Dreadwing Bells A'ringing

by avatarded01

Chapter 8.

8.

The train rattled along the tracks with a loud ‘clickity-clack’ that Flutershy had grown accustomed to listening to each time she rode a train. In fact it was one of her favourite things about riding them. The sound was so rhythmic it was almost like a lullaby. Coupled with the gentle rocking of the carriage and the pleasant scenery zipping by, Fluttershy often drifted away into a pleasant snooze. Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie were making that a little difficult this time round though. Two days on the train and they were still hooting on and on about how ‘awesome’ the royal carriage was. Carriages would be more accurate. Due to the importance of their mission and the presence of Princess Luna, the ponies had been granted use of the royal carriages. Fluttershy had been gob-smacked when she had first fluttered into the carriage and looked around. It seemed to be twice as big as a normal rail car, but that was only because it was crammed full of seats, tables or bunk beds. One whole car was taken up as a community area, with long plush soft leather sofas, thick, woolly rugs and swaying chandeliers. Another was provided for them to sleep in. No bunks in here though, each pony had their own separate bed with a curtain to pull around it for privacy and a small trunk for any personal possessions they needed close at hand. Lastly another car was given up for dinning, with a long polished wood table inside with enough place settings for twice their number. The kitchen car was just ahead of the dinning one. Fluttershy, along with Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie and Rarity had spent the first day moving back and forth between the cars, exploring every nook and cranny of the royal splendour they would be travelling in. Rarity had squealed with delight when she realised that she’d be travelling most of the way with a goose feather bed to sleep in and high-quality food prepared by professional chefs. She always did like her comforts, Fluttershy had thought to herself, as Rarity rolled about on her bed, hugging her pillow. The others had seemed less concerned with their mode of transport as they did with meticulously planning out every step they should make along their journey. Even down to how long exactly they should stop in Manehattan and where to go. Right now they were in the common room, sitting around a table with a map on it. Twilight had barley left it, constantly scrutinizing it for alternate routes and possible obstructions. Pinkie Pie thought she was trying to memorize the map and was currently commenting,

“It’s kinda hard to memorize a map don’t ya think? I mean, it’s not like memorizing a recipe, that’s just remembering all the stuff you gotta put in and how much of it. A map’s got lines, dotted lines, blobs, dots, mountains, rivers, towns, cities little forests that are actually pretty big in real life, but look so small here on the map…” She leaned across the table and planted her hoof on the map. Twilight looked up and shot her a sharp look,

“Pinkie! I’m not trying to memorize it, I’m just making sure I know our route of by heart. In case anything goes wrong.”

“Go wrong?” Pinkie giggled, “We’re on a train, what could go wrong?” Twilight shook her head and went back to her map, while Pinkie Pie trotted away to find something else to do. At this rate they would be at Manehattan before long. Fluttershy hadn't been before. She knew Applejack had, but only once when she was a Philly, but Rarity had been more recently for fashion shows. She remembered how Rarity had described it and she didn't like the sound of it. From what she imagined it was a huge place made all out of stone and rock with huge buildings that blocked out the sun and hid the sky. There were no trees or plants or green things and the animals all lived in doors, instead of being allowed to run free and wild. Rarity assured her that it wasn't that bad and that she would see when they got there, but Fluttershy really didn't want to go or see it. To be completely honest she hadn't wanted to go on this ‘quest’ in the first place and she had told the others as much when they tried to get her to go to Canterlot. However they had dragged her to Canterlot and Twilight had convinced her that she was absolutely necessary. Without her they wouldn't be able to use the Elements of Harmony so there really was no arguing.

“You ahlright there sugar?” Fluttershy looked up from her seat to find Applejack standing next to her, a little smile on her face. She did look wonderful in her armour. It was silver like Big Macintosh’s, with the same laurel and apples motif on the breast-plate, but she wasn't wearing the helm. She preferred to just wear her signature hat. She sat down as Fluttershy replied,

“Oh yes I’m fine Applejack, thank you. I was just thinking about how lovely the Princesses train cars are.” Applejack nodded her agreement,

“Yeah, they are pretty swanky. A little too swanky for some o’ the ponies usin’em.” Fluttershy looked at her in surprise,

“Applejack! That’s a little snobby isn’t it?” but Applejack just chuckled,

“I’m includin’ myself in that statement, y’know. Let’s face it Fluttershy, the only ones of us who’d fit in to transportation like this are Rarity and well… you.” Fluttershy blushed, and shook her head,

