"I can't believe I never went to Las Pegasus before!" Pinkie sounded even closer to giggling than usual, and Rainbow Dash herself had barely stopped smiling over the last week. Even her unfamiliar seat at the castle's council chamber couldn't ruin her mood, even if she still couldn't figure out quite how to sit comfortably in it.
"Yeah, I'm still not sure I do believe it," she said, "it really is your kind of place."
"Well, when I came to Ponyville I was just a teenie-weenie Pinkie-winkie and Las Pegasus doesn't throw those kinds of parties." Rainbow nodded. "And then I just loved Sugarcube Corner and everypony here so much, why would I leave?" She paused. "I still don't wanna leave-leave, of course, Ponyville is still the bestest place, but it sure was nice to visit, wasn't it Dashie?"
"I'll say," Dash grinned. "I hope we have more friendship problems like that. 'Our beach hoofball league referees got sick, now we need ponies to settle rules disputes'? More like sit around and watch ponies in great uniforms and even better shape prance on the beach. That's a real tough one, huh Pinks?"
"Well," Pinkie scrunched up her face in thought, "Twilight sure picked the right mares for the job. D'ya think she picked easy ones to start with, just to ease us in?"
"It certainly felt like it," Rarity settled in next to Dash. She noted with mild irritation that Rarity seemed to flow as easily into the strange stone seat as she did into the Boutique's couches. Fluttershy followed, and even seemed to know what to do with her wings
"She sent us to Veroniegh," Rarity continued, "and we barely had to do anything at all. Their poor colt and filly were obviously smitten with each other. We just had to get them to sit down for five minutes without coming to blows, and the next generation took care of it themselves. We spent an hour being the Equestrian Delegation to force the reception, then got to play tourist for the rest of the trip. It did feel...easy."
"But the baths were very nice," Fluttershy smiled, and Rarity nodded. She was about to speak when the sound of rapid hoofbeats on crystal heralded the arrival of Twilight and Applejack.
"Oh girls, thank Celestia you're all back," Twilight said, her face not quite hitting a smile.
"Oh Twilight," Pinkie said, "you've got to hear all about it, it was the best-" she cut off as Dash pressed a hoof over her muzzle.
"Not now, Pinkie," she whispered.
Twilight slid (gracefully, Dash noted to her increasing disgust) into her own chair, and continued without acknowledging Pinkie's failed sentence.
"We have a big problem here in Ponyville. Or at least I think we do..."
Over the next half hour, Twilight filled them in on the strange magic they'd discovered under the bridge, and its reaction with the Alicorn Amulet.
"So I wrote to Celestia. She wrote me back yesterday, telling me to get as many of you as I could and take the evening train to Dodge Junction. She's been touring our forts bordering the Badlands and plans to meet us there. We're also supposed to take the Amulet, and not tell anypony."
"Well, that's rather sudden," Rarity said.
Twilight nodded. Now that she was closer and in the light, Rainbow could see her mane was slightly out of order and her eyelid had a familiar slight twitch.
"When did you get this letter, darling?" Rarity asked.
"Last night. Or I suppose technically this morning," Applejack said, sighing. "She came right to find me at the farm."
"Sorry about that," Twilight looked down at the translucent table.
"I didn't mean it that way, sugar, I know you're worried."
"She's never seemed so...urgent," Twilight scowled, "I mean, she knew Nightmare Moon was coming back and she never even showed it, just told me to go make friends!"
"Maybe she's just more open now that you're a princess too," Rarity said. "She was quite open with you about Tirek, after all."
Twilight sighed. "You're right, I'm probably overreacting. I'm glad you're all back. Can you get away again so soon? I understand if any of you can't come."
"You know I'm coming," Applejack said, "I cleared most of my time for this darn book."
"I'm sure we'll all be fine," Rarity said, and everypony nodded. "This isn't the first time we've had to drop everything for Equestria, after all. I'd be surprised if we weren't over ten by now."
"Thanks girls," Twilight grinned. "We have five hours and thirty-seven minutes. Is that long enough for you all to get ready?"
"No problem," Dash said, "I'm still mostly packed from the last trip."
"Yeah, I'll see you at the station!" Pinkie bounced out. The rest agreed and left, until only Dash and Applejack remained.
"Need any help with anything, Twi? Like I said, I'm pretty much ready," Dash said.
"All the help she needs," Applejack said, "is for you to come here an hour before the train and wake her up. I know for a fact she's packed, seeing as I helped her, and I know she hasn't slept a wink, seeing as how I've been with her since hours before dawn. Reckon you can do that, Rainbow?"
"Obviously."
"One condition," Twilight yawned. "Go by Sweet Apple Acres and get AJ first. Like she said, I've kept her up since before dawn."
