//------------------------------// // Chapter 5: Train Car Tussle // Story: Spectrum of Lightning // by Seriff Pilcrow //------------------------------// Why couldn't you have just minded your own business? You…you just killed somepony and you're treating it like it was nothing! What would Night Light say if he saw you now? Twilight Velvet was in a haze of questions and regrets. Ever since the stallion had clocked her in the head, she'd been forced into a tour of her subconscious. Every single thought and piece of introspection she had pushed into the back of her mind was coming back to her. Why was she so possessive of that notebook anyway? Sure, the thugs attacking her—not to mention the original owner's findings on one of Meadowbrook the Fourth's ancient items—confirmed what Velvet already knew: she had stumbled onto something big. But the dull pain from her now-bloodied nose reminded her of the heavy price tag latched onto her big scoop. Look at what you've just sunk into! Blood was already on your hooves, and just because you wanted to read a damn book! The cloaked mare's contorted, anguished expression replayed in Velvet's mind. Her convulsing body, her eyes rolling back into her head—Velvet shut her eyes, trying to banish the image from her subconscious. Things like motocross were one thing, but ponies actually dying—and being responsible for their deaths—was another can of worms. Velvet pursed her lips and sighed. All she wanted to do was to close her eyes and wait for the part where the hero rescues the damsel in distress. She waved herself off with a hoof. Nopony was going to save her. Stuff like that only happens in cliched movies. The gray void began to fade. The faint silhouettes of ponies came into view, followed by the edges and angles of the boxes of the train's cargo. A slight tremor coursed through her body, sensation returning to her extremities. The jacket-wearing stallion had his back turned as he spoke into a walkie-talkie, a nearby unicorn stallion sending magic flowing to the jacketed stallion's now-bandaged foreleg. Velvet turned her head to the left and folded her ear. “Fifty-thousand bits? I…don't know what to say.” A mare's voice chattered back through the radio. “Yes, Volt. Canterlot it is. See you there…and thanks for the raise.” As the stallion turned the knob on the walkie-talkie, Velvet surveyed the thugs in the car. Aside from the jacketed stallion, there were three shadowy figures. They were too far for Velvet to make out… that is, until one of them turned to face her. “She's awake.” The jacketed stallion also turned to face Velvet. “Take care of her for me, will you? I still have to brief the mules at the front.” The shadowy figures began to walk towards Velvet. Her horn sputtered and sparked. Magic dripped from its tip while electricity arced across the surface. The spell fizzled out. Slamming her eyes shut, Velvet strained and grunted several times, but her horn refused to release anything more than a flicker. Why couldn't her magic recharge faster? The shadowy figures towered over Velvet. The first one's mane was just as ruffled as Velvet's. Blood ran from her nose and dripped from her chin, and a dark reddish purple surrounded her bloodshot eyes. Her gleaming, but disconcerting smile sent a tingle on Velvet's spine. “Aw, look here!” a familiar mare's voice resounded through the baggage car. “Did your choo-choo train run out of steam?” Velvet said nothing. “Nothing a little percussive maintenance can't fix!” The mare coiled her leg. Velvet closed her eyes, bracing herself for the kick. “Hey hey,” the second figure chided. She deflected the bright yellow mare's leg with her own, the assault rifle rattling as it hung from its strap. “Easy there, Wild Card. She's had enough. Besides, Volt wants to have a talk with our friend here—see how much she knows.” “And when did she say that?!” “Couple of minutes ago. Seriously, try listening to your radio sometime.” Wild Card retracted and staggered away with a huff, holding a hoof to the bruises on her head. “But I get dibs on her after Volt. Deal? Can't wait to show this filly how to punch like a real mare.” “Be my guest. Just don't do anything…explosive. You know how clingy Birdshot is with the grenades.” “I can't make any promises!” “Of course you can't.” The assault riflemare nodded to the third figure—the unicorn stallion from earlier. He forced Velvet into a bipedal stance with his magic, dizziness swirling in her brain as her hind legs trembled from being forced into an unfamiliar posture. He then stood on two legs and trapped her