, showering sparks into the snowy air.
"Augh! What...?!"
Up above, Seraphimus frowned and kicked off the train. "Get off! Get off! Take wing!"
"But Commander—"
"Get off the train, Sergeant! That's an order!"
Raptr shuddered. He sheathed his hatchet and kicked off the side of the train just as the pole stabbed through once more. Snow melted upon contact with the metal, filling the blurry air with white steam.
All four griffons converged, gliding evenly with the rear of the train.
"How in the Hell did she know where we were?!" Windburst hissed.
"I think we all know how," Starstorm muttered.
Seraphimus took a deep breath. "Starstorm?"
"Yes, Commander?"
Seraphimus spoke without looking at her. "Still have the explosive charges?"
Starstorm blinked. She reached beneath her armor. "Yes, Commander..."
Seraphimus pointed. "Blow the rear door open."
"Now we're talking," Windburst grinned.
Raptr watched nervously as Starstorm produced a mana-powered charge and flew up to the rear of the train.
"Woohoo!" Twilight cheered. "You did it, Rainbow! You got them off us!"
"Smashing, darling!"
"Hey..." Rainbow wiped her brow and shrugged. "What can I say? Like fending birds off with sticks."
"Uhhhhm..." Pinkie phased through the ceiling again.
Rainbow slumped, her right wing drooped. "What now?"
"So... like... they've got explosives?"
Fluttershy blinked wide.
Pinkie pointed. "One of them's trying to get in through the back door."
"She's right!" Twilight grimaced, rubbing her horn. "An enchanted crystal fuse."
"And judging from the ordinance, it'll blast the back of this car clean off!" Rarity exclaimed.
"What'll we do?" Fluttershy stammered.
Rainbow bit her lip. She turned... turned... then turned some more.
"Rainbow..." Twilight pointed at the second car.
Rainbow spun around. Her eyes locked on the coupling platform. "...yes." She galloped forward.
Starstorm's claw pressed two buttons, spun a dial, then struck a final switch.
The explosive beeped, flashing wildly.
"Charge primed and set, Commander!" Seraphimus exclaimed.
"Good!" Seraphimus nodded. "Fall back!"
Starstorm lifted off, flapping her wings as she joined the rest of the group.
"Prepare to take point, Sergeant," Seraphimus said. "We'll cover you."
"Aye." Schiiiing! Starstorm unsheathed a fan of knives between her claws. She glared at the rear of the train. "Ten seconds."
Raptr and Windburst watched warily. Trees and boulders whizzed by on either side of the guardians.
Starstorm grunted into the snowfall: "Three... Two... One..."
P-POWWW! The back of the train exploded in a splash of splinters.
The Talon lifted to avoid the debris wall.
"Now, Sergeant!" Seraphimus hollered. "Go!"
Swisssh! Starstorm dove in. She threaded her way through the gaping hole in the train car, claws landing on the wooden floor.
TH-THUMP! She crouched, wings and muscles settling.
Then—from outside—Windburst's voice hollered: "Sergeant! The car!"
Cl-Clakka!
"...?!" Starstorm's eyes flashed up.
The second car was drawing away. The Sergeant caught sight of a blue pegasus yanking a lever, uncoupling the rear car from the rest of the train. In the naked snowlight brightening between them, Rainbow's ruby eyes glinted, making contact.
"Rrghhh!" With an angry snarl, Starstorm flung all her knives forward.
Th-Th-Thwisssssh!
Rainbow ducked behind the doorframe of the second car. Cl-Cl-Cl-Clank! The knives embedded into the black metal flame.
"Ungh!" Cursing beneath her breath, Starstorm broke into a full sprint. She ran the length of the car as it drifted away from the rest of the train. At last, when there was no more wooden floor beneath her, she took a savage leap.
A blue hoof slapped a console. Schlummp! A metal door sealed directly in front of her.
Starstorm's hawkeyes twitched. "...oh." WHUMP! She slammed beak-first into the next car. Before she could collapse entirely, her talons reached out, and the griffon clung to the doorframe by her claws. "Mrmmmfff... gnnghhh..." Tensing, she tried pulling herself up.
Schwissssh! The door reopened.
Starstorm looked up. "Huh?"
Rainbow's hoof bucked her in the helmet. CLANGGG!
"Ooomf!" And Starstorm lost her grip. As the rear door to the second car shut again, she fell, her body ragdolling across the rails and into a snowbank.
Raptr gasped, looking behind them. "Starstorm!" He glided back—
"No!' Seraphimus hollered. "Maintain formation!"
"But...!" Raptr pointed. "But Starstorm—"
"The Sergeant can handle herself!" Seraphimus glided forward, wingtips forming vapor trails in the air. "She'll rejoin us! Stay in pursuit!" She pointed. "Windburst! The side doors!"
"On it!" Windburst swerved right, whipping in and around fir trees. "I've got the right!"
"Raptr!" Seraphimus motioned. "Try and pry the left door open! I'll work on the rear!"
"Y-yes, ma'am!" Visibly rattled, Raptr nevertheless obeyed. All three guardians flapped their wings harder, catching up to the train. The rails pivoted towards the west... where a chasm loomed.
