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// The Flaming Train 
// Story: The SOLDIER in Equestria 
// by Neroson40 
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                It was a week after my Rehab. The ponies and I were on a train headed for the city of Canterlot… we had to talk to Princess Celestia about Sephiroth and Jenova. There were two types of ponies on the train with us… those who didn’t notice me, and those who couldn’t stop noticing me. I guess they don’t have many or any humans in Equestria.

                “The hay is this thing?” someone asked while I was asleep. “And why’s it asleep during a train robbery?” I pulled through the haze of my subconscious and saw the face of a unicorn colt behind a bandana.

                “Ugh,” I sighed. “I really don’t want to deal with this.” I got up and snapped the hilt of the Fairblade into position… without opening the blade. The tip of his horn started glowing.

                “You really wanna take on a hardened-“ He didn’t have time to finish the thought. I slammed the Fairblade into the side of his face. Knocking him against the door on the other side of the car. I groaned, rolled my good shoulder, and faced the other train robber. He started charging his magic… I pulled out a thunder Materia and charged it up. Before he unleashed his spell, I yelled, “Thunder!” and gave him… quite the shock.



                “Why is the train being robbed?” I asked the one I shocked.

                “Princess Twilight Sparkle’s on board,” he responded. “We thought we could use her as Leverage to get our boss back.”

                “Okay… where are your friends?” I asked.

                “You think we’re gonna tell you?” The one I smacked with the Fairblade said.

                “I wonder if you can still use magic if you lose your horns… the hard way!” I said with a threatening tone.

                “You’re bluffing…” they said in unison. In response, I shrugged and propped the Fairblade on the tip. They gave me the details of the heist, and I knocked them out. I climbed out the window and ran along the top of the train. I had to dodge some magic beams around the first-class car… but I did make it to the engine. There were two… pegasi… that didn’t belong in the room with the engineer and fireman. I pulled my handset out of my pocket and called the new number that Zack put in its registry.

                “Zack? How fast can you get to Fillydalphia?” I asked. A bit of talk from the other line before Zack responded.

                “Where are you now?” he asked.

                “Just passed the halfway point between there and Ponyville. If you need a warp or something, bring your bike. You’re gonna need it.” A second later he was on top of the train with me and his bike. “How?”

                “Princess Celestia literally summoned me to help explain the threat. She just teleported me here after learning the approximate location.” I had to shake my head to remember what I needed him for.

                “Okay, head for the back of the train and get rid of the guys holding the train hostage, meet me in the first-class car.”

                “The train’s being robbed!?” Zack yelled. I shot him a look of urgency and he hopped on his bike and rode for the caboose. I jumped into the coal supply and slid down to meet the robbers, who after a bit of surprise, tried to hit me with razor feathers, which I deflected before freezing them with a blizzard spell. I got a call from Zack after disconnecting the train from the engine.

                “We’ve got a problem with first-class!” he said. ‘Man that was fast’ ran through my mind before I asked what he meant. The guy holding the car hostage… he’s human. He said that as the engine to this train exploded a mile away.