forelegs in a hug, his tan fatigues scratching her sweaty fur. Blood snaked from Velvet's nose and down her neck. Fighting the urge to cough, her mouth quivered into a smile. If this was it for her, she might as well enjoy herself. “Is that a gun in your pocket, or do you just like your mares roughened up?” Her captor grumbled as he whipped out a small revolver and pointed it at her head. Guess that answered that question. After glancing at Velvet and her captor, the jacketed stallion adjusted the frequency of his radio and put his ear towards its speaker. “Ironsides, come in,” he said. “We've retrieved the notebook. I don't think there's anyone else on the train. You can stop scouting the rest of the train, over.” He let go of the button on the radio, but kept his eyes and ears pointed at it. “Ironsides, do you copy?” “Of course not,” said the pony with the rifle. “This is Ironsides we're talking about. He never replies on time. Why, he's probably—” A loud metallic boom echoed from the ceiling. Clouds of dust drifted downwards as everypony in the car flinched and looked up, Velvet included. The stallion holding her reasserted his grip and pressed the muzzle of his pistol further into her neck, causing Velvet to freeze. “Son of a broodmare!” swore Wild Card. “What was that?” The radio crackled to life. As the jacketed stallion fumbled the radio and leaned towards it, Velvet could hear another stallion groan from the speaker, the wind howling as the train picked up speed. The jacketed stallion brought his ear closer to the speaker as his colleagues stared at the device. “Ironsides, what's going on?!” Ironsides let out a couple of pained breaths. “She…” he tried to say before his voice trailed off. “She's here! I have a v—” An ear-piercing snap cut Ironsides off. The jacketed stallion recoiled, clutching his ear. Velvet looked through the skylight, her eyes catching what looked like a cord of rope bisecting the view. Ironsides' screams suppressed the sound of his body being yanked across the roof of the car, translated into real noise by a cascade of thuds across the ceiling. Despite that, Velvet thought she heard railroad signals clanging in the background. The next few moments seemed to pass slowly for Velvet. The signals went from faint to deafening in less than a second, drowning out all the other noises coming from the speaker. From Velvet's worm's-eye-view, the silhouette of Ironsides' body collided with the silhouette of a signal. The cord unwrapped from his hoof as the collision propelled Ironsides' body through the skylight. Glass shattering—a real sound, not one filtered through a radio—diverted all the thugs' attention to the skylight above. As everypony dove to the floor and reflexively shielded their faces from the falling glass, Ironsides crashed into several crates, turning them to splinters. Velvet had slammed her eyes shut and curled into a ball to avoid the shards of glass. Only when she opened her eyes again did she notice that her captor was no longer holding her, but was standing right beside her and staring at the pegasus stallion's body along with the other thugs. Apparently, they were just as surprised as she was. “Now's your chance! Get outta here!” the rational part of Velvet's mind screamed. But Velvet didn't run. Immobilized into stunned silence, she stayed on the floor, also staring at Ironsides' body sprawled on the wooden debris. What...just...happened? Another crash, this time right beside Velvet. Her former captor disappeared in a cloud of dust and splinters. Velvet shouted and scampered away into a pile of suitcases behind a towering crate, a light, gold feather crossing her vision. Wait, feathers? But I was captured by a unicorn, not a pegasus. As the dust cleared, Velvet gaped. She could finally see her former captor again. Velvet's eyes traced the thug's sprawled legs to his body, then to his head, which had sunken into a small crater on the floorboards. His pistol had flown from his hooves and to the floor beside Velvet. While she could have tried to pick it up, she didn't have the knowledge, let alone will, to use a gun. That, and her mind was too occupied with the pony standing on her former captor's skull. The yellow afternoon sun showered on the golden angel as her striped gray locks danced around her dark green shirt. Dust sparkled around as the angel outstretched her wings, stood on her hind legs, and opened her gleaming, rosy eyes. She flourished her weapons: a bloodied mythical blade of old and a length of cord snaking from her hoof, down her back, and touching the