"Somehow, I think you only made them madder," Fluttershy said.
"Yes..." Rainbow backtrotted across the second train car, panting in the blue manalight. "And hopefully a bit stupider." She gulped. "Both tend to run hoof-and-hoof."
Cl-Clank! Clank! The walls of the train echoed all around them.
Rainbow twirled about, blinking.
"They're herrrrrrre!" Pinkie cooed.
"Surely they can't get into this car any easier than the one we just lost," Twilight wheezed.
"Not if they find a weak point," Rarity said, then spun around as she heard chiseling sounds. She pointed up at the doors. "Alas..."
"Rainbow, we're losing momentum," Twilight said. "I suggest we go back to the engine room and give 'er more oomf."
"Yeahhhh..." Rainbow took a deep breath, glaring at the doors as the chiseling continued. "But first thing's first..."
Raptr winced, his beak and talons coated with frost. Nevertheless, he fought the high winds and continued carving at the seams in the metal doorframe with his hatchet.
"If I can... j-just get... at the door mechanism..."
Suddenly, the panel slid open before him. Schwissssh!
Raptr blinked. His beak flew open. "H-Heeeey!" Smiling, he hollered up at the roof of the car. "Commander! I got it open!"
Seraphimus blinked into the cold winds. "That... easy?" She grimaced, then spat, "Sergeant! Get away from—"
Raptr heard a hissing sound.
"Huh?" He looked at the open door. Fwoooosh! A tangling mess of lizards covered him from head to tail. Then the door slid back shut.
"Hressssssssha!" They clawed and scurried all over the griffon, biting at his limbs and feathers.
"Aaaaaaaaaugh!" Raptr hollered. "Get 'em off! Get 'em off! Get 'em off!" He grabbed and yanked at his arms. Flailing, the rookie dropped the hatchet and flew completely off the train, tumbling to a stop on the sloping mountainside below.
Seraphimus watched his body drift into the distance. Grunting, she slammed her hatchet blade hard into the rear door and shouted. "Windburst! Raptr's down! Join me in the back!"
"Aye, Commander!" Windburst crawled over from the side. Seraphimus gave him a helping talon, and soon both clung to the rear door together.
"Let's get this door open! I hold the hatchet in place and you pry the mechanism apart!"
"Got it!"
Rainbow leaned against a cabinet full of empty cages.
"Hope the wyverns have plenty of bread crumbs to spare," Rainbow wheezed.
"We've still got two of them clinging on!" Pinkie said.
"One of them's the commander," Fluttershy added. "It's only a matter of time before the other two catch up."
"Rainbow!" Rarity floated in front of her. "The chasm's up ahead! The bridge as well!"
Cr-Crack!
Rainbow and her friends looked back.
A sliver of light formed along the edge of the doorframe. Cold mountain winds howled.
Rainbow frowned. "That's it." She turned tail and marched up the first train car, approaching the engine. "I'm bucking these clowns off our back once and for all."
"Are you going to speed us up?" Twilight asked.
"I'm going to speed us up and a half!"
"No! Wait!" Rarity stammered as she was swept up in the lavender barrier. "Rainbow, don't! Not yet—"
"Mrmmmggghh-aaaaaugh!" Windburst hollered, pulling hard at the stubborn door with his bare talons.
"Don't overdo it, Sergeant!" Seraphimus grunted, holding the hatchet in place. "I need your arms in one piece!"
"Trust me..." Windburst growled. "...I have every intention of pummeling that damn horse's face in when we're through!"
"We'll let the Council take a swing first."
"Promise?"
"Promise."
"Okay..." Windburst wheezed as he peered beak-first into the second car. "...almost got it."
Rarity hovered breathlessly into the engine compartment.
"Rainbow! This is important!" She gulped. "Before you try and accelerate the—" Her eyes blinked. "What in blazes are you doing?"
"'Blazes' is the key word here, Rarity!" Rainbow Dash's muscles quivered as she pressed off the engine room floor, hoisting two cages full of dredge coal across her flank. "Let's see those backward albatrosses cling onto this! Grnnngh!"
With that said, both cages emptied their contents into the furnace. No sooner had the fuel rattled down the chute when—
FWOOOOOMB! Tongues of brilliant flame vomited out.
"Rainbow, no—!" Rarity shrieked.
"Get down!" Twilight hollered.
The boiler roared and the train lurched ahead.
"Whoah!" Rainbow yelped as her body toppeled back into the second train car.
Pinkie and Fluttershy shrieked as they flew along with their anchor.
The wheels screeched against the rails beneath the train.
Windburst and Seraphimus looked down.
"The Hell...?!" Windburst wheezed.
"The train!" Seraphimus hollered, letting go of the hatchet and grabbing a metal bar. "It's acceler—"
FWOOOOSH! The landscape around them blurred into a mad white streak. Sparks flew from the railing.
"Aaaaa-aaa-aaa!" Windburst slipped and flew back from the car.
