Fighters Don't Have Friends

by BackroundVoice

4 : Train Fight

A whistle blared throughout the cars. By instinct, my eyes darted open in surprise, confused as to where I was, only to relax the moment I recall that I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be. Aboard the train to Ponyville. I sat up and yawned, looking across from me to see Fluttershy still sound asleep.

Heavy sleeper, huh?

The train whistle echoed again. Fluttershy must've been more tired than she led on to be.

I decided to get some fresh cold air to breath. An old habit I used to wake up during my early days at the academy. Coffee and energy drinks never did the trick for me. I either woke up from the chilling mountain wind or I simply remained drowsy throughout the day. The Princess always use to remind me to get a good night's sleep before the beginning of the next day. It never benefited from her to tell me that, but she always made time to do so. It was a kind gesture. I only wish that such advice could be of help to me now.

Stepping out onto the end balcony of our train car, I felt the wind's breeze slip through my hoodie's sleeves and out my collar.

"Yup! That'll do it!" I said, shivering, my teeth starting to chatter. The morning cold never felt good as a rule after just waking up. But this icy feeling always made me smile uncontrollably. I liked it.

"G- g- good morning!" I heard Fluttershy's voice shutter as she stepped out with me.

"Likewise," I said, my voice clear. Just beginning to settle into the cold. "You ready to hear more?" I asked. Fluttershy nodded in place with her hooves warming her chest. "Um... Where did we leave off?"

"Y- you said, you got a job?" Fluttershy was closing one of her eyes as the wind kept pounding.

"How about you stay inside, I can talk over the train moving," I said, wrapping my hooves over the railing before the train inched forward, the engine car up front whistled again and the train picked up the pace as it steadily rolled down the tracks. But while we were moving, I saw a pony in uniform come down the road.

"Is that the station manager?" I asked Fluttershy.

"Early to work?" she assumed, but a squad of alert royal guards behind him made me think otherwise. They galloped onto the tracks behind us, catching up to us just before the train could move forward at its top speed. Leaving the manager at the station.

"Get to the other car, Flutters," I told her, "We got company."

"Halt in the name of the Princess!" the captain of the squad shouted. I could tell she was because of the red plume off the top of her helmet, her armor was golden with a royal blue cape waving off her shoulders. Again, like Flash, three golden stars pinned to her cape's collar end. The other four had blue plumes, no capes, same pricey armor, no stars. Hoof soldiers. I stepped back into the car as these pegasi all jumped aboard before the train picked up to its full speed. I bit my lip to the inconvenience. But maybe there was a way to avoid this. Plan A, play innocent.

"The royal guard, what can I do for you?" I asked, forcing a smile.

"Are you Twilight Sparkle?" the captain demanded. Approaching me with an attitude to intimidate.

"Depends on who you talk to," I answered. They didn't use my full name, funny. Slowly but surely, 'Twilight Sparkle' wasn't someone ponies remembered. Interesting that the guard of the city would still know me by that name.

"In the name of the law, you are under arrest for the assault of multiple officers and the disruption of public peace," my jaw dropped when I heard that.

So much for plan A.

"There has to be a mistake here, officers, I was defending my 'friend' here from one of your soldiers. Did you at least interrogate that guy? I believe sexual harassment is the greater crime here," I said, laughing as if she had told me a bad joke.

"A crime is still a crime, Miss Sparkle, we don't make exceptions when it comes to that."

"So, you're going to take me in?"

"Precisely, and we'll do it by force if we must," she said. I could tell there was more to this. They shouldn't be here just for me. Even if I was just as dangerous as they think I am. Unless...

"You all think I'm a part of some gang, don't you?" I narrowed my eyes at them, they were dead wrong if they thought they could get away with labeling me as some thug attacking guards for kicks.

"That much is obvious," the captain stated with a glare. "How else could you have taken on an entire squad of trained guards?"

"Figures," I muttered, stretching my limbs. They thought I had accomplices with me when I fought last night. I glanced back at Fluttershy, she looked sad as the guards readied to fight me. They were right to predict that I was in a gang, but that wasn't true, and I was going to show them why. No way in Tartarus I'd go quietly now.