“Oh no, I’m no better suited to this kind of extravagance than any of you.” Applejack laughed again and conceded,

“If you say so.” Just then Rainbow Dash came in and stated,

“This train is awesome!” I just found another wardrobe hidden back there. It’s like this place is built out of storage space! Think of all the great hiding places, you could have a killer game of hide and seek in here.” Just then Dash seemed to notice something else new and zipped over to the wall right next to where Princess Luna was sitting. She leaned right over the Princess who titled back and jabbed her hoof at the painting hanging above Luna’s head. “Hey! There’s something hidden behind this painting!” She beat her wings and floated just over head and ripped the painting down. Behind it was a secure looking metal door, “Wow! It’s a safe! What’s in there? Jewels? Gold? Diamonds?” Luna rolled her eyes and Twilight scowled at Rainbow Dash,

“It’s the Elements of Harmony Dash. We told everyone where we were going to put them, weren't you listening? And don’t lean over the Princess like that! It’s rude.” She chided Rainbow Dash who floated away from the Princess with an embarrassed grin on her face,

“Err, sorry Princess.” Luna waved it away with an elegant hoof,

“Do not concern yourself with it Rainbow Dash. If we are to be travelling together we must all learn a degree of tolerance for each others…” She thought about it for a moment, “Uniqueness.” Luna put the painting back in place with a flick of her horn and Rainbow Dash apologized again before floating away. Fluttershy giggled quietly to herself. She had always found Dash’s abruptness and lack of subtlety endearing and loved to watch the way she dealt with and spoke to others. She often wished she could be more like her. Rainbow Dash coaxed Pinkie Pie to join her in the dining car to grab something to eat and Applejack got up to join Twilight by the map. Fluttershy wondered where about Rarity was when there was a sudden thump on the roof of the car.

“Dash!” Twilight called out in annoyance, but Rainbow responded from the adjacent car,

“What!? I’m eating in here!” The Ponies in the common room looked at each other,

“Pinkie Pie?” Applejack ventured but she was answered with a muffled response through a mouthful of something or other. As they looked about Fluttershy noticed something by the window. A shape, but then it was gone. And then it was back! She got up and trotted over to the window. Nothing, but the beautiful country side sliding past. Suddenly a large dark shape thumped down right next to the train and then disappeared as it was left behind by the train. Fluttershy squeaked in alarm and jumped back. Applejack ran over and said,

“What is it?”

“Something’s outside the train” Fluttershy pointed with a hoof. The others rushed over and looked outside. As they looked it appeared as though whatever it had been was gone, but then the same big dark figure crashed into the side of the train shattering the glass of the window and spraying it into the interior of the car. All the ponies cried out and jumped back. Whatever it was, it was sticking to the side of the car. It was all black. It’s body was covered in bristly, thick black hair and it had four, no six… eight legs. As it crawled and turned about to twist its head into the window, a fearsome spiders head poked in with eight burning red eyes set deep in its fanged skull. Fluttershy shrieked and the Spider hissed in response. It was about to climb in through the shattered window, when Applejack bolted over spun about and planted a solid kick, straight to its face. One of the dripping black fangs snapped off and the spider fell out of sight as it was launched from its perch.

“Everpony ahlright?” Applejack asked.

“What was that?” Twilight asked in response, but it was Fluttershy who answered.

“It looked like a Red Dessert Jumping Spider, but they’re meant to be red, not black.” Luna’s face suddenly took on a stern expression, before she said,

“Dreadwing has found us.” The other ponies turned to look at her, “These Jumping Spiders have been corrupted by his dark influence. They belong to him now and they must be here for the Elements!” No sooner than she had said there was a series of crashing noises, the sound of glass shattering and cries of alarm from the dining car to the front, and the sleeping car to the rear.

“Holy Hay! What is that!” Fluttershy heard Rainbow Dash bellow from the dining car and there was no mistaking Rarity’s ear piercing screech from the sleeping car. Rarity came bolting into the common area with Zecora right behind her, who delivered a vicious kick to the face of the Spider chasing them. Applejack bolted past hem and lept headlong into the pursuing spider. The two of them tumbled out of sight back into the rear car.