floor. "Oh, there's the climax," Velvet muttered to herself. She joined the thugs in their immobilized silence. After processing what had just transpired, she nudged the pistol towards the Whipcracking Crusader with the little bit of magic she had left. After a quizzical look at her unlikely donor, the Whipcracking Crusader sheathed her trowel and stepped on the handle of the pistol. Her eyes focused on it as it flipped into the air and she caught it with her hooves. “All aboard the pain train.” Flashy, athletic, and a corny sense of humor—she must get a lot of stallions... The stallion in the tan jacket was the first to shoot. The golden pegasus barely flinched as she swung her whip, causing the thugs to duck. Her hoof was quick to the trigger. The assault riflepony screamed, then dropped to the floor. Jacketed Stallion immediately fired several shots. Velvet grunted as the pegasus took cover beside her and shoved her in the chest. Celestia must have sent her one of those impure bargain bin angels. A cacophony of gunfire and curses filled the background as Velvet and the Crusader stared into each other's eyes. The golden pegasus's rose-colored irises pushed all other thoughts to the back of Velvet's mind. This was it. This was finally her. “You…” Velvet stammered, “you're the—” “Here, hold this!” Velvet felt the leather of the whip chafe her fur as it was dumped on her arms. Its owner didn't even face Velvet. She just turned back to the thugs and blind-fired five shots, then recoiled back into cover as assault rifle fire filled the room, accompanied by manic laughter. No question on who that was. “First time?” the golden pegasus shouted to Velvet. “No shit!” “Why do I even ask?” The golden pegasus looked upwards. “Wait here,” she said as she started to climb the crate, then pointed to the whip on Velvet's lap. “You know how to use that, right?” “Sure, like I know how to fly!” “Figure it out on your own then, all right?” The pegasus continued her ascent before reaching the ceiling and disappearing down the top of the box. Definitely bargain bin angel. Velvet unfurled the whip and grasped the handle with two hooves. She could make this work, right? The jacketed stallion stepped into view. Velvet froze. “What the—” He lowered his gun. “Where did—” Looking back and gritting her teeth, Velvet swung her arms upward. No crack, but there was a hiss of pain. She opened her eyes to the stallion turning around and clutching his face as blood trickled from his hooves. Hey, I'm getting the hang of this. She swung the whip again. A stinging pain at her temple caused her to seethe and drop the whip. Or not. It was only then that she realized that the gunfire had stopped seconds before. What was Wild Card doing? Velvet peeked out of cover. She bit her lip. Wild Card, now wielding her downed colleague's assault rifle, held the weapon by the hip. “Finally! Cat meets mouse!” An ear-to-ear smirk spread on the bright yellow mare's face. Her eye twitched. The angel descended upon her. The golden pegasus shoved Wild Card's rifle to the side. She grasped the rifle with her hooves, slammed it repeatedly on Wild Card's face, and twisted it upside down. Velvet gaped as the golden pegasus whirled the thug and her rifle around in an armlock. Shots rang out. A bullet ricocheted and sailed near Velvet's eyes, causing her to cower into the floor. Another burst of rounds followed. The jacketed stallion, still clutching his eye, collapsed. Grunting, the golden pegasus jerked the gun downwards, but Wild Card held her grip. “Not today!” growled Wild Card. She thrust the stock into the golden pegasus's chest, then followed with an overhand punch. The golden pegasus staggered back. The thug fumbled through her rifle and lined up the sights. Velvet held her breath. Regaining her footing, the golden pegasus unsheathed her blade and charged into her opponent, a bloodcurdling roar echoing through the baggage car. Velvet couldn't keep track of the rain of slashes. A deep red stained Wild Card's tan shirt before the golden pegasus grappled her by the neck and threw her to the floor, punctuating each of the thug's screams with stab after stab. The door behind Velvet swung open. She retreated back into cover as two ponies ran past her, guns trained at the attention of the golden pegasus. “Don't move!” one of them shouted. “Hold it right—” Velvet cracked the whip again. One gunpony flinched, clutching his temple. His partner jerked his head to the right and aimed at Velvet. Gunfire interrupted him. There was no scream of pain. Just the sound of casings pinging on the