Bamboo wind chimes clinked and whistled in the breeze outside of Zecora’s hut. The zebra closed the window-hatch, shutting out the grating sound.
She’d been feeling uneasy all day. A red star twinkled in the sky before dawn, lasting well into the morning, and quickly returned in the evening. That alone was a bad enough sign, but as the sun went down red light mixed with purple in the thin, wispy clouds, as if the sky were bleeding. The animals were quiet and the wind whispered words of fear into Zecora’s ears.
There would be chaos soon.
Zecora sipped from her cup and let the tea leaves settle at the bottom, searching for a clue as for what to do.
But time was up.
The door burst open and a hulking gray earth pony stood in the shattered frame, his torn brown cloak fluttering in the breeze.
“I’m sorry,” said the stallion. “I’m doing this for a very dear friend. Tell me where the Alicorn Amulet is.”
Zecora’s eyes went wide. “I won’t give that up for free. You’re going to have to go through me!” Zecora shot green mist at the earth pony.
#
On the Friendship Express, Twilight Sparkle lay down on the seat as she stared into an open box. Sitting on a cushion of gold-colored silk, King Sombra’s severed horn pulsed with dark energy, struggling to break free of Twilight Sparkle’s containment bubble.
Off and on, she used to wonder about King Sombra and what could possibly turn a pony into such a monster. She and her friends had fought frightening monsters before, but not a pony. Even Nightmare Moon had a different sort of madness: she seemed not to understand that eternal night would destroy Equestria.
But Sombra was more like Tirek, a monster strait from Tartarus. Did the Nightmare make him that way?
The sound of an expertly played accordion took Twilight’s attention off of the horn. She looked back in the car to see Pinkie Pie playing the instrument as she danced between the other Elements of Harmony. Pinkie sang, “It’s always so much fun riding trains with all of you, but this time’s so much better because this one has bathrooms. I thought it would be scary with our horn-searching quest, but it only took two hours and now it’s time for a nice breakfast!”
“It’s lunch, dearie,” said Rarity.
“But that doesn’t rhyme,” said Pinkie. Dropping the accordion, she jumped into the seat next to Twilight. “Isn’t it yucky, staring at a unicorn’s broke-off horn? You’ve got a perfectly good window right beside you. The snow’s going away, it’s turning to grass again, and there’s a broken up brick wall that used to be part of a house. I bet it was an alchemist who accidentally blew it up. Oh! I hope she’s ok.”
“I was just thinking about Sombra,” said Twilight. “We never knew what made him the way he was. I saw he used dark magic and I know what that can do to a pony’s soul. I feel awful that we didn’t save him. If we’d brought the Elements, maybe we’d have been able to cure him, like we did with Princess Luna.”
Listening in, Apple Jack leaned on the back of Twilight’s chair. “He was so evil that love killed him. Only way that could work is if there was nothing left of him to save. Wouldn’t have been no different if we’d used the Elements.”
“Maybe,” said Twilight, frowning at the horn. “But I really think we let him down. I’ve learned so much since then, and it’s just never that simple. I don’t think anypony is ever beyond all hope.”
AJ wasn’t sure she felt the same, but her friend’s attitude really made her smile. She gave Twilight a pat on the head. “Whether that’s true or not, ya can’t save everypony.”
Twilight let out a sigh as she closed the box. She started to say something, but the ponies all heard a loud crash from the rear cars.
The door at the end of the car burst open revealing a unicorn with very dark, crimson fur. At the same time as she made her entrance, one of the windows shattered as a pegasus pony crashed inside. The pegasus had dull yellow fur, like amber, and forest green hair that also spread to her feathers, as if they’d been dipped in green ink.
“Do you see the horn, Lydia?” asked the pegasus.
“No, Nightshade,” said the unicorn. Lydia looked Twilight in the eye. “But I bet I know who’s got it.”
Always the first two ponies scrapping for a fight, Rainbow Dash and Apple Jack charged at the intruders as other passengers in the car hid under their tables. Lydia teleported a few feet forward, out of AJ’s way and the orange filly tumbled, rolling into the next car. Nightshade grappled with Rainbow Dash and the two of them got into a slap fight at the other end of the car.
The others jumped in, Twilight and Rarity attacking Lydia. Rarity hurled dining ware, biting back a sob as the expensive crystal cups shattered against the wall. Twilight traded horn blasts with Lydia, shooting holes through the train walls. AJ snuck up behind Lydia with her rope, intending to hog-tie the crimson unicorn, but Lydia deflected a blast and sent it back at AJ, knocking the cow-filly back.
“Apple Jack!” Twilight yelled.
At the other end of the car, Nightshade fell back from blast from Pinkie’s party cannon. She shook the streamers and confetti out of her mane as Rainbow dropped down again.
“Rainbow, be careful!” said Fluttershy.
Rainbow yanked Nightshade by the tail. “This is a fight, Fluttershy! Now isn’t the time for the shy stuff. For the love of Celestia, it’s three on one! Jump in!”
Nightshade’s kick under Rainbow Dash’s jaw knocked the Wonderbolt backward, dizzy.
Fluttershy bit her lip. Rainbow’s right, she thought. I’ve been so much braver lately. I can’t hold back while my friends fight! She gave her best squeaky growl as she galloped at Nightshade.
Pinkie’s eyelash started twitching. “Fluttershy, wait!”
Pinkie tried to leap toward them, but Nightshade kicked Pinkie’s party cannon, sending it crashing into the pink earth pony as Fluttershy attacked. Fluttershy grabbed Nightshade’s hair, but the yellow and green pegasus produced a needle hidden between her feathers.
Fluttershy saw a flash of light which seemed to come from behind her eyes. She never felt the needle going into her neck.
“Get away from her!” Pinkie screamed. She hurled the party cannon with every ounce of her rarely used earth pony strength. The cannon crashed into Nightshade and sent her out through the wall, tumbling over the passing landscape.
With all of the ponies distracted by Fluttershy, Lydia teleported over to the box and grabbed it, teleporting out of the train just in time to avoid Twilight’s horn blast.
Pinkie held onto the barely conscious Fluttershy. Rainbow shook some sense into her head and gathered around with the others.
“It’s poison,” said Pinkie, throwing the needle away.
Rainbow immediately started crying hard. “Fluttershy! Wake up! Fluttershy, I’m sorry! Please wake up!” She held on to her unconscious friend as the battle-damaged Friendship Express sped toward Ponyville.