“It tried to bite me!!!” Rarity wailed as she took cover behind a sofa, but even as she said it the windows on the other side of the car blew inward as one of the spiders hurtled in, and that was followed by the sound of several heavy thumps on the roof. Fluttershy joined Rarity in screaming in alarm but Twilight swept round to face the spider. However before she could do anything the spider was struck by a blinding white bolt of lightning that sent it spinning back out the hole it had made and crashing to the ground, out of sight. Luna ran over to the hole and spread her wings,

“We must protect the Elements!” With that she swooped out of the car and into the air, and the thundering crack of lightning followed after her. Twilight ran to the corner and stood in front of the painting with the safe hidden behind it.

“Fluttershy, Zecora, Rarity get over here now!” She barked and all three of them jumped up and ran towards her, but before they could make it another jarring crash shook the car and a spider on the end of Rainbow Dash’s hooves came flying through the car, in one side and out the other, carried all the way by Dash. Fluttershy steadied herself and started forward again, but an awful ripping sound, of metal screeching in protest as it was torn apart, drew her gaze upwards. A pair of spiders had pried the metal on the roof of the car back and were glowering in. One was fried by a bolt of lightning but the other lept in. Fluttershy screamed and zipped away on her wings but the spider bounced after her. However, in mid-air the spider disappeared, with a small pop and a sprinkling of glittering, purple dust. Twilight stood, with her horn lowered and glowing as she shouted,

“Move it! Get behind me!” Fluttershy zipped over and Rarity and Zecora joined them. “Alright Rarity, time to use Artemis. Let’s go!” Rarity nodded but Fluttershy could see the anxiety on her face. Rarity sucked in a deep breath and started to focus. Her horn lit up and a thin line of light appeared before her two more spiders jumped into the car, one from the shattered window the other from the hole in the roof. Both crunching glass as they landed. One of them disappeared in a puff of purple light and the other lunged forward before it stopped in mid air and was hurled back out the way it had come. “Come on Rarity hurry!”

“I can’t! I can’t concentrate!” Rarity cried. Fluttershy could see beads of sweat gathering on her brow and the bow was sputtering and flickering. More spiders appeared and disappeared as Twilight vanished them or hurled them away with her magic one got close, but received a vicious kick from Zecora. Once, twice and a third time! Before it rolled away howling and fell backwards out of a hole. Suddenly Fluttershy jumped as the door next to them exploded off its hinges as Big Macintosh came spilling through with a spider on top of him. It was trying to sink its dripping fangs into his neck but he had a hoof under its chin pushing it back. Zecora ran forward to help, but as she did a second spider plunged through the door bowling her over. Zecora would have fallen flat on her side but she rolled with the hit and bounced back up on to her hooves a couple of feet away. The Spider however didn't hesitate, it swung around into the corner where it spied Fluttershy, Rarity and Twilight. It lunged for the nearest Pony. Fluttershy jumped back but Rarity was too distracted by attempting to form her spell and the spider caught her leg between its pincers. It yanked her off her feet and to the floor, where it threw itself on top of her. She screamed and kicked at it as it tried to gain enough leverage to sink its fangs in. Fluttershy gaped at the ferocious insect trying to maul her friend. She felt a burning ache in the pit of her stomach at the site of the spider. She knew Jumping Spiders were predators but she still couldn't stand to see a beautiful graceful animal like this turned into some ravening beast to serve the whims of a deranged Dragon. She ground her teeth as she felt an anger boil up inside her that she did not often feel , like acid surging up from deep within,

“GET OFF OF HER!!!” She snarled and threw herself headfirst into the spider’s side. It squawked and tumbled over bouncing back up onto its eight legs but Fluttershy kept coming. She delivered a bone jarring uppercut to the spiders face, snapping one of its fangs off, and then a savage elbow drop to its back. The Spider retreated hissing and spitting venomously but she threw herself into the air, beat her wings once for extra height and with a heroic cry swung her hoof right the way around in a thunderous round-house to send the Spider sprawling out of the nearest hole in the side of the train.