floorboards. One of the stallions collapsed in front of Velvet, a blank gaze on his face and red seeping through his shirt. Struggling with her shaking legs. Velvet got up and surveyed the scene. Blood dripped from the trowel's sharpened blade. It glistened under the light beams piercing the now non-existent skylight and shining onto the seven bodies sprawled on the floor. Wild Card let out a couple of gurgles, her neck and chest trembling as the golden pegasus turned her eyes towards her. As if on command, the thug closed her eyes and stopped moving. Mere seconds ago, Velvet had already resigned herself to be captured by this mob…gang…terrorist group…whatever the hell these shady figures were. And now Celestia had sent a guardian angel to help her. An irreverent, violent angel, but hey, Velvet wasn't complaining. This was her kind of angel. “Where's my whip?” The pegasus turned to Velvet as she sheathed her trowel and slung the rifle over her back. Velvet retrieved the whip from their hiding place and levitated it to the pegasus. “And the notebook?” The catalyst—Velvet had almost forgotten about it. Not to mention her riddle. She raised a hoof. “Who created—” “Mage Meadowbrook the Fourth. Eastern Unicon responsible for Eight Enchanted Items.” Velvet's hoof was frozen in mid-air. “Yup, you're the one.” Velvet levitated the notebook from where she had left it and gave it to the pegasus, who simply tucked it into a pocket in her shirt without even facing Velvet. As the pegasus made her way to the door, Velvet tailed her, causing the former to look back and quirk an eyebrow. “Where do you think you're going?” “What, you think I'm just going to sit here and take credit for your work when the cops show up? Besides, my seat is in coach class.” The pegasus grumbled as she glanced downwards. “Fine. But stick with me. I don't know how many of those guys are still around.” The pegasus got on her hind legs and drew her rifle. She held her breath. Her eyes were focused at the door; her hooves, light on their steps. As they made their way through the next sleeper cars, Velvet looked at the doors lining the hall. Some were closed; some were open, but empty; some held ponies huddling in their beds, giving Velvet either curious or frightened eyes as she passed by. The rest of the trip back to coach class was relatively uneventful. The golden pegasus had since slung the rifle over her back and assumed the more natural four-legged gait, Velvet following behind. The train was a flurry of broken glass and windows. Passengers stayed cowering under their seats, some of whom stared at the duo. Velvet would return their stares, and they in turn would retreat into the darkness. Velvet passed by one unicorn mare huddling on the floor, cradling a stallion in her trembling bloodstained hooves. The stallion's eyes were closed, and the sucking wound on his chest glowed blue along with the mare's horn. Outside, the mare's face showed no apparent emotion, but Velvet could see the slightest twitch on the mare's eyebrows and the shimmer of fresh tears on her eyes. Though they'd been battered minutes ago by the sound of gunfire, Velvet's ears managed to pick up the mare whispering various incantations—vaguely recognizable as first aid magic. Velvet looked away. There were probably many other ponies like that bloodied mare. She couldn't bear to look anypony else in the eye. Not when she was responsible for roping them all in this madness. Maybe her savior would be willing to talk. “So,” Velvet turned to the golden pegasus. “I don't think I quite caught your name.” There was no answer. “Fine, I'll go first. Name's Twilight Velvet!” Velvet extended a hoof. The pegasus didn't even turn around. “Wow, you really are a mare of few words.” “I'm surprised you don't know my name.” The pegasus finally spoke. “‘Bestselling book in contemporary Equestrian literature?’ Doesn't that ring a bell?” Velvet snorted and raised an eyebrow. “Heard of 'em. Never read 'em. What, you the main character brought to life via magic?” The pegasus rolled her eyes. “It's...hard to explain.” “That big of a deal, huh? Isn't that all the more reason to tell me who you are and what your stake in all this chaos is?” “I'd rather you didn't know.” “Listen, I'd really like to thank you properly for saving me and all, and I can't do that if you don't tell me your name.” The pegasus opened her mouth to speak. A thud. The lavatory door at the end of the aisle swung open. The pegasus reared, then maintained a bipedal stance. Her wings reflexively spread outwards, knocking Velvet to the floor. Proper