//------------------------------// // XX.~Canterlot, sweet Canterlot... // Story: Magic Vs. Machinery // by Exotic Butter //------------------------------// “Hey, look! She’s waking up!” Somepony said. An unknown amount of time has passed for Rainbow. But now, she has finally come to her senses. The first thing she noticed was that she was lying down. “Wh- What happened?” She wanted to sit, but her whole body started to hurt. “Hey, hey, hey, not so fast, Rainbow.” Surprise said by her left. Rainbow opened her purple eyes, seeing nothing, but an orange sky. The sky was blue, before she passed out. “Wha-!? How long have I been out?” She asked. She noticed that she was on the same train floor that did not have a roof and a left wall. Best of all, the landscape was a mountain. “For three hours now.” “Three hours…? Whe- What happened to the ‘black’ Tripod?” She asked. “Um…after the ammunition wagon exploded and made you pass out seconds later, the…‘black’ Tripod just…vanished.” Zoom said on a seat. “What do you mean vanished? Why does my whole body hurt!?” “Like Zoom said; As the wagon exploded, the pressure wave threw you on the other side of this wagon. I found out that your wing is broken and your right front leg is badly bruised.” Wind now said by Rainbow’s right. “Well, that sucks.” Rainbow just rolled her eyes. Then she looked at a missing wall. “Where are we now?” She asked one more time, trying to slowly sit. “In front of the walls of Canterlot City.” One passenger mare said, looking out of the untouched right window. “Finally, Canterlot.” Rainbow sighed in relief.  She slowly stands up with the help of Wind. Then she sat on one of the left seats in the wagon. "Two lasers. That thing has two lasers! IF one machine can have these 'pony killers' then why did the 'Appaloosa' Tripod only have one?" She thought. She got a point. There was a chance that the ‘Appleloosa’ Tripod was some sort of a ‘not-so-dangerous’ version. But…why? She wanted to remember what Soarin’ told her four hours ago. ‘First Tripod of this invasion was destroyed!’. Heh, does that mean- “Rainbow…?” Zoom said her name. "Huh?" Rainbow snapped back to reality and looked at him. He wasn’t looking at her. He was staring at something, through the missing wall. “Zoom? Do you need something?” Rainbow asked. Has he forget, what he wants? In response, Surprise placed her hoof on Rainbow's head and then turned to the left. Rainbow saw a beautiful view of a sunrise behind Ponyville. But this was not a reason why everypony was looking at Ponyville. “Oh my feathers.”  Rainbow saw a weak funnel of smoke, coming from a…‘death machine’ that was in a half! "What did they use to make the thing come in half?"  “More like; How did they manage it!?” Rainbow was looking at the destroyed Tripod in awe. Whatever Twilight found that penetrated their shield, then it's very, very effective! Her look at the best view she saw for the last five years vanished behind Canterlot walls, as the train entered the region of Canterlot City. The train slowly, but surely, was making its way to safety. “Well, whatever Twilight made, it can defeat them. So we finally have an advantage against them.” Rainbow said to Wind, who nodded and then looked to Rainbow’s right. “Oh no way! Haha!” The white pegasus mare said, grinning, as she came to the right wall of the wagon. What was wrong with her? But when everyone looked out the right windows of the wagon, they immediately understood why. “Wait what…?” Surprise said, looking at… Another destroyed Tripod! Guards were around it and some of them were even trying to help unicorns that were ‘saved’ from their fate. Rainbow on the other hoof noticed something…chilling. “Gray machine with only one laser.” She said aloud. Heck, even the Tripod at Ponyville was gray! “Oh yeah. One…” Zoom said, noticing it too. But he immediately looked at her. "What’s the context?" “So far, two or three machines I have seen, had only ONE laser. But the ‘black’ Tripod…had two.” “Are you thinking the same thing I'm thinking?” Surprise asked, going away from the windows and turning to her squad. “Yes…” Rainbow answered and noticing, how the train slowly started stopping. She even noticed a few ponies outside and their faces, when they saw…a little damaged train.  The last wagon received the most damage. Finally, the ‘Friendship train’ stopped at Canterlot's central station. Nopony was on the platform.  “Where’s everypony? We have an injured here, for Luna’s sake!" Zoom noticed, as he slowly exited the wagon. “I…I don't think I need a doctor right now.” Rainbow said through the large hole in the wagon. “Don’t be stupid, Dash. You need a doctor for sure! And maybe even some rest.” Wind said, crossing her front hooves. "I…well- What about you ponies? Do you think you're all going to defend Canterlot, just the three of you?” “What could go wrong?” “I don’t know. Anything?” “Rainbow, we’ll be careful.” Surprise finished this conversation. "*Sigh* Okay then. Your decision." Just as Rainbow finished her sentence, Zoom came back into the wagon. “I found one medic nearby who is on his way here now. When I explained our situation, he said that there's a chance ya are going into the Canterlot hospital for a week, minimum.” “He what!?” “Yo, calm down! But if you are going into the hospital, who’s gonna lead the fireteam?” Zoom asked. “I don't know…” Dash said, looking at all of her teammates. Then, while the last passenger pony exited their wagon, another pony came into the scenery. “Okay, I am here, where’s the patient?” Green earth pony stallion said. He had a white cloak that was torn in some places. “Right here.” Surprise said, starting to help Dash to stand up on three. “Blood, broken wing and a very bruised front hoof. I can see that from here.” The medic said as he looked at the door he came from. “Do you have problems with walking right now?” The medic asked. “No…?” Rainbow answered. “Yea, sure. Uh…I need you, and you to help me.” He said, as he pointed his hoof on Surprise and Zoom. The medic then pointed Zoom to stay out of the wagon, but in front of the wagon’s door. He then slowly and carefully helped Surprise, escort and hold Rainbow so she wouldn't fall or pass out. No one ever knows. Then Zoom helped Rainbow to slowly exit the wagon through the wagon’s door and… “Ah…Canterlotics air…” Rainbow just said, as she was finally out of that wagon. “Go that way. There’s the Canterlot hospital. Tell them that I, Injection Hoof, need doctors, medics, nurses, anypony, to help me check the ‘Friendship train’. I think you’re not the only one injured here.” He said, as he left the fireteam on a train platform, while he opened another door into the second wagon. “We’ll totally remember that…” Zoom commented. "So Rainbow, now that you're going to rest in the hospital, who's going to lead this team?" "Well..."