Rainbow Dash marched down car after car. An iron frown led her forward, ignoring the colorful shapes of chatting passengers and inquisitive train workers on either side of her blurring vision.
She traversed her way down two passenger cars, a luggage compartment, and at last made her way into the train's caboose.
She reached the very back end of the train. Her hoof clasped the door mechanism, twisted a handle, and—
Schwisssh!
Bright light stabbed her vision, bringing her skull back to a throbbing, aching place.
The mare grimaced, but caught her breath. Shuffling forward, she stood on the rearmost platform just outside the caboose. The world was a wind-whipping streak of green and blue color. Trees whizzed by and telegraph wires served as the percussion in between.
Rainbow took a deep breath. The sun was still low in the east horizon. Judging from the mountains, she already had a good guess as to which direction to take for a swift flight home.
So, flexing her muscles, Rainbow gripped the support bars on the back and leaned her body forward.
A cold shiver ran through her.
The pegasus lingered. She glanced down at the bars—at where her fetlocks gripped the metal surfaces. She clenched her jaw shut, shivering slightly.
Her nerves tingled. Strangely alive... anxious... lucid.
More of the countryside blurred past her. She caught the smells of Equestria taking shape in her awakening senses. In a strange way, it felt like flying backwards.
The mare bit her lip. Her ears folded back. Try as she might, she couldn't find the strength to lift herself from where she stood.