"Grfff!" Seraphimus flung a talon back, grabbing him by the arm. Her muscles rippled as she struggled to stay ahold solely by her grip to the metal bar. The wind howled to a deafening degree, and screeching metal wheels added to the bedlam. Eyes tearing, she looked up—then grimaced.
The bar was rattling loose.
Seraphimus growled, feeling her body pulled taut between the train and Windburst's weight. She tried repositioning her claws—
Clackkk! The bar broke loose. Seraphimus and Windburst went sailing backwards.
Windburst snarled, reached for his crossbow, then loaded a cabled crossbolt.
"Sergeant!" Seraphimus hollered as she flew upright behind the train.
Pow! Clank! Windburst's projectile embedded into the back of the car, and he instantly regretted it. "Whoah!" He yelped as the momentum flung him to the right. Whump! Wham! He slammed across two trees, flew to the left, and—THUDDD!—plowed into a mess of snowy branches. At last, the cable broke, and he flew back. "Aaaaaugh!"
Seraphimus caught him with her arms. WHUMP! The two slowed, hovering in mid-air as they watched the train tear off without them.
"Commander..." Windburst wheezed, still wincing from fresh bruises. "I'm sorry. I-I thought I had—"
"Shhhh!" Seraphimus pointed ahead, eyes wide. "The chasm."
"They're off!" Pinkie phased through the walls, hovering above Rainbow Dash in the first train car. "Dashie, they're thrown off! You did it!"
"Boo-yaa!" Rainbow Dash pumped a hoof in the air as she lay on her back. She grinned, despite the rattling of the dredge coal on either side of her. "Suck on that cracker, Polly!"
"Rainbow!" Rarity floated above Rainbow, frowning down. "You buffoon!"
"What?" Rainbow sat up, blinking. "Since when were you a parrot enthusiast?"
"Didn't you hear me?!" Rarity gnashed her teeth. "I told you not to accelerate the train!"
"I had to lose them somehow, Rarity!"
"But we're about to span the bridge!"
"Yeah?" Rainbow rotated one forelimb, wincing. "So?"
"Rainbow..." Rarity squinted. "...the bridge is curved."
"... ... ..." Rainbow froze where she sat. The dredge coal rattled harder and harder. She looked into the engine room.
Twilight was staring at the instrument panels, and every needle was in the red. She turned back to gape at Rainbow with a pale expression.
"... ... ..." Rainbow blinked. "Awwwwwwwwwwwww sh—"
FWOOOSH! The speeding train hurled over the chasm. Flakes of snow fell off the bridge from the sparkling wheels, and each flake sailed hundreds of feet down into a murderously looming ravine below.
Seconds later, the train hit the curve. Sparks flew brighter. The weight of the train groaned as it swung around the bend. Wooden support beams shook, wobbled, buckled.
"Aaaaaack!" Fluttershy and Rarity clung to each other as they flew across the train car.
"Oooomf! Guhh!" Rainbow grunted as she rolled and toppled. At last, she felt her body being pressed to the right side of the car during the violent turn.
"Rainbowwwww!" Twilight hollered, sailing back from the engine compartment.
Screeee-eee-eeeech!
Sparks flew from both sides of the train...
...and then from one side.
This was because the left wheels of the train cars were lifting off the rails in mid-turn.
Slowly—inch by suicidal inch—the right side of the train lurched towards the forested ravine below, pulled over by their weight.
"We're toppling!" Rarity hollered, clinging to Fluttershy tighter. "We're toppling over!"
"No! No!" Pinkie spun in the air as dredge coal flew off their shelves. "Bad train! Bad!"
"Rainbow!" Twilight sputtered. "At any second, we'll—"
"Grrgh—Raaaugh!" Rainbow uncoiled her leg muscles and sprang off the wall.
Fluttershy gasped, her turquoise eyes reflecting a blue streak.
Rainbow flew across the train and rammed her shoulder into the left side. Thuddd!
With a metallic groan, the left wheels of the train slammed back onto the rails.
Sparks rained down.
The entire bridge below wobbled, shaking loose snow and icicles.
But the train wasn't done. The weight was still shifting. And within half-a-second—
Screeeeeeech!
—the right wheels lifted up, slicing at the snowy air.
"Other side!" Rarity sputtered into Fluttershy's mane. "Other side now!"
"Htttt!" Rainbow dove off the wall again, phasing through Pinkie Pie.
"Weeeeeeeeee!" Pinkie managed in mid-cartwheel.
"Grnnngh!" Rainbow slammed her butt hard into the right wall. THAP!
Scr-Screeeech!
The wheels of the train slammed back down onto the rails once again...
...all except the wheels belonging to the second car. The rear of the train was sailing crookedly behind the rest of the speeding vehicle. Even as the bridge angled into a straightaway, the last car progressively teetered left, leaning towards the southern mouth of the chasm.
"Ooomf!" Rainbow collapsed hard onto the floor of the first car. She coughed and sputtered between rattling clumps of dredge coal.
"We still have a problem!" Rarity's voice cracked.
"Mrmmfff... seriously?" Rainbow looked upside down. Through the doorway, she saw the interior of the second car pivoted at a forty-five degree angle. "Luna poop!"
