//------------------------------// // 9. The Train Ride // Story: Twist // by pinklover12 //------------------------------// A soft rumble as the wheels roll over tracks. A few little squeaks of the compartments separating. Voices from the cars next to you. Soft wood, new but weathered. Soft cloth, old but velvety. Cold metal, mechanic and sharp. Those were the sounds and the scents of a train ride. Agent 2-20 sighed. She wished she could have something to work on right now, if just to distract her. When the agent was alone with her thoughts, said thoughts sometimes got a little… painful. I boarded a train the night I ran away… 2-20 winced. She attempted to turn her thoughts to her new life, of her office, the Captain, Silver Moon… Dark energy sparkling around you like lightning, the feeling of cold claws slashing at your heart. The cases she investigated, threats she deleted… Being cradled in the warmth of your mother’s arms, a feeling of belonging, of home. That feeling being ripped away, you thrust into darkness. Her office, her desk, her mane, her jacket… A flash of pink, a flowing mane aloft in the starry breeze… Agent 2-20 winced, but not quite out of pain. There was a deep throbbing feeling in her heart, but it felt… nice. It felt good to relish in the memories of her past life, like sinking into pool of scalding hot water, but realizing it’s only nice and warm. A soft embrace, gleeful laughing, the feeling of loving eyes watching you… The Captain yelling in rage, Silver Moon’s piercing eyes and fake smile, another agent pushing her over in the hall, that feeling of insignificance… Your name… My name. She could hear it now. The first syllable, bursting forth like water from a dam, then flowing like a calm river, and finally evaporating like mist into the starry night sky. He used to call me that… The second, like a flame in the shadow, a sparkle in the shade, a brightness in the night, a light in the dark. That was my grandmother’s name… Her last name now. Her family name. It had once been her mother’s, but even she had given it up. And what a name it was. Fireworks bursting into the air, a shower of falling stars, the bright and vibrant shimmer of magic in the night, and the simple twinkle of the sky. I miss it… “Well then, why don’t you just run the show by yourself, huh?!?” The agent was startled into reality once more by the slamming open of the train car door, and a vicious shouting match on the other side. “Trixie the Great and Powerful would if she hadn’t had her thunder stolen every time we perform together!” A clear, shrill voice yelled from the other side of the door. “Oh, so I’m the thunder stealer now?!? The last time I checked, you pushed me off the stage just so you could get your precious ‘grand finale’!” The mare on this side of the door called back. “Trixie did that on purpose so you wouldn’t ruin the entire act!” “Well, good for Trixie then, ‘cause she’ll get to perform all by herself from now on. Our partnership is finished!” “Good!” The door slammed shut again, and the pony on 2-20’s side of it stormed over to the benches and sat down next to the (slightly confused) agent. She was a thin and elegant mare, nearly as tall as 2-20 herself, and with the righteous and arrogant attitude to show for it. Her coat could have been either clear white or just pale blue, but either way it was groomed to pristinity, gleaming like a clear sky just like her eyes. Despite some of her slightly intriguing features, it was her mane that really was interesting. The luscious locks had been tediously groomed to the utmost degree, and then swept up into a near-ridiculous style, a flowing fountain that showcased her perfect ears, spun itself up to the sky, but still left much mane to swing and swish around as the mare performed. But even the style wasn’t what was must startling. It was the colors. They must’ve been dyed because even in Equestria it couldn’t be natural. The angry mare’s mane was a starburst of every shade of rainbow. From fiery red to luscious purple, her mane was hued with every color imaginable, and it looked amazing. “Hey.” The mare casually said to Agent 2-20, still staring in wonder at her mane, but now self-consciously turning her attention to some other of the pony’s features. Examine closely any pony to come into contact with you, no matter how insignificant. You can never know when it means life or death. Those were the captain's words. Agent 2-20 had been trained for this, but now closely examining every pony she saw had become nearly instinct. The mare was wearing a mysterious cape, deep blue spotted with white stars. It was unable to tell if she was a unicorn, pegasus, or earth pony, for either a mane or a cape covered up any