Fluttershy wheeled round and dashed back to Rarity’s side. As she did, Big Mac managed to draw his legs in under the spider with a grunt shoved the spider straight up into the roof of the car. Fluttershy barely noticed the sickening crunch as she ran by and stood next to Rarity, where Zecora was already leaning over her, checking her leg. A red ring stained Rarity’s leg where the spider’s pincers had sunk into the flesh. Rarity wriggled about on the floor and lifted her leg up so that she could see it,

“It bit me! It bit me!,” She spluttered but when her eyes fixed on the blood she stopped and whispered, “Is that… is that my blood?” With that she passed out, collapsing like a wet rag. Fluttershy gaped at Zecora, fearing that Rarity had suffered worse than it appeared but Zecora assured her,

“It is only a small injury, leave it to me.” She said it in her usual rhyming verse. Flutershy looked about the car. The wind was howling through it now, due to all the holes in it and all the delicate and lovely furnishing were strewn and smashed all about the floor. Yet more Spiders were coming in. Twilight was still exactly where she had been, right in front of the safe, still hurling the spiders back with her magic. She was sweating now and the strain was obvious on her face. Fluttershy looked around for help. The only other pony in here was Big Mac and he was currently wrestling with two of the spiders, one pinned beneath him with another on his back. It’s pincers were locked around his neck and he was twisting around trying to stop it from punching its fangs into his jugular. Fluttershy, swooped over and grabbed a vase from the floor. She smashed the expensive pottery over the spiders head, but this only served to make it mad. It jumped down from Big Mac’s back and advanced on her. Big Mac tried to grab its back leg with his teeth but the one underneath him surged up from its back sending him reeling away and almost right out of a hole in the side of the train. Fluttershy backed away looking around for something to put between her and the furious spider, but at that moment a shrieking pink blur tore out of the dining car, trailing fire, and crashed into the spider. Spider and blur rolled across the floor and when they came apart the spiders back and leg were on fire. It hissed and screeched, jumping about and rolling on the floor, trying to put the fire out. The blur settled on the floor as Pinkie Pie, dazed and still smoldering at the tail end. Fluttershy jumped forward and stomped the fire out and then pushed Pinkie Pie down as the spider lept over head and out a shattered window trailing smoke and fire behind it. As the two ponies sat up Pinkie Pie looked at Fluttershy and spluttered,

“Who’d have thought that giant, venomous spiders who can jump around like Philly’s on a trampoline wouldn't be a good laugh?” Fluttershy pushed her down again, as Big Mac stumbled past, on his hind legs, heaving the same spider he’d been struggling with earlier, over his head. He slammed it down on the floor and, while it was winded, he belted it across the floor and out of the train car. As Fluttershy sat up she smelt something on the air and when she looked over at the door leading to the dining car she saw thick black smoke creeping along the ceiling, leaving greasy black smears across it.

“Fire. FIRE!” She cried. Pinkie Pie sat up as well and said,

“Oh Yeah, the Kitchen car’s on fire.” She said quite calmly and then started bleating, “FIRE! FIRE!” Just as Flutershy got to her hooves to try and do something she felt a jarring shake, rattle through the cars and then everything lurched for a second.

“What was that?” Big Macintosh droned, as he wiped spider blood off his hoof.

“It felt like it came from farther up the train!” Twilight called from across the car. Something was definitely wrong; Fluttershy could feel a change had come over the speed the train was moving at.

“I’ll check it out.” Big Mac said, but Fluttershy stopped him before he could take off,

“Wait Applejack’s still fighting them in the sleeping car!” Mac looked at her and then turned on his hooves and dashed back to help his sister.

“Fluttershy!” Twilight called over to her, “You’re going to have to fly outside and see what’s happening!” Fluttershy gulped at the idea but she knew Twilight was right. She ran over to one of the shattered windows and jumped out, spreading her wings and swooping out into the air. Smoke was billowing out of the kitchen car, which was fully ablaze, flames licking up the sides of the car as they belched out the windows. Fluttershy could see Rainbow Dash swooping around the train beating back spiders that were trying to leap onto the roof and Luna was doing the same except with bolts of lightning and buffeting gusts of wind. She beat her wings to gain some height and looked towards the front of the train. She gasped as she saw that the front of the train was becoming a small dot on the horizon pulling away from the rest of the cars at the back. The kitchen train had been detached from the rest of the train and now their cars at the back were losing speed and trailing behind. Her eyes bulged as she watched a large group of spiders ahead of the train pile onto and topple a large tree, which collapsed onto the train track. Fluttershy wasn't sure but even though their train was slowing down, it was probably still going fast enough to derail if it hit that tree. She shot back down to the train and swooped in through the hole in the side of the train. Zecora had managed to bring Rarity around and Pinkie Pie was hopping around the car keeping an eye out for spiders, while Applejack and Big Macintosh were struggling to pin one of the sofas into the door way leading into the car from the sleeping car at the back. Spiders were trying to dislodge it and storm into the car, but some of them were smart enough to go over onto the roof or crawl along the walls. Fluttershy noticed, however, on her way in, that those spiders were meeting a sticky end at Rainbow Dash and Luna’s hooves. Fluttershy landed in the middle of the ruined car, causing Pinkie Pie to duck and said,

“There’s a tree on the track and the spiders have detached the rest of the train!” Twilight looked at her, eyes wide in panic,

“If we hit that we could de-rail! We have to get off this train!”