introductions would have to wait. Out stepped a unicorn mare, a crooked smile plastered on her face as she unsheathed a knife from her belt. The pegasus was quick to the trigger. Ping! One of Velvet's ears twitched. She may not have been a gunslinger like the pegasus, but that was definitely not a sound that was supposed to come out of a gun. The pegasus's eyes widening to the size of hubcaps confirmed her inner musings. That, and the fact that the unicorn mare wasn't bleeding on the floor. The pegasus cocked the gun back and inspected the chamber. “Dammit, a double-feed!” She tossed the gun away and assumed a fighting stance, raising her front hooves to chest level. The gun smashed through one of the windows and disappeared. The knife-wielding mare twirled her blade in a glittering flourish, light sparking off the serrated edge. Her whole body moved, twisted, and spun as she twirled the knife from hoof to hoof in a display of acrobatic showmanship, then brought it around in a series of sharp, geometric movements. The weapon seemed to blur and flow before crystallizing at each point in the figure the mare described. It was almost dizzying. The thug's satisfied chuckle, not to mention the angel's grimace, caused Velvet's eyes to lock onto the two ponies. Two knife fighters face to face. Who would come out on top in this test of agility, finesse, technique, tenacity, strength, honor, and— The angel kicked her in the compass rose. With a guttural squeal, the thug keeled over and dropped her knife, whimpering for a few seconds before the angel socked her on the head with a downwards punch. The golden pegasus dropped to all fours and turned to Velvet. The Canterlot unicorn's mouth hung open: not so much because she had seen and done more violence in a single afternoon than she did in the past twenty-three years of her life, but because after seeing what the golden pegasus did with the whip and the ceiling and that railroad signal, Velvet expected something more…elaborate. “Filly, what are you doing on the floor?” The golden pegasus asked as she extended a hoof towards Velvet. “You okay?” Velvet shook her head to recalibrate her senses. “Yeah. My life is turning into an over-the-top action movie before my eyes, but other than that, I'm okay.” Taking the golden pegasus's hoof, Velvet got up and dusted herself. “That's enough fighting for now, don't you think?” “No shit. It was getting old.” Velvet fixed the curl of her mane at the back of her neck. Perhaps now would be a good enough time to reflect on the lows she had sunk into. There was a particularly stubborn lock, so Velvet turned her head to the side. A pegasus with a shotgun glanced the corner of her vision. “Duck!” Velvet shoved the golden pegasus's head downwards. A boom echoed through the coach car, drowning out the screams of passengers. Windows shattered around Velvet and the pegasus as debris rained on them. “Crap! What the hell is this?!” Velvet shouted to the sky. "Who pissed in your cereal, Celestia?!" The golden pegasus raised an eyebrow, but said nothing. A cylindrical object bounced from the table and rolled on the ground. The golden pegasus took to the air, grabbed Velvet, and flapped as far as she could from the grenade. Choking white smoke hurled through the cabin. Screams gave way to coughs. The golden pegasus had to land; Velvet figured she couldn't see through the haze. “Stay here!” The golden pegasus set Velvet onto one of the seats, then unfurled her whip. “I'll take care of our party crasher!” Velvet watched the golden pegasus walk into the smoke until she was just a silhouette in a sea of white. Assuming a fighting stance on two legs, the golden pegasus jumped at every sound that wasn't the hissing of the smoke grenade or the coughing of other passengers. Barely half a minute in, the golden pegasus had disappeared. Velvet was alone in the crowd of coughing passengers; her only ally was nowhere to be seen. She slowly extended a hoof to the white void, hoping for a response. "Hello?" A window shattered. A larger silhouette flew into the car. Velvet cowered into her seat. "Hello, darling!" the shotgunner called out. "Remember me? It's your old pal, Birdshot! Like my present?!" No one answered. "Shame! Plainclothes ponies like me rarely get to play with the explosives!" Birdshot began a slow creep down the aisle, checking every seat. "Consider that smoke grenade a rare find. Maybe your friend is a little more appreciative?" The shotgun-wielding mare stopped, then glanced to her rear. "She's right behind me, isn't she?" Birdshot twirled around