//------------------------------//
// Chapter Five: Derailed 
// Story: The Secret of Her Past 
// by Nerdz 
//------------------------------//


A train barreled down the track, cutting across the snowy landscape. Many passengers filled the train, bound for Maris. Four of those passengers, two Unicorn stallions, a Pegasus mare, and a female Breezie, currently occupied a private seating compartment that was walled off from the rest of the car. Lute held his travel paper along with his companions' and a quill in his magic. A full inkwell rested on the table beside the seat. Niya sat in the seat across from them, next to the window, with her forehead pressed against the glass.

Comet shoved a suitcase into a compartment above Niya's seat. With a yawn, he started to sit down next to Lute only the hear a high-pitched growl come from the seat. He whirled around, startled, to find the Breezie curled on the cushion.

"Huh. Looks like the pest's getting the window seat." he rolled his eyes as he plopped down beside Niya, earning a satisfied chirp from the fairy-like creature. He turned to the mare. She was slumped over, absently fiddling with the charm that hung around her neck. He batted a hoof at the necklace. "Stop fiddling with that thing!" he scolded. "And sit up straight! Remember, you're a Crown Princess!"

Lute looked up from his papers and rolled his eyes at the two ponies in front of him.

Niya glared at the dark blue stallion next to her. Letting her wings droop to the seat, she crossed her forelegs over her chest and slouched even farther down in the seat. "And just how is it that you know what 'Crown Princesses' do and don't do, pray tell?"

"It's my job to know."

Niya cocked her head and sat up a little straighter. Comet smirked, thinking he'd won. "Do you really think I'm royalty?" She asked, batting her eyelashes.

"You know I do." came the reply.

"Okay, then if I'm a princess, you should really stop trying to boss me around!" the mare sneered, turning back to the window.

"Certainly has a mind of her own, doesn't she?" Lute commented.

Comet huffed in return. "Hate that in a mare." he grumbled, earning growl from the Breezie.

Lute pulled another piece of paper from his pocket. On one side of the paper, he'd written Comet's name, and drawn three short lines underneath it. Niya's name was written on the other side. He added another tally mark to the many under Niya's name.





Comet walked into the compartment, taking one last swig of coffee from the Styrofoam cup he'd been levitating before tossing it into a nearby trash can. He glanced up at Niya. She was still sitting in the same seat. A Prench dictionary was propped on her hooves as she read. He sat across from her.

"Look," he started, "I think we got off on the wrong hoof."

"I think we did, too." the mare closed her book. "But, I do appreciate your apology-"

"Apology? I never said anything about a-"

"Stop talking please, okay? I mean, you're only gonna upset me."

Both ponies leaned back in their seats.

"I'll shut up if you will." Comet fired back.

"Okay."

"Fine."

"Fine"

"Fine."

"Fine." The silence lasted for a few seconds. "Think you'll miss it?" the mare questioned.

"The quiet? Duh!" the stallion snapped.

"No!" Niya waved a hoof to the passing landscape. "Canterlot."

There was a pause before Comet answered. "No."

The mare looked confused. "But...it was your home. Or, are you gonna make Maris your home?"

Comet squirmed in his seat, trying to find a way out of the awkward conversation. "What is it with you and 'home' anyway?"

"Well, for one thing, it's something every normal pony wants and..."

"And?" the stallion prompted.

"A-and it...it just...oh just forget it!" she snapped, rising from her seat. At that moment, the door opened as Lute entered with Evergreen perched atop his hat. Niya turned to him, relieved. "Thank Faust it's you! Please, remove him from my sight!" she begged, pointing an accusing hoof at Comet.

Lute let out an exasperated sigh. "Now what have you done?"

"Me!?" Comet whined, "She started it!"

Niya stormed out of the area, slamming the door behind her.

Lute chuckled warmly as he let the Breezie flutter off his hat. "Do I sense an unspoken attraction?" the question was directed at his friend.

Comet's eyes grew wide as saucers. "Attraction!? To that little-have you lost your mind!?" He stomped from the room, mumbling down the corridor.

"I was only asking a simple question." Lute smirked at the Breezie, who flipped in the air, chirping.





Night fell as the train rumbled down the line somewhere near the Rambling Rock Ridge. Nopony noticed the shadow-like bats climbing into the engine. Lute stepped from the compartment he shared with his companions, passports floating in his mystic grip. He got a few steps from the door when he caught some of the conversation between two other ponies. They were talking about the change in the color of ink of important documents; now everything, including passports, was in red. Lute's breath hitched as he ducked back into the compartment. Comet looked up at him.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"I really hate Silver Stocking. Everything's in red." he opened a passport and shoved it in his friend's face.