“Ah couldn't agree more!” Applejack yelled and Big Mac agreed,

“Yup!” Rarity shot up right, her eyes filled with terror,

“But all of my things are in the back car!” she cried but Zecora rolled her eyes and yanked her to her hooves,

“Think of those things later, or else you will end up in a crater!” Fluttershy turned to Twilight, trying to keep the panic from building up and over-powering her,

“What should we do? How do we get everyone off? The train’s still moving too fast to jump off!” Twilight thought for a moment and then said,

“I’ll have to teleport everypony off the train.” Rarity looked at her as she staggered over with Zecora,

“Can you do that? Move everypony at once?”

“I’ll have to wont it!?” Twilight snapped and then shouted, “Everypony over here now!” Fluttershy took a step back as Rarity and Zecora stood next to her, Pinkie bounced over and Applejack and Big Macintosh abandoned the sofa and bolted across the car. Fluttershy moved further back, towards the edge of the car, ready to jump out and fly away as soon as she knew her friends were safe, but as soon as Applejack and Big Mac left the sofa the spiders battered it a side and stormed in. Fluttershy yelped and hopped into the air beating her wings, edging closer and closer to the gap behind her, the wind whipping at the feathers on her wings. Twilight closed her eyes and clenched her teeth, focusing hard. Fluttershy had seen her teleport herself around as easily as breathing and even others pretty easily too, like what she’d been doing with the spiders. But she’d never seen her move herself and five other ponies at once. Twilight was already tired from fighting off the Spiders but now she had to move them all and move them fast. The spiders wasted no time, tearing through the car like starved beasts, clawing and snapping as they went. Three turned towards Fluttershy and she got ready to throw herself from the train, but she looked back at Twilight. She was sweating and straining as light flared from her horn and sparks spat and lept form the end of it. Fluttershy wanted to scream ‘NOW! NOW!’ but she didn't have the chance. The first spider was upon her and she jumped backwards out of the hole and allowed the wind to catch in her wings and pull her up into the air. Luna and Rainbow Dash had fallen behind, holding off the main body of the spiders but they had noticed the tree. Dash cried out and bolted down the track chasing the train, trying to get ahead of it, even though she didn't have a chance of moving the tree. Suddenly Fluttershy realized that if Dash got too close she could be killed when the train hit the tree and de-railed. She cried out to stop her but Dash was going too fast. Fortunately Luna had realised the same danger and suddenly appeared next to Rainbow Dash and grabbed her, wrapping her hooves around her shoulders. Fluttershy watched as the train careened down the track. She watched, waiting for the flash of light signalling Twilight's magic. She could see spiders jumping off the train or spinning out of the gaps in the train, having been beaten back by the occupants’ still inside. The tree was getting closer and closer. There was still no flash. The train was right on top of the tree… at almost the same moment as the flaming kitchen car struck the tree a purple flash of light filled the car with the ponies inside. The front car hit the tree hard. The tree splintered and rolled under the car, lifting it off the track, but the momentum of the train carried the cars onward. They sailed over the battered tree and crashed down on the track, bouncing off the metal rails and twisting until the kitchen car snapped clean off the train couplings and tipped over. The dining car crashed into the flaming bow of metal and just short of flipped over it crashing down on top of it. The remaining cars followed suit until all of them were piled on top of each other, rolling and flipping until they slid to a stop in a burning, smoking heap of twisted metal and broken glass. No-pony could have survived that. Fluttershy released a shuddering sigh of relief as she watched her friends reappear in a purple flash of light a couple of hundred yards away from the wreckage. The spiders were retreating back into the hills and the woods leaving the ponies alone with the burning train wreck. Just then Fluttershy thought, weren't the Elements of Harmony still in the safe?