and pointed her weapon at Velvet. “Who's it gonna be, huh? You, or the unicorn you're babysit–“ A snap echoed through the cabin, a leather cord wrapping itself around the shotgun. Before either Velvet or the thug could react, the golden pegasus yanked her whip backwards, swiping the gun from the thug's grip. The gun clattered on the carpet, and the golden pegasus jumped to procure it. She may have been quick on the trigger, but pouncing was another thing. Before the golden pegasus could reach the gun, the shotgunner leaped onto the golden pegasus and pinned her to the floor. The golden pegasus dodged two of the thug's punches, only for the third to meet its mark. The golden pegasus grunted. A pair of hooves wrapped around her neck, causing her to choke and wheeze. “Oh, I love this position! I should've performed this back in that Vanhoover hotel!” The shotgunner growled and licked her lips. “What's the matter?! Don't you want another present?!” The golden pegasus thrust a hoof into Birdshot's neck. She gagged, releasing her grip from the golden pegasus. The latter backed away and sent a barrage of kicks to Birdshot's stomach, sending her to the floor. After the golden pegasus massaged her now-reddened neck and Birdshot writhed on the ground, both mares scrambled to their hind hooves and glared into each other's eyes. “Don't go!” Birdshot coughed out as she pulled out an oval grenade from her belt and primed it. “I've got a pineapple with your name on—” The golden pegasus tackled the mad bomber and pinned her onto one of the seats. Two overhand punches to the face later, the golden mare snatched the grenade from Birdshot's hoof and hurled it out the window. Even though it was outside, the explosion shook Velvet's core. Shrapnel perforated the windows and walls, giving them an extreme refurbishing. Passengers near the holes backed away, screaming in terror. Something hot lodged into Velvet's mane. Her eyes widened even after she yanked the piece of shrapnel out of her mane with her magic and patted the heat out. Holy crap! That was close! Hopefully nopony else had it worse… Whatever the case, it barely shook the two fighters. The smoke began to clear. Birdshot kicked the golden pegasus's left hind leg. The pegasus staggered backwards. Seizing the opportunity, the thug got up and landed a left hook on the golden pegasus. She wrapped her right arm over the golden pegasus's neck and trapped her in a headlock. The golden pegasus grunted and grappled Birdshot's arms, stepping to keep her balance. All the while, Velvet watched. Her hooves squeezed the edge of her seat. The golden pegasus swung her right hoof onto Birdshot's stomach. The thug screamed, only to be silenced by a hoof covering her face. In a single motion, the pegasus escaped the headlock and slammed Birdshot's body to the floor. Preparing to mount on Birdshot's body, the golden pegasus raised a hoof to deliver a sucker punch to the thug's face. Birdshot liked to aim low. She threw a kick towards the golden pegasus's left knee before she could crouch. The golden pegasus's body jerked, then she fell face first to the floor. Free from her adversary's clutches, Birdshot backed away and took to the air. The golden pegasus stood up to face her. She got a hoof to the face instead. Her helmet jostled backwards. A glassy daze on her eyes, the golden pegasus spun around, allowing Birdshot to lift her from behind and wrap her forelegs around her neck. “Ah yes, just like back in Vanhoover!” Birdshot declared. The golden pegasus tried to reach for the trowel in its sheath, but Birdshot's grip and thrashing around avoided such interventions. “Shame. I was hoping you'd go out with a bang!” Meanwhile, Velvet continued watching from the seats, barely moving a muscle. “You!” Her voice straining, the golden pegasus reached out a hoof towards Velvet. “Get outta here! I…got this!” Velvet placed a hoof on the aisle. The back of her mind pushed her to the door, but her front legs dug into the carpet. She watched the golden pegasus's face turn blue, her thrashing resistance beginning to subside. Something clicked in Velvet's mind. Stop running! Make yourself useful, dammit! Velvet's horn sputtered. A small sliver of magic sent a tingle to her brain. “Finally! Time for Round two!” Velvet steadied her horn at Birdshot, holding her breath to reduce sway. The two pegasi's erratic movements didn't make this easier. The slightest jar, and Velvet would hit her savior. Take too long to aim, and there wouldn't be a savior to return the favor to. The golden pegasus's eyes rolled up her head. No