"Rainbow!" Twilight pointed. "The coupling!"
Huffing and puffing, Rainbow rolled over and galloped towards the second car.
Her hooves slipped on round clumps of dredge coal.
"Ooomf! Grnngh!" Rainbow fell flat on her belly more than once.
The second car teetered more and more. Fifty degrees. Sixty.
The air filled with metal screeching. The left wheels of the first car lifted again.
"Hurry, Rainbowwwww!" Fluttershy covered her muzzle.
"Aaaagh!" Rainbow flapped her right wing and threw herself forward.
Her hoof grabbed the lever, yanking it.
Clak-clakka! The second car detached from the rest of the train. The manalights inside dimmed instantly.
Thwumppp! Rainbow fell onto the floor of the first car as the wheels evened out. She watched—breathless—as the second car drew away, teetered, and...
...fell off the bridge completely. The car spun, toppling several times in mid-air. It ricocheted off the support beams of the bridge, sailed into the thick forest below, and exploded in a cloud of shrapnel and snow.
The resulting thunder from the impact sent shockwaves across the canyon, shaking clumps of snow off clifffaces and mountain slopes.
Seraphimus and Windburst heard this. They hovered at the ravine's edge, struggling to catch their breaths.
Seraphimus blinked. Her eyes traveled up from the smashed fir trees, trailed the length of the bridge, then settled on the plateau up ahead. The railway led directly into a mountain redge that occupied the entire horizon.
"... ... ...a tunnel!"
"The train had to have lost momentum from that," Windburst said.
"We must take advantage of this." Seraphimus slapped Windburst's shoulder. "Fire a flare so the others will join us."
"Right!" As Seraphimus flew ahead, Windburst loaded a red barb into his crossbow, took aim at the sky, and fired. Thwiffft!
Both griffons sped straight across the chasm, sailing for the mountain ridge as a bright red explosion rippled brightly overhead. POW!
Meanwhile, far back...
"Rrrgh! Mrmmf! Gaaagh!" Raptr rolled around and around in the snow, batting the clingy-biting lizards off him. Each scurried off into the shrubbery as he stood up, struggling with the last. "Get off! Get... off!"
Fwoooosh! Starstorm landed next to him. "Hold still, Sergeant." She leaned in and used the tip of her wing-blade to knock off the last few creatures.
"Rnnngh—ghaaah!" Raptr—finally free—hovered in mid-air, shivering all over. "Bleahhhh... oh thank Goddess none of the Six Tribes is reptilian."
"I'm sure you'll live," Starstorm said with a smirk.
"Barely..." Raptr gazed at her. "You okay?"
"A little rattled, but yeah." Starstorm gulped. "Where's the train?"
The top of the forest around them lit up with a red strobe. Both griffons gawked at the sky, spotting the flare.
"Over there, I bet," Raptr pointed.
"Come!" Starstorm took wing, ascending rapidly. "They'll need backup!"
"Mmmmmmmmmmm..." Raptr clenched his beak shut as he tore skyward after her. Swoooosh!
Rainbow struggled groggily to her hooves, shielding herself from the cold mountain air at the rear of the train.
"I know this is the last thing you want to hear, Rainbow, but..." Fluttershy gulped. "...they're catching up."
"Really?" Pinkie pouted. "Awwwww... these birds are worse than pigeons!"
"Mrmmf..." Rainbow limped towards the engine compartment, hobbling over loose dredge coal. "Where from, Flutters?"
"The Commander and her wingmate are taking a straight path across the chasm," Fluttershy said. "The other two will be catching up as well in a minute."
"Well of course they're catching up!" Twilight exclaimed. "We have rails... they have air." She flung a forlorn look towards the engine compartment. "And we're slowing down again."
"We're not through yet..." Rainbow wheezed. "Rarity? How close is the tunnel?"
"Very close, Rainbow." Rarity's forehead tensed as she rubbed her horn. "And... and there's something else."
"What is it, Rares?" Rainbow squinted back, rubbing her aching back. "Go on. I'm listening this time. For real."
"Well..." Rarity cleared her throat. "There's something... hollow about the mountain ridge."
"Hollow?" Twilight blinked.
"There are passages... yes..." Rarity's eyes lit up. "Yes. There are passages inside!" She looked at Rainbow. "A few of them even lead into the tunnel!"
"Huh?" Rainbow blinked.
"Passages... passages..." Twilight thought out loud. Suddenly, she gasped. "The mines! Rainbow, it's the mines that Nana Pearl talked about!"
"Could we be so lucky?" Fluttershy exclaimed.
"Maybe..." Rainbow frowned as she marched into the engine room. "But only if the Talon get unluckier."
"Whatever you're planning, Rainbow, do it quick!" Rarity stammered. "The tunnel entrance is approaching quick!"
"Commander," Windburst spoke, squinting against the wind. "The tunnel. She's about to—"
"I know." Seraphimus nodded. "Keep your elevation."