"That I can definitely handle," Rainbow said, "I was going to go sleep in her tree anyway."
Despite her nap, Twilight was still yawning and blinking as the train pulled on to the platform. Evening was well underway, with only a little light remaining on the horizon to the east, and the bright lights of the train revealed that her friends were in little better shape. As soon as they made their way to their compartment, the others collapsed onto the sleeping couches. Though Dodge Junction was close to Ponyville as the pegasus might fly, the whole Everfree lay between them, as well as a stretch of arid land south of the forest, and the tracks ran a wide arc to bypass them, so the train wasn't scheduled to arrive until nearly noon. Remembering the Amulet, and Celestia's concern about anypony knowing they'd brought it, she locked the compartment door, then joined her friends, and fell into a deep and dreamless sleep.
At first, she couldn't tell what woke her up. The train was still moving, so they weren't there yet, and she hardly felt fully refreshed, though after her marathon day that seemed unlikely no matter how long she'd slept. The sun crept in around the drawn shade, making her guess they were still a few hours out, but it didn't seem bright enough to wake her. Confused, she glanced around. Her friends still slept soundly, leaning against each other. Honestly, it was adorable.
She closed her eyes again, smiling at the thought, but then, just on the edge of sleep, she heard a rattle from the door. Her eyes snapped open and her wings snapped out in surprise, waking Applejack and Pinkie Pie, who were lying on either side of her.
"Mzuh," Pinkie muttered, smacking her lips. Applejack shook herself to her hooves and looked questioningly at Twilight. Before she could answer, the rattle came again, accompanied by the slight movement of the locked lever on the door.
"Who's there?" Applejack called. No answer came, but the others jerked awake. They looked at Applejack and seemed about to speak, when a heavy impact sounded against the door and all six pairs of eyes snapped to it.
"That don't sound friendly," Applejack muttered. "Who could it be?"
"Princess Celestia did say to keep our departure a secret," Rarity said, "perhaps it wasn't secret enough."
Twilight swallowed and nodded.
"Can you teleport us out?" Fluttershy whispered to her.
"I'm not sure I can take all of us, I've never done more than two. And we'd still be moving as fast as the train, and that'd make it really hard to aim. We wouldn't want to slam into a tree, or worse appear inside one..."
"So we fly out the window, or we fight," Applejack said.
Twilight nodded. Another heavy crash filled the room, this one two-tone, like an enthusiastic buck. The doorframe screeched at the stress on the metal.
"I say fight," Dash said. "If we could open the window all the way, I could probably get out and flying before I hit the ground, but I'm not sure Twi or Shy can. And I don't think any of us will fit out with somepony on our back."
Twilight nodded, and her horn began to glow as she faced the door. "Agreed. Get ready, everypony."
The friends braced themselves and faced the tortured door. Moments later, the attacker hit it full-on with a mighty blow, and it crashed flat to the ground. Standing in the doorway was a nondescript monochrome pony. It looked like it had somehow stepped out of an old uncolored photo.
"Who the hay are you?" Applejack said.
The intruder turned from bucking position to face them, and despite being full-grown, as it turned its flank they saw it had no cutie mark. Then its face came in to view, and its eyes were pools of pitch black. With a hissing laugh Twilight was sure no pony could produce, it lunged at them and opened it's mouth, revealing rows of serrated, predatory teeth in place of a normal pony's herbivore molars. As they drew back, it lunged forward and it's jaw seemed to unhinge as it tried to take a massive bite out of Pinkie Pie.
It never quite made it, as Twilight's magic stopped it dead and held it in mid-air, where it twisted about, snapping its freakish mouth at them.
"What is this thing?" Twilight said, walking around the helpless pony-like creature. "I've never seen anything like it."
"Uh, Twi," Rainbow Dash said nervously, "this might not be the time for science. Why didn't anypony come to help before it could take down the door?"
"Horsefeathers," Applejack said quietly, "you think it attacked the train crew?"
"We'd better at least check. AJ, you think you can tie this thing up?" Twilight said.
Applejack just rolled her eyes, then did so.
"Okay," Twilight said, "let's check on the passenger compartment next car down, then we can come back and figure out what to do with that thing."
They walked out into the hall, then froze. The doors on both ends of their car slid open, and from each emerged ranks of grey ponies, horrible mouths spread wide with vicious teeth. One wore a conductor's cap.
"Double horsefeathers," Applejack said as the ponies surged forward, then spun deftly to deliver a punishing double-hoofed buck to the leader of the mob.
