That’s the second train ride out of three where I’ve been attacked. I mean honestly, that’s just rude.
Putting that aside Twilight managed to escape unscathed, I only knew about that because one of my guards let it slip that a purple unicorn with unbelievable magic prowess managed to get a shield bubble up for over a few hours. Twilight and the rest of the guards eluded capture. Before they could rally and try anything, I was taken. Since there was no magical vapour to knock me out they tried out the traditional way.
“Twilight!” I yelled, gesturing frantically to the carriage doorway that linked between trains. “Get back! Go fetch the others!”
Twilight nodded and backed away, eyeing the new intruders. The gas had crept halfway through the carriage and though it hadn’t affected me, I was breathing fine, but it had knocked out Pseudo and Nicodia. My eyes nervously darted to the advancing ponies and Pseudo and Nicodia. My hand dropped to the dagger but hesitated as the masked assailants eyed me, then one of them growled at me.
“Put it down”, he said menacingly, stepping towards me. I tossed the dagger onto the floor as he waved a spear to my belt and to the ground.
I put my hands up.
“What are you doing that for?” he asked in a puzzled tone, I put them down belatedly.
“Uhm, I needed a stretch”, I lied, putting them back at my sides.
“Bind him”, the pony ordered the other pony. I couldn’t catch any details of either of them because they were clothed in thick, black garments. His eye colour was cyan though and his friend’s were a deep copper brown. Twilight managed to keep a barrier up, but looked like she was itching to join the fray. The noxious cloud kept her immobilised and she stood in the corner of the carriage glaring balefully at the intruders.
The pony that was binding me expertly looped a rope around my torso and arms, pinning them to my sides. He left my legs free but that was probably because they wanted to get me walking, carrying me would be a pain, I guess.
Twilight watched in impotent fury as the captors left, towing me with a leash. She took a step forward but I hastily shook my head.
The cyan-eyed one gave me a glance.
“Smart decision”, he growled, nodded his head at the one holding my leash. I felt a tug and was pulled along the train carriage to spot an open door. Outside was just wild forests and winding terrain. I saw one of them had picked up Pseudo.
“Hey!” I shouted, angrily, spears levelled at me.
The cyan-eyed one glared at me.
“Insurance”, he said simply. “Don’t try anything and it won’t get hurt.”
I bristled at the pony insinuating that Pseudo wasn’t even a sapient being worthy of gendered recognition.
“Treat her with respect”, I spat, the pony rounded on me and clocked me in the face with a buck. I saw stars overlayed by a sting cheek and I fell to the ground.
“I give orders here, null being”, he roared, his eyes turning ferocious. I eyed him warily but decided to keep my mouth shut.
There was an iron carriage parked just within the tree line and I was corralled towards it. Painfully, I got to my feet. My arms being bound didn’t give me any leeway to comfort my throbbing jaw. I shot Pseudo constant glances to make sure she was okay. It seemed like they weren’t too concerned with her waking up because they didn’t even bother binding her.
I was thrown into the carriage with a dull metal ‘thunk’. I glared at the captors when they threw Pseudo in with as much disdain. The doors closed with a resounding clang and I was left alone in the darkness to brood.
-----
“Ugh! They just got away and all I could do was watch them from behind my shield! If only I had reacted faster…”
Twilight paced behind the barrier as the interlopers left. She expanded the barrier with her to cautiously dispel the noxious magical knockout gas. Since she didn’t know the formulation it was hard to figure out a counter formula. Carefully, she enveloped a sample in a rounded pink bubble and consulted her compendium of knowledge that was her brain.
“No, no, not that, it wouldn’t cause that symptom. No, no!” she muttered as she tested and probed the gas magically with every ounce of thaumatological knowledge. Twilight wished she could have Zecora here. She would be so much help with finding the cure.
Twilight edged the barrier out towards Nicodia.
“Hang on, almost there”, Twilight strained, trying to simultaneously keep the analytical spells running and the two barriers active. She reached Nicodia, dragging her bodily through the carriage and closer to the centre of the barrier. Twilight immediately shrunk the radius to conserve power. She checked her breathing, deep but constant, no irregularities. Twilight sighed in relief. She wasn’t any worse than unconscious.
A magical pulse alerted Twilight.
“Cyanodextrinothaumica?” she gasped, looking at the magically projected structure of the gaseous molecule. That was impossible!
She frowned.
Not impossible, just very improbable.
It was a chemical that had been kept under wraps for a very long time. As with most weapons-grade magical constructs access was severely restricted. In fact, that particular thaumochemical Twilight only knew about by a passing reference in the Canterlot Archives and when Princess Celestia found out, she got a stern talking to, even though Twilight wouldn’t dream of using it. She remembered the disapproving look the princess had given her and a shudder worked down her spine.
With such a rare thaumochemical agent, there would be no hope for a field-constructed antidote without going back to Canterlot and consulting Princess Celestia. Twilight growled under her breath. In a few minutes, the weighted thaumochemical agent will disperse. It was well over twenty minutes since the kidnappers had disappeared with Pseudo and the human and with such a meticulously crafted plan and materials, Twilight had no doubt they would be long gone by the time she was able to breathe normally.
She felt a spike of guilt shoot through her heart. She couldn’t abandon all these other ponies no matter how much she itched to go dashing after her friend. She would have to bide her time, gather her strength and search for the human lost on this world, in more ways than one.
-----
Gritting my teeth due to the last time I almost bit my tongue off at a bump in the road, this carriage having absolutely no suspensions, I tried the bars on the door. It was locked of course, but I had tried anyway. I found myself wishing for a bit of the thermite I had crafted back in the diamond dog caves. A small amount of that mixture would have gone a long way.