"But Serap—" Windburst's beak clattered as he gestured. "We can easily catch up with the train if we—"
"The ridge isn't too wide. That means the exit of the tunnel isn't far away.' Seraphimus nodded at the treeline atop the mountain. "We'll fly over and cut the train off on the other side."
"And what about Raptr and Starstorm?"
"We can trust them to cover this end of the tunnel."
Windburst swallowed. "I understand now."
"We'll surround the Rogue on all sides." Her eyes narrowed. "Whatever she's hoping to achieve, there's no longer any escape for her."
"Right. After you, Commander."
"Stay close." Seraphimus held her breath and flapped her wings harder. Soon, both griffons ascended, skimming over the mountain ridge and piercing the snowy foliage beyond.
"Wait a second..." Fluttershy squirmed in mid-hover. "They're doing something new." She blinked, concentrating. "... ... ...the Commander and her wingmate have flown ahead."
Rarity closed her eyes. "The tunnel." She swallowed. "Its exit is only a short distance away from the entrance." Her eyes fluttered back open. "They're trying to cut us off!"
"And the baddies behind us?" Pinkie asked.
"Still at our rear," Fluttershy said. "We're being surrounded."
"Best news I heard all day." Rainbow shoved more dredge coal down the chute. "Pinkie? You've been a good pair of eyes. Try and find me some cloth. The more flammable the better."
"Okie dokie lokie!" Pinkie Pie zipped off, phasing through the walls of the engine and first car.
"Dare I ask?" Twilight remarked.
"First, lemme ask you something." Rainbow pointed at the instrument panel. "Which of these pipes or conduits is—like—super important for maintaining the 'steam equilibrium' or whatnot?"
"Well..." Twilight rubbed her chin, then pointed at a horizontal length of metal tubing. "I suppose these are super important for maintaining the pressure—"
"Cool. Good to know." And Rainbow Dash bucked the pipework hard. Clank!
The tubes burst, spraying mist and steam all across the compartment. The marefriends gaped as every needle along the instrument panel surged into the red.
"Whoah whoah whoah!" Twilight Sparkle gasped. "Rainbow, are you crazy?!"
"About as crazy as I was back in Steamfall when we pulled the same stunt!" she exclaimed.
"But, without those failsafes, the train's engine risks a catastrophic overloa—" Twilight froze in mid-speech. She blinked, then lifted her head with a pale expression. "This is what you want."
Rainbow frowned as she turned every valve as far as they would go. "These freakie-deakie ducks want this train so badly? They can have it. In pieces."
"And what about you, huh?!" Twilight exclaimed. Then, a nervous gulp. "What about us?"
"We've already got ourselves an exit," Rainbow said. "Isn't that right, Rarity?"
"Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh..." Rarity whimpered.
"Dashie!" Pinkie flew back into the engine compartment. "There's a bunch of rags in one of the overhead compartments! Like... bundles of 'em!"
"Good, Pinkie!" Rainbow had to speak above the whining steam leaks. "Rarity, Fluttershy... care to refresh me on how to tie proper knots?"
SWOOOOSH!
Chugging loudly, the train roared into the tunnel, entering with a burst of smoke and steam.
Not that far behind...
...two griffons in silver armor closed in.
"It's inside!" Raptr exclaimed.
"Best to keep our pursuit!" Starstorm droned.
"But... the Commander—?"
"She and Windburst are trying to cut it off from the other side!"
"You sure?"
"Pretty sure!"
Raptr took a deep breath. Hold onto your ears...
Fw-Fwoooosh! Both wingmates threaded their way in after the train.
With glinting claws, Seraphimus and Windburst landed on the other side of the ridge.
They faced the exit, standing on either side of the railing.
"It's coming," Seraphimus stammered, panting for breath. "You see it yet?"
"No." Windburst unholstered his crossbow. Clak-Clak! "But I hear it."
"Ready an explosive bolt," Seraphimus commanded. "Aim for the engine's left wheels." She glared into the dark tunnel as the sound of screeching wheels intensified. "We're stopping the Rogue, even if we have to stop the train to do it."
"As you wish, ma'am." Windburst raised his crossbow, aiming into the darkness.
"Careful, Rainbow..." Twilight nervously said.
Pinkie's beady eyes bounced. "You're telling her to be careful now?"
"Shhh!" Fluttershy insisted. "Let her concentrate—" She stopped as her face was lit up by a bright red blaze.
Rainbow Dash had tied together a half-dozen rags and dipped one end of them into the chute. The furnace caught the material ablaze, and the fire was swiftly traveling up the length of the material.
"Okaaaaaaay..." Rainbow clenched her teeth, gingerly holding the makeshift fuse. At last, she laid it across the floor of the first car, draping the un-lit end all over the crates full of dredge coal. As soon as she released the burning fuse, she hopped back into the engine compartment and bucked the lever with her hoof.
CLAKKA!
The coupler loosened. The car drifted back from the engine. Rainbow gave it a slight boost with her hooves, pushing and grunting. The walls of the tunnel blurred by on either side while cold air blew at her ears. Undaunted, the mare climbed up the rear of the engine until she mounted the top of it.