Applejack's kicks could knock every apple off a tree, and this one sent her attacker flying backwards, knocking down two or three others at the same time and briefly delaying their advance. Fluttershy was beside her, eyes half closed, but hooves ready. Twilight sprung to the air over her, and her horn glowed as waves of force pushed back the attacking mob, but they seemed heedless of pain or danger, and their hissing pseudo-laugh filled the train-car. Facing away from the mob to deliver her kick, Applejack saw Pinkie and Rainbow standing barrel to barrel against the press of attackers from the other side, delivering blows with their hooves that, for the moment, the horrible creatures seemed to fear. In the center, beneath Twilight, Rarity's own horn glowed and precise waves of magic lanced out, striking the creatures as they moved in.
"Uh, Twilight," said Pinkie nervously, "I think these were the other passengers..."
"I think that's right. What could do this? We need to get to Celestia and find out!"
"I don't think this train's going to get us there!" Rainbow shot back.
"Can you two hold them off back there? I'm going to try to get us to the door."
"Okie dokie!" Pinkie said with disarming cheer, knocking a few teeth from a grey pony's drooling jaws with a well-timed blow.
"Where'd you learn to throw a punch like that, Pinkie?" Rainbow asked.
"Breaking up boulders back on the farm!"
Applejack turned back and saw Twilight straining, glowing horn thrust forward. A wave of her magic pressed against the encroaching horde, driving them back. One, cleverer than the rest, pressed low to the ground, and looked like it might manage to slip under the shield. Applejack bucked it in the head, and it went still before the magic caught it and pressed it back.
"You okay there Twi?" she asked.
"I'll...be fine," her friend replied, "I should have enough power to get us to the door, there are just...so many of them."
As soon as it was clear, Applejack rushed to the door and wrestled it open. She nearly fell as a burst of wind blew in, causing her hooves to slip, but caught herself. The ground rushed by beneath her at a terrifying clip. The others were barely holding off the horde as it surged with fury at the sight of the open door.
"I can hold them for a little while," Twilight cried as her purple globe of force expanded to cover both sides of the train, "Fluttershy and Dash, grab Rarity and Pinkie and get out! Don't go far, in case they have someone in the air!"
"Right!" Rainbow hooked her legs under Pinkie and leapt out the door, spreading her wings and making a short flight to a nearby hilltop. Fluttershy paused for a moment, then Rarity climbed gently on her back and gave her an encouraging squeeze, and she too took wing and landed, less gracefully, next to the others.
"Get on, AJ!" Twilight said, landing next to her friend. Applejack quickly scrambled on to her back and wrapped her legs around her neck.
Twilight turned and jumped out into the morning air, following Rainbow. As she lost sight of the compartment her spell faded and the horde of twisted ponies surged after them, but they were already clear. Two of the attackers stumbled out of the open door and fell hard to the rocky ground along the edge of the tracks. Their legs and necks bent grotesquely, and they did not rise again. The rest pulled back as the train rumbled along. Twilight landed heavily next to the others, and Applejack slid to the ground with a sigh.
"Well, looks like they forgot how to stop the train, thank Celestia," Twilight said, "but what were those things? I've never heard of anything like that, and I think Pinkie was right - at least the conductor turned into one of those!"
"Zooooombie ponies!" Pinkie Pie was using her spooky voice.
"Pinkie, there's no such thing as a zombie pony," Twilight said, "and besides, those ponies were still alive, just...wrong. We need to get to Dodge Junction right away."
"I reckon we've got a bigger worry right now, Twi," Applejack looked at the retreating train, "What happens when that train gets wherever it's going?"
Pinkie stopped bouncing, and Rainbow Dash followed Applejack's gaze with a frown. Twilight let out a long breath.
"You're right, we can't let it go any further," she said slowly, "but I don't want to just destroy the whole thing. We might need the railroad, and maybe Celestia can save those ponies. I have an idea, but it'll take a lot out of me, and I might have to rest."
"I'll carry you if I need to," Applejack said, "you do what you gotta do."
Twilight smiled at them then took to the air. She caught up with the train and took a deep breath. From the hillside, her three friends saw a second, violet sun fill the sky, nearly as bright, keeping pace with the cursed train. The birds stopped singing, and the light afternoon breeze ceased, then picked up again, stronger, and blowing steadily towards Twilight. A few hundred feet ahead of the train, above the tracks, the air crackled and a spray of purple sparks erupted, then a tear opened up, and the air itself parted, revealing a violet portal slightly wider than the engine.
The glow of Twilight's horn grew stationary as she hovered above her creation. Without additional fanfare, the train plunged into the portal and was lost from sight. Not long after, it winked out. The wind shifted, and the birds took up song again. Twilight landed next to her friends, and fell to her knees, eyes drooping.
"Twi," Applejack said softly, "what in Tartarus did you do to that train?"
"Yes, that, Tartarus," the princess replied, then her eyes closed, and she slept.