time to gather current. Any shot was better than none. An unholy crackling sound filled the air. Velvet reflexively slammed her eyes shut. Sweat trickled down her face. What she saw when she opened her eyes caused her to grimace. Why are you still flying?! Something else caught her eye. Birdshot's grenade belt—cerise electricity snaked through it until it met a stout stick grenade. It took on a violet luminescence and began to rumble. Velvet didn't know what she did, but it certainly wasn't going to end peacefully. “Fire in the hole!” Velvet shouted. The fighters stopped shaking. Birdshot looked at Velvet, inadvertently loosening her choke. The golden pegasus gasped for breath. Before Birdshot could reassert her grip, the golden pegasus shoved Birdshot's foreleg forward and bit down. The thug cried in pain, then winced when the golden pegasus shoved a back leg into her groin. The golden pegasus then yanked Birdshot's legs out of the way and delivered a good buck to her stomach. Birdshot tumbled to the front of the car. She smashed into an open lavatory door and fell to the floor. Velvet pulled the golden pegasus into one of the seats just as Birdshot stood up. Her eyebrows creased and her mouth agape, she looked at the sputtering sparking grenade, then at Velvet. “Oh fuck me–“ She disappeared. The explosion drowned out every sound, including the passengers' screams. Dust and wood swirled through the cabin. The front part of the car crumbled and collapsed. When the smoke cleared, Velvet stepped to the aisle and walked towards the pile of debris. Where Birdshot once stood, a puddle of red seeped into the blackened carpet, the twisted remains of the lavatory door and wall sparing Velvet's eyes from the carnage. Grinding slowly to a halt, the train trembled under Velvet's hooves. The mangled end of the first class car began to leave the coach cars behind, the coupler dragging through the rails and kicking up gravel. Specks of red were splattered on walls and floors of the next car, perhaps more so than in the one Velvet was in. Several seconds later, the hissing of automatic brakes brought both ends of the train to a stop. Velvet turned to the sound of shuffling from behind, catching the golden pegasus approaching the rubble as the passengers slowly stood up to see the destruction. The golden pegasus pointed a hoof at the red puddle and faced Velvet. "And there's a real climax." The tingling of adrenaline surged through Velvet's brain. Just hours before, she had been staring at a notebook, desperate to shake things up in her writing. A small chuckle escaped her mouth. That notebook more than shook things up. And by Celestia, it felt good. “So”—Velvet faced the golden pegasus, panting like a mare in heat—“when do we schedule the encore?” The pegasus merely glared at Velvet and let out a low grumble. “All right, I got the hint.” The golden pegasus then took Velvet by the withers. “C'mon. You've seen enough. Where's your seat?” Velvet pointed to an empty seat behind her. “Right there, actually.” “Oh, convenient.” The pegasus walked Velvet over to the seat, then took her whip from the floor and slung it over her withers. As the golden pegasus started down the car, Velvet puffed out a long breath. There was a slight buzz in her brain—the dissonant, yet pleasant euphoria hadn't left her. She would be lying if she denied deriving at least one modicum of enjoyment from the spectacle. Take away the very real threat of death and the collateral damage, and the whole experience would have been better than bungee jumping off Luna Bay. Maybe her prior "nostalgia" was something to be embraced rather than be ashamed about... Whatever the case, the mystery behind the golden pegasus's identity couldn't stay a mystery. If there was anything more that Velvet wanted at the moment than the high of adrenaline, it was answers. “Wait." Velvet turned and extended a hoof towards the golden pegasus. “What?” “About your name…” “No.” “Hey, show some gratitude to the mare who saved your notebook…and your ass.” The pegasus raised a hoof to protest, but the words stopped themselves in her mouth. She glanced at the floor, then put her hoof down. “I suppose there's no point in hiding. You've seen how I operate, and you probably read my notebook already.” Standing on her two legs, the golden pegasus fixed the collar of her shirt, straightened her pith helmet, coiled the whip, and holstered it. The late afternoon sun beamed from the windows, enhancing the creases on her shirt and casting a yellow glow on Celestia's guardian angel. “The name's Daring Do.”