"The tunnel exit's coming, Rainbow!" Rarity exclaimed.
"Right..." A gray light blossomed dead ahead, catching each bulb of sweat across Rainbow's muzzle. "Now where're those passages?"
"You didn't think that far ahead?!" Twilight exclaimed.
"Above!" Rarity pointed. "Up above us!"
"Where above us?!" Rainbow shouted into the rippling air.
"Something's hanging down from a vertical shaft!"
"I sense it, Dashie!" Pinkie Pie said, squinting. "My shoulder's going crazy! That means a ladder's coming up on you super fast!"
Rainbow gritted her teeth. "Then you'd better time this for me, Pinkie—"
"Look out!" Twilight suddenly shouted. "The dredge coal!"
Rainbow looked behind her. Just then, her ruby eyes lit up with a splash of amber.
KAPOWWWWW! Several spaces down, the fuel car exploded. An enormous plume of fire erupted.
"Oh goodness!" Fluttershy yelped.
"Now, Dashie!" Pinkie Pie hollered. "Jump, Dashie, jump!"
"Ah jeez—" Rainbow turned and did a blind leap. The locomotive engine soared ahead of her, screaming. Rainbow flew and—Clank! To her surprise, her forelimbs clasped onto the bottom rung of a rusted ladder. "Grgghh! Wh-whoah—"
"Now climb!" Pinkie hollered over the sound of billowing flame. The tunnel lit up red and orange around them. "For the love of all that's fuzzy, climb as though your life depended on it!"
"Climbiiiing!" Rainbow wheezed, grasping onto each rung. She sped her way up the narrow shaft as—
—thunder rolled down the tunnel.
"Holy—!" Raptr braked in midair, blinking. "Did you hear that?!"
"Sounds almost like..." Starstorm squinted ahead... then didn't have to squint any longer.
A burning wall of flame fountained towards them.
"Back..." Starstorm slapped Raptr's helmet and turned-tail. "Fly back!"
"Ah jeez!" Raptr whimpered as both Sergeants flew back the way they came. The flamewall chased after them, singeing their tails.
With combined shrieked, the two barely made it out of the tunnel, leaping both ways as—
FWOOOOOOOOMB! A murderous plume of fire vomited out of the east end of the tunnel.
On the other side...
Seraphimus' headcrest lifted at the sound of a horrific tremor. "...something's wrong."
"What are you talking about?" Windburst chuckled down the sight of his crossbow. "It's coming straight for us." All of a sudden, his hawkeyes widened.
The locomotive engine came screaming around the last turn, hurdling itself out of the tunnel at a murderous speed. As it sailed towards the two griffons, its pipes and metal plates bursting one after another. At last, its smokestack exploded, spilling shrapnel and scalding hot steam in every direction.
"It's coming straight for us!" Windburst shrieked.
"Move! Move!" Seraphimus flung him to one side, then dove towards the other.
SCREEEEE-EEEE-EEECH! The bursting engine soared past them, flew off the rails, then plummeted down the mountainside below. The air rumbled with crunching trees. Seconds later, the furnace erupted, spilling flames and metal debris sky high.
"Aaugh!" Windburst shielded himself as flakes of red-hot metal joined the falling snow.
Seraphimus winced, squinting at the destruction. Just then—to her left—a mess of flames billowed from the tunnel's exit, forcing her to gasp.
"Climb Dashie! Climb!" Pinkie hollered.
"How... far... does... this... thing... go...?!" Rainbow wheezed above the loud rumbling.
"Just a little bit further!" Rarity pointed. "There's a metal seal with a hinge at the top—" Her eyes widened as the entire shaft lit up.
Fluttershy stared down at a deathly circle of bright orange light. "Oh no..."
"Rainbow, move!" Twilight shrieked. The flames roared up the shaft at an alarming rate. "Move or you're toast!"
"Ah jeez ah jeez—" Rainbow scurried as fast as her legs could carry her.
"There's the lid, darling!" Rarity hollered as Rainbow reached the top. "Close it!"
"Mrmmf!" Rainbow rolled up onto the bottom of a vertical earthen passage. She threw herself over and clapsed the top valve of a round seal.
"Hurry, Dashie!" Pinkie crouched at Rainbow's side. "Hurry hurry hurry hurry hurry!"
Flames slammed against the metal lid from below. Ashes flickered all around Rainbow.
"Grrrrrrrrrrrrrr-raaaugh!" At last, using her full weight, Rainbow sealed the door entirely, casting her and the four mares into total blackness.
All was shadow and rumbling.
Seraphimus and Windburst stood up, panting. Smoke poured out of the tunnel exit, casting ashes and embers across the superheated railroad tracks.
The Commander gazed into the flames. Fire filled the tunnel from wall to wall, forming a reflective orange line against her charcoal eyes. The griffon's headcrest drooped as her muscles went limp.
Fw-Fwooosh! Starstorm and Raptr descended, landing behind the other two members of the Talon.
"Oh, you're both safe!" Starstorm wheezed. "Praise Verlaxion!"
"We barely got out with our feathers intact!" Raptr exhaled, wiping the sweat off. "Holy smokes! Where... where did the train engine go?"