Pseudo hadn’t woken up ever since she had been dumped unceremoniously into the metal box of a carriage. I was getting worried that Pseudo might have gotten a lethal dose of the strange magical mixture so I awkwardly positioned myself on her so I could reach my chest with my bare left hand. I felt for her pulse and was relieved when I could feel her heart beating slowly but strongly. My touch lingered when the pulse changed rapidly. Concerned that her condition was suddenly worsening, I leant in, trying to feel for her breathing as well.
“Mmmph, muurrrph, caaaalllleeehh”, Pseudo mumbled unintelligibly. She abruptly sat up, her horn poking me in the head.
“Oww!” I yelped silently, glancing at the bars in case the guards saw or heard anything. I don’t think Pseudo was meant to be up yet.
Realisation dawned on me. I almost snapped my fingers.
Of course! I could have just neutralised the magic vapours in Pseudo before! I thought but then grimaced when I realised I could have used my ability to wake Nicodia and the others up.
I twitched as I looked at my hands. I couldn’t just ‘use’ my null ability on other ponies… it was already damaging enough. I started, as I recalled all the moments where I had unthinkingly touched ponies, siphoning magic from the Tree of Harmony.
Oh shoot!
I didn't even think about it.
Stupid!
Pseudo looked at me concerned.
“I’m sorry… they got me”, she whispered to me, her voice barely heard over the rumbling of the carriage. I stroked her on the head, feeling the soft silk-like mess of her mane.
“I was just thinking-“ I shook my head like a dog, dispelling my thoughts “-don’t worry Pseudo, we’ll get out of this together”, I said quickly changing the subject and giving her a rub.
The carriage jolted. I froze, giving a soft whisper to Pseudo.
“Play dead”, I hissed urgently, Pseudo went limp.
“Hey you in there, we’re taking a break! If you make any funny business I’ll gas the place and rip out the changeling’s mane”, a gruff voice growled threateningly through the bar.
When I met his demand with silence he whacked a hoof at the bars of the carriage giving a loud bang that caused Pseudo to flinch slightly. My eyes hardened.
“Yes, perfectly clear”, I replied in a voice way to calm to contain the emotions I was currently wading through at the moment.
“Good”, the voice replied hoof steps dying off as he left us. I recognised the voice belonging to the cyan-eyed one. It looks like he was the one commanding all the others.
“I need a break”, I grumbled, giving Pseudo another restricted stroke on her mane. She curled up next to me shaking a little. Poor thing.
“I hope Twilight knows what she’s doing.”
-----
Luna paced the chambers, agitated.
Celestia was demurely sipping her tea and calmly assessing records.
“I knew we should have sent that baby dragon. What was his name? Spines?” Luna growled rhetorically, striding restlessly to one part of the room, pausing, sighing and then striding to the other part of the room to start the cycle all over again.
“Spike”, Celestia answered automatically. “We cannot send him because Aion and Aether and the nearby regions are not dragon-friendly at all, they not very pony friendly either but ever sinc-“
Luna fell to the table that Celestia sat at, flopping her head on it in an undignified manner.
“I cannot remove this feeling of foreboding I have of the human, Tia”, she whined, stretching her hooves across the table in idle agitation.
Celestia eyed her sister calmly.
“Dear Luna, if you do not approach these things in a calmer manner you will stress yourself out with worry”, she advised, signing a document. The teacup was returned to the saucer with a small ‘clink’.
“And when thou hast drunken so many a teacup, it seems thou are more stressed than I”, Luna pointed out wryly.
Celestia glanced at the numerous empty teacups that spanned the table. It seemed like they had just appeared out of nowhere.
Celestia sighed softly.
“You’re right, dear sister. It seems we are both beside ourselves with worry. That little human does seem to get into more trouble than one of his personality and intelligence usually speaks of.”
Luna let out an amused snort.
“That human finds himself at the maelstrom of cruel worldly devices, that he does.”
“I think we should take a page from one of Twilight’s friendship reports and calm ourselves down a little”, Celestia suggested, finishing the last cup of tea.
Luna nodded.
“Perhaps a stroll in the Canterlot gardens will do us some good.”
“Oh I will miss that statue, dear Luna.”
“That I very much agree with.”
A knock on the door interrupted the Royal Sisters, as they were halfway across the room.
“Excuse me Your Highness’”, a nervous stallion called from outside.
“Ah, Light Scroll, what seems to be the issue?” Celestia asked, with a radiant smile.
“The train has been attacked, a message has come in through the nearest pegasus delivery station by a one Twilight Sparkle”, the stallion stammered, Celestia’s happy expression froze.
“What has transpired?” Luna shot out, getting Light Scroll to focus on her.
“Twilight is conscious but the five guards and the navigator, conductor and other staff were all affected by a thaumochemical gas. It is in the letter”, he replied quickly, hastily fishing out a letter from his saddlebag, before he could even pass it, it was enveloped in a golden aura and unfurled by Celestia.
“Cyanodextrinothaumica?” Celestia gasped, dropping the scroll.
Luna glanced at her sister and glared at the messenger.
“You have not heard of that word, swear by it!” she growled, stomping a hoof, the marble on the floor cracked slightly as the stallion cowered.
“Yes, Princess Luna! I swear!”
Luna nodded gravely.
“You may leave”, she commanded and poor Light Scroll scrabbled to leave as fast as possible.
Luna turned a softened gaze to her sister.
“What is it, dear sister?”
Celestia’s head drooped but snapped up quickly in determination.
“We have a spy in our midst.”