Comet gripped the paper in his own aura, pulling it back far enough to see the black ink. "Red." he breathed.

"Let's go to the baggage car, quickly, before we're spotted."

"How about, instead, we get off this train!"

Both stallions grabbed the suitcases in their magical grip. Lute rushed out the door. Evergreen chirped at the window, pointing at the shadow bat hovering just outside the pane. The creature growled and bared it's teeth at her. With a sharp squeal, she raced out the door after Lute.

Comet turned to a sleeping Niya. He reached to shake her awake. His hoof grazed her shoulder and her hoof flew up, slamming into his muzzle. His head flew back with a pain-filled grunt. Niya's eyes flew open.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, I thought you were-" her eyes focused on the blue stallion, "Oh, it's you. Well, that's okay then."

"C'mon!" he snapped, motioning for the mare to follow. He trotted on three legs, rubbing his nose with his free hoof. "I think you broke my muzzle!"

The mare rolled her eyes, shrugging her coat on and stuffing her hat and scarf into her pocket. "Stallions are such babies!" she muttered. Niya followed the stallions into the baggage car.

Lute shivered in the frigid air. "She'll freeze in here."

"She'll thaw in Maris." Comet smirked.

Niya glanced about the car. "The baggage car?" she earned to sheepish grins. "There wouldn't happen to be a problem with our papers, would there?"

Comet laid a hoof on her shoulder. "Of course not, Your Majesty! We just hate to see you mingle with the common crowd."

They all turned to face Evergreen, who was chirping at the door leading to the engine. Suddenly, there was a loud explosion which ripped the door leading to the rest of the train off it's hinges and destroyed the couple that attached the car to the rest of the train. Everypony was thrown to the floor.

"What the hay was that!?" Comet shouted.

Lute struggled to his hooves. "I don't know, but there goes the dining car!" he pointed a hoof towards the cars behind them as they sped away from the rest of the train.

Comet opened the door leading to the engine. "Something's not right. Wait here; I'm gonna go check the engine!" He jumped across the small gap in between the baggage and coal cars. The stallion shimmied up the ladder and stumbled his way across the sea of coal. He dropped down into the engine, only to find it was void of life, with nothing but a roaring fire that spread across the small room to great him. To avoid getting burned, he crossed back across the coal car and joined his comrades in the baggage car. Upon climbing back into the car, Comet rushed over to a sliding side door.

Niya followed him. "We're going way too fast!"

"Because nopony's driving the train. We gotta jump." he slid the door open to reveal that the train was speeding across a bridge with nothing but a dark ravine below them.

"Niya, do you think you could fly fast enough to get help?" Lute questioned.

"Yeah, about that..." the young mare rubbed the back of her neck. "I can't exactly fly..."

"What!? But you're a...never mind, we'll just uncouple the car." Comet hurried onto the metal links, which for some reason had melted together. Using his magic, he grabbed a wrench and began beating the blob of metal.

Evergreen bounced atop a wooden crate, letting out a series of whistles and chirps. Niya opened the crate. Inside were sticks of dynamite. She dug a hoof in her pocket and found a box of matches. She opened it to find she had a single match left. 'Better make it count.' she thought. Using her teeth, she struck the match against the side of the box before lighting the stick. She ran over to Comet, passing the red tube to him. He wedged it into the metal. They all rushed to the back of the car.

"What do they teach you in those orphanages?" he wondered aloud as the explosion rocked the train. They succeeded in uncoupling the car, along with blowing off the front of the car. "Okay, now we'll just coast to a stop."

Niya tapped his shoulder, pointing outside. He turned to see a bridge not far away. What worried him was that the middle of the bridge was missing. Thinking fast, he grabbed a chain in his magic and secured in under the car at the back. "Lute, come help me with this!"

The beige stallion tripped on his way over to his friend, landing in a pile of suitcases. Niya hurried over to take his place. The two ponies shoved the chain off the edge. Niya turned her head to see a crate sliding towards Comet. Grabbing his hoof, she yanked him from the crate's path, just as in slid off the edge and shattered against the track.

"If we make it outta this," the stallion muttered sarcastically, "remind me to thank you."

The ponies were thrown towards the side door as the end of the chain snagged onto the track, turning the whole car sideways. Without a second thought, they all jumped from the car, landing in a snowy bank just a few feet from the bridge. Both the baggage car and the engine tumbled off the edge, landing with a splash before exploding in the river below.

"I hate trains." Comet deadpanned.

Niya laid on her back, breathing heavily. "Now...what?" she panted. Evergreen lay in the snow next to her.

"Well," Lute answered, "we need to be on the other side of that river, so-"

Comet interrupted his friend. "So, now, we follow it until we find either a hoof bridge or somewhere shallow enough to cross."