Lifesparks

by Sythax

Derailed

The train’s lights bloomed into life to fight back the semi-darkness outside. The sun was gone, blocked by the snow-capped mountains that towered on either side. It had taken the best part of an hour to reach the base of the frigid peaks, the sun sinking slowly below the distant horizon.

Neither she nor Bolts had said a word since their brief exchange at the station. It was a companionable silence, each with their own thoughts. However, soon after passing into the mountains, she found herself out of scenery to look at; the cold stone varied little along the side of the track.

She turned to Bolts, ignoring the fact that his eyes darted away as she looked at him. She smiled, desperate to form a conversation.

"So where about in Ponyville do you live?" she asked.

"Oh, I don't live in Ponyville," replied Bolts. "I'm from Fillydelphia. Ponyville was my line change."

Her ear sensors perked at the sound of the glamorous city. She had never visited the East Coast; she had only heard the occasional story from her sister’s exploits there. She was intrigued to hear what it was like to live there permanently.

"What's it like live somewhere so big?" she asked.

"Oh, it’s great," he said with bitterness in his voice. "Everyone is so happy in their suits and ties. Banks are big business, you know!"

"Oh..." was all Sweetie Bot could manage. She had obviously stumbled on a sore spot.

"I'm sorry," he said as he noticed her crestfallen face "Me and Fillydelphia don't have the best of memories."

Deciding to steer the conversation another way, she inquired about his parents.

"They're good folks," he said fondly. "My Mum owns a flower shop in downtown Manehatten; Dad works in a bank, so we're pretty well off."

"That's nice," commented Sweetie Bot.

"Yeah, nice," he said distractedly. Shaking his head, he turned back to Sweetie Bot. "So what about you?"

"Well, I live with my Mum and Dad, although I visit my sister Rarity a lot."

She watched as Bolts' mouth dropped.

"Rarity? As in the Rarity?"

"Um... How many Raritys are there?" she asked uncertainly.

"As in the Element Bearer, friends with the princess Rarity?"

"Uh, yeah, I guess," she said. She had never realised her sister’s name was such a big deal outside of Ponyville.

"That's so cool!" he cried. "What about the Princess?"

"Twilight? Oh, she's good. I see her a lot"

Bolts stared at her in admiration. She fidgeted under his gaze. He blinked, looking away quickly.

"So what do you-" Sweetie Bot placed a hoof to his mouth as she lifted her head. She could have sworn she heard something, the sound barely distinguishable from the clacking of the tracks. Bolts looked at her from around her hoof. She removed it, smiling for him to continue.

He looked at her oddly, but continued. "What do you do in your free time?"

"Free time? Well, I generally hang out with my friends. We're trying to get our cutie marks."

'Their' cutie marks, she added as a slightly bitter afterthought.

"That's cool," he said, looking down at his own blank flank. "Maybe I could join you sometime?"

"Maybe," she said vaguely. She knew she had heard it this time. It sounded like hooves; probably someone in another car. It sounded strange, though; they had a distinct echo.

"You seem kind of distracted. Everything all right?" asked a concerned Bolts.

"Hmm?" she said, shaking the thought from her mind "Oh, yeah, I'm fine, just thinking things over."

Bolts was obviously not convinced, but let it drop.

There it was again! She was sure she heard it this time. It was closer, coming from above her. It sounded like hooves, but who would be walking on top of a train at this speed? She cycled through her visual mode, finally setting it to X-ray. She gasped as she saw the four ponies standing on the roof, each clad in a tight fitting black outfit.

Bolts looked at her, confused as to what she was looking at.

"What is it? What's wrong?" he asked.

"There are ponies on the roof!" she said. "Four of them."

"Ponies on the roof?" he puzzled. "How do you know?"

"Trust me, I know," she said.

She watched as one of them leaned over the side of the car, something rectangular in his hooves. With a thud he stuck it to the side of the train. A few deft movements later and the box started to beep loudly. She didn't need to be a soldier to know what that block was.

Another quickly dragged the companion back up. They moved to the other side of the train, holding onto the handles that sprouted from the train top.

She flicked back to normal vision, looking back at the visibly worried Bolts.

"What's going on?" he asked shakily.

"We're being hijacked," she said, the words met with a look of wide eyed terror. She grabbed the colt, pulling him down to the floor.

"I want you to hide under here, all right?" she said. He nodded silently "I'll come and get you when its safe."

She pushed him underneath the seat and stood back up, smiling at him encouragingly.

Then, with as much power as she could, she shouted at the other passengers.

"Everypony down, now!"

They stared at her, not sure what to make of the raging filly.

"Please! There a bomb on the car!" she yelled.

The adults chuckled, mumbling something about over-active imagination. Sweetie Bot groaned, there wasn't much time left, the bomb could go off -

She slammed into the wall as a blossom of heat ripped the side off the carriage. Several ponies went with it, their screams lost in the howling wind that tore through the car. Those that had been lucky enough to stay in the car backed away from the gaping hole, their eyes wide in confusion.

Sweetie Bot watched as the mountain outside the carriage gave way to a deep canyon, its level bottom covered in snow that reflected the newly risen moonlight. With the sound of hooves on metal, she watched as the first figure appeared at the top of the hole, his eyes searching the carriage.