Windburst pointed southwest. "About a quarter of a mile down the mountainside."
A reserve tank exploded in the distance, scaring birds into the snowy air. The Sergeants flinched. Commander stood dead-still.
"So..." Starstorm gulped. "What... wh-what do we do now?"
"Do we go in, Commander?" Raptr asked. "I... I-I can't imagine the Rogue stayed on board the engine when it plummeted!"
"There still may be a way to explore the tunnel!" Starstorm insisted. "Post Talon members at both exits while we conduct a search?"
"... ... ..." Seraphimus stared into the flame. Her charcoal eyes matched the smoke and haze. "... ... ...no."
Windburst did a double-take.
"No, Commander?" Raptr blinked.
"Gather your breaths," Seraphimus said. Slowly, she pivoted away from the tunnel and shuffled across the tracks. "When we're all well-rested, we return to Braum."
"But... but..."
"We'll reconvene with the Lieutenant... and I'll prepare a report for the Council."
"You can't be serious," Windburst stammered.
Seraphimus said nothing.
Starstorm blinked at Windburst, then at Raptr.
"Commander, she's... she's in there!" Windburst sputtered. "She has to be! I can't believe you'd just le—"
"We are returning to Braum!" Seraphimus spun around, eyes flaring. "Do you understand?! This hunt is over!"
"But... but..." Raptr gulped. "The Talon never loses its prey! You said so yourself!"
"I've also never encountered anything like this before," Seraphimus said. "And it's time that I accepted the difference between our duty and Verlaxion's will." Fuming, she turned once again towards the snowy forest. "Too much is at stake for us to continue this charade."
"But..." Starstorm gulped. "What of the Council."
"If they don't understand, I will make them understand." Seraphimus marched off. Firmly. "Besides, there are other pressing concerns in Ivory Prefecture. And unlike the Rainbow Rogue, they do fall within the purview of our control." A deep breath. "Now... when you're ready... take wing and join me in Braum. Failure to do so will result in the termination of your commission." FWOOOSH! On razor-sharp wings, she took off, rocketing southwest from that location.
Starstorm and Raptr looked at one another.
Windburst clenched his beak tight, shaking. Fuming, he finally ripped his helmet off and flung it into the ground. "Gaaaaaah!" Kicking at chunks of debris, he stormed off, pacing angrily.
Starstorm hung her head while Raptr gazed woefully at the mountain... and the drifts of snow rolling off its rumbling exterior.
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Anyone else reminded of the end of Portal 2, when GLaDOS gets fed up trying to kill you and just lets you go?
Somehow i didn't think they would give up. I am worried for Keris now
Aw shit. Sera finally learned her lesson the hard way. You can't stop the awesomeness that is the east horse.
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I've heard that murdering innocent villagers will lure the rainbow rogue, just know that no one has ever survived afyer that trick.
Smartest decision of Seraphimus' life, there. Took a train exploding in her face to get her to realize that going after Dash that hard only increases the chaos exponentially. Maybe that's what Verlax wants Dash constantly on the run, hoping for more of this kind of explosive pursuit to occur?
Now, how are things in Braum during all this, I wonder? Longaze escape yet?
Also, am I the only one who's wondering how that light trick with Rarity worked? Can the girls actually project light other people can see or something? It'd seem to suggest so, since the light illuminates the map, so if it can illuminate a physical object in the world it'd stand to reason anyone could see the light then. Hell, this makes me remember the girls can somehow smell things too... how does that even work without a physical body? Smell is a biological process, so how do they do it without, uh... a biology? IC, you're trying to make my head hurt, aren't you?
Annnd, my expectations crash and burn yet again. Pah Fah Whiz indeed.
Thats one way to make sure you split the party, Hope Keris is ok after Seraphs anger has gone through the fury and into the deadly calm beyond. Actually, it will be intresting if Longgaze is still there, and her next interaction with a Law enforcer just Needing to do her job.
Judge, jury, Punisher?
Meanwhile. Dash, hopefully with her supplies, is an inch away from an unstable burning tunnel, buried deep under a mountain, in the mines of MinTirath? Time to find Daylight.
Holy crap, was that intense.
I've got nothing else relevant to say, so...
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Looks like sera took rainbow's warning to heart...
now she, sera, doesnt have to die! 
I'm surprised they didn't assume that Dash was dead from the explosion. How are they so sure she's still alive?
Oh carol-anne, its just a tv
that can't be good
Well, I'm not happy
6906370 HEYYYYYHEyheyheyheyheyheyheyhey HEY.
these books, they have 200 chapters. Always. Do you see 200 chapters already? Because i do not.
And i am REALLY happy it is so:D
I'm only seeing three. Maybe Seraphimus is truly a ninja.
Well, that was certainly the most intense thing I've read today.
So...is the pursuit finally over? Can Dashie finally breathe a sigh of relief and get on with her journey?
Eh, probably not. Not while Verlax and the Consortium are still around.
haven't heard that name in a while.