place where there might have been a horn or wings. She sat back in her seat casually, but she was fuming with anger. Though she slouched, she held her head high with regality. “Uh…” said the mare. 2-20 was so focused in examining her as a possible enemy that she didn’t quite notice the pale pony staring at her, a bit uneasily. But why would she be doing that? “Why are you staring at me…?” “Oh, uh… Sorry!” So that was why. “Um, I just sometimes get caught up in my thoughts, and I just don’t really realize where my eyes are…” Agent 2-20 stammered embarrassedly. “Oh, it’s fine! Sorry if I seemed angry, I’m just kinda ticked off about my, uh… business partner.” The pony leaned back further in her seat, messing up her rainbow mane. “She’s still your business partner? I thought you two split up just now.” Agent 2-20 asked, comforted by her neighbor’s casual attitude. “Oh, not at all! We have that discussion every other day. We’ve “split up” about a thousand times by now.” “Oh, I ju-“ “We’re traveling performers. We do magic acts and aviation tricks and stuff like that. But almost every time we perform some place or other, we always end up stealing each other’s thunder. It’s mostly Trixie’s fault, though…” “Oh. Um, okay...” Agent 2-20 was definitely confused now. How could anyone be this open about their life? Much less to a stranger in a dark coat and sunglasses they just met on a train. “What’s, uh… what’s your name?” Agent 2-20 asked, a bit nervous. “Well I suppose you’d like to know after hearing my life story!” The mare laughed. “It’s a hay of a long name anyway. You can just call me Rainbow.” “Um… thanks. My name’s…” The agent paused nervously. Why was she so scared? She’d taken down villains and wrong-doers with the press of a button, she’d felled armies with the swipe of a hoof. She’d persevered through a hurricane to assassinate a ruthless emperor, and save scores and scores of innocent ponies. She’d braved countless challenges and came out unscathed. So why was she so scared? Now the agent would have to face her worst fear of all – socialization. “My name’s Agent 2-20.” She said. Rainbow nodded. Now there came a period of silence. Neither wanted to talk, or knew what to talk about. They both sat in slight awkwardness and quiet, right next to each other, yet alone with their thoughts. “You seem sad.” “What?” Agent 2-20 was shaken out of another one of her thoughtful times, a few minutes after they had both dissolved into silence, “I said that you seem sad. Whatcha thinkin’ about?” Rainbow asked with her clear blue eyes. “Oh, just… stuff. I must’ve looked sad, since I was remembering the past. I ran away from home when I was little.” Agent 2-20 nearly fell off her seat from surprise. Why had she said that? She had hardly ever shared with anyone that she’d ran away from home, not even her co-workers, much less a random civilian. What was it about Rainbow that made you want to share your stories? There must have been something about her open smile, her casual atmosphere, her offhand chuckles, that just made you want to pour out all your secrets. She wasn’t meddling or inquisitive, she was just… friendly. “Oh, yeah. I ran away from home too.” Rainbow stated in an amazingly offhand manner. “Ran off to join the circus and never came back…” Agent 2-20 was past the point of being further surprised, but this mare was certainly a record breaker. She’d talked about running away from home, about leaving everything she’d ever loved, with a smile on her face. Fondly recalling the day she fled, and perhaps looking towards the future, of new horizons beyond. “So, you’re not… sad?” 2-20 asked. “Of course not. My parents were manure. I had a sweet little sister, though. I haven’t seen her for years, but they say she came looking for me. I like to think I’ll meet her someday. I probably will.” “So you’re happy with your new life, then?” “Couldn’t be happier.” I guess she’ll be ready to forgive her business partner now… Agent 2-20 thought, amused. The two mares descended into silence once more, but they were soon interrupted… “What the buck is that?!?” Rainbow exclaimed as a loud crash rattled the entire train. “No idea…” Agent 2-20 struggled to remain calm as the train screeched to a stop. Several more loud crashes pounded the train car, until the sealed doors to the compartment burst open, and a figure stepped forth. It was a tough-looking mare, short but strong. Her coat was an indistinguishable color from the dirt and gravel that clung to it, but her chopped mane was a dark and deep red. There was an angry but solemn look on her face when she stepped into the compartment and spoke aloud her charges: “Everyone in this train is now the property of the Diane Rock Mine.”