He spotted her almost instantly, beckoning with his hoof for his comrades to join him. Within seconds, the four of them had climbed down from the roof, facing her. The centre right unicorn stepped forward. His words were muffled by his head gear and the howling wind.

"Please don't resist, we mean you no harm." he mumbled.

Sweetie Bot looked at him sceptically. They had just blown out half a train car to get to her. ‘No harm’ indeed.

When she made no move to come quietly, the unicorn nodded to his companions. With four different colours of magic, they unstrapped rifles from their backs, clicking off the safely as they levelled the barrels at Sweetie Bot.

But Sweetie Bot was way ahead of them. Her HUD flashed manically as her systems planned out a method of attack. The fact that her system was doing this of its own accord was slightly concerning. Within seconds, her HUD was filled with a multitude of dotted lines and symbols. Sweetie Bot smiled.

She knew exactly what to do.

She hung her head low, approaching the forward unicorn in apparent defeat. Surprised at her sudden surrender, he lowered his rifle, reached into one of his pouches, and brought out a pair of reinforced hoofcuffs.

With his rifle down, she took her chance. With a powerful kick, she launched herself up, slamming a metallic hoof into his jaw. He cried out, dropping his rifle and the cuffs as he clutched his mouth. The others stepped back, the attack temporarily surprising them.

At the apex of her jump, she stretched out a leg, engaging a sticky pad as it connected with the roof. She shifted her weight, swinging to build her momentum. With a loud sucking sound, she detached from the roof, flying over the group to land heavily on their left.

Now she had an advantage; the train was a lot narrower, only allowing two of them to get a shot at her. Since one of the two closest ponies was still holding his jaw, only one could retaliate. She lowered her head, pointing her horn at the pony. Its tip lit up, red light pouring over the car. She braced herself as the beam fired, hitting the pony right in the chest. It wasn't enough to kill him, but he wouldn't be getting up any time soon.

With two of their team down, the remaining attackers were being more cautious. They had taken cover behind nearby seat, their rifles pointing over the backs. Sweetie Bot looked down at the bottom of one of the seats; she could see Bolts, his face wide with both fright and awe. Beyond him was the hooves of one of the soldiers.

She motioned to him and the pony behind the seat. He looked at the pony and nodded. Silently, he reached for his saddlebag with his magic. Sweetie Bot was surprised to find it hadn't moved since the entire fiasco had begun. Whatever was in it must be incredibly heavy.

Bolts lifted something from the bag. It looked like a brass corkscrew, its point razor sharp. With a nod, he positioned it above the stallion’s ankle. Sweetie Bot charged her horn for another attack.

With a yelp, the stallion jumped up as the corkscrew was driven into his leg. At the same time, Sweetie Bot unleashed the blast, sending him spiralling into the corner where he slumped unconscious.

She smiled her thanks at Bolts, her smiled turning to a grimace as a bullet rammed its way into her leg. She screamed, her voice becoming tinny and cracked with the volume. The last stallion ducked down, his rifle ready to fire again. Sweetie Bot threw herself into cover, artificial pain searing up her leg.

Her HUD flashed red as a diagnostic appeared, nothing was damaged, but the bullet was wedged in her elbow hydraulics. She tested her front leg; sure enough, her elbow only moved a few inches, the mechanics meeting the bullet with a screech. She could deal with that later. She would prefer one bullet in her than several.

Her mind was distracted by a loud groan from the surrounding carriage. She heard bolts popping from their slots as the car slowly tipped to one side, the hole now peering over the edge of the canyon. She slammed her good hoof down, the stick pad holding fast. Bolts grabbed the chair support, holding on for dear life as the floor gradient got steeper.

With a final snap, the car connector broke, the car ploughing off the cliff towards the white snow below. Was this to be how it ended? To finish before it truly began? She couldn't imagine what would have happened if she had stayed at home. Would these attackers still have come for her? Who were they, anyway?

But now it seemed all her questions would go unanswered. As the carriage plummeted, its passengers screaming in terror as they fell, Sweetie Bot thought of her sister. She said she would come home. She wished she could keep that promise.

With a deafening crash, the car struck the ground, its frame ripping open and spreading in all directions like a gruesome flower. Bolts was lost from view as her vision left her. Literally. She heard her eyes land in the snow nearby. However the sound alone was not enough to form a trajectory path.

She was blind, lost and alone, the snow pouring relentlessly from the sky, already starting to cover the ruins that surrounded her.

Comments

[ferret]

"Their good folks" he said fondly
we mean you know harm
With for different colours

[Sythax]

4318034 Thanks, Its annoying when you type a word spell check can't pick up

[ferret]

4318205

That's what readers are for!

[Pyriel]

Umm... WHAT?! Bolts better not be dead, he seemed cool.

[Kenshinryuu]

..... dude, killing all those ponies just to get one filly bot???? Overkill much It seems like it would be easier to nab her off the streets when she leaves the train instead of what just happened. Plus, then there's a whole crowd to hide in.

[Sythax]

4319901 But then she would be reported missing, by attacking the train they can make it look like an accident and remove any witnesses at the same time. They're a cruel bunch.

[Kenshinryuu]

4320838 I think unknown kidnapper gets less attention than mass killer. Now EVERYONE will be after them, versus just whomever Rarity gets to help her.

[Sythax]

4321784 Only the people who were on the car know it wasn't an accident, since they're are all dead there is little chance of the truth getting out and they get off scott free