Hmm i didn't expect that, Seraphimus must have taken Dashs words to her heart about that she usually just travels peacefully until something decides to stop her from doing that, i guess she either takes it as verlax' will or she saw a pattern of the closer they get to catch her the lager the resulting calamity that aids to her escape and she simply fears for collateral damage.
Had plenty of explosions, needs more short skirts.
Daaaaaammnn! What a way to make an exit.
....I feel like cackling maniacally, that was the most AWESOME! thing I've ever read.
Dash still thinking dangerously.
Lizard bomb! Frill necks too from the description.
Rainbow turned one train into three bombs, that takes skill.
-Companions have returned, inner darkness spurned. Utaan.
6906356 Because it's Rainbow. Since when does Rainbow die?
Well that was one hell of a way for Dash to lose the Talons.
Yasssss!!!!! I love frequent explosions. Brings back memories.
Red Barge arc in an a nutshell
That's why you don't mess with
John McClaneDashie!6906341 I never thought I'd see that gif be relevant.
So that is one threat out of the way. Nice work Rainbow, kind of wish she could have kept the train, but oh well.
Does this mean what I think it means? That Seraph is starting to see through the subterfuge the Verlax has pulled on her whole kingdom. She also seems to realize that the real issue is not Rainbow, but what she has been painted as. Hopefully this means good things in the future. But for now I am guessing we will be seeing more scenery porn
.
What a chapter. So much to talk about, but, um...
I doubt Flutters was all too happy to see all of those cold blooded animals thrown out in the snow...
I thought there was going to be a Souls-like boss fight on that train. This was better.
Luckily I didn't find a new chapter this morning, or I would have not looked again until later, and would have missed this until monday. This chapter was long and full of explosions, like a train.
Holy Throne, that was intense!
How would Fluttershy know that'd work?
I see what you did there.
Wow. Seraphimus is so stressed, she's forgetting she's the commander and she's talking to herself.
Steam isn't the only thing that doesn't work properly on this continent. Neither does conservation of momentum.
Wyverns aren't?
Awwww... that's so cute...
hurtling
The correct decision, but was it for the right reason? It could matter down the road. I think it's safe to say we haven't seen the last of the Talon.
Guess who caught up bitches
I feel sorry for the Talon. Seraphimus pushed them just a little too far with that whole escapade. If only she had listened to Dashie back in the boiler room. At least they are off of her tail-stub.
Now that was an exciting climax to this little hunt! While I'm sure this isn't the last we have seen of the Talon it's going to be interesting to see what side they join when this is all over.
"....I'M SICK OF THIS SHIT!"
They physics in this chapter. We're seriously going rogue right now.
What the wyverns aren't?
An excellent action chapter that had me on the edge of my seat, and ends in Seraphimus finally learning? Bravo.
It will be nice to see the story diverge a little, showing the Talon as they fight the Consortium / Longaze and Rainbow going with the Job Squad. I can breathe a little easier now that Rainbow's not being chased (for now).
Sera didn't specify the length of their recovery time and took off well ahead of her exhausted team regardless.
Suuuurely one of them is tempted to give the tunnel a scan.
6907014
Do we chalk it up to Verlax exploiting Dash's brash methods by mucking around with energy and matter to give her an absurd edge?
I'm going to go back to the start of this crazy train. I'll see y'all in a week.
From the last chapter,
Oh dear, I hope this doesn't prove to be prophetic.
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And for the rest of the chapter:
vignette3.wikia.nocookie.net/josh-and-joey/images/8/86/Choo-choo-motherfucker.jpg
6906906 Just kidding, I swear I'm trying though.
Hot Damn. This was one hell of a chapter.
Also, did Dash pick Sinrar's map back up or is it ash at the bottom the mountain?
6906509 Oh she's dies. She just doesn't stay dead.
6905785 I'm glad that you're approaching this with rationality. I was kind of emotional when I wrote it.
That was a great climax for this part in the story. I guess we might not see the Right Talon until Rainbow Dash worms her way back to Frostknife. By then I assume Chandler will have some how freed Longaze and gained more clout in the council.
6906826 "Lucky" Steve back in Riverstem said he got stung by one.
So no.
Austraeoh Fact Checker, how many times have vehicles that Rainbow's traveled in been destroyed?
I vote this destruction to be the most steamy one so far.
And I don't think that we've seen the last of Seraphimus and the Talon. I guess that she'll claim that the Rogue died in the explosions.
6907242
Perhaps there won't be a tribal war, after all what got him to leave his train was Dashie stealing it, fending off The Talon, and then destroying it all in a blaze of glory. Though a tribal war is what might make him leave his next beloved train.
6907738 I just wondered if it was some foreshadowing.
Well, that was one hell of a ride. One of the most intense chapters in a while, as it should have been. And now, it seems, Rainbow's finally gonna get a breather. I mean, I know there's a snowball's chance in hell that we've seen the last of the Talon, but still. They can do more good elsewhere anyway, exposing the Consortium. Which just leaves Rainbow to get to Wyvern Point somehow.
Also, might want to be cautious on that "get a breather" thing. After all, she's underground now. That never bodes well.