Fluttershy tapped the glass on the door behind me, mouthing words to talk to me.

I can help, she communicated. I raised an eyebrow and cracked a smile.

"Good one!" I shouted back at her. Fluttershy looked appalled when I said that. It was kinda funny to see her angry for once. But then I heard her lock the door to the car, pouting, my smile faded, now that I was stuck in here. Quickly, I turned to the sound of metal clanking against itself, the captain was right in front of me, leading the assault.

Hooves spread out, the captain was going to try and grapple me to the ground. She wanted to end this quickly. Dodging back, her hooves swiped at me just out of reach of my lower body, I needed to act before the rest of her squad attacked. Placing one back hoof behind me and pressing against the ground for extra momentum, I cut under her front hooves and knocked her helmet off. With no protection there, I punched her away with a left hook, causing her to tumble back onto another guard.

Perfect.

The next guard that came after me just charged, I jumped and rolled over him like down a hill. The next had a baton in his hoof, swinging it wildly. Weapons were scary, sure, but one wrong move and that baton wouldn't be yours anymore. He almost got a good swing at my head with it, I grabbed his hoof in response and twisted it quickly to make him drop it. As it fell I caught it and knocked his head back and forth once, pulling his hoof to the ground, I led him to move on his own to avoid any further pain. That was a little mind trick I had learned.

Most ponies cared that they got hurt and obeyed the one hurting them to maybe make it stop. Some, like me, learned to ignore it. But that was stupid depending on how you looked at it. Almost as stupid as hitting this armored A-hole with a baton.

A helmet does one thing right, it protects your head. Take that away, and you're the perfect target for a rod of iron to crack your skull. So I did just that. Aiming over the guard's shoulder at the captain, who sat up without her helmet, I threw the baton and watched it bounce off her head. A cry of pain followed and I refocused on the guard in front of me. I wanted the captain to stay out of this. She was probably the only other experienced fighter in this car other than me, considering I knew who trained her. My brother.

Turning the guard around, I locked a chock hold around his neck and ordered the others to back off.

"G- get her," the guard I was holding managed to say. Signaling the others to attack anyway. I quickly threw him on top of the pile the captain was in and dodged a baton by falling limply to the seats on my left. Sometimes gravity knew how to dodge better than you did. I kicked at the guard's hoof holding the baton as it hit the ground, he let go and I rolled in between him and the other before they collided and hit one another as I snagged the baton. The one that still held onto his baton swung, I blocked it with mine. We continued this little dance of hit and block until I found an opening, and ran the iron rod across his standing back legs, he fell over like a tree. And with one last hard smack with the rod, he rolled away with his head throbbing under the helmet. The last guard finally resorted to hoof to hoof combat, punching and kicking like he had been trained. But that's all he knew. None of these idiots knew how to change their offensive or defensive plans on the fly. They only knew one way, enforce or surrender.

His punches hurt only because of his armor, he could hardly do anything to me.

Gripping his right with both of my hooves, I forced him into a one hoof arm lock. My left reaching around his back to hold his left down as I punched his neck to make him gag. He worried that I had collapsed it, but I wasn't that kind of fighter. He let his guard down too much, allowing me to drop kick him onto his friend from behind. The jolt forward alone pushed them both against the others, as I landed on all fours. Turning to stand over them, the last guard who didn't get to fight finally surfaced from under the captain. Shocked at the damage I had done.

"Do your friends a favor, and get off this train," I ordered. The train whistle blew just on time before our next pit stop. Where our dependable law enforcement would depart in peace.

Comments

[Gavier]

Loving this story so far.

[Mahtan]

Loving to hate this story so far.

[BackroundVoice]

8500095
That's a good thing right?

[ExcitedSnails]

This is a lot of fun so far. Surprised that this story doesn't have more likes. It's definitely getting one from me.

[BackroundVoice]

8988339
Thanks! That was the intention!